May 24, 2025

Five Things to Tell You Vol. 25

a backlist memoir, a new favorite album, more summery reads, and more!

Well, hello there! So happy to see you today!

WHEW. Yesterday was full of activities for parents at the senior’s high school, and last night was the actual graduation ceremony. And this morning I am flying to Denver to immediately drive back to Wisconsin with the oldest. She drove from Sacramento to Denver with a friend, and now it’s my turn to be car company! And then maybe a bit of reset day on Monday? We shall see!

Whenever you get a chance to sit down for a minute, please do settle in with your favorite snack and let’s dive in …

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I’m sure you are all well aware that I have had less reading time lately, so I just have one book rec for you today. This memoir is one that was such a comfort to sink into during my short bits of reading time, and one that gave me such a visceral sense of what true hospitality is. These past few weeks have been full of visitors in my home and life, and while I may not be a chef or really even a cook, I want people to feel cared for when at my house or an event I am hosting.

Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton is a 2012 memoir that I knew nothing about until I read a blurb about her new book releasing this coming October. I am so grateful I took the time to look up her previous book (this one!) and request it from the library! More and more I am learning to appreciate the hidden gems I missed in years past, especially as they find me at the exact right moments.

If you love reading about food and the restaurant industry and travel and hospitality and complicated families, I urge you to give this memoir a shot!

The graduation party last weekend went off without a hitch! Well, unless you consider it being super windy and 50 F to be a hitch - OH WISCONSIN. The weekend before the party we were at the beach, swimming and sweating - two days before the party it was in the 80s and then … NOPE. Other than everyone being cold, it went great and I got to spend hours and hours talking to so many wonderful people and celebrating the four graduates, and I’m so grateful that so many of our family members and friends were able to attend.

After doing combined parties with other families last year and this year, I really can’t recommend it highly enough! This year’s party was for four seniors, and I LOVED the built-in shared planning, fewer parties for everyone to attend, and way less anxiety about having no one show up. Getting to share the planning and party with families we have known for years and years was a treat!

Remember my amazing experience at Red Rocks last summer seeing The Head and The Heart? Well, I am now determined to see them in concert as often as I can ~ this year my show date is June 19 in Saint Paul!

In related news, I absolutely LOVE The Head and The Heart’s new album Aperture that released a few weeks ago. One of my favorite parts of concert plans is the amazing motivation to “practice” before the show. I have to listen to the band as often as I possibly can so I will know every. single. song. played at the show. This album makes that a MOST enjoyable experience!

On Tuesday, I shared my collection of Backlist Summery Reads, and want to make sure you’re aware of a few of my other favorite summery curations:

• Nina’s librarian friend gives amazing book recs, and Nina is kind enough to share some with us again in her Fluffy Summer Reading Guide

• Michelle Martin just shared a list of books that feel like a coastal summer wedding, and make sure to stay tuned to her newsletter to get your hands on her annual All Things Summer Reading Guide! Check out last year’s guide too!

• Anne Bogel released her epic annual Summer Reading Guide this month - always a favorite!

• Sara Hildreth just released her annual Paperback Summer Reading Guide yesterday! I can always trust Sara to provide reads that are a stretch for me and that I won’t find anywhere else!

• And of course, the Book Girls’ Guide always takes care of us for seasonal reading! Head over to their Seasonal Reads page and scroll down to the Summer Books section ~ you’ll be lost for HOURS.

I read a book recently that I have mixed feelings about, but this passage in the author’s note made the experience entirely worth it:

This, especially, in writing Kate & Frida, is what I wanted my younger self to know: During the darkest times, not only is it possible to feel joy, it is your duty to embrace it fully, to share it far and wide, and to never lose hope that joy, along with compassion and love, will win in the end. (Kim Fay, 2025)

My intention is always to share some joy with you and that you have the opportunity to pass it on!

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!