Thun Castle, Spring Books, Chandeliers, Poet Ada Limón, Dresden & More: Endnotes 19 April

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 fairytale scene above is a view of the Central Church of Thun, taken from a tower in Thun Castle (Schloss Thun) in Switzerland. The church tower dates from around 1330, although remnants of a previous church on the site can be traced back to the 10th century. But let’s talk about castles! The 12th-century Thun Castle stands opposite the church, perched on a hill, overlooking the right bank of the Aare River — and it’s one of five (!) castles that dot the shores around Lake Thun. To reach the castle and church, you climb 183 historic steps — protected by a charming wooden roof — and then a vista of river and lake, red roofs, and mountains opens up. The castle is a museum with historical gewgaws inside, and you can climb the turret! Here’s a short video tour of the castle (don’t miss the story of the eye-stabbing!), a longer video tour of the castle, and 16 things to do in Thun.

• A great essay from NPR on why Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley still fascinates after almost 70 years. ‘There’s something irresistible about an unapologetic grifter, who seizes the chance at a better life by stealing someone else’s.’

• The poem ‘From the River to the Sea’ by Palestinian poet Samer Abu Hawwash gutted me. I urge you to read it.

• Need to give your spring reading list a glow-up? Here is The Millions’ Great Spring 2024 Book Review and 14 new books recommended by Condé Nast Traveler.

• This new play about the Brontës seems like a lot of fun.

• Must-click headline: Here’s Exactly How Many Bubbles Are in a Glass of Champagne.

• Click below to enjoy Emma Thompson reading a gorgeous poem about kindness:

• Fancy! Changi Airport in Singapore is like an otherworldly botanical garden.

• Yes, please, I would very much like to see the 1000 chandeliers(!) at the Mathieu Lustrerie Museum in Luberon, France.

• I’ll take a trip to any of these, too — 7 properties that feel like a stay at the Grand Budapest Hotel. ‘From a pastel pink resort-style hotel in Marrakech to a lush castle-ette in Salzburg, we’ve rounded up seven bookable stays where movie buffs and aesthetes can immerse themselves in color and whimsy. In honor of the film’s 10th birthday, consider the confection.’

• The Gotham Book Prize finalists for 2024 have been announced. (You might remember that we talked about this fantastic prize on an episode of The Library of Lost Time last year.) All of this year’s titles ‘span decades of New York’s history and reveal some amazing stories of people and places in each of its boroughs that define the city today. I am a lifelong New Yorker and love that several of them transported me back to a period I lived through and vividly recall. But what was most beautiful to me is that each book showed me a side of the city I may never have experienced otherwise.’

• Gird your loins for this headline: Books are trash too: Remember to throw them away during spring cleaning.

• I would very much like to try this:

• If you like memoirs and diaries, this list put together by author Jhumpa Lahiri makes for a fascinating TBR.

• Enjoy this inspiring chat with Ada Limón, Poet Laureate of the United States about the new anthology of nature poems she’s pulled together. ‘I was tasked with doing a signature project by the Library of Congress, and I knew I wanted to do something with poetry and nature… I couldn’t have hoped for a better collection. Not only were [the poems] just so brilliant, they were talking to each other. I could see how they were relating to each other.’

• The ‘architectural miracle’ of Dresden, and how it dug out from under the rubble of WWII to restore the city.

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: Honor the Dead by Amy Tector and Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne. Then our special guest author Amy Tector shares how she starts her day with poems. [transcript]

Links

Honor the Dead: Dominion Archives Mystery #3 by Amy Tector by Amy Tector

Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne

Distraction of the Week: Special Guest Amy Tector

Amy Tector’s website

Amy Tector on Substack: Méli-Mélo

The Foulest Things: Dominion Archives Mystery #1 by Amy Tector

Speak for the Dead: Dominion Archives Mystery #2 by Amy Tector

The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector

Louise Penny Transported Me Home When I Needed it Most — an essay by Amy Tector

Video: Murder and Mayhem in the Canadian Archive w/ Amy, Mel, and Dave

Rose are red. Violets are blue. Poems are fun. Maybe read a few.

Top image courtesy of Daniel Vogel/Unsplash.