Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

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 Twitter  Instagram  Facebook   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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-nigeriaAs 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

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-iranAs 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

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 Twitter  Instagram  Facebook    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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-zealandBooks 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 Twitter  Instagram  Facebook   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Twitter  Instagram  Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alaska is the 49th and largest state in the union. It was derided as Seward's Folly when the US Secretary of State bought the territory from Russia in 1867. But the joke was on critics: Decades later, both gold and oil were discovered in Alaska's pristine wilderness. The call of adventure was too much for pioneering Americans to resist.When they arrived, they met the original hardy inhabitants: native peoples who'd been hunting, fishing, and gathering there since 10,000 BCE. Native tribes had followed migrating animal herds across the land bridge that once connected Russia to Alaska.But the most noteworthy residents might be the bears, wolves, moose, eagles, whales, otters, sea lions, puffins, seals, and more that populate the state parks and — in some cases — roam city streets, reminding everyone that Alaska is equal parts danger and beauty.In this episode, we discuss the surprises of life in Alaska, then recommend books that transported us there, including a vivid memoir, two novels in which snow plays a starring role, a coming-of-age story set in the world of commercial fishing, and two books that showcase Alaskan cuisine.Books we talk about include: The Raven's Gift by Don Rearden If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende The Whale and the Cupcake: Stories of Subsistence, Longing, and Community in Alaska by Julia O'Malley The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey The Alaskan Laundry by Brendan Jones For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-09-07-alaska.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

When you daydream about Paris, whatever sparkling, romantic images you conjure are probably not too far off the mark. It is, after all, know as the City of Lights and the City of Love.The Eiffel Tower can be seen from almost everywhere and is a constant reminder that you are in Paris). The streets are lined with cafés, the tables and chairs arranged so you can sit next to your companions and look out on the people passing by. The smell of baguettes wafts in the streets in the early morning. And when the sun gets lower in the sky, burnishing the buildings with its glow, people fill the cafés, drinking wine, smoking cigarettes, and talking, while their hands gesture in the air to make a point. It is, in many ways, _just_ like the movies.In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite experiences visiting Paris and how it really does live up to its dreamy reputation. Then we discuss the books that transported us there: an insightful memoir about one lively (and typically Parisian) street, an illustrated novel about the magic of everyday life, a fictional biography of Madame Tussaud, a modern crime novel with a snappy heroine, and a confection of a story that centers around an exceptional bottle of wine.Books we talk about include: Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs by Elaine Sciolino Little by Edward Carey For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-08-24-paris.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

In this mini-episode, we answer a variety of questions, including how we choose the books for our show, whether or not we really love everything we recommend, how we met, previous jobs, and other behind-the-scenes info. 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

In this mini-episode, we share some of the results from our end-of-Season-1 audience survey, preview some of the changes we're making to the show, and announce the first four destinations for Season 2. We also discuss a few of the books we've read lately.  Books mentioned in this episode: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey - https://bit.ly/2NWWUfF 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith - https://bit.ly/3e29If6 The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - https://bit.ly/2AzAwpC The Way Men Act - Elinor Lipman - https://bit.ly/2Z1cyNu The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - https://bit.ly/3gqGGYm Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - https://bit.ly/2D5wWUY Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - https://bit.ly/2NUc45r 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