Rio, Gothic Heroines, London Breakfast, Library Poems, Bio Comics & More: Endnotes 05 August

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 bird’s-eye view above is from the cable car that whisks visitors up Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The spectacular panorama that rewards travelers explains why about 2500 people ride to the top every day. According to this excellent blog post (a first-person account of the experience), the cars are so stable and secure, it feels as uneventful as riding an elevator. Unless you’re James Bond being pursued by a villain in Moonraker. (Fun fact: When the bad guy bites into the steel tramway cable, the cable is made of licorice!)

• This is a fun peek into how authors might approach writing a novel with multiple points of view. Spoiler: Lots of index cards.

• There’s a new biographical comic about Stevie Nicks — in a series that also includes Dolly Parton, Kamala Harris, Tina Turner, Betty White, Michelle Obama, Barbra Streisand, Cher, and Gloria Steinem. Here’s more about the Female Force series.

• I cannot improve on this headline: Ants Infest Woman’s Kindle — and Start Buying Books on Amazon.

• My reading journal is quite minimalist. The one in this video is so cool!

• The Most Underrated European Cities, According to Seasoned Travelers. BRB, off to visit them all.

• Well, this is a lot of fun. Superheroes reimagined as 16th-century portraits.

• An ode to Emily Dickinson’s poem that begins, A precious — mouldering pleasure — ‘tis — / To meet an Antique Book —

• This is fascinating: how novelist Elinor Glyn invented what we think of as a stereotypical romantic scene. ‘Every cliché has its origin story. Many of the over-familiar visual signposts of the modern romance began with an eccentric middle-aged British sex novelist with flaming red hair and a fondness for cats. During the 1920s, while Prohibition roared, Elinor Glyn (1864-1943) created the mold for how the modern love scene looked.’

• These American restaurants are enjoying a stylish second life — they used to be gas stations.

• You’ve heard us talk about the Vyšehrad in our podcast and newsletters; now, you can enjoy a virtual online tour of our favorite park in Prague.

• Cool off with these colorful, flavorful Mexican salads from the newsletter The Department of Salad.

• Seven Women Who Won’t Be Silenced in Gothic Literature.

• Related: Daphne du Maurier and the Borders of the Uncanny, Gothic, and Weird.

• If you enjoyed our podcast episode about museums, perhaps you’ll be interested in this list of the best art books to read this summer, recommended by artists and curators.

• News you can use: 13 Brilliant London Breakfast Spots.

• This article about the state of the ferries that run across the Baltic Sea has an irresistible opening: ‘I have a general rule that the only way to truly get to know a region is to travel through it by the most inconvenient means.’

• #teamintrovert:

New Episode of The Library of Lost Time

In each mini-episode, 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.

This time, we get excited about two new book releases: Kismet by Amina Akhtar and Alias Emma by Ava Glass. Then we think about running away to Tristan da Cunha, the world’s most remote inhabited island.

Links: Distraction of the Week

• Visit the Tristan da Cunha website.

• Read more on Wikipedia and Britannica.

• Here’s Atlas Obscura’s entry about Tristan da Cunha — and an article from Slate.

• Feast your eyes on these videos: Life on Tristan da Cunha — and A Day on Tristan da Cunha

Wishing you quiet time to read and the delightful company of others.

Top image courtesy of F Cary Snyder/Unsplash.