Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

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One lifetime is too short to visit everywhere and meet everyone. That‘s why we love books with a strong sense of place — they let us travel the world in our imagination. In each episode of our Strong Sense of Place podcast, we explore one destination and talk about what makes that place different from everywhere else. Then we recommend five books that took us to that place on the page. We‘re on a trip around the globe, one great read at a time. Please join us!

  1. Oct 23

    South Korea: Kimchi, K-Pop, and All-Night Karaoke

    South Korea sits at the easternmost edge of Asia and shares the Korean Peninsula with its stern northern neighbor. South Korea’s current geography was created by outsiders: The US and Soviet Union drew its borders after WWII. Although its 20th-century history is pretty grim, the modern country — dynamic, resilient, traditional, and fashionable — is not. In the capital city of Seoul, soaring skyscrapers and colorful neon glitter are juxtaposed with traditional swooping tile roofs. Cone-shaped mountains surround the city, framed by pink cherry blossoms in the spring and maple leaves turned gold, red, and orange in the fall. A short list of things for which we can thank Korea: Kimchi and bibimbap. The MP3 player and those sweet instant coffee sticks with built-in sugar and creamer. K-Dramas (Hello, Attorney Woo!) and K-Pop. (Who doesn’t love a little ‘Dynamite’?!) In this episode, we learn about the discovery of a long-lost royal tomb and the new apps known as ‘dopamine sites.’ Because it’s nearly impossible to talk about South Korea without contrasting it with its northern neighbor, we take a virtual trip to the DMZ and share tips for living like a monk (for a day). Then we recommend five books we love that took us to South Korea on the page, including a quiet novella set in a popular beach town, a colorful comic book with recipes, a modern story of four friends obsessed with beauty in Seoul, a nonfiction book that illuminates life in a place most of us will never visit, and a charming retelling of Pride and Prejudice set during the 18th-century Joseon dynasty. Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin, translated by Aneesa Abbas Higgins Cook Korean! by Robin Ha If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick Behind Five Willows by June Hur 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 South Korea 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

  2. Oct 9

    Michigan: We’re All Just Yoopers and Trolls Livin' in the Mitten State

    Michigan may be in the heart of the American Midwest, but it feels like a state with a coast. Its mitten-shaped peninsulas touch four of the five Great Lakes, and with around 11,000 inland lakes, too, you’re never more than a 10k from some kind of water. The Upper Peninsula is the place to go for dense forest, snowy winters, and an outdoorsy lifestyle influenced by Finnish and Swedish heritage. Head south to the Lower Peninsula for Detroit-style pizza, unique Petoskey Stones, and the University of Michigan — including its Law Library with the reading room of your dark academia dreams. Michigan is the Cherry Capital of the US and home to the Isle Royale National Park — wolves and otters and moose… oh, my! It’s also the birthplace of both the cornflake and the Motown sound — the state that invites you to dance in the streets and be mayor for a day. In this episode, we explore the freshwater spring of Kitch-iti-kipi, delve into the history of the Big D, learn about the Kellogg brothers' feud, and explore Michiganders' silly nicknames for each other. Then we recommend five books that took us to the Great Lakes State on the page, including a biography of Detroit, a collection of stories set in Dearborn’s Arab-American community, two suspenseful family dramas disguised as thrillers, and a dramedy set at a resort hotel on Mackinac Island. Make Nice by Ryan Effgen Once in a Great City by David Maraniss Dearborn: Stories by Ghassan Zeineddine The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne Children of the Wolf by Abby Geni 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 Michigan: We’re All Just Yoopers and Trolls Livin' in the Mitten State 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

  3. Sep 25

    Boarding School: Crushes, Cliques, and Curfews

    Since 597, students have hauled books among the green lawns and Gothic stone buildings of the world’s oldest boarding school: The King’s School in Canterbury, England. Founded by St. Augustine — patron saint of theologians, printers, and brewers (!) — it’s educated hundreds of thousands of boys over the past 1400 years, including Shakespeare’s rival Christopher Marlowe and Legolas himself, actor Orlando Bloom. Boarding schools are practically designed for drama in real life and on the page. They’re populated by kids of all ages, and the closed environment is ripe for cliques, bullying, and friendships tighter than family. The built-in power dynamics — students vs. teachers, day schoolers vs. boarders, scholarship kids vs. legacies — are the ideal kindling for entertaining and affecting conflict. In this episode, we take a romp through the history of boarding school literature, enjoy a virtual tour of the posh school for the world’s elitest students, and celebrate a thirteen-year-old boy who biked sixty miles to make it to the first day of term in 1926. Then we recommend a whole bunch of great books that took us back to the school on the page, including: The Secret Place by Tana French Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld Say Her Name by Juno Dawson The Incandescent by Emily Tesh Villette by Charlotte Brontë 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 Boarding School: Crushes, Cliques, and Curfews 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

  4. Sep 11

    Australia: Just Smile and Give Me a Vegemite Sandwich

    Australia has a well-deserved reputation for being larger than life. It’s the only country in the world that covers an entire continent, and it’s home to hundreds of thousands of native animals and plants. (We’re looking at you, platypuses and koalas!) The snapshots of Australia in your imagination (perhaps from watching the ‘80s movie 'Crocodile Dundee’ at an impressionable age)? They’re pretty accurate. Sparkly beaches, surfers, and snorkeling. Red rocks and scrubby brush. The Sydney Opera House. Jeeps in the Outback. And yes, many Australians do say ‘G'day mate.’ (Though not ‘throw a shrimp on the barbie.’) Australia is home to two libraries on the list of the world’s ten most beautiful, in Melbourne and Adelaide. But if you really want to get to know the land down under, head outside. There are 516 national parks, excursions led by Aboriginal guides, rainforest and desert, plus 22,000 miles of coastline for all manner of splashing. In this episode, we learn the true story of a war fought against an animal opponent and meet the architect of the Sydney Opera House. We daydream about traversing the continent in style aboard the glamorous Ghan Luxury Train. Then we recommend five great books that took us to Australia on the page: a Gothic coming-of-age story set on a Queensland estate, a gripping murder mystery from a beloved Aussie author, a science book that delves into the cute-and-weird of the platypus and other Australian mammals, a compelling memoir that defies categorization, and a dream-like classic set at a mystical rock formation. The White Earth by Andrew McGahan The Dry by Jane Harper Platypus Matters by Jack Ashby Question 7 by Richard Flanagan Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay 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 Australia: Just Smile and Give Me a Vegemite Sandwich 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

  5. Aug 28

    Denmark: Gettin' Hygge With It

    Nestled between the North and Baltic Seas, just north of Germany, Denmark is one (excellent) place made up of lots of places: more than 400 islands, Greenland, the Jutland Peninsula (which, BTW, is so much fun to say: sounds like YOOT-lan), and the Faroe Islands (which are a 40-hour ferry ride away in the far North Atlantic). Every blog post, travel guide, and video will tell you that Denmark is laid-back and chill. All evidence seems to point in that direction; the country routinely ranks in the top five happiest nations in the world. It does seem quite idyllic, all sparkly and fresh: water, sky, and land, bright with wildflower fields, colorful boats ferrying among the islands, cozy little Lego-ish houses with grass roofs, and so. many. bicycles. Sure, there were marauding Vikings — but there is also Denmark’s creative Golden Age, Hans Christian Andersen, Tivoli Gardens, two (beautiful) historical libraries, and New Nordic Cuisine. In this episode, we talk about the magic of wild swimming, learn whether or not Danishes are truly Danish, discuss how Danes eat like bears, and get very excited about a rabbit island. Then we recommend five books that took us to Denmark on the page, including a modern crime classic, a memoir about why Danish people are so deeply contented, a thriller with a strong sense of the Faroe Islands, a poetic novel about witches (with a unique narrator), and a magical, multi-generational family saga about the sea. Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell The Blood Strand by Chris Ould We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen The Wax Child by Olga Ravn 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 Denmark: Gettin' Hygge With It 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

  6. Aug 14

    SSoP Podcast Season 8: Announcing Our Exciting Destinations

    We’re delighted to announce that Season 8 of the Strong Sense of Place podcast kicks off on Friday, 28 August! We’ve put together an itinerary of 10 fascinating destinations with a journey to every region of the globe. Pack your bags (metaphorically speaking) for Europe and the land down under, the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, two US states with very different personalities, South Korea, and more. Plus, an unexpected (potentially silly) theme episode. Get ready to immerse yourself in the food, sights, sounds, and scenery of far-flung destinations around the world. No passport required! But be sure to pack your curiosity in your carry-on and leave room for lots of books! Click right here to see stunning photos of our Season 8 destinations. Transcript of this episode. Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in our Tuesday Tea 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 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

  7. Mar 13

    Join Us for a Bookish Weekend at a Manor House in Wales

    This is a special episode of Strong Sense of Place in which we announce that we’re doing it again — we’re taking a group of readers back to Trevor Hall. In October 2025, we took over Trevor Hall — a Georgian manor house in Llangollen, Wales — with forty members of the Strong Sense of Place community. It was the best book club ever. We took walks in the countryside, talked about (so many) books, enjoyed ridiculously delicious meals, and told spooky stories by candlelight. And we made lifelong friends. We’re doing it again — and you’re invited to join us! Together, we’ll make ourselves at home in this historic mansion surrounded by the picturesque North Wales countryside. We’ll have a book club, share gourmet meals in the Great Hall, play parlor games, ramble in the hills, and stomp our feet at a Celtic ceilidh. Our weekend begins in Manchester, England — a UNESCO City of Literature. We’ll check into our rooms at a design hotel and enjoy our first IRL meetup in a historic library. After a good night’s sleep, we’re off to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House for a private tour of the Victorian villa where she wrote ‘North and South’ (and entertained literary friends like Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens). After a restorative tea-and-cake break, we’ll ride together via private motor coach through the rugged countryside to Llangollen, a charming town on the River Dee in North Wales. Our destination: Trevor Hall. The Hall sits on a wooded hilltop overlooking green slopes dotted with sheep and horses. After a tour of the house and gardens, we’ll ease into country living in the Hall’s luxurious (and tastefully eclectic) rooms. With bookish activities, entertainment, and surprises planned throughout the weekend, you’re sure to be delighted — and have plenty of time to connect with old and new bookish friends. DatesThis is a five-day, four-night trip: Thursday through Monday. It will be held on two consecutive weekends; each weekend is limited to 19 guests. Weekend 1: Thursday, November 5 through Monday, November 9 Weekend 2: Thursday, November 12 through Monday, November 16 Also! Click here for the complete details about the weekend and to enjoy the pretty photos For early access to tickets, join our Patreon. To be notified the minute tickets go on sale, join our free Substack newsletter. If you’re curious about last year’s trip, listen to our podcast episode That Time We Rented a Manor House in Wales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. 12/19/2025

    Christmas: May Your Heart Be Light

    Sometimes, it really does feel like Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Give us the fairy lights, colored baubles, fresh smell of pine, whipped cream-topped hot chocolate, and cookies. ALL THE COOKIES, PLEASE. One of the best things about Christmas is that it stretches and bends to fit the shape we want and need it to be. Sure, holiday traditions can punch above their weight in December — sometimes feeling more like an over-loaded sleigh of obligation than a yuletide treat. But Christmas also invites us to adapt the season to be just as we like it: Stay up too late with books, greet the dawn with a walk, eat one more bite of your favorite treat, Grinch-out under a blankie, or get together with your people for holiday hijinks. Do all of it! Do none of it! Santa will add you to the Nice List no matter what. In this episode, Mel explains why she thinks everyone should read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and Dave tries to trick us with a holly-jolly version of Two Truths and a Lie. Then we recommend five great books sprinkled with Christmas magic, including two fantastic (and fantastical) books about holiday traditions around the world, a rom-com with just the right level of sweet and sassy, a YA Gothic mystery set in a smuggler’s inn, and a cozy murder mystery that proves making merry can be quite dangerous. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter The Atlas of Christmas: The Merriest, Tastiest, Quirkiest Holiday Traditions from Around the World by Alex Palmer The Dead of Winter by Sarah Clegg Greenglass House by Kate Milford 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas by Natasha Bache 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 Christmas: May Your Heart Be Light 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

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One lifetime is too short to visit everywhere and meet everyone. That‘s why we love books with a strong sense of place — they let us travel the world in our imagination. In each episode of our Strong Sense of Place podcast, we explore one destination and talk about what makes that place different from everywhere else. Then we recommend five books that took us to that place on the page. We‘re on a trip around the globe, one great read at a time. Please join us!

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