Editorial: David De Angelis
In the world of the modern woman, Florence Scovel Shinn resonated that persona during the late 1920s until she died in 1940. Her progressive thinking and writings helped many new world thought leaders define how affirmations and the connection to the power of our thoughts reshape the very life we are living.
Donald Fagen will forever be associated with Steely Dan, the band he formed with Walter Becker and four other musicians in 1972. The smooth, radio-friendly veneer of the duo's songs made Steely Dan internationally popular and famous in the 1970s, but the polish glossed over the underlying layers of anger, disappointment, sleaze, and often downright weirdness lurking just beneath the surface. The elliptical lyrics were—and continue to be—an endless source of fascination. What kind of person was capable of writing such songs? Fagen has always kept his true self hidden behind walls of irony, confounding most journalistic enquiries with a mixture of obscurity and sarcasm. Nightfly cracks open the door to reveal the life behind the lyrics and traces Fagen's story from early family life in suburban New Jersey, to his first encounter with Walter Becker at Bard College, their long struggle for recognition as songwriters, and the formation of Steely Dan. The band's break-up in 1981, reformation in 1993, and Fagen's parallel solo career are covered in detail.Ver libro
‘I was asked the other day what I thought the hardest part of parenting was. I’d have to say that it’s definitely the kids.’ TikTok sensation Clara Batten has dedicated the last few years to seeking the answer to one of life’s most crucial questions: Is it possible to raise and nurture two small humans without losing your bloody mind? The good news is, now she’s found (some of) the answers and is sharing her secrets with the rest of us! In this riotous book, Clara reveals:when it’s acceptable to buy your kids lunch from a kebab shop.why a jar of pickled herrings from Waitrose is the ultimate guilty pleasure, nay necessity, for a sleep-deprived parent.how to finally pursue your acting ambitions in your forties (despite a toddler sh*tting on the stairs during a self-tape audition). Most importantly, Clara shows us that no matter how much we adore our little treasures, life isn’t just about their A, B and bloody Cs. In her latest work, GIN AND PHONICS, Clara Batten humorously delves into the intricacies of long-term family relationships. This new autobiography, with its candid take on marriage and parenting, is a top pick for readers. For fans of Miranda Hart (I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You), Dawn French (The Twat Files), Crystal Hefner (Only Say Good Things), Katy Weitz (Undercover Copper), and Davinia Taylor (It's Not A Diet). HarperCollins 2023Ver libro
After flipping her raft days away from help on a trip down the remote Salmon River, Katie Arnold's shattered leg tests both her spirit and her marriage for years to come. It also reignites her meditation practice and motivates her to dive into Zen in search of healing. Before the accident, Katie was an elite ultrarunner with a simmering but adequate marriage who avoided being indoors whenever possible. But who is she afterwards? In the midst of hardship, Katie turns for support to the Zen practice she had long dabbled in. Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World is a Zen study wrapped in a memoir that tells the story of a search for stillness by a woman born for wildness. Spanning roughly two years, from shortly before the accident through the long, uncertain healing of both leg and marriage, it is a personal narrative of that tumultuous time nested inside meditations on Zen. As the late Japanese master Shunryu Suzuki wrote, "Sometimes a flashing will come through the dark sky." These brief flashings are enlightenment—moments when we suddenly feel as if we're part of everything, and everything's part of us. This book is about how to experience the flashings when they come, and about what they mean for how we live our lives.Ver libro
Mankind by Suzanne Mendy-Sambou is an inspiring exploration of humanity's collective strength and capacity for connection, empathy, and healing. Drawing from her experiences as an immigrant adapting to a new culture. Suzanne offers a heartfelt guide for fostering meaningful relationships and combating modern challenges like isolation, anxiety, and depression. The book underscores the transformative power of small acts of kindness, optimism, and open communication in building a more compassionate world. Through anecdotes and practical advice, it advocates for self-healing as a precursor to helping others, illustrating how love and understanding can act as remedies for life's struggles. Suzanne highlights the importance of community and the profound impact of acknowledging others' worth, showing that we can create a ripple effect of healing and hope through shared humanity. A blend of personal narrative, reflective exercises, and motivational guidance, Mankind is both a call to action and a comforting reminder that every individual can make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.Ver libro
In the highly anticipated sequel to her award-winning memoir, Daring to Date Again (She Writes Press, 2014), The Sweet Pain of Being Alive is the second in Ann Anderson Evans’s memoir trilogy. It follows her heartbreaking journey as she seeks to uncover why her beloved husband killed himself. As her agonizing search deepens, her views on gender, sex, marriage, right, wrong, good, and bad start to shift. “Ann Anderson Evans is a fearless, fierce, divine, and wise woman who has dared to take a huge bite from Eve’s apple and has the guts to share the insights, fights, and delights she has met head-on.” – M.J. McDermott, Emmy award-winning broadcaster. “This book reveals a widow’s gut-wrenching process of scrutiny. In the aftermath of her beloved’s suicide, Ann Anderson Evans asks the questions all suicide survivors must ask: Why? Was his life really so bad? How could I have saved him? Futilely searching for answers to this inexplicable tragedy, Ann has beautifully, painfully dissected her relationship, her husband’s life, and his enduring struggles with depression and transgenderism. Ann is left to find acceptance and peace on her own. This is compelling reading.” – Leslie Hilburn Fabian, Author of My Husband’s a Woman Now: A Shared Journey of Transition and Love. “‘People are not always, maybe not ever, what they seem,’ writes Ann Anderson Evans. She thought she knew her husband Terry. What she didn’t know – the secret he only partially shared and his anguish about not claiming his authentic self – led him to suicide. ‘This book is stark, unflinching, intensely personal, and powerfully written. I loved the book, and I’m grateful to Ann Anderson Evans for having the courage to write it.’” – Joan Price, author of Sex After Grief: Navigating Your Sexuality After Losing Your Beloved.Ver libro
When we read or listen, words can have a transforming effect. Our mood can alter in the space of a few sentences from joy to sadness. And not just our mood. These words can affect us physically, they can engage our emotions and even in their sadness bring a lump to our throat and tears to our eyes. Sometimes the relief can be palpable. Our authors, from Anton Chekhov, Stephen Crane, Willa Cather, Katherine Mansfield and a wealth of others are well aware of what their talents will evoke. Genius has many names. 1 - Short Stories To Make You Cry - An Introduction 2 - Vanka by Anton Chekhov 3 - A Dark Brown Dog by Stephen Crane 4 - Suicides by Guy de Maupassant 5 - The Life of Ma Parker by Katherine Mansfield 6 - The District Doctor by Ivan Turgenev 7 - Paul's Case by Willa Cather 8 - Hands by Sherwood Anderson 9 - Silence by Leonid Andreyev 10 - The Stones of the Village by Alice Dunbar Nelson 11 - Hide And Seek or Pliatki by Fyodor SologubVer libro
