Judith Viorst, Traitors as Books, Helsinki Swim Hall, Movie Sets & More: Endnotes 30 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.

Monday, February 2, is the 95th birthday of Judith Viorst, the American writer who gifted us the wonderfully grumpy book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in 1972. Alexander is a character for the ages; so put upon and not at all interested in being gracious about it. That attitude makes him irresistible and so relatable. (Who doesn’t hate going to the dentist and being forced to wear the wrong color of sneakers?) This essay from The New Yorker makes the argument that Alexander’s ‘boundless foul mood’ is essential to its charm. ‘The closer you look… the more attuned you become to the possibility of a disconnect between Alexander’s day and his retelling of it.’ All hail Alexander, our potentially unreliable narrator. So, who is the woman who created this endearing and enduring character? A few facts: In 1968, she protested the Vietnam War by signing the ‘Writers and Editors War Tax Protest, and two years later, after 20 years of writing, she delved into Freudian psychology, ultimately becoming a research graduate at Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. Around that time, she began a series of poetry books — Judith Viorst’s Decades — that delve into each decade of adulthood. Her most recent title: Nearing 90 And Other Comedies of Late Life. In this wonderful WaPo interview (gift link), Viorst shares a poignant peek inside her life (‘I don’t think I’ve written about anything funny that I haven’t cried over first’) and drops wisdom bombs (‘I’ve been memorizing poetry for several years… Memorizing poetry feels like finding little treasures that I’ve got inside of myself.’). In this video from just eight months ago, Viorst talks about aging with humor — and in this one she shares how her family inspired the story of Alexander.

• After months of podcasts on my walks, I just started a re-listen to the audiobook of Jane Eyre, and it’s lovely. Maybe you need a great story in your ears, too? 12 Immersive Audiobooks with a Strong Sense of Place.

• If you’re one of the many people who loved reading the novel Metropolitan Stories after hearing about it in our podcast episode Museums: A Gathering of Muses, A Clutch of Curators, you might enjoy this excerpt of the new book When the Museum Is Closed, Emi Yagi (translated by Yuki Tejima).

• Re-reading a classic novel can be a different experience every time. This essay in Vogue wonders, What Kind of Love Story is Wuthering Heights, Anyway? ‘I’m not sure this is a love story at all—no matter how firmly etched those two lunatics are in the pantheon of devoted lovers.’

• Related: I Went to the Wuthering Heights Hollywood Premiere — and I Left Crying. This is delightfully gossipy and packed with photos of the red-carpet fashion. How was the movie? ‘I won’t spoil the plot, but Fennell takes bold liberties with the material, reshaping Brontë’s story for a 21st-century audience without softening its cruelty.’

• I recently learned about the Saturday Evening Post covers painted by 20th-century American artist John Philip Falter, and now I can’t get enough. Exhibits A and B: Hat Shop and Poker Game.

• Talk about a strong sense of place! House & Garden breaks down the sets of Oscar nominees, including the mid-century New York City of Marty Supreme, the Gothic confection of Frankentstein, the sweaty lushness of Sinners, and more.

• Oh, to take a dunk in Helsinki’s Yrjönkatu swimming hall. It’s recently been restored to its circa-1920s ambience.

• This story turned out to be more emotional than I anticipated. A member of the Atlas Obscura community, Caroline Mazel-Carlton, is on a quest to visit 1000 places in the Atlas. Her reason is profoundly personal and life-affirming. ‘As I visit Atlas Obscura sites, I often learn about weird people like myself.’

• January is feeling so much like January. This poem — Blizzard by Linda Pastan — helps a bit.

• Quiz: Challenging Standardized Test Words Quiz Vol. 3. I got 18/20.

• We’re watching the finale of The Traitors UK tonight, and I can’t wait to see what happens! Unrelated to the action, but worth noting: There has been some eye-popping fashion.

• I wish I had a need for one of these beautiful circus costumes. (For more retro circus fun, listen to our podcast episode The Circus: Found Family and Daring Feats.)

• We have plans to go to the movie theater this weekend. There will be popcorn involved. Which got me wondering: Why do we eat popcorn at the movies?

• Related: 18 Classic Movie Theater Candies, Ranked Worst To Best. (I must take exception to their conclusion: Number one is Twizzlers, which is missing from the list altogether.)

• One of the best under-the-radar museums in Prague is the one dedicated to the work of Karel Zeman. (It’s close to the Charles Bridge and the Castle. If you visit Prague, make time to stop by! It’s delightful.) Here’s a peek at his enchanting work:

May you find something magical today — and take good care out there.

Top image courtesy of Ray Cruz/Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.