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One lifetime is too short to visit everywhere and meet everyone. That‘s why we love books with a strong sense of place — they let us travel the world in our imagination. In each episode of our podcast, we explore one destination and talk about what makes that place different from everywhere else on earth. Then we recommend five books that took us to that place on the page. We‘re on a trip around the globe, one great read at a time. Please join us!
Episodes
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
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 explainer
https://bit.ly/3RnFZkP
The Guardian on the fraud
https://bit.ly/3RnEiU8
Documentary
https://youtu.be/roIueOG7_N4
Promo video for Broadway
https://youtu.be/B-SZOwrhTds
Promo video for Vienna
https://youtu.be/W_zJ0vOWQRg
Transcript of this episode
https://bit.ly/3SpYkPe
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
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 riding a Vespa under the moonlight? Or a spritz sipped under a beach umbrella on the Italian Riviera? A dip in the Adriatic, a stroll in the Tuscan sunshine, a run down a slope in the Italian Alps — these are the things of which dreams are made.
Which leads us to this fact: Italy has the third highest life expectancy in Europe: 83.5 years of living la dolce vita, the sweet life. The food, the wine, the weather, the language, the history; it's an embarrassment of riches, and we're all the better for it.
In this episode, we discuss everything that makes Italy one of the most enchanting places on Earth. We get curious about the world's largest rock band and a possibly cursed village, daydream about eating pasta carbonara in Rome, and cross the sea to Sicily. Then we recommend great books that took us there on the page:
The Invitation by Lucy Foley - https://bit.ly/3QYEd9l
Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere by Jan Morris - https://bit.ly/3QZu7Fp
Cinnamon and Salt: Ciccheti in Venice by Emiko Davies - https://bit.ly/3xFjJvI
Galileo's Daughter: A Drama of Science, Faith and Love by Dava Sobel - https://bit.ly/3Lv5nDz
Still Life by Sarah Winman - https://bit.ly/3Sf2jxG
A Room with a View - https://bit.ly/3DOFhd5
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2022-09-26-italy
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Friday Sep 23, 2022
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 Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride Through Europe and the Middle East by Rebecca Lowe
https://bit.ly/3RgZvPX
DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK
Complete list of 2022 Hugo Award winners
https://bit.ly/3Lu4Zp7
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
https://bit.ly/3xGUUj3
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
https://bit.ly/3xJ9ir0
Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley
https://bit.ly/3duURzV
Never Say You Can't Survive by Charlie Jane Anders
https://bit.ly/3DIprR1
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
https://bit.ly/3DGtwoS
Watch 25 literary luminaries (Neil Gaiman, Robin Sloane, Felicia Day, Alan Cumming!) read the new translation of _Beowulf_ by Maria Dahvana Headley
https://bit.ly/3favljW
Transcript of this episode
https://bit.ly/3DLZKz8
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Friday Sep 16, 2022
Friday Sep 16, 2022
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 THE WEEK **
Follow Joe Tracini on Twitter - https://twitter.com/joetracini
Enjoy his rap about bipolar personality disorder - https://bit.ly/3LfjNYx
Watch a dance video on YouTube - https://youtu.be/a5AUetoXKMo
Listen to a podcast interview with Joe - https://apple.co/3LeYia8
Read a profile of Joe in The Guardian - https://bit.ly/3Upig6z
Learn more about the Calm app - https://www.calm.com/
Visit the website for Erik Braa - https://www.erikbraa.com
Transcript of this episode
https://bit.ly/3RKsWKV
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Monday Sep 12, 2022
Monday Sep 12, 2022
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 passage in Horace Walpole's 'The Castle of Otranto?' Or the hidden door to the attic in 'Jane Eyre' that's protecting an epic secret?
If your childhood was shaped by reading the enchanting adventures in 'The Secret Garden' and 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' or by solving the mystery of 'The Hidden Staircase' with Nancy Drew, this show is for you.
In this episode, we discuss an amazing book heist from an ancient French monastery, debate if Ben Franklin was a werewolf hunter, get lost in the Mansion on O Street, and daydream about living in the New York Public Library. Then we recommend great books that lured us into magical portals, dangerous tunnels, secret passages, and other hidden spaces that prove irresistible.
Here are the books we discuss in the show:
A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn
https://bit.ly/3cLkQm3
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
https://bit.ly/3AGfsJ7
Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman
https://bit.ly/3Ry21li
Underground by Will Hunt
https://bit.ly/3CQjyB5
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
https://bit.ly/3TG18ZR
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2022-09-12-secret-passages
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Friday Sep 09, 2022
Friday Sep 09, 2022
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/3PIqMd8
NeSpoon on Instagram
https://bit.ly/3ql5GHj
NeSpoon on YouTube
https://bit.ly/3BeS6M8
NeSpoon website
https://nespoon.art
Video of the mural at the Museum of Lace and Fashion
https://youtu.be/XeFNYiYC0VE
More about the square in Belorado, Spain
https://bit.ly/3RmCL1s
German video (with some English) featuring NeSpoon's various works
https://youtu.be/ehh5A0AW-p4
Colossal magazine
https://bit.ly/3etn6PC
Five questions with NeSpoon
https://bit.ly/3euaeZD
Transcript of this episode
https://bit.ly/3cNqmoy
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Friday Sep 02, 2022
Friday Sep 02, 2022
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://bit.ly/3PIqMd8
Newfoundland Screech on Wikipedia
https://bit.ly/3wO9SmO
On Atlas Obscura
https://bit.ly/3R9n3qB
Two excellent videos
https://youtu.be/-bEPBx4E1aY
Video of Conan O'Brian getting screeched by Natasha Henstridge
https://youtu.be/d3bD7427Nqc
Our podcast episode about Atlantic Canada
https://bit.ly/3CPgwwN
Transcript of this episode
https://bit.ly/3cHjfxS
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
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, also known as PEI.
Lumped together for convenience, each province has its own quirks and charm. You might visit the colorful fishing villages in Nova Scotia or go kayaking in the Bay of Fundy. If Anne Shirley tops your list of best literary heroines, you'll definitely want to make a pilgrimage to PEI. And for Viking lore and teeth-rattling wind — plus puffins, iceberg sightings, and the northern lights — Newfoundland is the place to be.
Wherever you land, you're enveloped in the fathomless blue of the sky and sea. It's a dramatic landscape with hardy people and a long history of compelling stories.
In this episode, we talk about the lure of buried treasure, pick up a bit of Newfoundland slang, plan a getaway to a posh island hotel, and discuss practically sentient weather. Then we recommend five great books that took us to Atlantic Canada on the page:
Crow by Amy Spurway
https://bit.ly/3QBrD0r
Galore by Michael Crummy
https://bit.ly/3PtOrhh
My Darling Detective by Howard Norman
https://bit.ly/3waEWNo
The Boat Who Wouldn't Float by Farley Mowat
https://bit.ly/3pr2Y2U
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
https://bit.ly/3wd40mR
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Friday Aug 26, 2022
Friday Aug 26, 2022
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://bit.ly/3CuX6gN
DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK
The Library of Lost Time
https://bit.ly/3PIqMd8
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
https://bit.ly/3wqCSRj
Interview with Ann Cleeves
https://bit.ly/3pEs0LW
Shetland: An Epic Landscape with a Viking Soul
https://bit.ly/3Cq55M3
Video: Ann Cleeves' Shetland
https://youtu.be/AAInlBT32w8
'Shetland' on Amazon Prime
https://amzn.to/3Kb59AS
Transcript of this episode
https://bit.ly/3PIqMd8
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon
Monday Aug 15, 2022
Monday Aug 15, 2022
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 of a new nation: The Republic of Turkey, with westward-gazing Atatürk at the helm.
Now, this stunningly beautiful country is a dreamy holiday destination. There are beaches on the Black, Aegean, and Mediterranean Seas to immerse you in soothing waters.
Enjoy colorful Turkish cuisine with strong tea and coffee to fuel your adventures. Listen to slinky, rhythmic folk music, have a soak at a hammam (Turkish bath), and meet friendly locals with a charming predilection for chit-chat.
For centuries, travelers have been enchanted by the Istanbul skyline and the romantic Bosphorous Strait. But don't sleep on sights outside that fabled city, like the hot air balloons and otherworldly terrain of Cappadocia, the ancient ruins of the Library of Pergamum, and Gaziantep with the sweet scent of baklava bakeries floating in the air.
In this episode, we romp through the Byzantine Empire, get gossipy about the Turkish language, and celebrate sweet words of devotion. Then we recommend five books that took us to Turkey on the page:
- Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak
- Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Özge Samancı
- The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
- My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Erda M. Göknar (translator)
- Black Amber by Phyllis A. Whitney
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
- Patreon