Endnotes 24 January: Bali, 100 Pages, Hurkle-Durkle, Letter Writing, Culinary Tucson & More

Plus a new episode of The Library of Lost Time

Hello, friends!

We’ve got a new episode of The Library of Lost Time for you today!

At the top of the show, Dave explains that our Readers’ Weekend at Trevor Hall in Llangollen, Wales, next October is sold out. In fact, it sold out in 8 minutes. We were blown away by the response to our plans — and we have deep empathy for everyone who wanted tickets and weren’t able to get them.

So… we created a waiting list. If there’s enough interest — and if things go smoothly at Trevor Hall in the fall — we’ll most likely do these country-house shenanigans again. You can join the waiting list here.

I’m currently reading a doorstopper country-house novel: The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch. It’s 1100 pages of posh family drama set in the Welsh manor house of Oxmoon. So far, it’s a delight.

It inspired me to share my tips for how to read long books — both the 500-ish variety and the cinderblocks that weigh in at 900+ pages — in our podcast.

Should you wish to tackle a long story that will inspire you to keep turning the pages, here some of my favorites, along with their genre and page counts:

• Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (historical adventure, 928pp)

• REAMDE by Neal Stephenson (action-adventure, 1056pp)

• The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili (translated by Ruth Martin & Charlotte Collins) (historical fiction, 944pp)

• Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth - reviewed on our Hollywood podcast (thriller, 656pp)

• Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel - reviewed on our London podcast (historical fiction, 1856pp for all three)

• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - reviewed on our Library podcast (historical adventure, 720pp)

• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - reviewed on our Cemetery podcast (historical thriller, 720pp)

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (literary fiction, 704pp)

• The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - reviewed on our Library podcast (historical thriller, 816pp)

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (historical fiction, 608pp)

• Fairy Tale by Stephen King (modern fairy tale, 624pp)

You can listen to the episode on your favorite podcast player or our blog.

Endnotes: 10 January

Sometimes, you just gotta imagine what it’s like to splash in a waterfall in Bali. Timeless Buddhist temples, tropical beaches, friendly people, fantastic food, and, yes, magical waterfalls are some of the best reasons to fall for this Indonesian island. Here’s some daydream fuel: The 24 Best Things to Do in Bali — and here are the 10 of the best foods and drinks to try(including the Indonesian feast called Rijsttafel). And about those waterfalls…

The luxury travel company Belmond just released a new promo videonarrated by actress Tilda Swinton. As Dave said while watching it, ‘Have you ever felt strong White Lotus vibes in your life? Somebody is gonna die.’

This letter from Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo to his daughter is filled with love and excellent advice.

Oooh, this 100 pages strategy is a good one! ‘If you seriously intend to read one hundred pages each day—not occasionally when there is nothing to watch or when you find yourself racing to discover whether the lay cook or the sinister young monk is the killer—you will probably find that you open a book within an hour of waking up in the morning.’

There was such a lively discussion of short stories in our Substack Tuesday Tea this week. And now here are 10 Outstanding Short Stories to Read in 2025.

Country Life answers the burning question, Why do woolly hats have bobbles?

And while we’re asking questions, Why is Everyone Suddenly Reading Middlemarch?

TBH, we are deeply committed to the notion of a hurkle-durkle.

Perhaps you need this (beautifully designed) George Orwell commemorative coin. I am not making reference to Big Brother and fascism for any particular reason at all.

I also really want to buy some of these book-inspired fragrances! Yes, please, to this library-scented perfume roller. Also cute: these tshirts.

Neat! The BBC says that Tucson is the United State’s underrated culinary capital. I must agree, the Sonoran hotdog sounds amazing.

The first public library in Prague opened 250 years ago. ‘On January 17, 1775, bookseller Wolfgang Gerle and his brother Ondřej established the first lending library for fiction and newspapers, making literature accessible to the general public… Wolfgang Gerle transformed part of his apartment on Prague’s Charles Street into a reading room for newspapers and magazines, called the Learned Club.’

Author Grady Hendrix seems like a very amiable fellow — who also writes delightfully spooky books. I loved his book The Final Girl Support Group, and I’m looking forward to reading his latest Witchcraft for Wayward Girls.

Our crush on Shetland remains undiminished. This is a fun post about what it’s like to live in the Scottish islands.

Here’s a love letter to the art of letter writing, thanks to the creator of Penpalooza.