MAY 8, 2020

And just like that, it’s (almost) Mother’s Day. Don’t worry if the pandemic is messing with your ability to track time and you totally spaced on it—we’ve got you covered with our handy gift guide.

Or how about breakfast in bed garnished with DIY scallions?

While some mock the trite ''rebirth'' symbolism of the quarantine trend of placing scallion roots a.k.a. ''scallion butts'' in a glass of water to grow new ones, others among us are feeling validated by the Depression Era food-conservation habits that are gaining traction. (Editor Courtney has never disinherited her grandmother’s habit of shoving unused diner half-and-halfs in her pocket, and will never apologize for reusing unscathed gift bags.)

Love in the time of…

Quarantining has had so many unintended consequences: just look at the spiking divorce rates many affected Chinese cities are now reporting. Couple discord right now is no surprise, as Mark Manson explained in an interview about his latest release, Love Is Not Enough. He says that stress either makes a relationship stronger or breaks it apart, and without distractions, preexisting issues are exposed. But we can take some hope that this stripping away can also bring us closer together, like it did with the couple in the newfound love story that editor Melissa shares in this month’s Romance newsletter. We just might be ushering in a new, more thoughtful era for dating. 🤞🏾

Spare a thought for the narrator, Mr. Musk

While the world's been scratching their heads over the name of Elon Musk's baby (congrats, btw!), new mother Grimes took to social media to explain the multilayered significance behind their confounding choice of X Æ A-12. We're already pitying the narrator who will be hired to read the eventual continuation of the Tesla and SpaceX inventor's biography, and likely struggle to pronounce his child's name. We rely on narrators to be the arbiters of truth when it comes to correct pronunciation, but oftentimes they still need to do their research (like Andi Arndt recording this definitive historical account of the US Women's National Soccer Team from the 1980s to the present). But sometimes narrators still get it hilariously wrong, and we live for that, too.

Bee minus

Just when you thought the times couldn’t get any stranger, we’ve now got these ''murder hornets'' to worry about. We’d be lying if we said that these didn’t have us all a little freaked out, but we editors really do have a true appreciation for all creatures in nature… just, you know, the not-so-terrifying ones. Side note: if you feel like adding a little excitement to your quarantine diet these days, we hear these hornets make for a pretty flavorful snack.

Mall? Rats.

J.Crew and Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy this week, stark evidence of the economic effects of coronavirus. J.Crew’s sales had already fallen from their Michelle Obama-era heights, and observers have long noted the shrinking landscape of department stores (including Audible founder Don Katz, who penned a prescient chronicle of the crisis at Sears). It doesn’t make it any easier to swallow for those of us with fond memories of these institutions—their settings so iconic they inspired cult novels like Patricia Highsmith’s Carol – The Price of Salt and Steve Martin’s Shopgirl. We’ll be listening and crying in our sweats.

If you’re not already a Twihard, prepare to become one

Stephenie Meyer knows that books are people’s happy place right now, and she has decided to get in on that joy. Midnight Sun, the much-anticipated companion novel to Twilight, will release this summer. Fans have waited over a decade to hear the best-selling series from Edward’s point of view, and us audiophiles really can’t wait to hear the casting news. Chime in with your dream Edward Cullen!

Also...

Audiobooks in This Edition

A Square Meal Audiolibro Por Jane Ziegelman, Andrew Coe arte de portada
Elon Musk Audiolibro Por Ashlee Vance arte de portada
Becoming Audiolibro Por Michelle Obama arte de portada
The Big Store Audiolibro Por Donald Katz arte de portada
Carol - The Price of Salt Audiolibro Por Patricia Highsmith arte de portada
Love Is Not Enough Audiolibro Por Mark Manson arte de portada