Strong Sense of Place Realm

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart and Hip-Hop is History by Quest Love. Then Mel delves into the immersive storytelling, cosplay, and fantastic settings of LARPing.

Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart

Rob Hart’s Substack

Hip-Hop is History by Quest Love

Video: Quest Love on CBS Mornings


Chaos League website

Photos from a previous Sahara Expedition


First-hand report from a previous experience of Miskatonic University


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? 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

Substack

Patreon


Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly.
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Is New York City the world capital of… everything? It’s sure putting up a good effort.
We could talk about how the New York Stock Exchange started under a tree (!) on Wall Street and how NYC is now the financial capital of the world. Billionaires, millionaires, blah blah blah. 
Let’s talk about what really matters.
Like… the best pizza and bagels in the world, the Met and the New York Public Library, art deco skyscrapers and bodega cats, Carnegie Hall, Broadway, Rockefeller Center, and that one place on the corner in Brooklyn with the best Polish pastries. 
There’s the immediately identifiable New York accent and the 800 or so languages spoken by New Yorkers from all around the world. The City That Never Sleeps is the ultimate melting pot; we’re all better for it.
New Yorkers are a unique breed who’ve changed the personality of the city over and over again. Dutch and British settlers named the place, immigrants made it cosmopolitan, the elite of the Gilded Age filled it with skyscrapers, and barriers were busted by the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. And let’s not forget the unnamed good samaritan on the subway who will warn you that the next station is closed so you need to transfer.
In this episode, we grab an imaginary coffee to go in a ‘We Are Happy to Serve You’ cup and explore the ultimate bookish day in New York City. In Two Truths and a Lie, we meet the musicians of the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and visit a Brooklyn store where you can buy a can of chutzpah. Then we recommend six great books that took us to New York City on the page, including two graphic novels, a love letter to ’90s Manhattan, a frothy family saga, historical fiction with a challenging heroine, and a collection of short stories from a master of fiction.
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
LaserWriter II by Tamara Shopsin
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González
Hello, NY by Julia Rothman
Roaming by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
Table for Two: Fictions by Amor Towles

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 smart, friendly people who love travel and books.
Transcript of New York City: NO! SLEEP! TILL BROOKLYN!
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? 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

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis and The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Then Dave shares a very cool phone trick for tracking your books.
Links
The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis
Video: Jaclyn Goldis on the Chris Voss Podcast
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Video: Kaliane Bradley’s first TV interview on Good Morning America
Video: How to Convert Image to Text in iPhone & Android
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? 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

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

According to people in the know, there are two Frances: Paris and the rest of the (alluring, picturesque) country. In this episode, we’re celebrating the châteaux, coastlines, cathedrals, cuisine, mountains, and museums that give France its unique je ne sais quoi.
It’s hard to argue with the notion that France offers the best of everything. From scenery and snacks to iconic art, world-changing history, and culture-shaping fashion, it’s practically ground zero for the good things in life. The light is golden. The wine is luscious. The cheese is heavenly, and the scenery is so beautiful, it makes the heart yearn. 
You can take a road trip or a bike ride among the purple rivers of lavender fields in Provence or the gilt-and-green vineyards in Burgundy. Loll in the sun and splash in the sea along the Riviera — or tour a château where nobles ruled and romanced 500 years ago. Wander the streets and cafés that inspired Vincent Van Gogh, then relax under a shade tree with a perfect baguette and the world’s best butter.
In this episode, we take a virtual road trip around France, explore the Bayeux Tapestry, and get curious about an obscure (and deeply romantic) French law. Then we recommend five great books that took us to France on the page.
Clara Reads Proust by Stéphane Carlier, translated by Polly Mackintosh
Joan by Katherine J. Chen
Murder on the Île Sordou by M.L. Longworth
A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin, translated by Hildegarde Serle

For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes.
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other smart, friendly people who love travel and books.
Transcript of France: Mostly Here for the Butter
Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? 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!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since we launched Strong Sense of Place in 2020, we’ve produced five seasons — 56 episodes — of the show. We’ve also shared our affection for books through 101 episodes of The Library of Lost Time podcast — and we’ve introduced you to 500 books we love.
Thanks to you, we’ve had over one million downloads (!) and, the best part of all, we feel like we’re part of a massive book club filled with the best people. Thank you for that!
In this mini-episode, we each looked back through our book recommendations to find our top 10 titles from the first five seasons of the show. Maybe you’ll find your new favorites, too!
Find all the book titles and the corresponding podcast episodes on our blog.
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

Our FREE Substack

Instagram

Patreon


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

We recently invited our audience to ask us anything, and we got excellent questions in return. The queries ran the gamut from ‘What literary theme park would you design?’ to ‘How do you hope people relate to your show?’ and ‘Are you still thinking about developing tours of bookshops in Europe?’
In this mini-episode, we answer those questions and more — including what we do if we find a great book after a show has aired, what the inside of our podcast recording booth looks like, and whether or not Dave is really 6’5". And, due to popular demand, we deliver an update on our cat Smudge.

Links
We answered other popular questions in previous editions of ‘Ask Us Anything,’ including how we met, whether or not we really love everything we recommend, previous jobs, and more. 
2020 Ask Us Anything
2021 Ask Us Anything
Transcript of this episode.
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

Patreon


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