Indie Bookstore Day, Library Support, French Villages, Literary Maps & More: Endnotes 25 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.

Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day in the United States! (International friends, feel free to play along and visit your favorite local, indie bookshop!) Every year, on the last Saturday in April, the American Booksellers Association spearheads the event. This year 1600 bookstores across American will participate. You know what to do: If you live near an indie bookstore, get out there and shop! You can find a map of participating stores on this page, along with a list of bookstore crawls in 29 states. Want to get fired up? This essay on LitHub has smart things to say about indie bookstores in general and Independent Bookstore Day in particular. If you can’t get to an indie bookstore in person, you can buy books online from Bookshop.org, a kickass store that bridges the gap between online sales and the neighborhood bookshop (you love) down the street. Every book you buy online at Bookshop.org financially supports independent bookshops. Since 2020, they’ve raised almost $38 million for indie bookstores. Finally, if you’d like to revel in stories that celebrate everything that makes bookshops some of the best places on the planet, treat yourself to our podcast episode Bookshops: Mostly Paper and Magic.

• Timely! Ten Ways to Show Up for Libraries. ‘Libraries are one of the most trusted institutions in America. From cradle to grave, they provide opportunity and enrichment for everyone in their communities. Despite this, libraries have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years… To celebrate and advocate for libraries and library funding, we want every library lover to make their voices heard today. Here are 10 ways you can act fast!’

• This collection of ideas for how to arrange the books in your personal library is equal parts good ideas and argument fuel. Exhibit A: ‘My collection of dodgy 1950-70s Pan books with comedy bad covers have been designated to the shelves in the upstairs hallway where nobody will see them.’ In our house, those ‘dodgy’ books would be in a prime display spot!

• There are some gems on this list of 20 Books You Might Have Missed (but Shouldn’t). (It reminded me I want to read Model Home by Rivers Solomon.)

• In Kinshasha, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the locals turn piles of rubbish into futuristic/surreal costumes. The French photographer Stephan Gladieu captured their creativity and activism in his remarkable photos.

• 17 Towns in France That Feel Straight Out of a Storybook. ‘Scattered throughout the French countryside, these charming villages, slow-paced communes, and historical petites villes offer local cuisines, experiences, and hospitality.’

• Tangentially related: This Airbnb as recreated Vincent Van Gogh’s bed chamber. It also features a mini-museum of his life and work, including excerpts from his letters.

• Important news you can (should!) use: What to Know About the Looming Real ID Deadline for Domestic Flights. Starting May 7, Americans will need to show a Real ID (or passport) to TSA.

• An airport story that’s a lot more fun: These Airports Offer Therapy Animals (Even Llamas) for Travelers. There are therapy animals — mostly doggos — wagging their tails and asking for pets at about 30 airports across the US.

• In today’s episode of The Library of Lost Time, Dave recommended the book The Pretender by Jo Harkin. You can read an excerpt of the novel on LitHub.

• These literary maps are so cute! Immerse yourself in locations from Jane Eyre, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Wuthering Heights, The Odyssey, Pride and Prejudice, and more.

• There’s so much Jane Austen stuff this year! (No complaints.) Here are 61 Regency-inspired dresses from fashion runways and The Peak District Sights Featured in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Why not don a Elie Saab or Christian Dior and head to the real-life Pemberley (aka, Chatsworth House).

• Do you love trains the way we love trains? You need to know about Full Speed Ahead, a statewide festival of train films and events in Maine. The festival runs May 6-11, and the film line-up looks so good! If you can’t get there, you could listen to our podcast episode Trains: Better Than Planes and Cars. Fight Me., then watch the movies at home! (Thanks to friend-of-SSoP Amy C for sharing this with us!)

• The Library Bar in Toronto is pretty dreamy. The cocktails are inspired by literary and film classics, and their martinis are made with ‘QUILL, a one-of-a-kind vodka and gin composed of effervescent botanicals and sustainable ingredients that allow the true natural flavours of the classic martini to shine through.’

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: Exit Zero: Stories by Marie-Helene Bertino and The Pretender: A Novel by Jo Harkin. Then Mel talks about the remarkable digital library fighting global censorship. [transcript]

Links

• Exit Zero: Stories by Marie-Helene Bertino

• 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino — hear Mel talk about it on our Pennsylvania episode

• Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino — hear Mel talk about it on our Outer Space episode

• The Pretender: A Novel by Jo Harkin

• Tell Me An Ending by Jo Harkin

• The Uncensored Library

• The Uncensored Library on the Minecraft website

• BBC: Minecraft ‘Loophole’ Library of Banned Journalism

• Peabody Awards on The Uncensored Library

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

Never underestimate the power of the word to transform the world.

Top image courtesy of Tommao Wang/Unsplash.