Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

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 Island trail, anyone?), and opportunities to see puffins, seals, and whales in their natural habitat.Or set your sights on the forest! The Pine Tree State is perfect for honing your Disney princess skills with moose, black bears, white-tailed deer, river otters, foxes, and other furry forest creatures.When you’re ready to get cozy with a book, there’s the poetry of Longfellow, the delight of Charlotte’s Web, and the malevolent Pennywise, who is the terrifying and brilliant invention of Maine’s number one literary hero, Stephen King. In this episode, we get hungry for lobster rolls and Maine blueberries, learn some funny island names, and honor a delightful ambassador to Maine. Then we recommend five books that took us to Maine on the page, including a Gothic coming-of-age story, two vastly different (but unputdownable) memoirs, a literary crime novel, and a sweet story about the magical power of love and the Northern Lights.Here are the books about Maine we recommend on the show: Grange House by Sarah Blake The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel The Midcoast by Adam White Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches by John Hodgman Almost, Maine by John Cariani For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes.Transcript of Maine: Lighthouses, Lobster Rolls, and the King of Horror.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. An Explosive Netflix Documentary About the $500 Million Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist. Netflix: This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist. Portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent. Isabella Stewart Gardner ‘Come to Tea’ mug. Jeremy Anderberg’s Read More Books, The Big Read, and Instagram. Shepherd.com Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.comDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. LINKSDinner Party by Sarah GilmartinYou Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie SmithMaggie Smith’s website and TwitterLegal Design Podcast: Fighting Crime by Design with Lorraine GammanWikipedia: Shirley PittsWikipedia: Alice DiamondGone Shopping: The Story of Shirley Pitts, Queen of Thieves by Lorraine GammanThe Guardian: Girl Gang’s Grip on London Underworld RevealedCriminal Secret Society: The Story of Forty ElephantsVideo: Diamond Annie and the Forty Elephants — The All-Female Gang That Terrorized LondonTranscript of this episodeThe Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.comDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 pots of tea).It's also a book lover's paradise with museums dedicated to literary classics — Hello, Sherlock Holmes! Good day, Mr. Dickens! – along with the British Library (don't miss the tour), Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, and Shakespeare's Globe where you can watch a play in a faithful reproduction of the Bard's theater.In this episode, we clear up any confusion about London's main bridges, make a case for why you should visit the Tower's Ravenmaster (and his six raven friends), and learn about the mad skills of London cab drivers. Then we recommend five great books that took us there on the page, including a twisty courtroom drama, a time-traveling guidebook, a murder mystery set in London's North End, a beloved urban fantasy, and a modern classic with an unlikely hero.Here are the books about London we recommend on the show:Something to Hide by Elizabeth GeorgeRivers of London by Ben AaronovitchAnatomy of a Scandal by Sarah VaughanLondon: A Travel Guide Through Time by Matthew GreenWolf Hall by Hilary MantelFor more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes.Transcript of London: The Tower, Tudors, and a Nice Cuppa Tea.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.LINKSNever Sleep by Fred Van LenteGirl in Disguise by Greer MacallisterThe Wager: A Talk of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David GrannHow Kate Warne, America’s First Woman Detective, Foiled a Plot to Assassinate Abraham LincolnRidiculous History Podcast: Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe LincolnThe Atlantic: Reading a Poem: 20 StrategiesPoets.org: How to Read a PoemThe Writing Center: How to Read a PoemLibrary of Congress: How to Read a Poem Out LoudInstagram: Poetry is Not a LuxuryInstagram: Seeing the PoemInstagram: Poets.orgThe Guardian: Poem of the WeekPoetry Foundation: Poem of the DayPoets.org: Poem of the DayThe Slowdown: This podcast from former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith features a daily reading of a poem and a brief reflection on its meaning and significance.Poetry Foundation: Mary OliverNikita Gill on Twitter and Instagram Transcript of this episodeThe Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.comDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland Our podcast episode Hotels: The Liminal Space with M&Ms in the Mini-Bar Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Emma Brown: A Novel From the Unfinished Manuscript by Emma Boylan & Charlotte Brontë Wikipedia entry: Emma Brown The New York Times’ review of Emma Brown by Emma Boylan Librivox recording of the Emma fragment (Pro tip: skip the Preface and go directly to Chapter 1.) Emma Brown by Clare Boylan on Internet Archive Transcript of this episodeThe Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.comDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 movie stars, moguls, and spies. Lebanon’s coast is still a dreamy beach destination with long stretches of sand — or dramatic rock formations — lined with palm trees on one side and perfect turquoise-blue water on the other.The name Lebanon comes from the Semitic word lbn in reference to the snow-kissed Mount Lebanon range. The interior’s rugged mountains are great for winter skiing and hiking among the fragrant cedar trees during the warmer months.You can also visit wineries, explore ancient ruins, dance the dabka, and eat delicious things like hummus, kibbeh, kofta, tabbouleh, and baklava — a.k.a. some of Mel’s favorite food in the world.In this episode, we briefly walk through the long history of Lebanon, delve into amazing stories of sibling rivalry and bank robbery, and Mel shares the story of her Lebanese great-grandmother. Then we recommend great books that took us to Lebanon on the page.Here are the books about Lebanon we recommend on the show: House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid Between Beirut and the Moon by A. Naji Bakhti The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride through Europe and the Middle East by Rebecca Lowe Rose Water and Orange Blossoms: Fresh & Classic Recipes from my Lebanese Kitchen by Maureen Abood For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes.Transcript of Lebanon: WORDS.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Shannon Chakraborty’s website and Twitter City of Brass By Shannon Chakraborty Our podcast episode Egypt: Ancient Antiquities, Fiery Djinn, and the Lure of the Nile. Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown Our podcast episode The Sea: Tales of Poets and Pirates This American Life WTF with Marc Maron RadioLab Shut Up and Sit Down Twenty Thousand Hertz What Should I Read Next? with Anne Bogel The Perks of Being a Book Lover Films to be Buried With with Brett Goldstein Podchaser Realm.fm The Library of Lost Time episode: Realm Podcasts & Two New Books Tink Media: Adopt-a-Listener Transcript of this episodeThe Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.comDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.LINKSJane & Edward by Melodie EdwardsVera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. SutantoAn Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark! by Florence HazratSemicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark by Cecelia WatsonMelodie Edwards websiteExcerpt of the novel Jane & Edward in print and audioJane & Edward readers’ guideSometimes it’s too much! But the exclamation point has a point. (gift link)Video of LL Cool J on The Electric Company, rapping about punctuation.Transcript of this episodeThe Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.comDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can find us at:- Our site- Instagram- Facebook- Twitter- Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 until 2009 between the mostly-Sinhalese government and the insurgent Tamil Tigers had a profound and lasting effect on the population.But none of that has curbed Sri Lankans’ welcoming temperament nor the island’s natural charms. There’s world-class street food — all manner of crunchy, savory fried things, spicy curries, and tropical fruits like nothing you’ve ever seen before. There are sparkling waterfalls, whale watching and leopard sightings, and an iconic train ride through lush green jungles dotted with colorful flowers. All giving truth to the name Sri (Resplendent) Lanka (Island).In this episode, we explore Sri Lankan legend, get nostalgic about Duran Duran, hear the details of a remarkable airplane adventure, and get very curious about wood fruit. Then we recommend five great books that took us to Sri Lanka on the page, including an adventure memoir by the world’s best travel writer, an unusual crime story, a colorful cookbook, and two dream-like novels set during the civil war years, one of which Mel clutched to her chest in a hug.Here are the books about bookshops we recommend on the show:Anil’s Ghost by Michael OndaatjeThe Hamilton Case by Michelle de KretserRambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka by Cynthia ShanmugalingamElephant Complex: Travels In Sri Lanka by John GimletteThe Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan KarunatilakaFor more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes.Transcript of Sri Lanka: Remarkable, Relentless, Resplendent.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices