Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: 'Revenge of the Librarians' by Tom Gauld and 'The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy' by Moiya McTier. Then Dave talks about a website that provides 'emotional spoilers' for movies and TV.  BOOKS Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld https://bit.ly/3rW9XBW The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld https://bit.ly/3yFUMjY D...

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: 'The Whalebone Theatre' by  Joanna Quinn and 'The Hero of This Book' by Elizabeth McCracken. Then Mel shares her enthusiasm for cookies made by cloistered nuns in Spain.  BOOKS The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn https://bit.ly/3CZWvDD The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken https://bit.ly/3g9nx28 The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken...

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: 'The Sleeping Car Porter' by Suzette Mayr and 'Such Sharp Teeth' by Rachel Harrison. Then Dave explains why we should all book a trip asap to Prince Edward Island to explore The Island Walk.  BOOKS The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr https://bit.ly/3TmZjQB The Widows by Suzette Mayr https://amzn.to/3CxEwmf Venous Hum by Suzette Mayr https://...

In this episode, we get excited about two books, one backlist and one new: 'Wakenhyrst' by Michelle Paver and 'This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You' by Susan Rogers. Then Dave shares three reasons to put the tiny country of San Marino on your must-visit list.  BOOKS Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver https://amzn.to/3Ro6ZR8 This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You L...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'The Most Likely Club' by Elyssa Friedland and 'The English Understand Wool' by Helen DeWitt. Then Mel tells the twisty story of 'Rebecca The Musical' on Broadway.  BOOKS The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland https://bit.ly/3dSlbnG The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt https://bit.ly/3y4cr4J ** DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK ** Reddit...

Do you ever feel like Italy is just showing off just a bit? It's literally got the best of both worlds, surrounded by the sea and graced with mountains (hello, Italian Alps, Dolomites, and Apennines), woodlands, and hills, including the famous seven of Rome. The climate is ideal for growing lovely things like figs, almonds, olives, grapes, and... romance. What's more romantic than sweethearts ridi...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'Duran Duran: Careless Memories' by Denis O'Regan and 'The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride Through Europe and the Middle East' by Rebecca Lowe. Then Dave highlights three books he was excited to see honored with Hugo Awards for sci-fi. BOOKS Duran Duran: Careless Memories by Denis O'Regan https://bit.ly/duranduranbook The Slo...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'Ten Things I Hate About Me' by Joe Tracini and 'Thistlefoot' by Gennarose Nethercott. Then Mel explains how the Sleep Stories in the Calm app have taken her on adventures around the world.  BOOKS Ten Things I Hate About Me by Joe Tracini https://bit.ly/3LhYXYH Thistlefoot by Gennarose Nethercott https://bit.ly/3LeUF4f ** DISTRACTION OF...

Secret corridors, hidden rooms, and trapdoors are the stuff of adventure and romance. Egyptian pyramids riddled with underground chambers and booby traps. An English country house with a priest hole and a trick bookcase. A speakeasy with a sliding panel that leads to a brothel and a gambling parlor. Who wouldn't want to go exploring?! And where would Gothic storytelling be without the secret passa...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: '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 The Library of Lost Time https://bit.ly/...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'these are the words' by Nikita Gill and 'Daisy Darker' by Alice Feeney. Then Dave explains the delightful tradition of newcomers to Newfoundland being ScreechedIn. BOOKS these are the words by Nikita Gill https://amzn.to/3q2wY5f Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney https://bit.ly/3Q64Etd DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK  The Library of Lost Time https:/...

Close your eyes and imagine it: Craggy coastlines with the rumble of crashing surf, sand dunes shaped by the wind off the Atlantic, maybe a lonely lighthouse, and lots of green. The air is bracing, carrying the scent of pine and the sea. Atlantic Canada comprises four provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, plus the three Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, al...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'Portrait of an Unknown Woman' by Daniel Silva and 'A Dreadful Splendor' by B.R. Myers. Then Mel explains why she's smitten with Detective Inspector Jimmy Pérez and the Shetland TV series, based on the books by Ann Cleeves. BOOKS Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva https://bit.ly/3PCaF0I A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers https:/...

Perched where East meets West, Turkey was once a stopover on the Silk Road, connecting the cultures of Europe and the Balkans to exotic Eastern locales. That explains why its history has as many layers as a piece of baklava. The invaders are a greatest hits list of big names: the Greeks, the Byzantine Empire, the Fourth Crusade, and the Ottoman Empire (and its Janissaries). Then WWI and the birth...

In this very short episode, we get curious about what you think about The Library of Lost Time. We'd like to know how to make a better podcast for you. More book reviews? More Distraction of the Week? Should Mel and Dave just talk about cakes and cats? Let us know! We currently have a survey at: https://strongsenseofplace.com/survey It would mean the world to us if you could drop by and tell us ho...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'Kismet' by Amina Akhtar and 'Alias Emma' by Ava Glass. Then we think about running away to Tristan da Cunha, the world's most remote inhabited island. BOOKS Kismet by Amina Akhtar https://bit.ly/3Bh1fUW Alias Emma by Ava Glass https://bit.ly/3RZ2TQT DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Tristan da Cunha website https://bit.ly/3OuvKtj Atlas Obscura on...

With palm trees galore, more than 100 beaches (plus more than 100 volcanoes!), Hawaii's islands are a playground in paradise. But there's a lot more to love about the 50th state than its splash-worthy waters and lush hiking trails. Settled by sea-faring Polynesians in the 4th century, the islands meld the cultures of native Hawaiians, American mainlanders, and Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and Chine...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'The Half Life of Valery K' by Natasha Pulley and 'The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir' by Ingrid Rojas Contreras. Then we go retro with 'Welcome to Kutsher's,' a documentary about the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills.  BOOKS The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley https://bit.ly/3PxuR4L The Man Who Could Move Clouds...

Museums are where we put our best stuff. An item might belong in a museum if it's rare, expensive, irreplaceable, or so ordinary and beloved it becomes extraordinary. A self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, a can of SPAM, a Romanian mud hut, a narwhal horn, a discarded red stiletto: They can all be found in a museum somewhere in the world.  But exhibitions in museums are more than mere collections of...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers. Then we daydream about receiving a postcard from the ancient city of Timbuktu.  BOOKS The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia https://bit.ly/39DM24K A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers https://bit.ly/3ObJLwy DIST...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'What Moves the Dead' by T. Kingfisher and 'The Mermaid of Black Conch' by Monique Roffey. Then we explore the delightfully retro world of Thomas Allen's pulp fiction art. BOOKS What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher https://bit.ly/3O962uZ The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey https://bit.ly/3OcdSEd DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Thomas Al...

Animal safaris! White sand beaches! The majesty of Table Mountain! Plus, urban penguins, world-class wine, and food with irresistible names like melktert, bunny chow, and chakalaka. There is so much about South Africa to engage your curiosity. Any conversation about South Africa is incomplete without addressing the scourge of Apartheid. For most of the 20th century, black people were denied the mo...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'Her Majesty's Royal Coven' by Juno Dawson and 'Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels, and Crooks' by Patrick Radden Keefe. Then we take a sweet virtual roadtrip along Ohio's famed Donut Trail. BOOKS Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson https://bit.ly/38XtuvX Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels, and Crooks b...

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'Woman of Light' by Kali Fajardo-Anstine and 'Ordinary Monsters' by J. M. Miro. Then we share the lowdown on the thoroughly delightful Typewriter Rodeo poets in Austin, Texas. BOOKS Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine https://bookshop.org/a/1240/9780525511328 Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Miro https://bookshop.org/a/1240/9781250833662 Ty...

Let's get this straight immediately: If you want to make friends with the good people of the mountains, you'd better pronounce the name of their home the way they do. When you say Appalachia, make it sound like 'throw an apple atcha'. This fabled region of the US includes parts of 12 states and the entirety of West Virginia. It encompasses forested peaks and deep hollers (the local name for valley...