Poland, Best Graphic Novels, Istanbul Pastry, New Horror Fiction & More: Endnotes 06 September

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 adorable painted house above is just one of 30 colorful homes in the Polish village of Zalipie (about two hours from Krakow). The tradition of the houses’ festive paint jobs was born of necessity in the 19th century: The chimney-less houses were discolored by smoke, so the women folk used white lime to brighten the soot-stained walls. Eventually the spots of lime blossomed into multi-colored flower designs. The most acclaimed local artist was Felicja Curyłowa (1904–1974). She painted every possible surface in her home with flowers — the walls, the hearth, a wooden trunk, the window frames, an ash bucket, the exterior walls, the ceiling, and even her dog’s house. Her three-room farmhouse has been preserved as a charming museum so you can enter her colorful world. You can also visit the Women Painters’ House, a community hall and tourist center where you can pick up a map of all the painted houses in the area and take a flower painting workshop. You’ll also want to explore the painted chapel inside The Church of St. Joseph. This post is filled with fantastic photos of the painted houses, and here are tips for making a day trip from Krakow to Zalipie. If you only click on one thing, make it this fantastic video about a day trip to Zalipie (with charming Polish travel vlogger Eva Zubeck).

• Enjoy a (metaphorical) hike in Britain’s best literary forests. We see you, Sherwood!

• Oooh! Cozies for your ears! Here’s a great list of scripted cozy mystery podcasts.

• BRB, I need to go to Istanbul to try the savory pastries called börekitas — ‘a small, crescent-moon shaped empanada variation stuffed with either roasted eggplant or potato.’ (Take a virtual trip to Turkey with our podcast episode It’s Turkish Delight on a Moonlit Night.

• If trains are your preferred mode of travel, you’re going to want to dig into these stories: Fast Times on America’s Slowest Train (‘A surreal train ride between Chicago and New Orleans proves that Amtrak still has a lot to offer.’); Europe’s Stunning High-Tech Luxury Train (‘snowcapped Alps, wildflower-laced pastures and bell-adorned cows’ in the Swiss Alps; and Seeing America By Train (an illustrated diary about ‘what it’s really like to travel cross-country by rail’).

• The New Novel by Winslow Homer:

• There are many interesting options in this collection of the best graphic novels of August 2024. Dwellings by Jay Stephens and 1949 by Dustin Weaver look especially fun to me!

• I added so many titles to my TBR from this list: The Most Anticipated Horror Books of Fall 2024. I loved Rachel Harrison’s most recent comedy-horror novel Black Sheep — hear me talk about it here — so I’m excited for her new vampire story So Thirsty.

• Somewhat related: This is a fun roundup of Gothic novels (from CrimeReads). And if you want (need?) more, here’s our list of 43 Gothic novels with a strong sense of place — and an episode of The Library of Lost Time that answers the question, What the heck is Gothic, anyway?

• The nostalgia is strong in this online archive of cassette tapes. This was my preferred brand for mix tapes, circa 1984.

• Irresistible headline: See a Mysterious Postcard That Was Delivered 121 Years Late.

• Writers in Zimbabwe are using WhatsApp to serialize novels for their readers. One author charged $2 for his first finished book and ‘earned enough money to pay rent and buy food for his family.’

• Schnitzel, goulash and dumplings, roast duck with red cabbage — these are the foods of which Czech dream meals are made. This piece from Travel+Leisure recommends some lovely places in Prague to eat the classics.

• Are you Team Moleskine or Team Leuchtturm? (We’re a Leuchtturm household.) Here’s an examination of how a paper journal conquered the digital era. ‘Do you know there’s a section of our customer base that buys a fresh Moleskine every time they come into a store? We have no idea what they do with them.’

• If you enjoyed our recent episode Mongolia: Under the Eternal Blue Sky, you need to read this first-person account of traveling through the country. ‘I have lived in Mongolia for the past two years and visited fourteen of its twenty-one provinces, forming connections with communities big and small throughout the country… I traveled only by public transportation in buses, shared taxis, and a few hitched rides in delivery trucks. Most of the time I was hosted by locals who I contacted through friends or friends of friends. Otherwise, I stayed in hostels and ger camps.’

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 Bookseller of Venice by Giovanni Montanaro (translator: Edward Williams) and Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner. Then Mel recommends the immersive, interactive walking tours from Secret City Trails. [transcript]

Links

• The Bookseller of Venice by Giovanni Montanaro, Edward Williams (translator)

• Libreria Acqua Alta

• Libreria Studium

• Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner

• Secret City Trails interactive walking tours

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

May the wind be at your back and the sun upon your face.

Top image courtesy of mangojuicy/Shutterstock.