Category Archives: Love & Relationships

Love & Relationships

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Remembering Jimmy Buffett (1946 – 2023) | Library of Congress Blog

Posted by: Cary O’Dell, September 6, 2023

Jimmy Buffett

Like the rest of the world, the Library of Congress was very saddened to hear of the passing of Jimmy Buffett this past weekend. His passing was, to us, all the more poignant as Mr. Buffett’s iconic recording, “Margaritaville,” was added to the Library’s National Recording Registry just earlier this year.

From article…

At the time, Mr. Buffett expressed his great pleasure at having his song selected, providing to us not only a wonderful interview on the song and his career but also generously sharing his memories of its making.

At the time of its induction, esteemed music writer (and Buffett fan) Scott Atwell wrote for the Library the following essay. We share it below.

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item…

Source: https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2023/09/remembering-jimmy-buffett-1946-2023/?loclr=eanshb

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Stephen King Knows Anti-Vaxxers Are Going to Hate His Latest Book: ‘Knock Yourself Out’ | Rolling Stone

The horror writer talks Holly and why he chose not to erase Covid from the detective’s world

By Brenna Ehrlich, September 5, 2023

Author Stephen King wrote his latest book during the pandemic — and Patrick Semansky/AP

THIS POST CONTAINS spoilers for Stephen King’s new book Holly, which comes out today.

Stephen King is readying himself for a flood of hate when his next book, Holly, drops on Sept. 5. “I think that a lot of people are not going to like it,” he says. “I think that a lot of people — particularly people on the other side of the Covid issue and the Trump issue — are going to give it one-star reviews on Amazon.

But all I can say to those people is, ‘Knock yourself out.’”

While inviting bad reviews before publication may seem like an odd sentiment from one of the most prolific, acclaimed horror writers of all time, well… a lot of things are topsy-turvy these days.

And unlike many writers who have released books over these past few years, King — as is his custom — doesn’t shy away from that discomfort in Holly, which follows the PI he introduced in the Mr. Mercedes series, as she attempts to solve a string of disappearances during the height of Covid.

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/stephen-king-interview-holly-anti-vaxxers-1234816605/

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This ‘Jane Eyre’ enthusiast invites you to treat your favorite books as sacred text | NPR

August 27, 20236:00 AM ET, Heard on All Things Considered, By Rachel Martin

https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1195954927/1196251653

Vanessa Zoltan’s memoir is all about how she learned to read literature like sacred texts.
TarcherPerigree/Penguin Random House

It was my mom’s birthday the other day. She died 14 years ago of cancer. She would have been 74 years old.

Every year I scan my bookshelves for her copy of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” written by Richard Bach in 1972. It’s a story about a seagull who defies the expectations society has put on him and learns to fly high into the heavens to reach his highest potential. It’s not an explicitly religious book, but there are some Christian undertones along with some Buddhist concepts of reincarnation.

I love this book because reading it makes me feel closer to my mom, but each time I read it, I also understand her a little more. And yeah, when I close the book on her birthday, I am also reminded how beautiful it is to fly. I never really thought of that ritual as a sacred practice, but after talking with Vanessa Zoltan, I realized it is.

Treating your favorite books as sacred text : NPR

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/27/1195954927/this-jane-eyre-enthusiast-invites-you-to-treat-your-favorite-books-as-sacred-tex

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Like many men, I had few close friends. So I began a friendship quest.

My month-long social experiment was both challenging and gratifying

Perspective by Leonard Felson, July 28, 2023 at 7:00 a.m. EDT

(Elizabeth von Oehsen/The Washington Post)

Out of the blue last fall, an acquaintance emailed me. “I want to start jogging, but I need someone to run with,” he wrote. I hadn’t run in years, but the possibility that jogging might lead to a friendship was enough for me to say yes.

Even before the pandemic frayed our social lives, Americans had fewer close friends than 30 years ago, a KFF study in 2018 showed. Another survey found adults were talking and relying on each other for support less often than in the past and feeling more left out. And men in particular tend to face a harder time than women making and maintaining friendships, research suggests, and it appears to only be getting worse.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/07/28/how-i-reconnected-with-friends/

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How Plants Helped Colette Satisfy an Insatiable Desire

Damon Young on Colette’s Life in the Garden

By Damon Young, April 13, 2020

How Plants Helped Colette Satisfy an Insatiable Desire

Source: https://lithub.com/how-plants-helped-colette-satisfy-an-insatiable-desire/

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‘No violins’: Michael J. Fox reflects on his career and life with Parkinson’s

Published May 14, 20236:00 AM ET By Sacha Pfeiffer, Megan Lim, Sarah Handel

Michael J. Fox in the new documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Courtesy of Apple

When Michael J. Fox describes his experience with Parkinson’s disease in his new documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, he’s extremely blunt.

“Parkinson’s didn’t just kick me out of the house — it burned the f***ing house down,” he said, in a conversation with director/producer Davis Guggenheim.

Source: ‘No violins’: Michael J. Fox reflects on his career and life with Parkinson’s : NPR