Jaws Anniversary, Best Pizza, Semicolons, Reading Bingo, Lagos Beaches & More: Endnotes 20 June

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.

Jaws, aka the ultimate summer movie blockbuster, was released 50 years ago today! (Happy Birthday, Bruce!)

Before we get into the celebrations surrounding the film, let’s take a peek at its more humble beginnings as a novel. The book was written by Peter Benchley, an American author and journalist. Benchley was bitten by shark mania in 1964 after reading about a shark fisherman in Montauk, New York. Benchley’s publisher Doubleday went all-in on marketing Jaws in 1974, and it paid off: The hardback ate up the competition on the bestseller list for 44 weeks — and the subsequent paperback has sold more than 20 million copies. If you’re in the mood for a fancy version of the novel, The Folio Society is offering a hardcover in a slipcase with an appropriately menacing shark on the cover and color illustrations inside. I hate to admit it, but admiring the physical object might be a better experience than reading the book; I did not enjoy my time with Benchley’s writing.

The film, however, is one of my favorite movies: The soundtrack! The cartoon villain mayor! The frenetic energy of Richard Dreyfus as Hooper! The loving banter between Brody (Roy Scheider) and his wife! Every single moment of Quint! And this particular film-making moment (specifically, Roy Scheider’s face at the :18 mark). It’s neck and neck with this famous dolly shot of Scheider on the beach. To honor the movie, celebrations are happening all summer in Martha’s Vineyard, and National Geographic will premiere a documentary in July called Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story with interviews with Steven Spielberg and other creators associated with the movie (trailer). The Guardian plumbs Jaws impact on the movie biz (and our perception of sharks), and here are 50 facts about the movie to share at your next cookout.

• Could the Semicolon Die Out? NOT IN OUR HOUSE!

• Northanger Abbey is a bit divisive among Jane Austen fans, but I love it — for all of the reasons enumerated in this essay from The Paris Review. ‘One reading of Northanger Abbey is that it is a satire about a silly girl who reads so many Gothic novels she begins to think she’s in one… Such a reading is not wrong, but it’s not complete either. Catherine’s Gothic-novel habit has nothing to do with the book’s final crisis, in which she is abruptly evicted from Northanger Abbey for reasons she doesn’t understand.’

• Related: The Morgan Library & Museum in NYC is now showing A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250. Personal items from Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire are displayed alongside manuscripts, books, and artwork from the Morgan’s collection, including the only surviving manuscript written in Jane Austen’s hand:

• More library fun! The first ever Moomin and Tove Jansson exhibition in the U.S. is at the Brooklyn Public Library. ‘Tove Jansson and the Moomins: The Door Is Always Open… will offer a rare opportunity in the U.S. to step into Tove Jansson’s creative universe through immersive installations, archival materials, multilingual editions of her books, and public programming for all ages. The exhibition presents Tove Jansson as an artist, author, and illustrator, and dives into the history of her best-known works: the Moomin stories.’ It runs from 28 June through September 30, 2025.

• Every season is reading season, but there’s something special about summer reading. It’s always a fun day when Elizabeth Held from What To Read If releases her Summer Reading Bingo card. It’s a playful way to shape your summer reading with categories like ‘a book that features an animal’ and ‘a book you’ve been meaning to read forever.’ Here’s another neat take: Define themes, then choose books, movies, art, and activities to fit your theme.

• Or you can simply decide to enjoy a Hitchcock Summer.

• Tangentially related: Five literary theme parks. (If you’re feeling the amusement park vibe, you can revisit our podcast episode Amusement Parks: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

• Temporary tattoos from the University of Vilnius library collection!

• The English painter Briton Riviere (1840-1920) was an art teacher at the University of Oxford and often exhibited his works at the Royal Academy. He painted historical and biblical scenes, including a painting of the Spanish Armada and another of Romeo and Juliet. But what he really loved was painting dogs. See below; learn more at Random Daily Art.

• The Most Beautiful Libraries in Movies and TV Shows.

• Ever since doing our podcast episode Nigeria: Jollof Rice, Nigerian Pidgin, and So Much Hustle, I’ve wanted to visit there. I don’t know if/when we’ll get to Lagos, but this article about hitting the beach makes me want to bump it up my must-visit list. ‘With access to the local currency, you can enjoy grilled fish (served with sauce that can be too peppery for non-West Africans), suya (grilled meat), jollof rice and other local delicacies, depending on the beach you have chosen. My guest and I had some sweet potato fries and grilled fish…’

• News you can use: 50 Top Pizza Europa 2025. Please note that the 50 Top Pizza USA list will be released on 01 July right here.

• Kind of related: Street Food Summer Is Here. Take a bit of Eater’s nationwide guide to ‘best things to eat from trucks, stands, and carts all summer long.’

• Come visit us! The 33 Most Beautiful Spots In Czech Republic. We have been to Krkonoše National Park, Český Krumlov, Karlštejn Castle, Kutná Hora, Hruboskalsko, Konopište Castle, Bohemian Switzerland, Prague Botanical Gardens, Ríp Mountain, Divoká Šárka, Villa Tugendhat, and we spend almost every morning at Vyšehrad — can attest they are all very beautiful and worth a visit.

• My dark secret is that my favorite Agatha Christie titles are the ones without Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple — forever fan of #crookedhouse and #andthentherewerenone. This is a solid ranking and could be great fuel for road trip discussions or family dinners: Ranking Agatha Christie’s 20 Greatest Novels.

Go jump in a lake (said with love).

Top image courtesy of Getty Images/Unsplash+.