Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books

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.

For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.

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

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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:

For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes.

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Transcript of Boarding School: Crushes, Cliques, and Curfews

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

Dates
This 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.

Also!

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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.

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

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

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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.

In this episode, we explain where the idea came from in the first place, share some of our favorite moments, talk about our outdoor adventures in North Wales, and offer some tips for how you can create a similar experience with your favorite people.

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We recently spent three weeks in North Wales, and TBH, we left a big part of our hearts in Cymru. From the mystical borderlands to the rugged coastline and the top of Snowdon, Wales is thick with friendly sheep, genial locals, alluringly dark folklore, and natural-born storytellers.

A few bits and bobs about Wales: It’s symbolized by a ferocious red dragon (and the yellow daffodil). Its lakes, rivers, and mountains are home to the fair folk (the Tylwyth Teg). And it’s known as the Land of Castles (more than 600 of them on hilltops, overlooking the sea and millions of sheep).

Wales is the place for you if you want to ramble around outside under moody skies; it’s also the place for you if you prefer to be cozy — perhaps whilst drinking tea or whisky and feeding your mind with literary pursuits.

In this episode, we highlight the literary hijinks that abound in Wales: libraries, bookshops, legendary authors, and ancient tales. We learn about a Christmas tradition that’s equal parts silly and spooky — and a madcap endurance race with unusual participants. Then we recommend great books that took us there on the page, including a literary story on a rugged Welsh island, a gripping mystery in Cardiff, a travelogue stuffed with delicious food stories, a rock-n-roll memoir, and a modern retelling of Dracula set in a Welsh village.

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 Wales: Castle Ruins, Moody Skies, and Stories by the Fire

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.

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We’re currently visiting Wales with bookish friends for our Readers Weekend at Trevor Hall. But since Halloween is coming, we thought you might like to revisit our previous episode devoted to Spooky Season.

In this episode from 2020, we talk about the origins of Halloween monsters and the tricky laws around selling a haunted house. And we recommend a bunch of books for Halloween, including some fun titles for people who want to get in the spirit but don’t like to be scared.

Trick or treat!

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SSoP Podcast Episode 17 — Halloween: Costumed Revelry, Voices From Beyond, and YAY, Candy!

It’s no surprise that most Halloween stories delve into the dark corners and shadows of life. That premise is in the very name of the holiday. Originally known as All Hallows' Eve, it’s celebrated just before All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day — two holidays meant to honor the dead. For thousands of years, people all over the world have remembered the lost with candles, rituals, costumes, and revelry.

The best Halloween stories produce tingles up the back of the neck, while also, maybe, breaking one’s heart just a little bit. After all, good scares and sorrow often go hand-in-ghostly-hand.

In this episode, we get curious about Halloween traditions and explore the lore around classic creepy creatures., Then we recommend books that celebrate the spirit (and spirits) of Halloween, including stories for self-proclaimed scaredy-cats, titles that should come with a ‘don’t read this at night’ warning label,‘ and a few in-between.

For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit the show notes.

Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world.

Transcript of Halloween: About 31% More Gothic than Normal

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.

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