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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 Jan 22, 2021
Friday Jan 22, 2021
It's our Podiversary! Podcastiversary? Podcastersary? Let's just call it our 1-year Podcast Anniversary.
In this mini-episode, we look back at our first two seasons, share a few interesting stats, and give you a sneak preview of what's coming in Season Three, including four of our upcoming destinations.
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Vietnam has mostly been defined by its tumultuous history of border scuffles, invasions, and colonialism — which does this beautiful, graceful, colorful southeast Asian country a disservice.
Respect for tradition jostles up against a forward-facing attitude in Vietnam, which makes for a jumble of fascinating contrasts: the hyper-energetic urban centers of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City versus the idyllic countryside (which two-thirds of the population call home); state-mandated atheism versus a long tradition of spiritual practices; Communist government versus capitalist economy.
But spend any time getting curious about Vietnam, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: family and a reverence for tradition are nearly universal. As is a passion for flavorful food that woos all the senses and an appreciation for the country's stunning natural beauty.
In this episode, we delve into Vietnam's dramatic history and discuss what makes it like no other place on the planet, then we recommend books that transported us there on the page, including moving family sagas, first-person memoirs, and an ode to a perfect bowl of pho.
Books we talk about include:
- The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars by Andrew X. Pham
- The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb
- The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui
- Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
- The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-01-11-vietnam
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Monday Dec 21, 2020
In this mini-episode of our show, we talk about holiday traditions from around the world that we've added to our own celebrations... Our favorite Christmas cookies! The world's friendliest nutcracker collection! The Icelandic book party called Jólabókaflóðið! Lasagna!
Then we share one of our favorite poems, a celebration of the winter solstice by British poet Sarah Cooper.
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Happy holidays!
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
In the 200 years since trains first started clattering on the rails, they dramatically changed industry and commerce — and inspired technological innovations that changed the world.
But we like them because they're romantic and comfortable, allow us to interact with other travelers, and are the most fun way to get out of town.
With the transcontinental railroads, far-flung destinations were connected for the first time. Entire continents were opened up to new trading opportunities, not to mention that people could travel farther and faster than they ever had before.
The world got a bit smaller, but also far grander, and a new era in travel was born. Luxury trains like the fabled Orient Express offered the curious and the posh opportunities to see the world in opulent comfort. No wonder there are so many great stories set aboard Pullman cars and steam engines.
In this episode, we briefly explore train history and discuss why train travel might just be the best mode of transportation. Then we share five books we love that capture the innovation and adventure of trains around the world.
Books that we discuss include:
- The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White
- The Edge by Dick Francis
- The Train Book: The Definitive Visual History by DK Publishing
- The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford
- Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 by Stephen E. Ambrose
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-12-14-trains
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Peru is South America's geographical triple-threat with beach-front desert fronting the Pacific, the Andes mountains (the second-highest range in the world), and dense Amazon rainforest. It's also astonishingly beautiful with craggy peaks, lush greenery, lakes the color of aquamarine and sapphires, and so many very (very, very) cute llamas and alpacas.
It's also a mystical wonderland for travelers. There's the aerie of Machu Picchu and the wonder of the Nazca Lines carved in the desert, excursions amid the treetops of the Amazon, and the cities of Lima, Cuzco, and Arequipa, where you can visit museums by day, then dine of world-class cuisine and sip pisco sours by night.
In this episode, we explore Peru's history and culture, then recommend six books that capture Peruvian magic: two memoirs that illuminate Peru's enchanted landscapes, two cookbooks that explore the culture and fusion cuisine, a detailed account of Incas vs. conquistadors, and a gorgeous novel of friendship and adventure.
Books we discuss include:
- The Last Days Of The Incas by Kim MacQuarrie
- Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams
- The Boiling River: Adventure and Discovery in the Amazon by Andrés Ruzo
- The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
- The Fire of Peru: Recipes and Stories from My Peruvian Kitchen by Ricardo Zarate, Jenn Garbee
- Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-11-30-peru.
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Located on the west coast of Africa, Nigeria is the seventh most populous country in the world — and one in six Africans is Nigerian. Its megacity Lagos is the hub of commerce for the country, and it's also known for its epic nightlife, bustling street markets, influential music scene, and Nollywood, the second-largest film industry in the world (to the tune of 1500 movies per year).
Most countries embody contradictions, but Nigeria takes it to extremes. There's vast wealth (thanks to its oil reserves) right next door to poverty; one-third of the population lives below the poverty line. Devout religious beliefs rub elbows with government corruption.
Despite all that, or perhaps because of it, Nigerian culture is boisterous, colorful, and exuberant, shaped by both religions and tribal tradition. English is the official language, and most Nigerians also speak Nigerian Pidgin, a creole language that combines local dialects, slang, and English words.
In this episode, we explore Nigeria's past and present, including the deliciously carb-centric and spicy food. Then we discuss five books that took us there on the page, including a sci-fi-noir novel, an evocative travelogue, a darkly comic story of sisterly love, a multi-generational family saga featuring Nigerian cuisine, and the tale of a village girl on a quest for an education.
The books we cover include:
- My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa
- Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
- Rosewater: Book 1 of the Wormwood Trilogy by Tade Thompson
- The Girl with the Louding Voice: A Novel by Abi Daré
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-11-16-nigeria
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Nov 02, 2020
Monday Nov 02, 2020
Iran (formerly known as Persia) is the second-largest country in the Middle East, and its culture reaches back through the millennia. About 2500 years ago, the Persian Empire stretched from Greece to India, and its impact is still felt in the world today.
Persia was the world's first superpower. Its leader Cyrus the Great allowed kings to continue to rule the areas he conquered, earning him the moniker 'King of Kings' and laying the foundation for our next remarkable fact: Persia was the first multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-lingual empire. Persian leaders envisioned a world in which religion was not the basis for strife and division.
So how did this society based on equality — and wildly passionate about civic improvements, art, philosophy, food, and poetry — become the theocracy we know today?
That's a long and interesting story that we explore in our podcast and through the pages of five books we love that transported us to Iran on the page.
Books we discuss include:
- Everything Sad Is Untrue: (A True Story) by Daniel Nayeri
- Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran by Terence Ward
- Disoriental by Négar Djavadi
- The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-11-02-iran
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Oct 19, 2020
Monday Oct 19, 2020
It's no surprise that most Halloween stories delve into the dark corners and shadows of life. That premise is in the very name of the holiday. Originally known as All Hallows' Eve, it's celebrated just before All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day — two holidays meant to honor the dead. For thousands of years, people all over the world have remembered the lost with candles, rituals, costumes, and revelry.
The best Halloween stories produce tingles up the back of the neck, while also, maybe, breaking one's heart just a little bit. After all, good scares and sorrow often go hand-in-ghostly-hand.
In this episode, we get curious about Halloween traditions and explore the lore around classic creepy creatures., Then we recommend books that celebrate the spirit (and spirits) of Halloween, including stories for self-proclaimed scaredy-cats, titles that should come with a 'don't read this at night' warning label,' and a few in-between. Trick or treat!
We also talk to horror legend Steve Bissette, illustrator of 'The Swamp Thing' and writer of both fiction and non-fiction works that'll scare the pants off you.
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-10-19-halloween.
Books we talked about include:
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
- Pine by Francine Toon
- Basic Witch: Witches of Salem by Harmony Hart
- Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe, James Howe
- Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
- Something Wicked This Way Comes: A Novel by Ray Bradbury
- Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Oct 05, 2020
Monday Oct 05, 2020
Head south to Australia and take a sharp turn east to arrive in New Zealand. It's a landscape both magical and majestic, surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Tasman Sea and southwestern Pacific.
New Zealand is a fairly new country: the first people to arrive were ancestors of the Māori, between 1200 and 1300. It took another 300 years for European explorers to show up. Modern NZ balances its colonial and Māori history with three official languages (English, Māori, and NZ sign language), and a national anthem that's sung in both Māori and English.
In this episode, we get curious about life in New Zealand, then recommend books that transported us there, including an essay collection, a memoir from an American woman who married a Māori, a novel about the 1860 gold rush, a tale of Māori mythology, and a fantasy novel set in Wellington.
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-10-05-new-zealand
Books we cover include:
- The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
- Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All by Christina Thompson
- The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
- The Colour by Rose Tremain
- Can You Tolerate This?: Essays by Ashleigh Young
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Monday Sep 21, 2020
The library is a sacred and celebratory place, filled with objects, yes — but inside those objects are imagination and possibility, heartbreak and triumph, silliness and seriousness and the whole range of human emotion and the entire history of science and art and philosophy... so far.
In this episode, we discuss some of the highlights and larger-than-life personalities of library history, then recommend books we love that put the library front and center. We've got two wonderfully nerdy nonfiction books that explore bookshelves and archives, a sweeping literary cycle centered around a magical library, a historical novel with dueling timelines, and an exuberant story about a secret library.
Books we cover include:
- The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
- The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- The Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski
- Mr. Penumbrass 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles
- The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-09-21-library.
As always, you can follow us at:
- Our web site at Strong Sense of Place