Wolf Romance, Destination Foods, Bookish Newsletters, a Poetry Game & More: Endnotes 24 June

Wolf Romance, Destination Foods, Bookish Newsletters, a Poetry Game & More: Endnotes 24 June

Friday, 24 June, 2022

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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The Czech Republic is so beautiful and romantic, even the wolves are inspired to fall in love. According to a recent news report, ‘A young wild wolf walked across the entire Czech Republic looking for love. The journey began in Austria and ended in Poland, where the wolf apparently has met a female wolf and, scientists believe, has started a family.’ Our lupine Romeo is estimated to be about two years old, and it took him 14 days to journey through Moravia. His path included crossing two highways! (You can see his route on this map.) I can only assume it was something like this. Once upon a time, wolves lived all over what’s now the Czech Republic, but in the 19th century, humans wiped them out. However, they’re starting to slowly return to the forests here; there are currently about 60 to 80 wolves out there, looking for love.

  • Why Comic Books Could Be A Powerful Weapon In The Climate Fight. ‘In these times, with one scandal chasing the next, it’s important to arrange stuff in relation to its history. I think comics are great for that. Getting activists and communities up to speed on a topic with a comic instead of a pile of articles can help.’

  • Mysterious Lighthouses: The Perfect Setting for Fiction.

  • Eater has rounded up the World’s Destination Dishes. Tacos in Mexico City, chili in Cincinnati, mofongo in San Juan, and many more.

  • Dame Hilary Mantel’s story collection Learning to Talk was recently released in the US. She shared her favorite books with Elle. (My Wolf Hall trilogy audiobook listening extravaganza continues, and it is glorious.)

  • Related! More than 80 writers have handwritten annotations in first editions of their books to raise funds for English PEN (a human rights organization that champions freedom of expression and defends writers at risk of persecution). Scottish mystery author Val McDermid, Margaret Atwood, Lee Child (Jack Reacher’s creator), and Hilary Mantel are among the authors who’ve contributed to the Christie’s auction First Editions, Second Thoughts: An Auction in Support of English PEN. There’s also a first edition of Atonement annotated by its author Ian McEwan: ‘One of the things he’s done so well is to explain the psychology of these characters. He talks about how memory plays tricks on us, you know, and that, of course, is a central theme of the book.’ The Guardian has more. If anyone has a few thousand extra pounds lying around, I will not turn up my nose at Bring Up the Bodies or The Mirror & The Light.

 
 
 
 
 
  • These animals carved from walnut shells are so whimsical and beautiful.

  • One of the first podcasts that captured my heart was the now-defunct The Dinner Party Download (RIP). The former host has a new show with a heart-stirring back story: ‘Brendan Francis Newnam was the host of a popular radio show, coasting through a happy adulthood when it all came crashing down. And so, like many before him, he decided to hit the road, but not on his own. In Not Lost, Brendan and a friend travel to a new place every week, meeting the locals in hopes of understanding their homes. And angling for an invitation to dinner.’ You can listen to the first season right here.

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New Episode of The Library of Lost Time

In each 5-minute show, we talk about two new book releases at the top of our TBR, then share a fun book- or travel-related distraction. Get all the episodes and books galore here.

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine and Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro. Then we share the lowdown on the thoroughly delightful Typewriter Rodeo poets in Austin, Texas.

Books
Distraction of the Week
 

Wishing you poetry that moves you.

Top image courtesy of Mario Losereit/Unsplash.

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Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Summer Reading Bingo, miniature globes, the world's longest suspension bridge, moody period dramas, magazine shops, and more.
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got magical novels by women, indulgent breakfasts, the glory of Taschen books, Harlem Renaissance, confusing words quiz, and more.
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the meaning of food in Cyrano de Bergerac, Lay's around the world, a very unusual book, a Library of Congress visit, and more.

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