Indie Bookstore Day, Sunshine Guilt, Unhinged Classics, Madrid's Crisps & More: Endnotes 24 April

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.

News you can use: Tomorrow — the last Saturday in April — is Independent Bookstore Day! Not that you need an excuse to go book shopping, but this annual holiday is devoted to celebrating independent bookstores and reading in your local community. Over at Modern Mrs. Darcy, they share their favorite indie bookstores around the world. For another superlative list, here are LitHub’s recommended bookshops. Sure, you love your local indie, but do you love it enough to get married there?! (Such a sweet story!) In addition to visiting your favorite bookshop, you could also celebrate by listening to our podcast episode Bookshops: Mostly Paper and Magic — and be sure to visit our Bookshops Destination Page for all of our posts about the magic of bookshops. After you go book shopping, you might want to declare the rest of Saturday a reading day — no interruptions allowed. Happy reading!

• Next month, The Guardian will publish a landmark list of the 100 best novels of all time (!). Their list is based on the opinions of more than 150 authors and literary critics from around the world. On Tuesday, 19 May, they’re hosting a special edition of the Guardian Book Club, and you’re invited to join the discussion online. Special guests Elif Shafak, Guy Gunaratne, and Kate Mosse will be there, along with other contributors to the ‘100 best’ list. The conversation will cover ‘the importance of subjectivity in literature, how great novels influence writers across generations, and why fiction remains central to how we make sense of the world.’ Info about online tickets here.

• Suitcase recommends 16 brilliantly short books to take on your travels. ‘A paperback, on the other hand, asks for nothing. It will bounce back from sand, sunblock, being wedged in a glove compartment, dropped in the hot tub, and then dried on a rock in the sun. Here are ‘some of the best short books – each 200 pages max – to read on the road. While slim enough to slip in a pocket, the stories contained within are substantial enough to stay with you long after the trip ends. From hallucinatory sea voyages to breezy Scandi idylls, these are the books to take with you on your next escape.’

• Related: 5 European Bookshop Cafés. Vienna! Berlin! Brussels! And more.

• Tangentially related: There’s a gorgeous new cookbook shop in Edinburgh!

• What is sunshine guilt? And how can we overcome it? ‘If you have ever felt a quiet sense of unease about staying indoors while the sun is shining, you are far from alone. The term describes the subtle yet persistent pressure we place on ourselves when we choose not to step outside on a bright day, as though we are passing up an opportunity for wellbeing, connection, or simple enjoyment… Despite the persistent pressure to be productive, allowing ourselves to slow down remains essential. Lying on a comfortable sofa with a book, watching a film, or even giving in to an afternoon nap is not something to resist or feel guilty about.’

• Take a peek inside the Gilbert Collection, a collection of more than 1000 objects — including silverware, gold boxes, enamel portrait miniatures, micromosaics, and stone mosaics — at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

• The Met Gala is coming up on May 4. Here are Vogue staffers’ picks for their favorite paintings featuring articles of clothing.

• New addition to life list: Eat a picnic at this unusual dining area in a zoo. ‘In a quiet area of Griffith Park in Los Angeles, you can picnic in a bear grotto and climb inside abandoned monkey cages.’

• This is pretty fun! You can make your name with satellite photos of the Earth.

• If you collect journals and notebooks, but aren’t sure what to do with them, take a look at 10 unusual ways to use the empty notebooks you keep buying. ‘Because productivity is, frankly, not the point.’ Preach.

• Love these posts about ‘boring’ classics that are actually unhinged ‘once you know what’s really happening.’ There’s a list of 5 titles here, 8 more here, and 7 more here.

• A little bit of Gothic fun for you: the seven ‘horrid’ Gothic novels name-dropped in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey — and the 10 greatest Gothic book masterpieces, ranked.

• Quiz: How well do you know the world’s most famous paintings, inspired by real-life locations? I got 7/11.

• I did not see these amazing crisps shops when I was in Madrid. I will remedy that oversight on our next visit. The photos of the enormous plate-glass windows filled with crispy chips are making me crave salty potatoes!

• We’re visiting with a writerly friend in Prague this weekend, which has nothing to do with why I’m sharing this list of the best noir crime thrillers.

Happy (almost) Indie Bookstore Day! Treat yourself to a new book!

Top image courtesy of Taylor/Unsplash.