Venice, Joys of Re-Reading, Overrated Classics, Oldest Planetarium & More: Endnotes 26 July

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.

As you read this, we’re on the train to Ljubljana, Slovenia, the first stop on our summer holiday, which also includes Trieste and Venice, Italy. This is our second trip to Venice, so our plans are mainly to wander in back alleys, try this ‘secret walk’ of the Cannareggio neighborhood, eat at this bookshop-bistro, and be good guests in a beautiful city that has a love-hate relationship with tourists. Based on the recommendations in this (fantastic) cookbook that I talked about in our podcast episode Italy: A Bottle of Red, the Tuscan Sun, and Il Dolce Far Niente, we’ll also be indulging in the Venice-only magic of cicchetti. Are you thinking about a trip to Venice? AFAR magazine has an inspiring, helpful guide to planning — and Atlas Obscura has got you covered in the offbeat department.

• This should inspire lots of interesting conversations. The Washington Post asked its readers for their thoughts on which classics are overrated and which novels should be added to the canon.

• I think re-reading is like visiting a favorite place or hanging out with old friends. This essay makes more great points about the joys of re-reading. ‘Contrary to popular believe, re-reading isn’t stale. On the contrary, it’s exciting, one of life’s great unsung extended pleasures. It’s like revisiting old friends and finding you still adore each other — the years apart evaporate, leaving you wondering why you left it so long to reunite. It’s ecological and free and luxurious too. As book lovers, we should all be doing more of it.’

• I’ve been getting fantastic podcast recommendations from the Hurt Your Brain newsletter for months. The author Erik recommends podcasts for ‘people fascinated by the world,’ so I was thrilled to see our recent Strong Sense of Place episode Outer Space: We Are All Made of Stars recommended in this week’s roundup of recommended podcasts.

• You know what’s even more exciting than spy stories? Stories about spies in Renaissance Venice.

• This noir choose-your-own-adventure game from LitHub is hard-boiled fun.

• The Mongolian Olympic team’s uniforms are causing a well-deserved sensation. Meet the designers behind the most fashion kit at the 2024 Games.

• These literary maps are so awesome.

• 8 Thrillers and Horror Novels Set at Terrible Summer Camps.

• Peek inside the world’s oldest, prettiest planetarium. ‘Ducking beneath the door, visitors enter the jewellery box room. The space, ablaze with flecked gold, forms the miniature planets and their circumferencing solar system…. Hidden behind gingham curtains, a small cupboard bed, the resting place of Eise and his family, is just as striking as the iridescent golden planets.’

• This is weird and wonderful: A water-damaged, fungi-growing copy of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. Photo by Igor Siwanowicz.

• Ooooh! One hundred percent here for this modern cabinet of curiosities. And there’s a Kickstarter to take it on the road.

• Here’s a new must-follow Instagram account for you. On the beautiful Historic Embroidery, textile historian Dr. Isabella Rosner shares amazing photos and stories of of embroidery from the past.

• Irresistible headline from Smithsonian: This German Town Is Embedded with Millions of Tiny Diamonds.

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: Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran and Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi. Then Dave delves into the mystery of the lost tomb of Mongol warrior Genghis Khan. [transcript]

Links

• Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran

• Michelle Moran’s website

• Maria by Maria von Trapp on Internet Archive

• Podcast: Theater: Act One, Scene I, Lights Up

• Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi

• Paolo Bacigalupi’s website

• Wikipedia: Burial place of Genghis Khan

• BBC: Why Genghis Khan’s Tomb Can’t Be Found

• Podcast: Mongolia: Under the Eternal Blue Sky

• The Mongol’s Coffin by E. Chris Ambrose

Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.

May an irresistible mystery capture your imagination.

Top image courtesy of Kym Ellis/Unsplash.