Heidelberg, Reading Spots, Famous Staircases, Best 2024 Books, Verona & More: Endnotes 30 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.

The Wes Anderson-esque towers above are found at the end of the Alte Brücke (Old Bridge) in Heidelberg, Germany. The bridge spans the Neckar River, connecting the Old Town with the Neuenheim district. These towers, dating from the Middle Ages, were once part of Heidelberg’s city wall. Now the east tower houses a sandstone spiral staircase to living quarters above the gate arch, and the west is a former dungeon for detaining ‘suspicious persons.’ A highlight of the bridge is the Brückenaffe or Bridge Monkey. The bronze monkey sculpture holds a mirror, and according to legend, it reflects the faces of all those who are dishonest or vain. Heidelberg is also home to Heidelberg Castle; the Philosophers’ Walk, a scenic path where where philosophers and professors from Heidelberg University (est. 1386) used to stroll for inspiration; or take a self-guided walking tour through its fairy tale streets.

• Oooh, this should evoke strong opinions: Top 11 Places to Read, Ranked. ‘Readers also know that reading can be done almost anywhere. In line, while traveling, at home– you understand. So here, I’ve ranked some of the most common places to read from worst to best.’

• Jeopardy! is a must-watch for me, and Mattea Roach is one of my favorite superstar contestants. So fun that she’s got a new book-related podcast coming — Bookends with Mattea Roach. ‘Guided by Roach’s thoughtful curiosity and broad knowledge, Bookends will dive deep into each writer’s work and situate it in the broader context of history and the current world.’

• What Food Words Do You Always Have to Spell-Check? Hors d’oeuvres continues to bedevil me.

• As a person who cannot resist walking up a stairway, should it appear at the end of an alley or around a corner, this list of famous staircases around the world is irresistible.

• Warning: Prepare to fall in love with Verona via this post from Beautiful Things.

• It’s so joyous to peek inside author Jason Reynolds’ library. The author of Long Way Down shares his books and personal knick-knacks.

• This hotel in Bali is so dreamy.

• I can’t wait to watch the dark comedy-thriller Blink Twice — especially after this behind-the-scenes look at the fancy estate where it takes place.

• Sorta related: Eight of the World’s Most Extraordinary Tiny Hotel Rooms. I don’t know — how do you feel about hanging off the side of a mountain to get your Zs?

• This is a lovely collection of inspiring Substacks, and we’re delighted that Strong Sense of Place is included.

• Sure, we all have too many book-related tote bags, but there’s probably room for one more: this oversized replica of a New York Public Library circulation card.

• Um, this is adorable:

• Have you noticed that the new trend in book covers is old-timey animals? ‘I can’t stop seeing medieval-looking dogs, anachronistic lions, and birds painted imprecisely, brushstrokes showing. You know, the sort of non-photorealistic creatures you might see in old maps of the world, the notebooks of very talented children, or archaic zoology textbooks.’

• An exhibit to warm my cold, black heart. The Lilly Library at Indiana University is hosting a collection called Love in the Library — a collection of 100 essential works in the history of romance fiction from 1769 to 1999.

• These Are the Best Books of 2024 (So Far), according to Real Simple editors.

• How about a virtual trip to Hawaii! Here’s an ode to the 200 Hawaiian words for rain, and our podcast episode Hawaii: Bring a Bottle of Gin for Pele.

• Oooh, Country Life explores what it was like to be a servant in the royal household. ‘Despite occasional indignities, a life in royal service offered the prospect of favour and opportunities for self-advancement. Take Queen Anne’s footman, William Fortnum. He served in the Great Bedchamber, which was lit every night with fresh candles (30 best-quality ‘whitewax’ candles on a public night and 10 on a private night). Fortnum was authorised, alongside the Queen’s other grooms and pages, to sell the unburnt candle ends. By 1707, he had made enough money to resign from royal service and start a grocery business with his landlord, Hugh Mason. Groceries, specialised teas and candles can still be purchased at the emporium he founded, Fortnum & Mason on London’s Piccadilly, holder of the Royal Warrant.’

New Strong Sense of Place Episode — Panama: Jump Back, What’s That Sound?

The Central American country of Panama is like a stretched-out letter S, lying on its side to soak up the sun — with the Pacific and the Caribbean snuggling up to its curves.

The capital, Panama City, in the bottom arch of the S, invites you to stroll down red-brick streets lined with lush palm trees and white colonial buildings that look like layer cakes. You can stroll along the seafront and gaze out across the Pacific — and daydream about the 17th-century pirates that sailed nearby.

When you’re ready for adventure, you might hike to the top of Panama’s highest mountain — Volcán Barú — to watch the sun rise over both the Atlantic and Pacific, volunteer in Cerra Hoya National Park to study jaguars, spend the night a traditional village in the jungle with the Emberá people, or kick back at an artistic island resort.

Maybe it’s more your speed to spend endless days in your bathing suit, eating fresh fish just pulled from the sea, or sipping some of the world’s best coffee. Panama has all of that and more.

In this episode, we get curious about the Panama Canal, discuss the relative sobriety of dwarf sloths, and get real about what it’s like to spend time in the jungle. Then we recommend five great books that took us to Panama on the page, including a fascinating history of the Panama Canal, a novel that answers the question ‘what would it be like to run away to the jungle?’, a rousing real-life pirate adventure, a story in verse that honors the people who built the Canal, and a family mystery set in Panama City. [transcript]

Visit our show notes for photos, links to fascinating stuff, videos, author info, and more.

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

Beaches, jungles, and a classic rock song… what’s not to love?

Top image courtesy of Yevhenii Deshko/Unsplash+.