lately with lila july 2022 | you are now entering orilium academy…

Hello again, dear friends! How’s everyone doing? I hope you are all well and if not, I hope that brighter days head your way soon.

2022 seems to be flying right by, doesn’t it?! I mean, at this point, I’ve come to accept that I’ve been in a time warp since March 2020, but it’s all cool, I’m not steady losing it! (Narrator: “She was, in fact, ‘steady losing it'”)

Anyhoo! July was kinda a bust in regards to media consumption. I barely touched my audiobooks and only watched one series. That being said, it might be because a lot of life was happening, which is good! So let’s jump in and see what happened!

updates

💻 I went self hosted! Not sure if it’s massively noticeable and I’m still working out some kinks, but I’m excited to say that after eight years of book blogging, I’ve taken the plunge and gone self hosted! Thank you so much to Romi at Roopkathaa for being the spark behind the change and for being so encouraging! I can’t wait to see what this new journey will bring!

📚 Rena Barron’s Kingdom of Souls is our new Pages in Colour Book Club pick! The people have spoken and we now have our book club’s next pick: Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron! I’ve heard nothing but praise for this West African inspired fantasy, so I can’t wait to see what all the buzz is about!

what i posted

• Lately With Lila June 2022
• Let’s Talk Bookish | Why I Don’t Set Reading Goals
• How To Actually Romanticize Your Life
• We Still Have A Long Way To Go With Disability Representation In Literature + Recommendations

what i’m reading

👁️ The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake I’m so close to finishing this book, but honestly I don’t want it to end! I’m actually right at what I think is one of the big “twists” towards the end, and it’s got me screaming! I’m both excited and nervous to see what happens next.

🗡️ This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede I finally managed to start a new book and get pretty invested in the story! I love Alessa (the main character) so much already, and can see a lot of myself in her too, especially as a fellow young woman with ADHD (which Emily Thiede has said Alessa has). I’m definitely looking forward to continuing with This Vicious Grace!

what i plan on reading

⚗️ “O” in Alchemy: Basics of Poison: From Someone’s “Worst of…” List You Think You’ll Enjoy ⇒ The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

• It’s time to finish this. Recently I’ve seen some kinda “meh” reviews for this book, friends. Can’t say I agree with the sentiment, but at least it means this book qualifies for this challenge…

⚗️ “Q” in Alchemy: Acidic Amber: An Orange Book ⇒ Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

• Conversely, I have yet to see a bad review yet for Iron Widow! Which—and I say this as a book blogger of eight years now—is quite an accomplishment.

⚗️ “D” in Alchemy: Willoweed Poison: One Word Title ⇒ The Witchery by S. Isabelle

• If you don’t count articles then this is one word so it counts…right??? 😉

✒️ “O” in Inscription: Recollection Glyph: Childhood Favorite ⇒ Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

• Honestly, this challenge stumped me until I realized your teen years techniccally count as childhood and that Cassie Clare still has books Ihave yet to read on my TBR.

✒️ “Q” in Inscription: Inking Techniques: Comic Book/Graphic Novel/Manga ⇒ Witchy Vol. 1 by Ariel Slamet Ries

• I might swap this out for something else, but then again this still seems cute.

⚙️ “O” in Artificery: Arcane Engineering Level 1: Featuring AI ⇒ Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

• I love the quirky AI in this series and I’m already halfway through this book anyway!

🪄 “O” in Spells & Incantation: Recolor Spell: Color Wheel: Yellow ⇒ This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede

• I just started this book recently (see the “what i’m reading” section) and it has lemons on the cover, so it fulfills the prompt.

🪄”Q” in Spells & Incantation: Echo Incantation: From Someone Else’s TBR ⇒ Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

• I have no clue why I haven’t read this one yet, but I saw it on someone else’s Autumn Equinox TBR and figured maybe  it’s time to get to it.

what i watched

🪄 WandaVision (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) I finally finished this show and it had me in tears! I loved it so much, but I especially related to the themes of coping with loss and grief. As someone who has struggled with loss and grief myself, I related to Wanda very much. The ending was bittersweet, but incredibly fitting and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Wanda in the MCU.

what i listened to

high notes

🎶 “SUNDOWN” by Jack Halow I’ve been so obsessed with this funky, little song the entire month of July and I think it’s safe to say it’s going straight on the “all-time favorites” playlist!

🎶 “Conceited” by Flo Milli We all need a couple of good Hot Girl Summer bops, and this made the list for me.

🎶 “Declaration” by Cailin Russo I love the mix of old western music aesthetic with “1980s lite” music aesthetic that this song has!

🎶 “FRAUD” by Jessie Reyez Y’all know I’m a super fan of Jessie, so are we really that surprised???

what i bookmarked

• Stephanie highlighted 20 books to read for Disability Pride Month
• Sara shared her thought on romances and happily ever afters
• Madeline talked about why disability representation matters and recommended books fior Disability Pride Month
• Jocelyn wrote an ode to the unhinged woman
• Hayley made a playlist for the second leads of The Summer I Turned Pretty
• Sophie recommended funny mystery and thriller books
• Marie shined a light on 20 YA books set in boarding school
• Neelam shared why she loves the disability representation in the The Theft of Sunlight duology
• Sophie wondered “would you create content if no one was reading?“
• 24hryabookblog talked about critical reading as a book blogger and how it’s fun
• Siena explained why she thinks reading and blogging slumps can be beneficial
• Cali Gula responded to the question “can you have ADHD and be an avid reader?“
• Abby discussed her desire for more platonic relationships in YA (plus recommendations)
• Caesar gave us the ultimate guide to books about dragons
• Kate highlighted 7 queer Filipino books

hidden gems of the internet

• Rolling Stone covered how the editor of the infamous Go Ask Alice helped launch the Satanic Panic of the ’80s
• Costume historian/YouTuber Bernadette Banner posted a video case study of the “historical accuracy” of the costumes for the fantasy world of Game of Thrones

what i did in july

Honestly, my July was pretty up and down. There were some good times and some bad times, but I guess that’s life. I did manage to do some fun things and meet up with friends, though. I attended a Profs & Pints lecture on Norse mythology and it was absolutely fascinating! I also got together with a friend and went to an entirely gluten free restaurant, which was great considering I have celiac disease and thus can’t have gluten. Early on in July I also met with my high school choir teacher, and it was so lovely to see her again and catch up.

what i plan on doing in august

My college’s fall semester actually begins late in August, so before that kicks off, I’m mostly gonna try to relax and spend extra time with friends. I’m hoping to maybe go out and do something fun a couple of times, maybe go dancing or go on a trip to a gallery or something.

spill the beans, friends

• How was your July 2022?
• Did you read or watch anything good?
• What are you looking forward to in August 2022?

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 31 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.