Issue #67: April 2025 Favorites
Tom Hanks' soothing voice, easy lunches, and two fantastic books
‘Tis the season of floral scents in the air. I have found myself looking forward to running errands on foot because it means walking through all the blooms happening in our neighborhood. Everything is so green, and the daylight is back, and everyone just seems a little bit happier.
April was wild. When the month started, I didn’t have any clue that I’d be on the road for 19 days, so nothing on my to-do list happened the way that I planned. I have four drafts almost done for Substack, yet I went the whole month without posting once. Stay tuned for a busy May with more content since I’m back home and ready to dive in.
I might not have had time to check everything off my list, but I did have time to consume some content, and I’m here to share my favorites with you. I thought this would be book-heavy, but only two of the five books I finished in April are worth sharing. It happens, and my library stack for May looks very promising.
🏔️ The Americas
Imagine Tom Hanks narrating a nature documentary featuring different regions of North and South America with some mind-blowing camera work. You had me at Tom Hanks. Seriously, I have enjoyed a few nature documentaries in the past, but this one is at the next level. Each episode focuses on one region (like the Caribbean or the Andes) and is then broken down into multiple segments that deep dive into one animal or plant for a few minutes. We are almost done, but have been trying to savor each episode. The last one is about how they captured these shots, and I cannot wait to see how tiny these cameras are. Watch the full season on Peacock.
🐙 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
This book has been everywhere for the last few years, but it wasn’t until my husband listened to it on audiobook that I realized I needed to get on board. The idea of an octopus as a character felt weird when I read the description, but I loved that angle once I got into it. This book felt like a cozy hug, and I love that it was set in the PNW, so even though I read it while in Minnesota, I felt like I was back in Seattle. This will definitely be one of my best books in 2025, so if you haven’t read it yet, get on it.
Buy a copy of this book here (or grab a Kindle copy here.)
📺 Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer
Did anyone read this book that came out a while back? The case has been updated, and Netflix made a documentary about it. If you find true crime interesting, this story covers the many missing girls from Long Island and how the parents had to fight to get their voices heard. It was a three-part story, and we watched it all in one night because we needed to find out what happened.
🌯 Salad Wraps
I am constantly trying to come up with easy lunches packed with vegetables. If there isn’t a plan, I will eat a piece of toast and whatever snacks I can get my hands on. I’m guilty of buying bagged salads, forcing myself to eat them before they go bad, and hating it. I’ve been using those to make lunch wraps with some protein (chickpeas, tofu, or plant-based “chicken”), and it’s so easy. Each bag of salad will make four decent-sized wraps, and it’s cheaper than buying all the vegetables separately and trying to build these myself. Highly recommend this method if you need something easy for lunches.
👯♀️ Good Hang Podcast with Amy Poehler
My favorite podcasts are women chatting with each other and swapping funny stories. Amy Poehler started a new podcast, and it’s great. She begins each episode chatting with a few people who know her guest, and they help her come up with questions and topics for the conversation. It’s fun for them to talk up whoever is coming on the show. So far, she’s chatted with Tina Fey, Rashida Jones, Quinta Brunson, and Kathryn Hahn.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Imagine what would happen if one day, everyone on Earth could instantly find out how long they had left before they died. That’s the premise of this story. I was worried it would be horribly depressing, but I loved it. There were tears, but also a reminder about how much people are intertwined. The book follows many characters through the year after receiving mysterious boxes. Some things felt obvious and others surprised me. I would highly recommend.
Buy a copy of the book here (or grab a Kindle copy.)
Minnesota’s New State Flag
After spending some time in my hometown this month, I was finally able to see the new Minnesota state flag in person. Many homes have it hanging in the front, and the colors are just so cool. It’s such an improvement over the old one, and I kind of hope Washington picks something new soon. Change can be a good thing sometimes, and it still pays homage to the state’s motto, l’etoile du nord (the star of the north).
I love this mug and this dad hat, but I haven’t bought either. I cannot figure out how I want to display a little hometown pride.
Softdrape Wide Leg Pants
I got a pair of Madewell Softdrape pants in my recent Nuuly package, and they are so comfortable. I accidentally fell asleep in them because I didn’t realize I hadn’t changed into pajamas. They are loose and thin, so they’ll be perfect for warmer days in the summer when you still want to wear pants. With multiple colors, I might even circle back and get another pair.
Get them on sale for 50% off. And if you want to try the rental service, here’s a discount code.
PWHL Expansion to the West Coast
As I was writing this, I got the email that the PWHL announced the addition of an 8th team to the league next season, and it’s in SEATTLE. We’ve been full supporters of the professional women’s hockey league and the versions before this one, but now we will have a local team. I love how they have branded the other teams, and I cannot wait to see what they name the team. Seattle loves women’s sports, and I love that about this city.
I found my old American Girl doll books in my dad’s basement and went down a rabbit hole reading about these treasures. Found this piece about why millennial girls are still attached to these dolls.
I write in a journal every day, and I’ve also started writing about the books I’m reading. I saw this reading journal online, and now I’m tempted to get my own.
The idea of stoop coffee is magical, and with summer knocking on our door, it’s got me thinking about how I could meet more neighbors and have more community time.
Making these bowls on repeat.
These leggings are so damn comfortable that I went back and ordered a second pair. I’ve finally had to replace some of the things we wore on our long trip six years ago, so we’ll see how long these last.
It’s Lilac season, and I have plotted out the blooms in our neighborhood. I’m tempted to add this candle to the spring lineup to have it at home too, but I got the OK to clip some from a friend’s yard, so I’ll start there.
Need a new internet game to play? This one is for movie and TV lovers.
Hope my friends aren’t over my intensity yet. We are 1/3 of the way through 2025, and I’m entering my birthday month (which I only acknowledge as a month because I’m turning 40 this year). I’m so excited for more fun to come. What’s your favorite spring flower??
Cheers!
Steph
**Reminder: Some of the links included are affiliate links. Purchasing through them may give me a few pennies, but it won’t cost you any extra. The pennies help me justify the amount of time I spend watching bad TV to share with all of you. Another way to help is to share this, hit the like button, or even drop a comment with something you have loved this month. And if you’re really inspired, you can pledge your support.
I'm also guilty of making toast and eating all the snacks when I have no plans 😅 it's so good though