Tea Around the World, Edward Gorey's Lists, Mrs. Dalloway & More: Endnotes 24 April

Tea Around the World, Edward Gorey's Lists, Mrs. Dalloway & More: Endnotes 24 April

Friday, 24 April, 2020

Every Friday, we celebrate the weekend — and all the reading and relaxing and daydreaming time ahead — with Melissa's favorite book- and travel-related links of the week. Why work when you can read fun stuff?!

This post is part of our Endnotes series.

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When life is overwhelming, and you feel a muddle coming on, a cup of tea might be just the thing to help you restore your equilibrium. Enjoy these beautiful tea rituals from around the world.

 skellig michael island in ireland
Skellig Michael, Ireland, is a UNESCO site. Photo courtesy of Michael75
  • Whoa. Prolonged isolation can lead to the creation of new accents. ‘If they ever really decided to colonize another planet, like Mars, we’d be right in there wanting to study that. They would develop a Martian accent. Can you imagine that?’

  • Artist and author Edward Gorey was a devoted list-maker, and the new exhibit at his namesake museum lets us peek inside his journals for lists galore.

  • It’s always reassuring when Rick Steves talks about the world and our place in it.

  • Sure, you loved reading The Age of Innocence, but would you take decorating advice from Edith Wharton?

  • Enjoy these photos of the country estate formerly owned by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. I would love to cook in that kitchen!

  • The novel Jane Eyre opens with little Jane hiding in a window seat and reading Thomas Bewick’s History of British Birds. This piece from The Royal Society takes a deep dive into the British artist’s other nature drawings, including a ridiculously cute hippo. (Also Jane-related: this Twitter thread is a hoot.)

  • The New York Public Library asks: Are you Patience or Fortitude? (It’s fun, but the results are highly suspect because I got ‘Patience,’ and I can assure you that that particular adjective has never, ever been applied to me.)

lion statue in front of the new york public library
Patience, guarding the front of the New York Public Library.
  • Lord Byron was a naughty, and his family was, too!

  • If you want to geek out on the details of book-making, card catalogs, and more, this blog is for you. (Thank you for pointing me to it, Ronda!)

  • Bookish podcast of the week: This episode of the thoroughly engaging Shedunnit podcast explains, ‘There’s a reason why Agatha Christie knew so much about poisons.’

  • Travel podcast of the week: John Harrington is the first Native American astronaut. In this episode of the Armchair Explorer, he takes us aboard the International Space Station.

Wishing you lots of things to pique your curiosity and engage your imagination.

Top image courtesy of Soyoung Han.

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Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the best hangouts in Chicago, streaming shows from UK National Theater, a short story from Andrew Sean Greer, and more.
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Weeki Wachee mermaids, cozy British villages, the Save Our Bookstores app, Irish Gothic novels, the cats of Istanbul & more.
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got stunning trains, fantasy fiction needlework, your IKEA name, a perfect cartoon about libraries, Pieter Bruegel's art & more.

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