Hello, friends!
We got home at 11:30 last night (!) from our quick trip to the UK for some Shakespeare and a bit of work. Our travel plan included meeting up with family, and although everyone wanted to go to Shakespeare’s Globe, enthusiasm for the show on the schedule — Love’s Labour’s Lost — was… mixed.
But three things got me excited about it, despite rumors of its excessive wordplay and puns.
1. It’s a proto-rom-com. The plot is pretty simple: Four men swear off women then fall in love with a visiting princess and her ladies. Hijinks (and genuine heartache) ensue.
2. This podcast: In The Shakespeare Diaries: Love’s Labour’s Lost, the Globe’s Artistic Director Michelle Terry does a brilliant job explaining why it’s her favorite play and why people should give it another look. She spoke so passionately about the meaning she finds in the play, I couldn’t wait to see it myself.
3. Flamenco! This summer’s production tells the story with flamenco, which translated into gorgeous, colorful costumes, emotion conveyed through dance, singing (both comic and poignant), and an extremely creative bullfight scene that made my eyes prickle with a tear or two. I loved it! (Sorry no photos! Cameras are banned during performances, which I wholeheartedly endorse.)
The play’s director said in an interview, ‘A lot of this play is about passion, love, sex, and death – and flamenco does sex and death really well.’ The entire interview is fantastic; highly recommend it.
As always, a little homework before seeing Shakespeare paid off — and a visit to Shakespeare’s Globe is probably worth an evening even if you hate Shakespeare. The theater itself is beautiful; the guided tour filled us in on the history, and we got a sneak peek of the actors rehearsing on stage. There’s not a bad seat in the house, and tickets in the Standing Yard are only £5. Live theater for £5! Plus, you can pretend to be a 16th-century groundling.
One of those perfect morning moments when you’re ready for a cup of coffee and a charming little shop magically appears. Pandacup is 100% worth seeking out if you’re in the Southwark neighborhood. (We’re no the only ones who think it’s great.) Crazy-good coffee, friendly people, delicious pastries, and two sweet seating options: picnic tables at the coffee cart or benches in the nearby churchyard (both excellent for dog sightings).
We had such a good time chatting with the street poet — about Prague, reading, the heatwave — on the South Bank of the Thames, just outside Shakespeare’s Globe, and then he composed the poem below. It wasn’t until we got home that I learned he’s a Known Character.
So many inspiring and adorable things! Miniatures from the movies; costumes; Anderson’s personal notebooks filled with achingly tidy, tiny handwriting; music listening stations; behind-the-scenes interviews. See it before it closes on 16 August.
At House of Books & Friends where I had a lovely conversation with another reader (Hi, Deborah!) about Elizabeth Gaskell, the Brontës, Shirley Jackson, Muriel Spark (the British Shirley Jackson?), and books set at dinner parties… and at an enormous and lovingly stocked Waterstones Deansgate where I bought four books and took photos of eight more I want to read. Both of these experiences were a delight! So much fun book talk with the booksellers and other customers.
The tiny Dracula is from a quick visit we made to the Portico Library (to do some work stuff for our Readers’ Weekend at Trevor Hall in the fall) — and the little green book is a darling copy of Villette by Charlotte Brontë, found in a used bookshop in Llangollen, Wales — published in 1905 by Thomas Nelson & Sons (a publishing house established in 1798 in Edinburgh).
This bookplate is inside. I would like to talk to Sheila about her thoughts on Villette.
Back in the day, this medieval abbey was known for its lavish feasts. In lieu of time travel to when it was populated by monks in white robes, we took a 40-minute stroll along the Llangollen canal, through a farm (where we made friends with cows and sheep), and into a valley surrounded by rolling hills framed by the abbey’s remaining windows.
That ends my report on our summer holiday!
I relate to this very much: ‘You finish a book. You close it. You sit there for a second feeling intelligent, emotionally rearranged, possibly superior to the person you were before page one. Then three days pass. Someone asks what it was about…’ And suddenly you remember nothing substantive. I am very much an I remember the vibes, not the plot kind of reader. Here’s how to remember what you read without turning reading into homework.
From Wanderlust, the best travel books of 2026 so far.
It’s never too soon to start planning for Spooky Season. This collection of ten ghost stories that rewrote the rules is a keeper. I can concur that Dark Matter by Michelle Paver is very unsettling (high compliment). Also, the audio is fantastic.
This is indubitably the most beautiful hospital in the world.
A project called Cities and Memory has collected 8000 field recordings from 140 countries to create a global sound map. Read more about it here — and visit the Cities and Memory website.
Seven things you shouldn’t do when eating in Italy. ‘Italian food is actually quite simple. It's not highly spiced, and its dishes are flavoured by seasonal, local ingredients. Meals are never rushed and are considered one of life's chief pleasures. As a result, we have a series of unwritten rules which help enhance these flavours and ensure that each meal is savoured properly.’
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Capri’s Romantic Sister Island. ‘Covered with lemon trees, vineyards and olive groves, Ischia in Italy is a beautiful, rugged island perfect for adventurers seeking the comforts of a beach holiday off the beaten track. The island's charming streets and glorious beaches have made it a sought-after filming location over the years, with Ischia appearing in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and more recently the second series of Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend, where the island becomes a key part of the story.’
Fun alert! The game Tiny Bookshop is now available on mobile! YAY! Get it on IOS and Android.
Just look at this cute pink book truck in the UK!
News you can use: How to Make Use of the Books You Don’t Read.
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