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 ima...
Spend a bookish weekend with us in a country manor house!
For centuries, nobles and ne'er-do-wells have gathered on country estates for a bit of leisure, a lot of sumptuous food, sparkling conversation, and general good cheer. You’re invited to join us at Trevor Hall for a modern take on the traditional manor house weekend.
Together, we’ll make ourselves at home in this historic Georgian mansion surrounded by the picturesque North Wales countryside. We’ll talk about books, share gourmet meals in the Great Hall, play parlor games, ramble in the Welsh hills, listen to stories by candlelight, and be dazzled by an illusionist from London.
Our weekend begins in Manchester, England — a UNESCO City of Literature. We’ll take over a boutique hotel in the city center where we’ll enjoy an evening pub meetup, spend the night, and start our morning with a breakfast fry-up. Then we’re off to the Elizabeth Gaskell House for a private tour of the Victorian villa where the author wrote her classic novel ‘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 — just over an hour — through the rugged countryside to Llangollen, a charming historic town on the River Dee in North Wales. Our destination: Trevor Hall.
The Hall is a Georgian mansion 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 literary 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.
For complete details about the weekend and lots of photos, visit strongsenseofplace.com/weekend.
For early access to tickets for a Readers' Weekend at Trevor Hall, join our Patreon.
To be notified the minute tickets go on sale, join our free Substack newsletter.
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.
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20:29
LoLT: Graphic Novels for Newbies and Two Great Books
In this episode, we get excited about three books: Gifts from the Kitchen by Kristine Kidd and A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions by Mark Forsyth. Then Dave recommends entertaining, accessible graphic novels for newbies.
Links
Buy: Gifts from the Kitchen by Kristine Kidd
Internet Archive: Gifts from the Kitchen by Kristine Kidd
A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions by Mark Forsyth
Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir by Denise Dorrance
Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott
The Way Things Work by David Macaulay
How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger
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
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19:52
LoLT: Dave’s Board Game Recs and Two New Books
In this episode, we get excited about two new books: A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson and The Way by Cary Groner. Then Dave recommends fun boardgames to play with your friends and family this holiday season.
Links
A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson
The Dead of Winter by Nicola Upson
The Way by Cary Groner
Sky Team dice game — how-to video
Harmonies board game — how-to video
Flip 7 card game — how-to video
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
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14:11
Home for the Holidays [ repost ]
It’s our November tradition! This week, we’re replaying a special Thanksgiving episode of our show.
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We know you don’t all celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving, but it’s never a bad idea to express gratitude and devote a day to being cozy. In that spirit, we’ve made a little gift for you to show our appreciation.
Watching the movie ‘Home for the Holidays’ is an annual Thanksgiving tradition in our house. The film is based on a brilliant short story by Chris Radant that is, sadly, out of print.
Both the story and the film tell the tale of a family Thanksgiving in all of its gluttonous, annoying, loving glory. It’s a celebration of affection, patience, and forgiveness.
Since you can’t get the story as an audiobook, Mel went into our blanket fort recording booth to read the story out loud, and then Dave worked some editing magic. Boom! We made our first homegrown ‘audiobook.’
We’re grateful you’ve all joined us on our Strong Sense of Place reading-traveling adventures. We hope you enjoy the story!
Read the short story by Chris Radant
Transcript of this episode
Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world.
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
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25:06
LoLT: Adorable Cozy Games and Three New Books
In this episode, we get excited about three books: Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris, The Starlets by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne, and Darkly by Marisha Pessl. Then Dave makes the case for playing cozy games.
Links
Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
The Starlets by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Darkly by Marisha Pessl
Mel’s review of Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Steam gift cards
Tiny Glade on Steam
Video: Tiny Glade Demo #1 and Demo #2
A Little to the Left on Steam — also available on macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
Video: A Little to the Left Demo
Oddada on Steam
Video: Oddada Demo
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
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. Every other week, we share The Library of Lost Time, a mini-pod that features two new books and our Distraction of the Week. We‘re on a trip around the globe, one great read at a time. Please join us!
New Zealand