Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.
1. Pat Conroy
I first discovered the novels of Pat Conroy in my 20s, starting with The Lords of Discipline. I had never read anything like it. The story itself was good, as are all his novels, but the writing was something else. It was like when a baby tries chocolate or ice cream for the first time and realizes there’s a whole world of flavor and possibilities. But it was also like when a toddler tries Tobasco for the first time and can’t understand why their mouth is on fire. He writes with savagery and grit but is heartfelt and tender. Conroy himself was the son of an abusive Marine Pilot married to an unstable Southern belle. His upbringing was transient, explosive, painful, but also full of love and fortitude and intermittent characters who left deep impressions. He is a son of the South, in love with the South, even romantic about it. But he is loudly, Irishly, at odds with much of the South’s unsavory history. Conroy writes novels riddled with autobiography, and that makes them deeper, realer, more painful, and sweeter. Every one of his novels is wonderful and powerful in it’s own right (as are his memoirs), but if I was to start anywhere it would be with The Lords of Discipline and The Great Santini.
2. P.F. Flyers
Like many of my peers, I first discovered P.F. Flyers through the exploits of Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez in The Sandlot. These were the shoes that made kids in the 60s run faster and jump higher. If legends were to be believed (and legends never die, after all) they even allowed one to outrun a savage beasts. For years I thought they were fictional shoes. Little did I realize the history of these shoes: they launched in the 1930s, were worn by basketball stars in the ’40s and 50s and even made it into outerspace. At this point in my life nothing makes me run faster or jump higher, but P.F. Flyers do look good and are actually pretty comfortable. Because they have that retro look, they can be dressed up a bit too. On top of all that, they remain pretty affordable. If you are looking for a nice addition to the old shoe rack, I highly recommend a few pairs of P.F. Flyers. (You have to get a few since they come in so many styles and colors after all.)
3. “I Remember Everything” by John Prine
Prine is one of the greatest song writers of the last 50 years. This song needs little explanation, Just listen to or three times to soak it up. It’s brilliant and heart breaking and wonderful.
