February 22, 2025

Five Things to Tell You Vol. 12

romances, concert tickets, appreciation and more!

Well, hello there! So happy to see you today! I have been in quite a state of despair about the state of pretty much everything, so today’s newsletter is extra light and happy to try to combat the darkness. Settle in with your favorite snack and let’s dive in …

Hooray for listening to happy stories during this dark, cold winter, my friends! I listened to two amazing romances recently ~ they were what soothed me during my afternoon commutes, dog walks after school, and long sewing sessions when any kind of news podcast or heavy story was simply not an option.

The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest (2025) is the third book in the Green sisters series, and I have really loved each installment. The romances are thoughtful and mature, and the background family story really enriches the stories for me. I read the first book in print and listened to the next two ~ I’m sure all three would be great in either format!

Wild Sweet Love by Beverly Jenkins (2007) is an absolute wild ride of a historical romance set in both Philadelphia and Kansas in 1895. I mean, YES to a female train robber who just got released from prison hooking up with a former gambler, now banker! Teresa July is a new favorite badass heroine of mine, and while Jenkins yet again throws in a banana-pants kidnapping in the last 10% of the book, I was down with this story all the way. There are other books related to this one that I need to catch up on, although it’s not technically a series? Still trying to figure this out.

Speaking of romance, I read a new favorite romance in print from the library last weekend! Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura is an absolute TREAT that published last summer, but I’m very glad I waited until now to read it. I think reading about the Olympics during the Olympics would have been a little much and would have led to me comparing the book to reality? This story is so rich and multicultural, with characters from around the world, and the Athens Olympics Village setting is delightful. 

Both main characters are British-Zimbabwean and this was such a refreshing change from the majority-American romances I have been reading. The characters are in their mid-20s and it is a very closed-door romance, so this felt closer to the YA romances I have been reading lately than some of my more mature stories, but the robust writing, character development, culture and sense of place really leveled it up for me. 

Highly recommend if you’re wanting to escape somewhere warm and far away this brutal winter season!

NOTE: Despite how much I loved the book, I’m not a fan of the American cover. Look at the difference from the UK cover?! Although, I don’t love the UK cover either, given there isn’t actually a scene in the book where they are on a medal stand together?? I really wish this hadn’t been so cutesy-illustrated at all. BRING BACK NON-ILLUSTRATED COVERS!

Anyone who loves The Lumineers is already well-versed in their new album - Automatic - that released on Valentine’s Day. I’m a huge fan, not just of the music, but that ALBUM COVER!

Related … I bought my first concert tickets of 2025 this week! 

WE’RE GOING (BACK) TO DENVER!!! Always a fan of tying music + my trips to visit my mom and stepdad in the summer.

I have a coworker who for the past five years has made me feel really special by saying one very specific phrase: “I appreciate you.” When I help her out in any way, this is what she says, and I have been pondering just how profoundly different it feels than “Thank you.” 

I have started using this phrase with students when they go above and beyond, when they do the work to find a book on the shelves while I’m helping someone else, when they pick something up off the floor, when they have a conversation with me at the circ desk.

“I appreciate you.”

I say it when hugging my daughter, telling my son (who runs from my hugs - sob) thanks for doing a chore, my husband when he comes in from cutting wood to heat our house.

It’s a phrase that makes people feel seen. And we all desperately need that, don’t we? 

Related: I read the loneliest book on earth last weekend.

A peek at the results of my recent 50+ day sewing marathon! A quilted tote bag + two quilts for a very dear friend and her family. More pictures in my What I Made in February newsletter coming in a few weeks!

I can’t even count the number of minutes my thoughts were with this family, sending positive and loving vibes into the universe while I was creating these pieces. I truly, truly believe that matters.

That’s all for this week ~ thanks for reading! Please feel free to reply to this email or use the link below to leave a comment to chime in about any of these things, or to share one of your own things ♡

Thanks for stopping by!