We Need Some Joy
Life is so heavy. Here's a little levity (plus Florida events).
I can’t face what Instagram is showing me anymore. How the three newly released hostages look. Videos of the fire. Destroyed homes, some right around the corner from ours. Plane crash victims. Earthquakes.
It’s all so heavy. And yet I keep scrolling.
I need something happy. Maybe you do, too? Here’s a photo from my Most Anticipated Books party this week that makes me smile. (Want to see my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2025? Click here. I’ve added links to every title so you can learn more and shop. And if you want to see ALL my photos from the party, click here. FYI, my outfit was a gift from our brand partner Veronica Beard.)
This is Graca. If you’ve been to one of our reader retreats or events, you’ve met her! She’s our Director of Events and also designs many of our book covers for Zibby Publishing. Graca started a couple years ago as my assistant until I realized how insanely talented she was and set her off to do what she’s best at.
Fun fact: five women on our 22-person Zibby Media team started as my assistant and leapt into other roles based on their amazing skills.
Graca and I sat on the couch together yesterday and rescheduled a few events we’d cancelled due to the fires and planned more in NY and LA between now and summer. Info on all that to come.
Oh, FYI, while I’m trying not to travel too much for book events anymore, I will be in Florida February 24th and 25th. Please come see me!
FLORIDA
February 24th at 11 am: Miami Beach JCC with Zoe Buckman, moderated by Mindy Solomon.
February 24th at 5 pm: Veronica Beard, Bal Harbour Shops, event. Free book! Invite here. I’ll be with Rochelle Weinstein, Dara Levan, Amy Ephron, and Debbie Reed Fischer.
February 24th at 8 pm: Books & Books Coral Gables hosts Zibby Owens, Talia Carner, Rochelle Weinstein, Dara Levan, Amy Ephron, and Debbie Reed Fischer. Register here.
February 25th at 10:30 am: Mandel JCC in Palm Beach Gardens with Amy Ephron, Dara Levan, and Debbie Reed Fischer. Register here.
Why throw book parties when the planet is burning and flooding and shaking? Why select menus when innocent people are held hostage and planes fall from the sky?
Because the only way to counteract all the darkness is to add some light and joy. To remember what’s special about life itself: connections, conversations, community, creativity, and celebrations. My 5 Cs. Even when you might not feel like celebrating.
Find a memory that makes you smile. Post THAT. Post the joy. Post a time you were super happy. Or just look at some of those photos to balance out the doom and dread. Thank a friend or colleague. Do something nice for someone.
If you need a suggestion of something nice, donate to our Zibby’s Bookshop campaign to raise funds needed to rebuild entire library collections at four Palisades schools: Marquez Charter Elementary, St. Matthew’s Parish School, the Village School and Seven Arrows Elementary School.
I’m handling all the logistics and ordering directly with the school librarians to get them the books they need right now, so please contribute soon. I’ll send you a fun treat if you donate, courtesy of our partner Eleni’s Cookies: “If you give a school a library… you’ll get a cookie to go with it.”
Please screenshot and post this visual on your own accounts and in your own newsletters so we can reach our goal of almost $800,000 in the next month.
We can ALL add positivity, a syringe filled with joy jabbed into our broken hearts. So go ahead. Make someone smile. That includes you.
I have been reading "On Being Jewish Now" and finally recognizing/experiencing how I'm not alone in how I am feeling about the October 7 attack and those who support it here and abroad. Some relief.
I have been reading "On Being Jewish Now" and finally recognizing/experiencing how I'm not alone in how I am feeling about the October 7 attack and those who support it here and abroad. Some relief.