Nat'l Poet's Day, Arty Boardgames, Nature Library, Literary Dogs & More: Endnotes 21 August

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.

There’s never a bad time to read a poem or two, but today, it’s even better than usual: It’s National Poet’s Day in the US! You could start with something silly (and yet, surprisingly profound) — ‘The Tiger’, written by a six-year-old named Nael. Truly, it captures what poetry is all about. You might then move on to two poems inspired by fairy tales: ‘Gretel, from a Sudden Clearing’ by Marie Howe (‘I think it must have been a bad broken off / piece at the start that left us so hungry’) — or ‘Fat is Not a Fairy Tale’ by Jane Yolen (where everything round is good: / the sun, wheels, cookies, and the princess). Then branch out to 22 poems from around the world with a strong sense of place. You might also enjoy these episodes of our short-form podcast The Library of Lost Time: meet the Typewriter Rodeo, enjoy two poems that celebrate the passage of time and fresh starts, tips for finding your favorite poems, and a lively discussion with author Amy Tector about creating daily poetry habit.

• ‘With almost every novel I read, I go through the same arc. At first the novel bores me. Then, suddenly, it becomes the most interesting thing in the world.’ Emma Adler writes about the point in a novel she calls the volta — a ‘a shift to visceral enjoyment.’

• The Anythink Nature Library in Colorado is the first public library with an outdoors focus. ‘There’s a library in the Denver metro area where you can play in the mud, work in a garden and check out everything from telescopes and bird-watching kits to waterproof tents and snowshoes. Inside, there’s a wall of live plants, a darkroom with twinkling stars on the ceiling and a fireplace with a bench that can be heated in the winter. Oh, and there are books, too.’ You guys, it as a fireplace.

• Your periodic reminder to read the Substack publication Beyond the Bookshelf with Matthew Long. He’s a thoughtful reader and inquisitive thinker, which means his Commonplace posts are filled with delightful, interesting things. We were delighted to find Strong Sense of Place among his recommendations in a recent post.

• In this interview, Art Spiegelman — the artist/writer behind the ground-breaking graphic novel Maus — talks about writer’s block, the aftermath of 9/11, aging, and the still-challenging work of writing: ‘I know I’ve done comics before and they work, but I have no idea how to do it when I start a new one… I have to rethink what it might be to make a comic.’

• New life dream unlocked: Visit Switzerland’s Saint Bernard museum and take a few dogs for a walk. ‘I should have worn gear that wicked sweat and slobber, and anticipated frequent breaks for kibble and belly rubs.’

• Pretty! Tabletop games devoted to the art world.

• Sorta related: The First 30 Seconds: A Beginner’s Guide to Seeing Art. I love this approach and can’t wait to apply it IRL. (This is a nice analysis of Fragonard’s ‘The Swing.’)

• Delightful! Architects Dressed as Their Own Famous New York City Skyscraper Creations at the 1931 Beaux-Arts Ball.

• Irresistible headline alert: The Bookstore-Slash-Skate-Shop Next to Ballerina Farm. (Need to know more? Here’s the store’s website.)

• Let’s grow your TBR! The 2026 Gold Dagger Shortlist for best crime fiction and the best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror.

• Just in case you want to try your hand at living overseas, here are the world’s best countries for expats in 2026. Fun fact: We’ve done podcast episodes about six of them. I’m not saying that’s why they’re on the list, but I’m not not saying that. Our shows: Panama, Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, Spain, Portugal.

• Do you like dogs and reading as much as I like dog’s and reading? This post is for you.

• News you can use: How to Quit a Classic Without Turning It Into a Moral Crisis. ‘There is a very specific form of literary self-harm that sounds like this: I know I hate this, but I feel like I should be the kind of person who finishes it. This sentence has ruined more evenings than the actual books ever did.’ Preach!

• For all those romantic heroines out there, trying to avoid a muddle. Checklist for Choosing a Chaperone.

There is no Frigate like a Book — Emily Dickinson (click for poem)

Top image courtesy of José Nicolás Castellanos Ramírez/pexels.