Vintage Library Pics, the Agatha Christie of Mexico, Staycationing & More: Endnotes 31 July

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.

That amazing pool up there can be found at the Bondi Icebergs, a swimming club in Sydney, Australia. It’s been the place to swim laps since 1929. In fact, to become a member, you must commit to swimming at least 3 Sundays of each month from May to September; that’s according to Historic Rule 15B, and it’s sacrosanct. But if splashing in the pool isn’t your thing, you can sun on the deck, relax in the sauna, or grab some food at the café. {more}

• Meet María Elvira Bermúdez, the Agatha Christie of Mexican literature.

• David and I visited Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina a few years ago on a day-trip that allowed us to visit a mosque, see the famous bridge, and eat really delicious Balkan food. It’s an interesting and challenging place, straddling two worlds and old cultures. I enjoyed this deep dive into their literary scene trying to move past the ’90s wars.

• This needs no sales pitch: buildings shaped like food.

• This is a fascinating detective project: tracking down the real-life ‘gypsy’ portrayed in a pivotal scene in Jane Eyre.

• 1 million percent ‘yes’ to this: 15 travel books written by people of color

• Based on these vintage photos, I would like to time travel back to the ‘Old Main’ Cincinnati Library immediately.

• If anyone can provide comfort about the need for staycationing right now, it’s our travel godfather Rick Steves.

• Calling all thriller fans! Here’s a recent video interview with Daniel Silva talking about his Gabriel Allon novel The Order — and another new one with Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series.

• So lovely and poignant. Skye McAlpine, the author of A Table for Friends, writes about cooking for one during the pandemic: ‘My hunger to cook for those I love has translated into a kind of self care. Without friends to feed over the past months, I have cooked for myself; and I realize now that my life has been much the richer for it. When at times it has felt like the world is crumbling around me, a proper lunch has gone a long way towards making things feel better.’

• When we lived in Austin, Texas, one of our favorite places to go was the Alamo Drafhouse. Here are 11 of the coolest cinemas in movie history. Snazzy!

• I am very excited about the book of comics I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider. New York Times review here.

• There’s a new Dolly Parton-themed bar in Nashville, and it is a bright pink dream-nightmare.

• Bookish podcast of the week: On The Maris Review podcast, cultural critic Maris Kreizman talks to authors about their books. In this episode, cartoonist Adrian Tomine discusses his new book The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist: ‘This was a book I’d had in mind for a long time, probably going back decades. Because I was always making comics whenever something bad happened to me in my life.’

• Travel podcast of the week: On the Not So Bon Voyage podcast, guests share their woeful tales of travel mishaps. In this episode, adventure traveler Rachel Rudwall talks about her transformative travel experiences, including getting food poisoning in Patagonia.

May the books you’re reading give you only sweetest dreams.

Top image courtesy of Kevin Bosc/Unsplash.