Transcript / LoLT: Tips for Memorable Travel and Two New Books — 28 February 2025

This is a transcription of LoLT: Tips for Memorable Travel and Two New Books — 28 February 2025

[cheerful music]

Melissa: Coming up, an unusual self-help guide.

David: A supernatural road trip with some heart.

Melissa: Plus, our Distraction of the Week. I’m Mel.

David: I’m Dave. This is The Library of Lost Time.

Melissa: The author Kate Jackson knows a lot about crime novels, particularly classic crime fiction from the golden age of mysteries. She writes a blog called ‘Cross Examining Crime’ and she’s been published in magazines like ‘Crime and Detective Stories,’ ‘Mystery Scene’, and ‘Mystery Readers Journal.’ She’s also written two books of literary puzzles for the British Library’s Crime Classics series.

Melissa: Her latest book is ‘How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel.’ It’s a spoof of a self-help guide, just in case you find yourself in the middle of an Agatha Christie-style murder plot. The book is structured about one day. So it starts with you waking up and taking a look at the dangers in the house — perilous stuff like poison-laced food, unexpected gifts, and whether or not you should lock the bathroom door. Then other chapters delve into classic tropes like dangerous holidays, doomed romance, the perils of the office, troublesome trains, and what to do if you come across a dead body.

Melissa: There are original illustrations by Joanna Lisowiec. She specializes in really lovely black-and-white illustrations that look like woodcuts. She also did the illustrations in the ‘Wolf Hall Companion,’ a neat little book that delves into the people and history in the Wolf Hall trilogy.

Melissa: In addition to the illustrations, this book’s pages are sprinkled with spoiler-free references to tons of golden-age crime novels and authors. One of the reviewers counted the mentions of other books in the first two chapters; there were 229. It’s like a syllabus for your own course on classic murder mysteries — except it’s super fun.

Melissa: It makes a great pairing with the book ‘Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village’ by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper. That one also has tongue-in-cheek advice and New Yorker-style illustrations.

Melissa: This book is ‘How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel’ by Kate Jackson.

David: T.J. Klune is an American author, and trying to describe his work quickly is tricky. So instead, let’s just go with the buzzwords: fantasy, low fantasy, magical realism—but not quite—whimsical, cozy, hopeful, and emotionally devastating in the best possible way. For example, he’s got a well-regarded werewolf series. He’s got a book about a man learning how to be a better person in a charming tea shop in the afterlife. One reviewer compared his work to ‘Ted Lasso’ — lots of cute, then bam, right in the feelings. His books celebrate love in the LGBTQ+ community, and he’s big on the theme of found family.

David: The people who love his work LOVE HIS WORK. On Goodreads, he has over 20 books with at least 4.2 stars. You might know Klune from his 2020 book, ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea,’ which is about a caseworker who’s sent to evaluate an orphanage for magical children. Here’s part of the official blurb:

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

David: Which brings us to his new old book, ‘The Bones Beneath My Skin.’ It’s 1995. A journalist, freshly fired from his job in D.C., retreats in sorrow to his family’s summer cabin in the middle of the Oregon woods. He expects it to be empty. It is not. Inside the cabin, he finds a man and a 10-year-old girl. She calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. And she is not what she appears to be.

David: From there, we’re off on a supernatural road-trip thriller, complete with cultists and federal agents and helicopter chases and government conspiracies — plus a little romance and found-family. One reviewer described it as a ‘cosy action-thriller.’

daIf you’re looking for a book to escape into — something to distract you from all of this — waves hands around broadly — this might be the ticket. It’s ‘The Bones Beneath My Skin’ by T. J. Klume.

David: And now our Distraction of the Week.

David: Kevin Kelly has been writing about technology for the last forty years or so. He was one of the founders of Wired, but you might also know him from his books. Most of those are about the way technology shapes our lives or will soon. Despite that, he’s also known for his radical optimism. For instance, he’s got a Ted Talk called, ‘The future will be shaped by optimists.’ We’ll link to that.

David: As you might expect, Kelly has travelled quite a bit — both for business and for fun or self-discovery. And he recently put together a list he calls ‘50 Years of Travel Tips.’ I found that list interesting, and I thought you might too.

David: Some of his tips are — I don’t want to say obvious. Maybe: if you’ve been travelling for a while, these ideas will eventually present themselves. Those are things like this bit.

The best souvenirs from a trip are your memories of the trip so find a way to memorialize them; keep a journal, send updates to a friend, take a sketchbook, post some observations, make a photo book.

David: Yes. Do that.

David: He talks about how good Google translate is. And, yes, Google translate is a freaking miracle. I would not want to travel without it. Same with Google maps. Google maps can get you through most city’s public transit systems. They’re a joy of modern living. I think if you’ve been traveling for a while, you might already know that stuff. If you’re new to it, those are super-useful tips.

David: And then he had some tips that I can enthusiastically second. Here’s one:

When visiting a foreign city for the first time, take a street food tour. Depending on the region, the tour will include food carts, food trucks, food courts, or smaller eateries. It will last a few hours, and the cost will include the food. You’ll get some of the best food available, and usually the host will also deliver a great introduction to the culture. Google ‘street food tour for city X.’

David: Yes. Always yes.

David: Here’s another:

The most significant criteria to use when selecting travel companions is: do they complain or not, even when complaints are justified? No complaining! Complaints are for the debriefing afterwards when travel is over.

David: This is so true. When you’re standing in the rain, having just missed your ride, in some city you don’t know – that’s not the time to point out that you’re miserable. It might be a good time to laugh. Later back at home? Sure, complain away.

David: Then Kelly had a few tips that … maybe? I don’t know. I’ll read you two:

If you hire a driver, or use a taxi, offer to pay the driver to take you to visit their mother. They will ordinarily jump at the chance. They fulfill their filial duty and you will get easy entry into a local’s home, and a very high chance to taste some home cooking. Mother, driver, and you leave happy. This trick rarely fails.

David: Once I got over the shock of this idea, I was like: maybe. Should we try this? Is this different for two people travelling together? … I have questions.

David: This second one has a similar energy. It reads:

Crash a wedding. You are not a nuisance; you are the celebrity guest! The easiest way to do this is to find the local wedding hall where weddings happen on schedule and approach a wedding party with a request to attend. They will usually feel honored. You can offer the newlyweds a small token gift of cash if you want. You will be obliged to dance. Take photos of them; they will take photos of you. It will make your day and theirs. (I’ve crashed a wedding in most of the countries I have visited.)

David: I feel like the key there is the permission part, tied together with a gift. But also: if they say yes, you’re going to a wedding in a foreign country. How fun is that?

David: And that’s what I love about this list—it’s not just practical advice, it’s an invitation to reframe how we travel. Yes, bring the right gear, use the right apps, don’t complain. But also—say yes. Be open to surprise. Trust that the world is full of people who want to share a meal, tell a story, and maybe even drag you onto a dance floor at their cousin’s wedding.

David: I think that’s the spirit of Kelly’s optimism, too — not just about technology, but about people. That if you show up curious, if you bring generosity and good humor, the world will meet you there.

David: Anyway, I’ll link to the full list. Read it. Let me know if you’re planning to crash a wedding anytime soon. And if you’ve already done it—oh my god, tell us everything.

Melissa: Visit strongsenseofplace.com/library for more on the books we talked about today and links the whole list of Kelly’s travel tips.

David: Thanks for joining us on the library of last time. Remember to visit your local library and your independent bookstore to lose some time yourself.

Melissa: Stay curious. We’ll talk to you soon.

[cheerful music]

Top image courtesy of Alexandra Tran/Unsplash.