Endnotes: Thun Castle, Spring Books, Chandeliers, Poet Ada Limón, Dresden
Every Friday, we celebrate the weekend — and the reading, relaxing, and daydreaming time ahead — with Mel's favorite book- and travel-related links of the week. Let's go!
This fairytale scene is a view of the Central Church of Thun, taken from a tower in Thun Castle (Schloss Thun) in Switzerland. The church tower dates from around 1330, although remnants of a previous church on the site can be traced back to the 10th century. But let’s talk about castles! The 12th-century Thun Castle stands opposite the church, perched on a hill, overlooking the right bank of the Aare River — and it’s one of five (!) castles that dot the shores around Lake Thun. To reach the castle and church, you climb 183 historic steps1 — protected by a charming wooden roof — and then a vista of river and lake, red roofs, and mountains opens up. The castle is a museum with historical gewgaws inside, and you can climb the turret! Here’s a short video tourof the castle (don’t miss the story of the eye-stabbing!), a longer video tour of the castle, and 16 things to do in Thun.
We've got a special edition of The Library of Lost Time today! Amy Tector is one of the coolest, nicest people I know. She works at Canada's National Archives, and she's the author of several books I love — including The Honeybee Emeralds (Paris! A mysterious necklace! Josephine Baker! ) and the Dominion Archives mysteries. You might remember that Amy joined us for our session at the Newburyport Literary Festival last year (video here) We talked about her book Speak for the Dead, a murder mystery set in Canada's national archive (!).
Today on the show, I'm recommending her book Honor the Dead, and Amy is our guest to share a delightful Distraction of the Week. There's a lot of laughter, poetry, and inspiration in our discussion. I think you'll like it! (Also, don't miss
News you can use: Do you remember when I talked about The Tumbling Girl by Bridget Walsh on The Library of Lost Time? It's a Victorian murder mystery set in the world of theater (or, more appropriately, theatre). The sequel The Innocents is out!
The Variety Palace Music Hall is in trouble... Between writing, managing the music hall, and trying to dissuade her boss from installing a water tank in the building, Minnie Ward has her hands full. Her complicated relationship with detective Albert Easterbrook doesn't even bear thinking about. But when a new string of murders tears through London, Minnie and Albert are thrown together once more. Strangely, the crimes seem to link back to a tragedy that took place fourteen years ago, leaving 183 children dead. And given that the incident touched so many people's lives, everyone is a suspect.
A fun fact I learned about the author: She holds a PhD in Victorian domestic murder. I didn't know that was a thing that exists, and now I'm pretty envious, TBH. The Innocents received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, and it seems like a fine way to spend the weekend.
Other Victorian-era mysteries that I loved and you might, too:
The Quick by Lauren Owen: a mashup of penny dreadful and Gothic literary fiction with vampires in a gentlemen's club
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss: set in an alternate version of Victorian London where the offspring of classic literary characters are flesh-and-blood girls
Nights At The Circus by Angela Carter: visit glitzy, seedy, turn-of-the-nineteenth-century London in the company of circus folk
A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn: plucky lepidopterist Veronica Speedwell gets caught in a murderous caper at a manor house in Cornwall
Little by Edward Carey: the grim and grimy fairy tale of how a little girl grew up to be Madame Tussaud
Grange House by Sarah Blake: a coming-of-age story mashed up with Wilkie Collins/Henry James vibes set in a Victorian mansion in Maine
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart: aspiring botanist Cecily Kay is the hunter and the hunted in a mystery that begins in a cabinet of curiosities
Endnotes: 19 April
A great essay from NPR on why Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley still fascinates after almost 70 years. ‘There’s something irresistible about an unapologetic grifter, who seizes the chance at a better life by stealing someone else’s.’
The poem ‘From the River to the Sea’ by Palestinian poet Samer Abu Hawwash gutted me. I urge you to read it.
Need to give your spring reading list a glow-up? Here is The Millions’Great Spring 2024 Book Review and 14 new books recommended by Condé Nast Traveler.
This new play about the Brontës seems like a lot of fun.
Must-click headline: Here’s Exactly How Many Bubbles Are in a Glass of Champagne.
Fancy! Changi Airport in Singapore is like an otherworldly botanical garden.
Yes, please, I would very much like to see the 1000 chandeliers(!) at the Mathieu Lustrerie Museum in Luberon, France.
I’ll take a trip to any of these, too — 7 properties that feel like a stay at the Grand Budapest Hotel. ‘From a pastel pink resort-style hotel in Marrakech to a lush castle-ette in Salzburg, we’ve rounded up seven bookable stays where movie buffs and aesthetes can immerse themselves in color and whimsy. In honor of the film’s 10th birthday, consider the confection.’
The Gotham Book Prize finalists for 2024 have been announced. (You might remember that we talked about this fantastic prize on an episode of The Library of Lost Time last year.) All of this year’s titles ‘span decades of New York’s history and reveal some amazing stories of people and places in each of its boroughs that define the city today. I am a lifelong New Yorker and love that several of them transported me back to a period I lived through and vividly recall. But what was most beautiful to me is that each book showed me a side of the city I may never have experienced otherwise.’
Gird your loins for this headline: Books are trash too: Remember to throw them away during spring cleaning.
If you like memoirs and diaries, this list put together by author Jhumpa Lahiri makes for a fascinating TBR.
Enjoy this inspiring chat with Ada Limón, Poet Laureate of the United States about the new anthology of nature poems she’s pulled together. ‘I was tasked with doing a signature project by the Library of Congress, and I knew I wanted to do something with poetry and nature… I couldn’t have hoped for a better collection. Not only were [the poems] just so brilliant, they were talking to each other. I could see how they were relating to each other.’
The ‘architectural miracle’ of Dresden, and how it dug out from under the rubble of WWII to restore the city.
New Episode of The Library of Lost Time
In each mini-podcast episode, we discuss two books at the top of our TBR, then share a fun book- or travel-related distraction. Get all the episodes and books galore here.
In this episode, we get excited about two books: Honor the Dead by Amy Tector and Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne. Then our special guest author Amy Tector shares how she starts her day with poems.
Related Links:
Honor the Dead: Dominion Archives Mystery #3 by Amy Tector by Amy Tector
Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne
Amy Tector’s Substack: Méli-Mélo
The Foulest Things: Dominion Archives Mystery #1 by Amy Tector
Speak for the Dead: Dominion Archives Mystery #2 by Amy Tector
The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector
Louise Penny Transported Me Home When I Needed it Most — an essay by Amy Tector
Video: Murder and Mayhem in the Canadian Archive w/ Amy, Mel, and Dave
Rose are red. Violets are blue. Poems are fun. Maybe read a few.
I cannot resist a staircase that leads to something mysterious or beautiful. Dave and I have gotten lost plenty of times because of it.