Zeugma Mosaics, Weird Reading, Crater Lake, 100 Best Mysteries & More: Endnotes 06 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 mosaic above is ‘The Gypsy Girl,’ the most famous Byzantine mosaic in the collection of Türkiye’s Zeugma Mosaic Museum. The museum is in the city of Gaziantep (also known as Türkiye’s food capital), and it’s home to a collection of mosaics found in the nearby Zeugma. Most of the mosaics are Greek (circa 2nd century BCE), though some are Roman and even depict Greek and Roman gods together. They remained undiscovered until 2000; the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, opened in 2011, is now the largest mosaic museum in the world. Here’s a short video ‘The Gypsy Girl’ mosaic, a wild story about when she was stolen (!), and a tour of the Zeugma archaeological site, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Science! Books in your zoom background make you seem more trustworthy.

• Beyond Guilty Pleasures: When Reading Is Weird, or Hard, or Personal. ‘It seems to me that the whole idea of the guilty pleasure stems from the idea that we’re liking things we’re not supposed to like… But the squirmy-awkward feelings that appear around certain other kinds of books—that comes from inside. When I’m reading something, and I feel weird about talking about it, it’s not because it’s hard or complex or weird or unusual; it’s because it’s too personal. Too close to the bone.’

• The Most Beautiful Independent Bookshops in London, England.

• Breakfast is my favorite meal. This video has given me so many ideas!

• Related: Guide to The Best Street Foods in the World. ‘From Vietnam’s noodle soups to Sicily’s spleen sandwiches, these are some of the best bites you’ll ever have.’

• BRB, I need to jump into these watercolor paintings of posh interiors by Madrid-based artist Diego de Mora.

• The She Wore Black podcast has become a standard on my listening list. Host Agatha Andrews talks to authors about their Gothic horror and mystery books — and/but she’s got a very sunny attitude. She just released a bunch of excellent merch, and I desperately need this mug.

• Personal reading catnip: 8 Dinner Parties in Literature Gone Wrong.

• And… for that special evening when you want to dine in a villain’s lair. (WaPo gift link)

• Care to explore America’s deepest and bluest lake? Here’s everything you need to know for the ultimate visit to Oregon’s Crater Lake.

• Fun weekend project:

• Dear mystery lovers, this list should keep you busy for a while! The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time. (I took their recommendation to read The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham, and it’s so much fun.)

• Related: This essay about visiting Agatha Christie-related spots in Torquay has a very strong sense of place.

• Tangentially related: What It’s Like to Ride the Seven Stars Kyushu—Japan’s Version of the Orient Express. ‘I spent most of the time mesmerized by the view, which moved between thickly forested mountains to verdant rice paddies and charming small towns. On the third day, as we headed back north from Kagoshima along the seaside, I watched smoke curl from the rim of Sakurajima, one of Kyushu’s nine active volcanoes, while sipping a glass of Ruinart to a piano rendition of The Girl from Ipanema.’ (The photos are very swoon-worthy.)

• Maybe you need to plan a visit to the oldest bookstore in the United States.

New Episode of The Library of Lost Time

In each mini-podcast episode, we discuss two books 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 books: A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand and Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett. Then Mel talks about the delicious show Food & Fashion at the Museum at FIT. [transcript]

Links

• A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

• How the Haunting of Hill House Rewrote Horror’s Rules

• Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand

• SSoP Podcast — Amusement Parks: Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

• Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

• The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett

• A Three Dog Problem (UK) / All the Queen’s Men (US) by SJ Bennett

• The Museum at FIT

• The Museum at FIT online archive

• Post-Imperial by Niyi Okuboyejo is an Ego-Free Brand

• Food and Fashion by Melissa Marra-Alvarez & Elizabeth Way

• Exhibit — Ballerina: Fashion’s Modern Muse

• Exhibit — Paris, Capital of Fashion

• Exhibit — The Corset: Fashioning the Body

• Exhibit — Gothic: Dark Glamour

• Exhibit — A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk

Dare you to wear a funny hat this week.

Top image courtesy of muratart/Shutterstock.