May 3, 2025

Five Things to Tell You Vol. 22

some recent reads, a must-read article, a big announcement, and more!

Well, hello there! So happy to see you today! Today is prom for the senior and his girlfriend, we have soccer games both days this weekend, and at some point I should probably figure out when our visiting family is arriving later this week for a family wedding ~ just a typical May weekend this year!

Sound like a lot? Well, don’t worry ~ luckily YOU get to just settle in with your favorite snack and enjoy what I prepared for you today …

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I have two books to share with you today! One stellar nonfiction I read in print from the library, and one delightful fiction story I listened to via Kindle Unlimited.

Read Connecting Dots: A Blind Life by Joshua A. Miele with Wendell Jamieson for an absolutely riveting memoir of a man who became blind by an acid attack at age four, his remarkable life accomplishments, with excellent notes on disability access and rights woven in.

Want more books like this one? I read both of these excellent nonfiction titles last year:

• The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland

• Soundtrack of Silence by Matt Hay

Read The Flower Farm by Rachael Lucas for a sweet family story and light romance set on a literal flower farm in the Scottish Highlands. This is #2 in a series, but I just jumped in here with no problem. Original and a wonderfully seasonal read. Note that the cover on the Kindle Unlimited version is different than this one!

I find myself so often these days reading an article that I have SO much to say about and wanting to write a really in-depth reaction to, and then realizing I simply don’t have the capacity. So, I’ll just share a tiny bit from this article in The Atlantic (gift link) that I immediately sent to my oldest, a best friend, my sister and my mom.

… I have to ask: How exactly does higher education affect happiness? Not because college costs a family, on average, nearly $40,000 a year (per student), which gives rise to a legitimate debate about whether people are getting their money’s worth; but because one of the most important questions they should weigh is “Will well-being be better or worse with this investment of time and money in additional schooling?” The answer to whether education pays a happiness dividend is not easy or clear-cut …

And this

Even worse for happiness is when higher education leads to indebtedness, which can lower well-being a great deal. Scholars have found that student loans are negatively correlated with psychological functioning, and that higher debt-to-income levels predict more symptoms of depression at midlife. This is consistent with the broad finding, which I discussed in this column, that in general, owing too much money is terrible for happiness.

And then I read this article (Atlantic gift link) and this article (NYT gift link) and realized that my horror when going through the college discovery process last year with the oldest was valid. We’ll give you a $100,000 merit scholarship! The “family responsibility” will still be $120,000! Make sure to sign your commitment ASAP!

Do I regret my many years and rounds of college or any of my degrees? Not one bit. Do I regret my debt and its lifelong impact on our family? Yes. Do I think college is morally superior or something everyone needs to or should do, especially immediately after high school? 100% no.

When patrons think of my school library, the first word I want to come to mind is “calm”, and one way I have worked to achieve that is by having peaceful music playing all day long from the circ desk computer. When I’m teaching a class or students are doing an activity, you can barely hear it, but when the room is quiet it truly makes a difference and helps me and everyone present remain on an even keel.

I used to use a YouTube scene when I had an interactive display in my library, but know I simply use this playlist from Spotify. Every morning when I hit play I am able to take a long deep breath and feel centered and ready to start the day.

I am so excited to announce that I just recently finalized this year’s Backlist Summery Reads download!!

This collection will be available to all premium subscribers on Tuesday, May 20th and includes 61 titles just perfect for the summery season ~ all books read and approved by ME. I can’t wait to share the 2025 edition with you!

Want to make sure you can download this on the 20th? You can upgrade your subscription now on a monthly ($5/month) or annual ($40/year) basis!

And finally, it’s time to highlight May book releases I am excited about! There are so many new books I can’t wait to read (remember, this is my favorite book release season!) ~ I hope you find a few to put on hold or pre-order as well.

You can just tap on the image above or click through here to see all of the titles over on Bookshop! When you get there, remember to page through at the bottom, as there are three pages of titles this month!

Remember, this is not a list of ALL the books releasing in May 2025, just a list I spent hours and hours curating over the last six months of the books I personally am excited about.

Want some new releases that are already on shelves? Take a look at my past months’ release lists!

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!