Electric Speed is a biweekly newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. Sign up here.

A note from Jane

While I’ve visited a handful of uninspiring bookstores in my lifetime, it wasn’t until I visited the “most beautiful bookstore in the world” that I felt one of them might be actively committing a cultural disservice.

My husband, Mark, and I were recently in Porto, Portugal, the home of Livraria Lello. I had no intention of visiting this bookstore, as it struck me as a tourist trap of the highest order. It has become known as a place that inspired JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, even though Rowling never worked there, never wrote there, and has never even visited, by her own admission. As of today, you can’t visit without reserving a time and paying a fee to gain entry. For me, I didn’t even have to think—it was an automatic skip.

Then I started to wonder if I was being unfair, especially since Mark loves to visit Art Nouveau buildings whenever given a chance. The bookstore admission price could also be put toward a book purchase. So why not put a little money into the local bookstore? I bought two tickets online (about 15 Euro each).

The next day, within minutes of entering the store, I was sorry I had questioned my instincts. Despite the timed entry (which still required waiting in line), the bookstore was so packed you could not move. There was no hope of browsing, and most visitors focused on getting their photo taken on the iconic staircase in the middle of the store.

Even more unfortunate, we discovered the admission price could be put only toward books published by the bookstore, all of them public domain works. (Think: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.) Nothing against these great works, but I had no desire to walk out of a Portuguese bookstore with any of them. I rather wanted to discover and support Portuguese authors and poets.

Later on, in Lisbon, we visited a bookstore that claimed to be the oldest continuously run bookstore in the world. I was approached by a bookstore clerk who saw me browsing English language titles and offered to help. We left with a copy of The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa.

I hope the Porto establishment eventually becomes something other than a bookstore, so it no longer must pretend to be a bookstore.

Jane

Photo of the tomb of poet Fernando Pessoa in Belém, Portugal. — Tomb of Pessoa (Belém, Portugal)

ISSUE SPONSOR

Free webinar for writers of novels & memoirs, presented by Barbara Kyle, bestselling novelist. Includes photo of Barbara Kyle, and cover of her book Page Turner: Your Path to Writing a Novel That Publishers Want and Readers Buy.

FREE WEBINAR: 3 Things Agents and Publishers Must See in Your First 30 Pages

When an agent or publisher gets your manuscript they decide quickly if the opening section intrigues them enough to read on — or reject. This free webinar shows you the 3 elements the first 30 pages of your novel or memoir must have to succeed. Hosted by bestselling author and acclaimed book coach Barbara Kyle. Space is limited so reserve your spot now!

Sponsorships support Electric Speed. Now booking for 2025.

Jane’s Electric Speed List

Here are some of the latest things I’ve discovered. (I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.)

A great companion site to Examine.com

In the last issue, I mentioned Examine.com as a great site for evaluating supplements. Reader Michelle Bish wrote with the following recommendation: “I agree that Examine is an excellent source for supplement information and I pay for their study summaries, which is really good information but Examine doesn’t name supplement brands. If you don’t know about it, check out ConsumerLab.com, another site I subscribe to because they test supplements and provide results and identify top picks and brands to avoid. What the label says isn’t always what's in the supplement as their research shows. I use Examine to review research on a vitamin or mineral or herb or condition and ConsumerLab to check out specific brand recommendations.”

Cities and Memory project: sounds of the world

Recently I stumbled on Cities and Memory, a large sound project spanning 1,800+ people who have submitted field recordings and sound art. (Anyone may contribute.) Listeners can explore places through their actual sounds and explore reimagined versions of what those places could be: the sound of computer data centers in England, traditional fishing songs on Lake Turkana, temple chanting in New Taipei City. One of their more recent initiatives is “Migration Sounds.”

BookLinks: a digital game for book enthusiasts

BookLinks is similar to the New York Times’ Connections: you have to match twelve book covers into thematic groups. It’s a partnership between the Strand bookstore in New York and Tertulia. H/t Tina Radcliffe

I’m finally getting the hang of eSIM cards

Typically when I travel overseas (as I did these past two weeks), I just buy my cell provider’s international plan, which costs $10/day. That adds up quickly over a long trip, so I finally investigated how to buy and use an eSIM. It was far easier to purchase and activate than I anticipated. The service Airalo came out on top for my needs, and it’s dirt cheap. The only caveat: it’s for data only and doesn’t cover calls or SMS (texting). RedTeaGO offers data plans with calls and texting as well.

Platform Building When You'd Rather Write: Literary Strategies to Elevate Your Career with Jane Friedman. $89 webinar hosted by Writers Digest University. Thursday, October 10, 2024. 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

NEXT ONLINE CLASS

Oct. 10: Platform Building When You’d Rather Write—Literary Strategies to Elevate Your Career with Jane Friedman

In partnership with Writer’s Digest: Worried that you’re not all that good at marketing and promotion? Most effective promotion is centered on existing or potential relationships, not aggressively marketing yourself. And the most enlightened approach to this is called literary citizenship. It advocates lifting up and bringing attention to literature, reading, books, and other pursuits that are intrinsic to authorship and publishing. You’re not competing with others, but collaborating; when others succeed, you will succeed too.

Your turn: favorite solo game for travel

In the last issue, I asked you to share a favorite solo game to play while on a long journey (car, plane, or train). Here’s a selection of what you said.

Wordscapes. From random letters, you make as many words as possible to fill the spaces. It’s mindless fun. —Sylvia
Blockwick never gets old, is very relaxing; once you get to the end of all of the puzzles, then you can start over from the beginning because you’ve forgotten how to solve the individual puzzles. —Wayne Hall
On my phone: Hexa Sort. It’s addictive and easy. —Stephy
I have one game that I play constantly to relax: Spite and Malice (sometimes called SkipBo). First of all, I love the game’s name. Second of all, I’m addicted to it. I most often play on my iPad battling the computer. It’s a simple game, but one with endless variations. —Vicki Stiefel
I play American MahJong Practice. —Vicki Batman
So, it’s not a single game, but I have the Nintendo 64 subscription for the Nintendo Switch Online. It has so many of the games that I couldn’t buy as a kid (or just never finished). If I had to pin it down to one game from that collection, though, it would be the Legend of Zelda games. The magical adventure vibes always pair well with going somewhere in real life, and Ocarina of Time will never not hit. —Julia Quarles
One of my favorite games: Ordia! It’s perfect for all skill levels. It is not overly complicated or too simple, it all comes down to timing each move. So good it was an Apple Design Award Winner in 2019. Highly recommended! —Kevin Reed

Next question: Do you have a new book series you’ve picked up this year and recommend? Let me know. Hit reply to this message, or head over to Discord to share.