Books in translation/International Authors- I love reading historical fiction and contemporary fiction that takes place in a foreign country so I can learn something new- Epistolary novels are a huge draw too. For example, when I finished The Seven Skins of Ester Wildling, I learned about Russian Caravan tea (Maybe I live under a rock, but I had never heard of it) and now I am drinking it! I had also never heard of the Faroese singer Eivor- Wow! What a voice she has! And now while reading Anima by Kapka Kassabova, I am learning about the brutal life and decline of pastoralists in Bulgaria. There is so much to learn and so little time! :)
It is this delightfully smokey tea! Think pinewood meets campfire! It's absolutely delicious. I found an even 'smokier' one that is a partial base of Russian caravan tea called Lapsang Souchong from China. Marcos and I are hooked!
I just found out about The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding the other day. It sounds fantastic! Not sure how on earth I missed it when it came out. Weird that I'm seeing another reference to it just a few days later. Universe is telling me something!
Interlocking short stories (This may be changing. It used to be an occasion when I came upon one of these books but 2026 has been replete with this style and not all authors seem to do it well-like the very best, IMO, WINESBURG, OHIO or the OLIVE titles by Elizabeth Strout)
Does anyone know why there are so many of these being published?
I don't know why there are so many being published, either! I have been wanting to read Winesburg, OH for some time. Good to get a recommendation. I would recommend to you Revenge by Yoko Ogawa. Slightly interconnected short stories, some of which are a bit creepy. I liked it so much I read it twice in a row!
Thanks for this recommendation. Plus bonus points for books in translation! Have you read The Memory Police by the same author? Interesting, I’d say kind of creepy/strange but oddly compelling!☺️
I have not, but I'm really starting to gain an affinity for Japanese authors. After loving Revenge, I definitely want to read The Memory Police and her other book that came out recently: Mina's Matchbox.
Love this topic! Books that will be an automatic yes typically include: animal sidekicks (cat, goat, donkey…the odder the better). Shift my perspective: meta (House Witch by Meg Shaffer), multiple POV to build a narrative (Good People by Patneena Sabit), mutimedia (Strange Buildings by Uketsu), familiar things in a new way (The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd). Teach me something or make me think (anything by Karen Thompson Walker). And sorry, not sorry, love a locked room or And Then There Were None Trope (The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke). Most of these books are newer releases but they deserve a shout out bc 2026 has been amazing so far.
Wit and humor - Sylvia’s Second Act, Irish billage- This Is Happiness, sees ghosts- Ghost of Lies, con artist- The Defense: An Eddy Flynn series, Priest and love affair- A Private Man and The Thorn Bird
A quirky narrative voice (like Flavia De Luce in the series by Alan Bradley or the multi-POV in We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry). Gothic vibes, dark academia, strong settings like Manderley in Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - I do love a strong sense of place in a novel, so thanks for bringing that to me in your podcasts.
I love WWII sagas, especially if they're set in France, Italy or UK during the war. Sometimes even NYC as in Elizabeth Gilbert's City of Girls (which was astounding)!
You’ve read the book, right Melissa? It is so so good. I never thought I could get into a book w/ the protagonist’s problems, but boy was I wrong! The film is good too—but i usually fall back on books as my faves ):
I have read the book... ages ago. We're going to Saint-Malo NEXT WEEK (!!!), and I think I'm going to re-read the book because watching the adaptation, I'm realizing I don't remember a lot of the details, which is super fun.
Hi Jessica, why do you mean by adaptation? If film, think it was on Netflix, if memory serves, w/ Mark Ruffalo in starring role, besides the daughter, of course.
It was the best!! I read another one set in UK by Kate Atkinson which was as good but in a different way, Shrines of Gaiety, set in London btwn the wars, the 1920s, with a ‘girl sleuth’ from the manor born, but with papa gone, they’d fallen on hard times. The antagonist is a doozy—60ish mafiosa type madame, mother of 5, who runs the swankiest (and most corrupt) clubs in SoHo, and is king-queen pin of the underworld. You’ll love it!
Anything having to do with books, libraries or bookstores.
Ditto!
💯
YES!
A map is involved. Any map.
Messages in bottles, tree nooks, delivered by animals, falls from the sky, blows in on the wind, hidden in crossword clues, found in the want ads.
Lol. Hmm. Sounds like I must be looking for something that I think I will find through story.
Oh, good one!
Examples, please!
Ooh yes, did you ever read The Tattooed Map by Barbara Hodgson (1995)? 🥰
oooh, I have not! It is on my list now though! Thanks!
Mine too!
Love this!!
Written by Tana French. I'm reading The Keeper right now and she's amazing.
I don't even read the summaries anymore before diving in. Tana French is an automatic yes from me.
I'm at 80% and it's as brilliant as ever.
Same! Haven't read The Keeper yet but I will when my hold comes in.
It's really good, but stressful!
a mysterious inheritance from an unknown person/ family member... yes please.
A past mystery/ disappearance and it's effects on the present day..
YES, mysterious inheritance!
Takes place in a hotel. Or a road trip.
Oh yes! I just finished The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel and I loved this book of short stories: Five Minutes at Hotel Stormcove
The Glass Hotel is GREAT!
Thank you!
Ooh hotels are such a great setting. I think you did a hotel episode, right, Mel and Dave? Looks like I need a re-listsn.
We did! https://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2022-05-23-hotels/
Hotels are one of my favorite tropes, too!
I only need two words to hook me in: FAMILY SAGA. Plus, anything BOOKISH!
Private schools, gothic manor houses, restaurant setting, Scotland
100% yes to all of this.
Ooh! Try to think if there’s a book that incorporates all of these at once…it would be a humdinger!!!
I can think of a few that cover two of those... all four is tricky!
Books in translation/International Authors- I love reading historical fiction and contemporary fiction that takes place in a foreign country so I can learn something new- Epistolary novels are a huge draw too. For example, when I finished The Seven Skins of Ester Wildling, I learned about Russian Caravan tea (Maybe I live under a rock, but I had never heard of it) and now I am drinking it! I had also never heard of the Faroese singer Eivor- Wow! What a voice she has! And now while reading Anima by Kapka Kassabova, I am learning about the brutal life and decline of pastoralists in Bulgaria. There is so much to learn and so little time! :)
YES, epistolary novels! Um... I don't know what caravan tea is. *looking it up*
It is this delightfully smokey tea! Think pinewood meets campfire! It's absolutely delicious. I found an even 'smokier' one that is a partial base of Russian caravan tea called Lapsang Souchong from China. Marcos and I are hooked!
'pinewood meets campfire'
SOLD!
I just found out about The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding the other day. It sounds fantastic! Not sure how on earth I missed it when it came out. Weird that I'm seeing another reference to it just a few days later. Universe is telling me something!
It's a sign! I listened to it on Audible and loved it!
Interlocking short stories (This may be changing. It used to be an occasion when I came upon one of these books but 2026 has been replete with this style and not all authors seem to do it well-like the very best, IMO, WINESBURG, OHIO or the OLIVE titles by Elizabeth Strout)
Does anyone know why there are so many of these being published?
I saw this article about interconnected crime stories and thought of you :-)
https://crimereads.com/3-crime-short-story-collections-with-interlinked-narratives/
I don't know why there are so many being published, either! I have been wanting to read Winesburg, OH for some time. Good to get a recommendation. I would recommend to you Revenge by Yoko Ogawa. Slightly interconnected short stories, some of which are a bit creepy. I liked it so much I read it twice in a row!
CrimeReads just did a piece on interconnected crime stories...
https://crimereads.com/3-crime-short-story-collections-with-interlinked-narratives/
TY. This is an interesting twist that I’ll need to explore!
Thanks for this recommendation. Plus bonus points for books in translation! Have you read The Memory Police by the same author? Interesting, I’d say kind of creepy/strange but oddly compelling!☺️
I have not, but I'm really starting to gain an affinity for Japanese authors. After loving Revenge, I definitely want to read The Memory Police and her other book that came out recently: Mina's Matchbox.
Diary of a Void-Emi Yagi. This author also has a new release that I haven’t read yet.
Another wonderful interconnected short stories book is The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck.
Oh I have been wanting to read that! Glad to hear it's good.
Thank you! I’m gonna check all these out. Expect they might be more to my liking than this recent glut,
Have you read Disappearing Earth? Such a masterful version of this form.
I’ve seen it, I think. Will check it out! TY
I enjoyed Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson.
Epistolary novels, as others have mentioned; interesting narrative devices that work; unreliable narrators. :)
Archeology….old houses, libraries and bookshops, small villages…
A mysterious text of some sort is a big draw for me! Extra points if it’s found in an atmospheric library or bookstore.
I want to read The Bookbinder's Secret! Have you read it?
I haven’t, but now it’s on my list! The title is enough for me :)
That’s a fantastic title! Looking up now…
Love this topic! Books that will be an automatic yes typically include: animal sidekicks (cat, goat, donkey…the odder the better). Shift my perspective: meta (House Witch by Meg Shaffer), multiple POV to build a narrative (Good People by Patneena Sabit), mutimedia (Strange Buildings by Uketsu), familiar things in a new way (The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd). Teach me something or make me think (anything by Karen Thompson Walker). And sorry, not sorry, love a locked room or And Then There Were None Trope (The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke). Most of these books are newer releases but they deserve a shout out bc 2026 has been amazing so far.
ANIMAL SIDEKICKS!!!
Ooh yeah. Locked room mysteries get me, too!
Wit and humor - Sylvia’s Second Act, Irish billage- This Is Happiness, sees ghosts- Ghost of Lies, con artist- The Defense: An Eddy Flynn series, Priest and love affair- A Private Man and The Thorn Bird
This Is Happiness sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing!
This is Happiness on audiobook was a delight. The accent, the cadence and phrasing, the singing, the comic timing, so good.
A quirky narrative voice (like Flavia De Luce in the series by Alan Bradley or the multi-POV in We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry). Gothic vibes, dark academia, strong settings like Manderley in Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - I do love a strong sense of place in a novel, so thanks for bringing that to me in your podcasts.
Strong Agree! When I learned of SSOP, my first thought was “these are my people”!
Aw. This is so nice! I'm glad to know you!
YAY! Thank you for listening to our show :-)
I love WWII sagas, especially if they're set in France, Italy or UK during the war. Sometimes even NYC as in Elizabeth Gilbert's City of Girls (which was astounding)!
We're watching the adaptation of 'All the Light We Cannot See' right now!
You’ve read the book, right Melissa? It is so so good. I never thought I could get into a book w/ the protagonist’s problems, but boy was I wrong! The film is good too—but i usually fall back on books as my faves ):
I have read the book... ages ago. We're going to Saint-Malo NEXT WEEK (!!!), and I think I'm going to re-read the book because watching the adaptation, I'm realizing I don't remember a lot of the details, which is super fun.
Oh how fantastic ! I love going to places where book locales took place. Enjoy!!!
I loved this book. Where can you find the adaptation?
Hi Jessica, why do you mean by adaptation? If film, think it was on Netflix, if memory serves, w/ Mark Ruffalo in starring role, besides the daughter, of course.
City of Girls was indeed astounding! Loved it!
It was the best!! I read another one set in UK by Kate Atkinson which was as good but in a different way, Shrines of Gaiety, set in London btwn the wars, the 1920s, with a ‘girl sleuth’ from the manor born, but with papa gone, they’d fallen on hard times. The antagonist is a doozy—60ish mafiosa type madame, mother of 5, who runs the swankiest (and most corrupt) clubs in SoHo, and is king-queen pin of the underworld. You’ll love it!
Thanks! I’ll check it out now!