Autumn Pies, Lit Adaptations, New Crime Novels, Greenland, Nighthawks & More: Endnotes 07 November

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.

My fellow Americans, as I write this, there are just 20 days until Thanksgiving, and I have an important question for you: Have you thought about dessert? King Arthur Flour, a very trusted source for delicious things that come out of the oven, serves up 19 Thanksgiving Pie Recipes, From Classic to Creative and the Serious Eats list from last year — 12 Best Thanksgiving Pies — is still worth a look. (They offer six (!) scrumptious-looking takes on apple pie.) While I do appreciate a good pie, I might be more of a cake person. Hyperbole and a Half posits in a tasty comic format, ‘When you compare the data, it is clear that pie is a better choice.’ I think we can agree there are no losers in the pie vs. cake debate. (I will be making this classic apple cake recipe — no raisins, pecans instead of walnuts — with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and whipped cream.)

• When a roundup of books includes the title The Librarians I pay attention! It’s a ‘charming and unpredictable’ whodunnit set at the Austin library. Here’s WaPo (gift link) on 5 New Mystery Novels to Curl Up With This Fall. (The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer also sounds great!)

• Related, from CrimeReads: 10 New Books Coming Out This Week. A new Christmas murder mystery? Yes, please.

• Tangentially related: 6 Big-Name Travel Books to Look Out for This Winter.

• Whelp, I would very much like to be a member of the London Library after reading this article about why it’s so special.

• This floating hut in East Greenland looks like a spectacular place to rest your head. ‘If a polar bear comes, you couldn’t be in a safer spot. Just get inside and lock the door.’ If you think it looks cool from the outside, be sure to click through to see the views from inside the hexagonal hut. And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can book it on Airbnb.

• For another remote getaway, consider this tiny village in the Canadian Rockies with ‘hundreds of miles of hiking trails, turquoise lakes, and 1,500 square miles of wilderness.’ According to scuttlebutt, it’s just as pretty as Banff, but quieter and more secluded.

• Did you know there’s a Bronx apartment community named for Charlotte Brontë?!

• In the wake of the brouhaha over Emerald Fennell’s upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, The Guardian makes the (sound) argument that reinvention keeps classic novels alive. ‘Purists need not fear: the reputations of Austen and Brontë will remain unsullied. We should rejoice in the fact that they have sparked social media storms. Their work continues to be part of our cultural conversation – not confined to classrooms and lecture halls. We are still asking: Who is Heathcliff? Does Emma live happily ever after?

• Good news, Veronica Speedwell fans! The next installment (#10!) of her Victorian adventures with Stoker is coming. A Ghastly Catastrophe will be out March 3. Here’s the scoop: ‘When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide—and Veronica and her intrepid beau Stoker know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.’ You can pre-order now.

• It’s always a good time to read a Gothic! 17 Creepy British Books Full of Ghostly, Gothic Spookiness and 13 Defining Works of Gothic Literature. (Need more? Listen to our previous podcast episode What is Gothic? and explore this collection of 43 Gothic Novels with a Strong Sense of Place.)

• In third grade, there was nothing more fascinating than the Venus flytrap. If I’d thought about it — which I did not — I probably would have guessed this exotic plant THAT EATS BUGS was from some lush jungle on the other side of the planet. Nope! ‘Despite their outsize hold on popular imagination, Venus flytraps are native to a tiny corner of the globe: the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas.’ Read all about it.

• Enjoy this in-depth exploration of Peter Bruegel the Elder’s painting ‘The Wedding Dance.’

• More art inspiration: Edward Hopper’s storyboards for ‘Nighthawks.’

• I didn’t have Hong Kong on my travel list, but now I want to eat at this restaurant so lovingly described in Brent and Michael Are Going Places. What an experience!

• News you can use: How to Spend Christmas in Paris.

Buckle up, friends! We are flying into the holiday season. YAY!

Top image courtesy of Diana Light.