Collioure, Etymology Fun, Blackwing Pencils, Halloween Travel & More: Endnotes 18 September

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.

That stunning sunset scene above is Collioure, a town on the Mediterranean coast of southern France. It’s a postcard-worthy escape by the sea, with sun-dappled squares to relax with a book, pastel houses along meandering lanes, a medieval castle, and five beaches so you can find your perfect spot. The church in the photo is L’Église de Collioure (Church of our Lady of the Angels), built in the 17th century. Inside, an ornate Catalan Baroque altar hints at the town’s history: Collioure was part of Spain until it was annexed by the French in 1642 during a fierce struggle between Habsburg Spain and Bourbon France. Outside, the architecture is southern Gothic, with a round bell tower that stands defiant on the edge of the sea, having weathered centuries of battering waves. Initially, the tower served as a lighthouse, with fires lit to alert ships to the position of Collioure’s port. At the end of the 17th century, the original church was razed, and the new one was built around the tower. Learn more about visiting Collioure from Rick Steves and Petite Cité de Caractère.

• How to Be a Word Detective. ‘Like examining one fine thread of a spider’s web, tracking a single word’s etymology back in time will lead you into a web of connections between languages, peoples, and places. In English etymology, my main focus here, the cast of characters is diverse. Legions of Romans, longships of Vikings, schools of Muslim scientists, academies of Greeks, and one fateful army of Normans in 1066 have all influenced the words of what linguists call Modern English (c. 1500 CE- present day). Of course, all those people didn’t exist in a vacuum. The whistling arrows at the Battle of Hastings and the scratching quills of William Shakespeare formed part of real historical events and sociopolitical circumstances that are still reflected in our vocabulary.’

• Yes! Emily St. John Mandel’s new book Exit Party was released this week. She talked to LitHub about how she’s ‘never been particularly interested in disaster, but I am interested in its aftermath. There’s hope in thinking about the world that follows catastrophic events.’

• I enjoyed Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, and/but I’m pretty excited about the upcoming Gothic horror version Wuthering Heights: House of the Damned. This article outlines three things this spooky version is doing better. (Grateful for a world that includes all versions of the Emily Brontë classic.) (Trailer here.)

• Tangentially related: 8 Great Tales That Feature Supernatural and Otherworldly Houses by Ashley Woo, author of Wildwood, a new Gothic novel set at a crumbling estate in Vermont. ‘Haunted houses never go out of style. Most times they can serve as a reminder for the protagonist, the place where echoes of bad deeds are kept until they are set right. Other times the house itself is innately evil, the physical manifestation of the darkest sides of humanity, of our worst fears.’

• Definitely related: In this Q&A, author Ashley Woo talks about writing her debut novel Wildwood. (When asked what book she can’t stop thinking about, she said, ‘Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian. I read it on my honeymoon in Transylvania.’

• If you’re picky about pencils the way I’m picky about pencils, you might like this:

• One of our favorite sources of travel inspiration and info is Brent and Michael are Going Places. The nomadic pair have lived in 40 countries and visited 30 more, taking photos and collecting stories along the way. Their writing is heartfelt and evocative; the photos are beautiful. Michael just launched a website to sell his gorgeous photos (and FYI, there are only 98 days until Christmas.)

• Fall is my favorite season, and I think we all know by now that I am very food motivated. I am, therefore, predisposed to love this: Six of Europe’s Tastiest Rural Retreats for Autumn. ‘Fields are a thousand shades of gold, orchards are turning copper, and woodsmoke is scenting the air. It’s a time of abundance across Europe’s vineyards, forests and farms, and the continent’s rural kitchens and countryside stays are leaning into the culinary rituals of the season, inviting guests to slow down, tug on boots and sweaters, and taste the land at its most generous.’

• Vaguely related quiz: How well do you know the world’s national parks in autumn? My score was terrible (5/12), but who cares? The photos are awesome, and I learned new fun facts!

• This is packed with inspiration and practical tips anyone can follow: Design Principles to Follow for Authentic Travel-Inspired Decor. Also, the photos are dreamy.

• As September is Low Spooky Season, now is the ideal time to start thinking about Halloween travel. Atlas Obscura has some very good ideas. ‘This is not an itinerary. These places are scattered across three continents, and you are not meant to visit them all. Pick the kind of dread you are in the mood for, and go.’

• Take a peek inside a medieval book of wronged women. The illuminated manuscript from 1493 — likely given as a wedding present to the queen of France — is ‘made up of epistolary poems revolving around ancient heroines or… women who were wronged by their lovers and husbands.’

• Let’s all relax and enjoy a virtual trip to ten of the world’s most beautiful libraries.

Hope your fall reading is excellent so far.

Top image courtesy of Nicolas Hippert.