The May Collection

Coming back to myself in the midst of a rollercoaster month & the foliage report for May 2025.

In the month of May, I planted my garden. I battled severe allergies. I traveled (a short road trip) with two little ones. I weathered sick little ones who caught bugs while traveling. I felt like myself again, for approximately two days before plummeting back into sleep deprivation. I watered my garden. I looked up at the blue sky. I found time to write. I picked up library holds. I took a three hour nap. I held down the fort while my husband had food poisoning on our anniversary weekend. I welcomed the rain and wished for a little bit more sunshine. I launched paid subscriptions before I could talk myself out of it, and announced three summer readalongs for the same reason. I landed on my feet. I can’t wait for summer.

These monthly collections of bright spots, favorite things, and links will remain free for all subscribers. I hope you find something lovely among them today.

A summer guide to The Eclectic Reader

Three short classic readalongs to anchor your summer reading

The May Collection

• Foliage update: pretty red tulips popped out for a couple of weeks in early May, hostas have exploded all over the yard, and I’m waiting on four peony plants to blossom. They seem so close!

• After a long catch-up call with my friend RuthAnn, she forwarded James A. Pearson’s musings on the survival dance and the sacred dance. It’s been an invaluable part of navigating this weird postpartum phase I’m in, where I’m further and further away from the newborn phase but still not sleeping, and I’m eager to find my footing but too tired to move forward with verve. It’s a great read and framework to adopt.

• Every time I place an order with Thrive Market, I add one new snack or pantry item to try. For May, I tried lupini beans, a pickled Italian snacking bean sort of like a chickpea but even more delicious (and nutrient dense). I just added them to my cart again because I love them for snack plate lunches or a quick afternoon protein boost.

• My major meal obsession of late is a bowl of plain greek yogurt mixed with protein powder, topped with frozen mango and granola. Part of the appeal is not deciding what to eat, so I will enjoy this all summer for either breakfast or lunch.

• I don’t need any new hair clips, but if I did, I would get the new large Teleties flat clips in pink and green for a fun punch of color.

Rhubarb Recipes via Substack

I have a bag full of frozen rhubarb and more to harvest, so here are the recipes I’m saving for summer baking.

• asparagus + rhubarb (

  the smitten kitchen digest
  )

• Rhubarb Crumble Tart (

  Nea Arentzen
  )

• Strawberry Rhubarb Cake (

  Side Dish
  )

• Rhubarb Cornmeal Shortcakes (

  Gentle Foods by Christina Chaey
  )

May Substack Saves

• Behind the Scenes of Sense and Sensibility: Unexpected Old Hollywood Ties and Other Curiosities｜ (

  The Best Before Supplement
  )

• Shakespeare's Plays - Reading Guide #1 ｜(

  Methinks
  )

• Vibes Are Dead｜ (

  Tori
  )

• On getting laid off and moving on｜ (

  GRETAGRAM
  )

• Read Like a Poet Vol. 1｜ (

  Office Hours with José Olivarez
  )

• When Did TV Stop Worrying About Money?｜ (

  Unresolving
  )

Anticipated June 2025 Reads

• I’ll Tell You When I’m Home by Hala Alyan (6/3)

• The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (6/3)

• Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue (6/3)

• So Far Gone by Jess Walter (6/10)

• Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin (6/10)

• Roommating by Meredith Schorr (6/10)

• This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman (6/17)

• When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa (6/24)

• Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers (6/24)

• The Tiny Things are Heavier by Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo (6/24)

• I’ll Be Right Here by Amy Bloom (6/24)

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