Strong Sense of Place

Strong Sense of Place

Melissa & Dave

One remarkable destination. Five books we love.

1 hour 6 minutes

Brazil: Sugarloaf, Samba, and Sao Paulo
If you think a trip to Brazil is an invitation to the best party ever, you are correct! Colorful, sizzling, breathtakingly beautiful, and populated with friendly people (and amazing animals), Brazil is the place for good times, good food, good drinks, and good energy.
We begin with the Amazon, a vast rainforest and river teeming with magical creatures like pink dolphins, bioluminescent mushrooms, and — yes — piranhas and anacondas. (Shout-out to the friendly capybaras!)
Brazil’s cities offer something for everyone — the capital city of Brasília’s futuristic architecture, Sao Paulo’s international food scene, and Rio’s seductive combo of city sights and sparkling beaches. (There’s a reason we’ve been singing about the tall and tan, young and lovely girl from Ipanema for decades.)
While you’re surely ready to dance the samba and drink a few caipirinhas, did you know Brazil is also the place for award-winning cheese? Or a spring-fed pool that feels like champagne? Or ‘chestnuts from Para’?
In this episode, we explore Brazil’s rainforest and urban jungles, dig into the fascinating (really!) story of Brazil nuts, and meet one of the world’s finest Emperors. Then we recommend five great books that took us there on the page:
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other awesome readers who are curious about the world.
Transcript of Brazil: Sugarloaf, Samba, and Sao Paulo
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you!
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.

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11 October 2024, 9:15 am
12 minutes 56 seconds

LoLT: History Extra Halloween Podcasts and Two New Books
In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel and Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham. Then Mel recommends the History Extra podcast for your Spooky Season storytelling needs.
Links
Transcript of this episode.
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel.
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? 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 find us at:
- Our site
- Instagram
- Substack
- Patreon
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly.

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4 October 2024, 9:15 am
1 hour 6 minutes

Saudi Arabia: Old Ways and New Directions (?)
Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula, a sea of sand (95% of the country is desert) that holds 17% of the world’s petroleum reserves.
Its cities encapsulate the country’s contradictions: ancient souks and ultra-modern skyscrapers, women veiled in abayas but also entering the workforce, petroleum refineries, and sparkling beach resorts.
Cards on the table: Saudi Arabia has an abysmal track record on human rights, with women, LGBTQ+ communities, and journalists the target of discrimination and violence. Women are still legally classified as minors, with male relatives making significant decisions on their behalf. But in the last few years, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — known as MBS — passed laws that lessened some restrictions with Saudi Arabia. And he’s invited the world in: His Vision 2030 plan opened Saudi Arabia to tourism. Road signs and menus now appear in English, Western credit cards are widely accepted, and you can even catch an Uber.
In this episode, we dive into the changing norms in Saudi Arabia, talk about some of the amazing sights that are now open to the Western world, and discuss the ambitious Neom project: a ‘city of the future’ in the desert.
Then we recommend five books that took us to Saudi Arabia on the page:
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world.
Transcript of Saudi Arabia: Old Ways and New Directions (?)
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you!
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
26 September 2024, 10:00 pm
11 minutes 32 seconds

LoLT: World’s Best Art Detective and Two New Books
In this episode, we get excited about two books: So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison and The Wildes by Louis Bayard. Then Dave shares the exploits of the world’s greatest art detective.
Links
Transcript of this episode.
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel.
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? 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 find us at:
- Our site
- Instagram
- Substack
- Patreon
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 September 2024, 9:15 am
1 hour 10 minutes

Detective Agency: Discrete Inquiries, Mysteries Solved
Fictional detectives are some of the most beloved characters in print and on-screen. It’s easy to relate to someone with an overblown sense of justice and a need to set the world right (or as right as it can be).
There are nosy neighbors like Nancy Drew and Miss Marple with no real credentials whatsoever and police detectives — Hello, Harry Bosch! Ta, Inspector Lynley! — with entire departments behind them. Relentless journalists, dogged medical examiners, resourceful bounty hunters (We see you, Stefanie Plum!), and, perhaps, the most endearing detectives of them all: private eyes.
This show is all about the gumshoes who work outside the pesky laws of search warrants and chain of evidence. Who maybe toil in an office with a frosted glass door and a dame with moxie tapping away at a typewriter — or perhaps the dame with moxie is the detective. This installment celebrates independent investigators who distract and delight in their search for the truth.
In this episode, we meet the world’s first PI and first American lady detective, delve into Poe scholarship and the problem with his ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue,’ and discuss one of the kindest mystery authors. Then we recommend five books we love that put us in the thick of dangerous inquiries, including the escapades of a thoroughly modern detective agency, an urban mystery with a bookish PI, a British caper with an unforgettable hero, a how-to for wannabe detectives, and a noir-tinged fantasy novel about a reluctant sleuth.
Here are the books about Detective Agencies we recommend on the show:
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world.
Transcript of Detective Agency: Discrete Inquiries, Mysteries Solved
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you!
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 September 2024, 9:15 am
15 minutes 41 seconds

LoLT: Delightful Walking Tours and Two New Books
In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Bookseller of Venice by Giovanni Montanaro (translator: Edward Williams) and _ Creation Lake_ by Rachel Kushner. Then Mel recommends the immersive, interactive walking tours from Secret City Trails.
Links
Transcript of this episode.
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel.
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? 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 find us at:
- Our site
- Instagram
- Substack
- Patreon
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6 September 2024, 9:15 am
1 hour 8 minutes

Panama: Jump Back, What’s That Sound?
The Central American country of Panama is like a stretched-out letter S, lying on its side to soak up the sun — with the Pacific and the Caribbean snuggling up to its curves.
The capital, Panama City, in the bottom arch of the S, invites you to stroll down red-brick streets lined with lush palm trees and white colonial buildings that look like layer cakes. You can stroll along the seafront and gaze out across the Pacific — and daydream about the 17th-century pirates that sailed nearby.
When you’re ready for adventure, you might hike to the top of Panama’s highest mountain — Volcán Barú — to watch the sun rise over both the Atlantic and Pacific, volunteer in Cerra Hoya National Park to study jaguars, spend the night a traditional village in the jungle with the Emberá people, or kick back at an artistic island resort.
Maybe it’s more your speed to spend endless days in your bathing suit, eating fresh fish just pulled from the sea, or sipping some of the world’s best coffee. Panama has all of that and more.
In this episode, we get curious about the Panama Canal, discuss the relative sobriety of dwarf sloths, and get real about what it’s like to spend time in the jungle.
Then we recommend five great books that took us to Panama on the page:
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world.
Transcript of Panama: Jump Back, What’s That Sound?
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you!

Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
30 August 2024, 9:15 am
15 minutes 4 seconds

LoLT: Morgan Richter Recommends Batman and Two New Books
In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Divide: A Novel by Morgan Richter and Mina’s Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa, Stephen B. Snyder (translator). Then author Morgan Richter explains why now is a great time to read Batman comics.
Links
Transcript of this episode.
The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com
Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel.
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? 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 find us at:
- Our site
- Instagram
- Substack
- Patreon
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 August 2024, 9:15 am
1 hour 9 minutes

Norway: Vikings, Bears, Boats, and Bergen
Yes, Norway has cities that are well worth a visit — Hallo, Oslo! Hei, Bergen! God morgen, Tromsø! — but nature is right there at every moment.
Where the coast of Norway meets the Norwegian Sea, there are more than 1700 fjords, stunning waterways lined with sheer rock cliffs and dotted with dramatic waterfalls, storybook villages, and friendly goats and sheep. The best way to experience the fjords? By boat, of course: a dinner cruise, catamaran, sailboat, kayak, ferry, whale watching boat, or a breathtaking ride on a fjord safari.
Inland, you can meet the locals of past and present. Stop by the fascinating Viking Village to time travel to 1000 (and learn to throw an axe!) — or spend an afternoon among the bears, reindeer, wolves, lynx, and leopards at the Bjørn Parken (Bear Park). You can feed a fox!
When you’re ready for a meal, too, sink your teeth into Norway’s national snack: the hot dog — with lingonberry jam and french-fried onions — or try the ubiquitous and one-of-a-kind brunost (brown cheese). Caramelized, savory, and surprising, it’s just what you want on a cracker or waffle. And don’t sleep on the smoked salmon, pickled herring, or shrimp plucked from the nearby icy waters.
In this episode, we get excited about all the exhilarating, unexpected, delightful adventures Norway offers — and talk about why the Norwegian government employs financial planners and moral philosophers. Then we recommend five great books we love that took us to Norway on the page:
- The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting, Deborah Dawkin (translator)
- We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth
- The Hike by Lucy Clarke
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
- The Sunlit Night by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world.
Transcript of Norway: Vikings, Bears, Boats, and Bergen
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you!
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 August 2024, 9:15 am
7 minutes 50 seconds

LoLT: Postcard Pen Pals and Two New Books
We’re on our summer holiday so we’re replaying this popular episode of The Library of Lost Time. We’re back next week with a new episode of Strong Sense of Place about Norway!
LoLT: Postcard Pen Pals and Two New Books — 30 June 2023
In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘100 Places to See After You Die’ by Ken Jennings and ‘What the Dead Know’ by Barbara Butcher — then Mel gets excited about postcards from around the world.
LINKS
- 100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife by Ken Jennings.
- Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings.
- Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings
- What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher.
- Visit the Postcrossing.com website, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Transcript of this episode.
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 find us at:
- Our site
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Patreon
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 August 2024, 9:15 am
52 minutes 3 seconds

Paris: It’s Always a Good Idea
We’re on summer holiday! In honor of the Olympics taking place in Paris right now, please enjoy this replay of our Paris episode.
Paris: It’s Always a Good Idea - 24 August 2020
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.
For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other friendly readers who are curious about the world.
Transcript of Paris: It’s Always a Good Idea
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you!
As always, you can find us at:
- Our site
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Patreon
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2 August 2024, 9:15 am
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