Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

If you’ve ever wanted to go behind the scenes of the best theme parks in the world — Hello, Disney! — you’re going to love today’s bonus episode. We were thrilled to talk to friend-of-the-podcast Tasha Sounart about her job as Creative Director in the Theme Parks group of Pixar. In this delightful conversation, we talked to Tasha about what a day at Pixar is like, what inspires her creativity, and...

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books — ‘Silver Nitrate’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and ‘The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale’ by Jon Klassen — then Dave shares a fascinating art project about phantom islands. Links Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Visit Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s website, Twitter, and Instagram. Gods of Jade and Shadow by by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Certain Dark Things by Silvi...

The gates of an amusement park are a portal to a magical realm of thrill rides and fantasy worlds, larger-than-life characters, and the best portable foods on the planet. (We’re looking at you, corn dogs and kettle corn!) And it’s been that way since the beginning. The first quasi-amusement park entertained revelers in 1133 with merry-go-rounds, extravagant stage shows, gingerbread, sausages, and...

This is a replay of an episode featuring books from beloved authors that are excellent summer reads: 'Killers of a Certain Age' by Deanna Raybourn and 'Fairy Tale' by Stephen King. Then Mel takes us around Europe with the Polish street artist Nespoon. BOOKS Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn https://bit.ly/3RBg1dW Fairy Tale by Stephen King https://bit.ly/3AVh01I DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK T...

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘The Only One Left’ by Riley Sager and ‘The Art Thief’ by Michael Finkel — then Dave shares the amazing story of the gilded age socialite Ida Wood. LINKS The Only One Left by Riley Sager. Visit Riley Sager’s website and Instagram. Riley talked about his book in this video from The Poisoned Pen bookshop. Smithsonian magazine: Why 19th-Century Ax...

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘100 Places to See After You Die’ by Ken Jennings and ‘What the Dead Know’ by Barbara Butcher — then Mel gets excited about postcards from around the world. LINKS 100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife by Ken Jennings. Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings. M...

Argentina is so alluring. Rugged gauchos riding the pampas, the percussive heartbeat of the tango, the otherwordly beauty of Tierra del Fuego, the friendly passing of the yerba maté gourd. This South American country invites you to connect, to linger, to relax, and to explore. A blend of old-world Europe — Buenos Aires is known as the ‘Paris of South America’ — and local flair, Argentina is like n...

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘Return to Valetto’ by Dominic Smith and ‘National Dish’ by Anya von Bremzen — then Dave shares a delightful poem about wonder by Reina del Cid. LINKS Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith. Strong Sense of Place podcast: Museums: A Gathering of Muses, A Clutch of Curators. National Dish: Around th...

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘Unpacking for Greece’ by Sally Jane Smith and the new DK Eyewitness title ‘Europe by Train’ — then Mel gets excited about adaptations of ’Around the World in 80 Days. LINKS Unpacking for Greece by Sally Jane Smith. Sally Jane Smith’s website, Twitter, and Instagram. Europe by Train by DL Eyewitness. The super-handy train travel website The Man...

Located on the east coast of Africa, Kenya is a fantastic place to explore Swahili culture and get close to exotic wildlife — lions, elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, impalas, gazelles, warthogs, wildebeests, and so many birds. The capital city of Nairobi sits on a plateau between the Indian Ocean (hello, picturesque beaches!) and the Great Rift Valley (lush green hills, blue lakes, hot pink flamingo...

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — The Power of Saying No by Vanessa Patrick and Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum — then Dave shares fun facts about Shakespeare’s First Folio. LINKS The Power of Saying No by Vanessa Patrick Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum SSoP Podcast Episode 53 — Theater: Act One, Scene I, Lights Up. Celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s First...

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Tumbling Girl by Bridget Walsh and The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives by Naoíse Mac Sweeney. Then Mel shares the highlights of the first Pulitzer Prize winners. LINKS The Tumbling Girl by Bridge Walsh The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives by Naoíse Mac Sweeney Pulitzer Prize website All the winners organized by year. Herbert Bayard Sw...

Google the words’ history of theater,’ and you’ll get a timeline that begins in ancient Greece, circa the 6th century BCE, and high-kicks forward through time to Broadway and London’s West End.  And that’s accurate. But it’s also missing the dramatic developments in storytelling techniques happening in other parts of the world — Japan, China, Indonesia, India — at the same time. While European pea...

Housekeeping note: There will be no 'Library of Lost Time' next week. The next episode will appear on Friday, June 2. 'Strong Sense of Place' will appear before then, on Monday, the 29th of May, with our episode about the theater. Thank you! In this episode, we get excited about two books: 'Tasting History' by Max Miller and 'This Isn't Going to End Well' by Daniel Wallace. Then Mel transports us...

Perched in the top-right corner of the US, Maine is wrapped in a snuggly hug from Canada and bravely faces the crashing Atlantic. If bracing sea air, glorious pine trees, and fresh-from-the-ocean seafood is your thing, you’re going to want to visit asap. Maine’s 5000 miles (8000 km) of coastline mean there are dozens of lighthouses, ample excuses to get out in a boat (kayaking along the Maine Isla...

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin and The Partisan by Patrick Worrall. Then guest Jeremy Anderberg shares a fun website to find great new-to-you titles.  LINKS The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin The Partisan by Patrick Worrall Video: The history of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Video: A tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum....

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin and You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith. Then Dave tells the tale of remarkable women involved in London’s criminal underworld.  LINKS Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith Maggie Smith’s website and Twitter Legal Design Podcast: Fighting Crime by Design wi...

There's been a bridge over the Thames in London for about 2000 years. In the time since its founding during the Roman Empire, London has become one of the world's most diverse cities. Today, it's as well known for its Indian food (try the restaurants in Brick Lane) and Middle Eastern cuisine (visit Edgeware Road) as it is for a proper afternoon tea (finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, and endless...

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Never Sleep by Fred Van Lente and The Wager: A Talk of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. Then Mel shares tips for getting great poetry into your life. LINKS Never Sleep by Fred Van Lente Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister The Wager: A Talk of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann How Kate Warne, America’s First Woman Detective,...

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal and A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. Then Mel shares her excitement about an unfinished Brontë novel that got finished. LINKS Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher J. Ryan Stradal’s website, Instagram, and Twitter T...

If you were born anytime after, say, 1974, you probably associate Lebanon and its capital city of Beirut with political strife, violence, and bombed-out buildings. But this beautiful, misunderstood country is far more than its troubled past. Lebanon is a tiny nation on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. Its capital city of Beirut was once known as the Paris of the East, a holiday getaway for m...

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. Then Dave talks about how to help your non-podcast-listening friends become podcast fans. LINKS The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty Hester Fox’s website and Instagram Sha...

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Jane & Edward by Melodie Edwards and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Then Dave invites us all to get delightfully nerdy about punctuation. LINKS Jane & Edward by Melodie Edwards Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark! by Florence H...

Sri Lanka is known for its rich, full-bodied Ceylon tea, fishermen on stilts, and staggering beauty. If you want to visit an elephant sanctuary, trek to a mountaintop monastery, or swim (and surf) in crystal-blue waters, this teardrop-shaped island in the Bay of Bengal is the place to go. In contrast to its warm, soothing climate is its long history of civil war. The conflict that raged from 1983...

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Girl with Twenty Fingers by Kate Mueser and White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link. Then Mel introduces everyone to the man teaching modern foodies how to cook like Jane Austen. LINKS The Girl with Twenty Fingers by Kate Mueser  White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link Kate Mueser’s website Kate Mueser on YouTube talking about Mozart and...