Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: 'The Sea of Tranquility' by Emily St. John Mandel and 'The Candy House' by Jennifer Egan. Then we discuss the delightful distraction of Salvador Dali's amazing mustache and his epic dinner parties. BOOKS The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel - https://bit.ly/3uhgSYsThe Candy House by Jennifer Egan - https://bit.ly/3x68HQB DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK 1941 newsreel of Dali's over-the-top dinner party 'Night in a Surrealist Forest' - https://youtu.be/vg6i4E0Woak Dali's cookbook 'Les Dîners de Gala' - https://bookshop.org/a/1240/9783836508766 Incredible photos from the cookbook - https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/10/les-diners-de-gala-dali 'Destino,' the animated short film collaboration between The Walt Disney Company and Dali - https://youtu.be/y_TlaxmOKqs  18 Surreal Facts about Salvador Dali - https://mymodernmet.com/salvador-dali-facts 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 Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 4 of the Strong Sense of Place podcast starts 25 April! We've put together an itinerary of 12 destinations with stops on every continent. It's a tour around the world that will take us behind the scenes of fascinating cultures, dramatic history, beautiful scenery, and irresistible food. All you need is your curiosity and a comfy place to read. To see stunning photos of our Season 4 destinations, visit our blog at http://strongsenseofplace.com/2022/04/08/ssop-podcast-season4-announcing-12-amazing-destinations/ Curious about the new The Library of Lost Time video? You can watch it here. As always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Instagram Facebook YouTube   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comprised of more than 2000 islands on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, Greece is bounded by bluer-than-blue water. Ionian Sea! Aegean Sea! Mediterranean Sea! Go anywhere in the country, and you're never more than 85 miles/137km from the ocean. And there are more than 250 sunny days every year.Greece also boasts mountainous national parks, monasteries perched on dramatic mountaintops, and ancient temple ruins from about 2000 years ago. Plus, a capital city known as the cradle of Western civilization.Add rousing folk music, intoxicating spirits (Ouzo! Retsina! Metaxa!), and Greek food — olives and olive oil, the freshest of fish, layers of phyllo dough, pillowy pita, meat on skewers — and you've got the makings of a great escape.In this episode, we briefly discuss Greece's influential history and wax lyrical about all the country offers as a travel destination. Then we recommend five books that transported us there on the page: a graphic novel that celebrates rebetiko music, a gripping family saga, a gorgeous retelling of Greek mythology, a literary novel about living in a liminal space, and an over-the-top (in just the right way) mystery-romance. Opa! For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-12-20-greeceBooks covered: Circe by Madeline Miller Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides Rebetiko by David Prudhomme The House on Paradise Street by Sofka Zinovieff This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart Do you enjoy our show? 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 Twitter  Instagram Facebook   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For longer than memory, those deep, dark forests have been a symbolic, powerful setting for stories. The wildwoods of fairy tales are where we meet Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Rumpelstiltskin. The Hundred Acre Wood is where we find Winnie the Pooh and his darling friends. J.R.R. Tolkein introduced generations of readers to the Ents in the woods of Middle Earth, and Sherwood Forest gave Robin Hood a hiding place for his merry men.The duality of the forest, the contrast between its beauty and its danger, resonates with us. The soaring treetops and dappled sun of a daytime forest form a natural cathedral where we commune with Mother Nature. But when the sun is low in the sky, the shadows take over, and the trees become a place of the unknown where almost anything can happen. When the words _Once upon a time..._ are spoken, all bets are off.In this episode, we get curious about the forest and recommend five books that transported us into the woods, including two fairy tales for adults, a nonfiction book that changes everything we think we know about trees, a white-knuckle thriller, and an ecological novel woven into a family saga.For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-11-29-forestDo you enjoy our show? 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/strongsenseofplaceBooks covered: Burning Bright by Nick Petrie Falling from Grace by Ann Eriksson The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel by Katherine Arden The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate — Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy As always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Egypt was one of the world's first civilizations, with a history that reaches back 5000 years through the sands of time. It's where writing and two-dimensional drawing and paper began. The god Amun-Ra personified the sun shining down on the deserts — and Osiris, the god of death, inspired a belief in the afterlife that led to the construction of the pyramids.Life in Egypt clings to the green ribbon of the Nile River that snakes through the country with humans and animals along its length. It's home to hippos, the Nile crocodiles, and the asp — the poisonous snake that may or may not have sealed Cleopatra's doom. It's also a stopover for millions of birds migrating from Europe to Africa.Egypt has also been the crossroads for human invaders for centuries: Ottoman invaders, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the British. In the past few decades, there's been rising tension and violence between religious conservatives (see: the Muslim Brotherhood) and secular factions.But the Egyptian people you'll meet on the street? They're friendly, welcoming, and eager to show you the country they love. And with good reason. In addition to the massive shrines in the desert, there's a world-class museum with the largest collection of ancient artifacts in the world and mosques decorated with breathtaking mosaics. You can also sail on a romantic felucca (Egyptian sailboat) along the Nile, scuba in the Red Sea, navigate the sci-fi calcium formations in the White Desert, or simply enjoy a cup of tea while watching the hustle of daily life.In this episode, we explore Egypt's dynamic dynastic history, enjoy the antics of King Farouk, dish about 'The Mummy,' and lots more. Then we recommend five books we love that took us there on the page: a fantasy about the djinn, a coffee table book of Egyptian antiquities, a novel about sisters navigating the Arab Spring, and two fictional approaches to history that cast a spell on Mel.For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at https://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-11-08-egyptIf you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon and gain access to bonus content, special events, and more. https://strongsenseofplace.com/supportAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Facebook   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Located in Central Asia with Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east, Afghanistan sits at the crossroads of Asia and the Middle East. That's made it a hot spot for invaders from all directions for millennia. Afghanistan's terrain is rugged — and in some places, stunningly beautiful — with deep gorges and river valleys, deserts, snow-topped mountains, and irrigated land used for farming. It's best known for pomegranates and poppies: Heroin made from opium grown in Afghanistan makes up 95% of the market in Europe. Afghanistan is a culturally conservative and religious nation. Reputation is the most valuable social commodity, which forces both men and women to comply with a web of strict social rules. An estimated 99.7% of the Afghan population is Muslim. And that faith plays out in dress, dietary codes, regular prayer, language, and social interactions. In this episode, we get curious about Afghanistan's violent history, its tribal and social customs, and the rise of the Taliban. Then we discuss five books that gave us a better understanding of the whole situation. From reportage to history to a literary crime novel, these books illuminated a vivid picture of this remarkable, challenging country.For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-10-25-afghanistanAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Instagram  Facebook If you like the work we’re doing and want more book recommendations, behind-the-scenes info, online chats, and the opportunity to influence the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arctic is the northernmost region on Earth. It includes the Arctic Ocean and northern parts of Russia, the state of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and the northern tips of Norway, Sweden, and Finland.Teeming with wildlife, the land and sea blend with ice reaching to the horizon and the sky in vast stretches of blue and white. It can seem quite romantic, this part of the globe with months of darkness and light at opposite ends of the calendar. But as history tells, it's also perilously dangerous, a place where humans are likely to lose their way, to freeze, or to simply disappear.In this episode, we take a quick romp through the Arctic expeditions of the 19th century and get curious about the archipelago of Svalbard (150 islands off the coast of Norway). Then we discuss five books that transported us to the Arctic Circle, including lyrical nonfiction, adventure tales, and one ghost story that would make the bravest soul shake in their fur-lined boots.For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-09-27-arcticAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Instagram  Facebook If you like the work we’re doing and want more book recommendations, behind-the-scenes info, online chats, and the opportunity to influence the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The word newsroom can conjure images of jaded reporters tapping away at typewriters and harried producers coddling the on-air talent just before showtime. But here in the 21st century, the newsroom is everywhere with citizen journalists and their pesky, ubiquitous mobiles.A newsroom is a messy and exhilarating combination of camaraderie and rivalry. The deadlines are constant, and the work is high-stakes. That means a newsroom is a dramatic setting for stories, both fictional and factual.In this episode, we look at the history of news reporting and how it's changed through time. Then we recommend five books that go behind-the-scenes of journalism, including two gripping nonfiction works, a novel about a real-life underground newspaper, a thriller set in cable news, and a swashbuckling tale of 19th-century girl reporters.For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-09-06-newsroomAs always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Instagram  Facebook If you like the work we’re doing and want more book recommendations, behind-the-scenes info, online chats, and the opportunity to influence the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Located in Central America — and with coasts on both the Pacific and the Caribbean — Costa Rica just might be the quintessential tropical country. It packs a lot of awesome inside its borders with white-sand beaches, verdant rain forests, active volcanoes, and all the cutest (and most colorful and rarest) animals. Plus, the friendly locals — known as Ticos and Ticas — are more than willing to introduce you to the pura vida.In this episode, we discuss Costa Rican history, its unique wildlife — including a very unusual crocodile — and delicious cuisine. Then we recommend five books we love that took us there, including a must-have coffee table book, a surprising family memoir, two action-adventures novels with wildly different approaches to nature, and a magical short story collection.For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at https://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2021-08-16-costa_rica/As always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Instagram  Facebook If you like the work we’re doing and want more book recs, behind-the-scenes info, online chats, and the opportunity to influence the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Astute listeners will by now have noticed that our podcast cast has been MIA since May. In this special episode, we tell you why. Trigger warning: illness, cancer, hospital, emotional anguish. If this were a novel, this story would be a terrifying thriller with a happy ending.  In mid-May, David had emergency colon cancer surgery. He is OK now: cancer-free and healing very well. If you're curious about the specifics of what happened and what it was like for us to navigate healthcare in a foreign country, give it a listen. We'll be back with our usual book- and travel-related episodes as soon as we can. The best way to stay informed about an updated schedule and other news is our free weekly newsletter - https://strongsenseofplace.com/signup. As always, you can follow us at: Our web site at Strong Sense of Place Twitter  Instagram  Facebook   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices