Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

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 striking items. Museums are vital institutions that take on the tasks of collecting, interpreting, and caring for artifacts — both precious and charmingly ordinary — so they can be experienced by the general public.The Ancient Greek word mouseion means 'seat of Muses.' In classical antiquity, a museum was a place for contemplation and philosophical debate. When art moved from the open air, larger-than-life statuary of the Greco-Roman era to more intimate, human-scale paintings and objects, the definition of museum changed, too. It became a place to visit to see art — and anything placed in a museum _became_ art.In this episode, we romp through the delightful hoarding behavior behind Renaissance Wunderkammers, learn about the first museum curator (spoiler: It was a woman!), and celebrate the majesty of the Louvre. Then we recommend books that transported us to museums around the world.Here are the books we recommend on the show: A Little History of Art by Charlotte Mullins A Parisian Cabinet of Curiosities: Deyrolle by Prince Louis Albert de Broglie Cabinets of Curiosities by Patrick Mauriès How to Enjoy Art by Ben Street Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2022-07-18-museumsDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Patreon Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Postcards from Timbuktu website https://bit.ly/3N89lBt Postcards from Timbuktu on Instagram https://bit.ly/3b9jJeN Atlas Obscura on Postcards from Timbuktu https://bit.ly/3NaNDfY The last master calligrapher in Mali https://bit.ly/3b42U4X The Guardian on Timbuktu https://bit.ly/3OsQKkv 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 Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Allen's Pulp Series https://bit.ly/3N9iRUM Thomas Allen's Beautiful Evidence Series https://bit.ly/3xELPq8 A video romp through his artwork https://bit.ly/3y7URNB More at the Foley Gallery https://bit.ly/3y7UTVJ Thomas Allen and Chip Kidd discuss Allen's book  https://bit.ly/3tPYdCB Buy a copy of 'Uncovered: Photographs' by Thomas Allen https://amzn.to/3QByqru 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       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 most basic human rights and lived a segregated existence. But in 1989, Apartheid was banished, and the country is moving toward the goal of being a Rainbow Nation.Let's talk numbers! There are 11 official languages, and South Africa is one of the best places on the planet to see the Big Five of safaris: lions, leopards, black rhinos, elephants, and Cape buffalo. The local cuisine combines four delicious influences that combine indigenous recipes with Dutch, French, and Indian flavors. And there are more than 40 wineries along the hop-on-hop-off wine tram in the Franschhoek Wine Valley.In this episode, we fall in love with elephants (a.k.a., the world's best gentle giants), dig into the country's tumultuous history, and daydream about visiting Cape Town beaches. Then we recommend five books that transported us there on the page. Here are the five books we recommend on the show: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Gallows Hill by Margie Orford The Promise by Damon Galgut We Kiss Them With Rain by Futhi Ntshingila The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2022-07-04-south-africaDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Patreon Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 by Patrick Radden Keefe https://bit.ly/398j2lA DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Read all about the Butler County Donut Trail https://bit.ly/3O2N3lz Download the free Donut Trail map https://bit.ly/3xeM9vk Download the free Donut Trail passport https://bit.ly/3zmJGBN Here's a donut-by-donut recap of a blogger's trip down the Donut Trail https://bit.ly/3MsdMqu Easy homemade donut recipe https://bit.ly/3aARXre 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 Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Typewriter Rodeo by Jodi Egerton, et. al. https://amzn.to/3tXLzkZ DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Visit Typewriter Rodeo online https://typewriterrodeo.com Follow Typewriter Rodeo on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/typewriterrodeo Listen to the Typewriter Rodeo Podcast - https://www.npr.org/podcasts/513264050/texas-standard-typewriter-rodeo Video interview with Texas Country Reporter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28R65IgaooY Video interview with Austin 360 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_orDDOsrQP4 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 Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 valleys) along the Appalachian Mountains that stretch from Canada to Alabama.Although the population is predominantly of white Scots-Irish or German descent, about 10% of the population is African-American. But circa the 1700s, it was a melting pot that blended white, Black, and Native Americans. That means there's damn good food, foot-stomping music, and a lively storytelling tradition, along with long-held wisdom about the importance of kin, living in harmony with nature, and being self-reliant.In this episode, we discuss Appalachian folklore, celebrate the magic of Dolly Parton, listen to eerie country ballads, and daydream about banana pudding. Then we recommend five immersive books that took us to Appalachia on the page. The Book Woman of Troublesome by Kim Michele Richardson F*ckface: And Other Stories by Leah Hampton Victuals: An Appalachian Journey with Recipes by Ronni Lundy The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2022-06-06-tasmaniaDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Patreon Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'Last Call at the Nightingale' by Katharine Schellman and 'Downton Shabby: One American's Ultimate DIY Adventure Restoring His Family's English Castle' by Hopwood DePree. Then we share details about the Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromsø, Norway, where 6000 runners hit the course under a bright sun that never sets.  BOOKS Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman https://bit.ly/3tJzj7r Downton Shabby: One American's Ultimate DIY Adventure Restoring His Family's English Castle by Hopwood DePree https://bit.ly/3QlAaVw DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Midnight Sun Marathon https://bit.ly/2EMohoN Newsletter signup https://bit.ly/3y13ycK Midnight Sun Marathon on Instagram https://bit.ly/3xVdlkl The 12 Best Things to do in Tromsø https://bit.ly/3QuQ1Bp  Polaria Arctic Aquarium https://bit.ly/3zJIhpa Tromsø Cable Car https://bit.ly/3N1bDlC SSoP Podcast Episode 28 — The Arctic: Otherworldly Beauty That Might Kill You. https://bit.ly/3b6Yfz8 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 Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'The Woman in the Library' by Sulari Gentill and 'There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness: And Other Thoughts on Physics, Philosophy and the World' by Carlo Rovelli. Then we celebrate the genius of the one and only Maurice Sendak, author of 'Where the Wild Things Are.' BOOKS The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill https://bit.ly/3NEZrbH There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness: And Other Thoughts on Physics, Philosophy and the World by Carlo Rovelli https://bit.ly/3xnf8wX DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Maurice Sendak: On Life, Death And Children's Lit https://n.pr/3MEZuCI Artist Christoph Niemann illustrated a 'Fresh Air' interview with Maurice Sendak https://bit.ly/3O87Vrq Fresh Air Remembers Maurice Sendak https://n.pr/3MCokU4 9 Surprising Facts About Maurice Sendak https://bit.ly/3O4eCLd 10 Wild Facts About 'Where the Wild Things Are' https://bit.ly/3aIB2mP Maurice Sendak obituary from 'The Guardian' https://bit.ly/3aTRErW 'Where the Wild Things Are' on Strong Sense of Place https://bit.ly/3O7h7wh Roasted Carrot Caraway Soup inspired by the book https://bit.ly/3QfS8sH 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 Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This might be a bit too seem cheesy, but we're going to say it anyway: This small-ish, heart-shaped island in the Southern Hemisphere has stolen our hearts. There's so much to love.Sure, Tasmania may have started with the sinister-sounding name Van Diemen's Land. And yes, it was founded as an inescapable penal colony for the most hardened criminals in Britain.But now, Tasmania is an epic playground for anyone who loves outdoor adventures. There are soft sand beaches for swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and lazing around in the sun — perhaps at the poetically-named Bay of Fires or Wineglass Bay. The island's network of rivers means lots (and lots) of waterfalls, along with kayaking and rafting. Foodies can enjoy a leisurely drive along the Tamar Valley Wine Route dotted with inviting wineries and an exciting food scene.But if (when!) we visit Tasmania, it will be for the animals. It's home to ridiculously cute animals like wombats, wallabies, and, yes, the Tasmanian Devil. If we're being honest, these adorable creatures might also kill you — or at least cause grave bodily harm. But truly: Cuddling up to a furry, tank-like wombat or seeing a Tasmanian Devil IRL might be worth it.In this episode, we briefly dip into Tasmania's dark history, learn about a truly unusual museum, talk about the Roaring Forties, and mourn the loss of the Tasmanian Tiger. Then we recommend five great books that took us there on the page: Wildlight by Robyn Mundy Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittlebach & Michael Crewdson The Survivors by Jane Harper Ten Rogues: The Unlikely Story of Convict Schemers, a Stolen Brig and an Escape from Van Diemen's Land to Chile by Peter Grose Flames by Robbie Arnott For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2022-06-06-tasmaniaDo 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/strongsenseofplaceAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Patreon Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices