Hindu Holymen, Dark Academia, Storytelling Fests, Secret Language & More: Endnotes 16 October

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.

The holymen above, known as sadhus, were photographed at the Pashupatinath Temple, a sacred Hindu temple complex found on the banks of the Bagmati River, near Kathmandu in Nepal. The original temple was created in the 5th century. Through the centuries, additional temples and ashrams (monasteries) were added to this sprawling complex. The sadhus have renounced worldly connections to live and meditate at the temple. They’re dedicated to achieving moksha (liberation) and are committed to a path of spiritual discipline. {more}

• In case you’ve ever wondered: What’s up with the bad bunnies in medieval illustrations?

• Our Halloween episode is coming on Monday… YAY! But if you want some spooky reads for this weekend, here are 9 classic Gothic books from the 20th century and 10 scary books every horror lover needs to read.

• Yes, please. ‘Dark academia is a nostalgic romanticization… a deep fascination with life in the late 19th century to the 1940s at boarding schools or classic universities…. [its] seminal text is Donna Tartt’s The Secret History… Other dark academia books include Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, If We Were Villains by M.L.Rio, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.’

• The Rosebud Motel from Schitt’s Creek is for sale. Let’s pool our funds, buy it, and turn it into an HQ for reading and writing retreats!

• No biggie! There’s just a jukebox sitting at the edge of the woods in the Czech countryside.

• This is the Fantoft Stave Church in Bergen, Norway. And yes, I would pay good money for a Gothic novel that begins or ends at its doorway.

• The Edinburgh Horror Festival is free online this year. The presentations will be presented live and will be available online from 22 October until 1 November. We raved about the story collection Haunted Voices in the Scotland episode of our podcast — and we’re thrilled that some of the authors from that collection will be performing their stories on 24 October.

• Sorta related: the Scottish International Storytelling Festival is also online this year — and it starts this weekend! Events run from 17 October through Halloween and include pre-recorded and live online events like storytelling, music, walking tours, webinars, and more. Get the whole program here.

• This was new to me, so maybe it’s new to you, too. The website Willow and Thatch is a massive resource for information related to period drama news and reviews. If you want to stay on top of Austen adaptations, corset dramas, and creaky manor houses, this is the place for you.

• Zombies, Run! is a great running app that lets you listen to a story and be chased by (imaginary) zombies. Over the years, the company has released other stories to accompany walking/running activities. The new one is so much fun! It’s called Around the World in 72 Days, and it stars Nellie Bly, the trailblazing journalist who raced around the world. The production features 27 actors speaking seven languages! The first two episodes are free and unlocked, so you can test it out before committing.

• Water skiing witches at Cypress Gardens in Florida!

• Which Gothic literary character are you? (I got Jane Eyre!: ‘Beneath your calm exterior a storm is building. You know it, and secretly you’re afraid of it, but you won’t allow that to distract you from doing what you believe to be the right thing. You are resourceful and intelligent, both of which leave you with a feeling of alienation from your peers.’)

• Cast your vote for your favorite of the Women’s Prize for Fiction winners for the past 25 years. So many amazing books on the list!

https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/reading-room/2020-prize/help-us-choose-our-winner-of-winners

• So relevant with Halloween on the way: Popular Science explains why we see ghosts.

• Have you heard of the language called Rotwelsch? It was a secret language spoken primarily by thieves in southern Germany and Switzerland. In this essay, author Martin Puchner explains his investigation into the language and its connection to his family.

• This history of the Disney Monorail is a celebration of imagination.

• Bookish podcast of the week: This episode of the 99% Invisible podcast introduces you to New York librarian Anne Carroll Moore and delves into the impact of the children’s book Goodnight Moon. (Big hug of thanks to Kathleen S. for recommending this to us.)

• Travel podcast of the week: This episode of Explore the World podcast takes a deep dive into Polynesian tiki culture and the Kon-Tiki expedition. Get ready for sweet cocktails, cursed idols, and balmy breezes.

Use your imagination for good.

Top image courtesy of Fares Nimri/Unsplash.