Fall Foliage, Villain Zodiac, Romania, Dark Academia, Literary Meals & More: Endnotes 13 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.

Break out the cinnamon- and vanilla-scented candles! Grab a cozy blanket! Pick up a suitably eerie story, and make yourself a batch of these Pumpkin-Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (or this Pumpkin Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Filling). It’s spooky season! Also known as The Season to Take a Road Trip and Look at Beautiful Fall Foliage. Here’s a list of the 27 top places to see colorful leaves in the United States this year — plus, the best places in Europe and Asia. Pro tip: You can play this very soothing, very pretty (very long) video of autumn scenes from around the world in the background while you enjoy your favorite fall activities.

• The Booker Prize enlisted actors to read excerpts from its 2023 shortlist, and the video results are stunningly good. You can watch and listen to all of them here.

• Huh. Jennifer from the movie Jennifer’s Body is a Taurus like me. ‘Jennifer is staunchly loyal to her bestie Needy and committed to only doing things her way.’ I feel so seen! Here are 11 more horror villains and their zodiac signs.

• From our podcast/blogging bestie Modern Mrs. Darcy: 20 Dark Academia Novels for Moody Fall Reading. (And here’s our list of our favorite seven.)

• I want to be friends with this monster tree:

• So cool and creative: Actress Tilda Swinton and her son recreated paintings by John Singer Sargent.

• This English Regency house is decorated with playfulness and style. It’s basically my dream house.

• Treat yourself to this photo album of images from rural Romania. ‘Maramures, Moldavia, and Transylvania are regions which have retained an almost medieval simplicity and beauty. In secluded valleys bordered by the Carpathian Mountains and shaded by clouds of plum blossom lie villages with wooden churches and houses where ancient rituals, festivities, clothes, and crafts are cherished.’

• I’m not a car racing fan, but I was charmed by this story (and the photos!) about the Zoute Grand Prix in a Belgian seaside town. ‘… 11km of sandy beach, high-end shopping, Michelin-starred restaurants, and a thriving art scene. The town’s art deco casino boasts an astonishing 360-degree mural by Belgian Surrealist René Magritte.’

• Delightful:

• Photographer Janine Pendleton is the author of the book Abandoned Pennsylvania; our review and photos here. Her images of pleasingly dilapidated buildings are poignant and whimsical. She just announced her 2024 calendar featuring 12 photos from some of her favorite abandoned places she visited this year. You can get 15% off and free shipping right now! Orders ship in November, so there’s plenty of time for holiday gift-giving. Pre-order here.

• From The Washington Post (gift link): 9 Recipes Inspired by Famous Literary Meals. (For more, check out our Food + Fiction collection).

• 100% yes to this ingenuity:

• Literary Lives: Nine Movies About Real-Life Writers.

• Try this Where in the world are these beautiful buildings? quiz. (I got 14/16 with some lucky guesses.)

• Take a peek at other peoples’ bookshelves with these photo from Electric Lit’s Coolest Bookshelves Contest.

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: The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey and Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post by Martin Baron. Then our special guest Anne Bogel from the fantastic What Should I Read Next? podcast shares her delicious reading habit. [transcript]

Links

• The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey

• Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post by Martin Baron

• The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey

• Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey

• The Pale House Devil: Excerpt and Cover Reveal

We’re delighted to have Anne Bogel, host of the What Should I Read Next? podcast, as our guest to share her ‘Distraction of the Week.

• What Should I Read Next? podcast with Anne Bogel

• Anne’s Modern Mrs. Darcy website

• Anne Bogel on Instagram and Twitter

• What Should I Read Next? on Instagram and Twitter

• Alison Roman’s cookbooks and Substack

• The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer

• Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love To Eat by Melissa Joulwan

• Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

• Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty

• Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi

• Thai Street Food: Authentic Recipes, Vibrant Traditions by David Thompson

• Turkey and The Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans by Mason Hereford

• 12 Inspiring Cookbooks That Will Transport You Around the World

Wishing you a delicious read and something good to eat.

Top image courtesy of Balazs Busznyak/Unsplash.