Lisbon, Mike Mignola, French Wallpaper, DNFing Books, Lewis Chessman & More: Endnotes 31 January

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 bright yellow tram and that glimpse of water in the background tell you that this photo can only be of one (spectacular) city: Lisbon, Portugal. The most popular tram in town is No. 28; its 40-minute route takes passengers through historic neighborhoods and past key landmarks including São Jorge Castle and Lisbon Cathedral. There’s even a board game about this iconic ride! In 2024, Lisbon was named the best culinary city destination in Europe — and Saveur magazine has tips for the top 13 dishes to try in Lisbon. First on the list has to be the cute little egg custard pastel de nata; CN Traveler has recommendations for the best. Maybe you just want to gaze at some pretty things! Here are 9 Lisbon hot spots with amazing views, and a video about the 12 most beautiful places in the city.

• This headline was irresistible to me — and the book looks like a delight: How Great Is This Children’s Book About Feelings?

• Ooooh, peek inside historian Robert Caro’s home library. ‘His study is a bibliophile’s dream: The floor-to-ceiling shelves behind his desk swing open — on special-ordered, extra-long hinges — to reveal a second set of shelves hidden behind them.’

• This online archive of French wallpaper patterns is a lovely way to lose a little time. (Much better than doom scrolling!)

• I enjoy graphic novels, but I love horror comics — so I was into this interview with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola about his new graphic novel Bowling with Corpses. It’s a collection of retellings of folk and fairytales with a creepy twist.

• This essay about Edith Wharton’s ‘menopause’ novel The Custom of the Country is a fantastic read. ‘Somehow, more than a century after Wharton published the novel, her heroine is still a radical threat: a woman who lays waste to men’s lives and yet flourishes? We can’t have that.’

• Book nerds being charmingly nerdy is always fun:

• I fell in love with the story of the Lewis Chessman when we visited Scotland — and now a missing chessman piece has been found!

• In news of the cute: National Zoo’s Giant Pandas Are Finally Making Their Public Debut.

• The Crooked Reads Substack offers advice for when you lose interest in the middle of a book. ‘It’s a quandary every reader has run into: you’re enjoying—or at least tolerating—a book for a while, then start to lose interest in the middle of it. It’s easy to call it quits when it doesn’t entice you from the start, but what about once you’ve invested some serious time into it? What happens when you’re more than halfway through a book and still haven’t caught feelings for it?’

• This beautiful resort in Rwanda looks like something out of a fantasy story. ‘The wow fact lies right on the lodge’s doorstep. While the architecture is spectacular, it’s impossible to compete with the view: all six of the Virunga mountain range’s mist-shrouded volcanoes are visible on the horizon. Undulating farm fields ripple from the base of Bisate’s hilltop perch and meet the eucalyptus forests and thick jungle of the Volcanoes National Park less than a mile away.’

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 new books: Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels by Caroline Eden and Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. Then Dave shares his enthusiasm for the 2025 Grammy nominees for best audiobook recordings. [transcript]

Links

• Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels by Caroline Eden

• Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

• Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration by Jimmy Carter

• My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand: print and audiobook

• …And Your Ass Will Follow by George Clinton

• All You Need is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words by Peter Brown & Steven Gaines: print and audiobook

• Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton: print and audiobook

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

Find out who you are and do it on purpose. — Dolly Parton

Top image courtesy of André Lergier/Unsplash.