Dominican Republic, Bookish Art, Dickinson's Hair, Lupin Fever & More: Endnotes 29 January

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 inviting water above is off the coast of the Dominican Republic, specifically, near the small, rural village of San Rafael de Yuma. It’s currently mostly sunny there and a balmy 70-75F (22-25C). Should you grow weary of splashing about in the turquoise blue water, you could take a stroll down the way to the 16th-century ruins of the home of Juan Ponce de León. The stone building has been turned into a museum where you can check out the Spanish explorer’s knick-knacks and furniture — before returning to the important work of lounging and snorkeling. {more}

• One hundred percent yes to this humorous take: Things Women In Literature Have Died From. I expect to be brought low by ‘too many novels’ or, perhaps, ‘strolling congestion.’

• Remember when we encouraged you to make Persian Jeweled Rice? This tahdig art takes this traditional rice to beautiful artistic levels.

• Don’t we all love books about books?!

• Ekaterina Panikanova is a contemporary Russian artist known for using books as a canvas for her artworks. Enjoy one example below; see more at Colossal.

• Why is 18th-Century Bath Considered the Model for Modern Day Spas?

• This exhilarating essay by Sarah Mesle explores the symbolism of hair in the show Dickinson. This is the sentence that pulled me inexorably in: ‘I have been writing about televisual hair studies since Connie Britton, I have spent literally hours of my one and precious life pondering the hair of television ladies from Gilead to Westeros to (as special consultant) the NFL, so I can say with confidence that Dickinson is a major Hair Studies event.’

• Why, yes! I would like to visit this magical house in Thailand. (Thank you to Friend of Strong Sense of Place Ronda G. for pointing it out.)

• Two book round-ups for you: offbeat European children’s books for adults and the best historical novels to escape into another world.

• This piece from Suitcase highlights four second-generation female entrepreneurs in Berlin who are collaborating to highlight their Turkish identity through food, photography, flowers, and traditional textiles. The photos are stunning; the project is inspiring.

• Have you watched Lupin on Netflix yet? David and I devoured the first five episodes; then I got my hands on the source material Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief to read a few stories afterward. This essay from CrimeReads is a great place to start with this charming character. (When you watch, be sure to select the original French with English subtitles; you deserve to hear Omar Sy’s original performance.)

• So cool! The bookshop Oh Hello Again has organized its books according to emotion. In this Seattle Times article, owner Kari Ferguson explains, ‘I want a person to come in and look around and say, “What do I need right now? What kind of book would help me in my life based on what I’m going through, or how I’m feeling?”’

• Fascinating! The Messy Nessy Chic website takes us through the history of the passport.

• Can you ace this quiz about movie locations? (I got 12/16.)

• Take a virtual trip to Istanbul.

• Obviously, Little My has captured my heart.

• Bookish podcast of the week: The Folklore Podcast kicked off its sixth season with an in-depth interview with historian Dr. Thomas Waters. In this episode, he discusses the research for his book Cursed Britain: A History of Witchcraft and Black Magic in Modern Times.

• Travel podcast of the week: I just started listening to The Boghouse podcast, and it is a ride. In their own voices, Matt and Melissa — two smart and creative Philadelphians — tell the story of that time they bought ‘a magic theater from a pedophile, discovered treasure, and became accidental amateur archaeologists.’ Episode one drew me in, and I can’t wait to see where this story goes. (Big hug of thanks to our SSoP pal Pam G. for recommending this podcast.)

Might defy convention this weekend and drink English Breakfast tea in the afternoon.

Top image courtesy of Bennet/Unsplash.