school & sweater weather | lately with lila september 2023
Hello again, dear friends! I hope your day is going well and if not, I hope brighter days head your way soon! It’s finally spooky season and I am so ready, friends 👻 Idk why, because I’m definitely not a cold weather girly, but something has me feeling so autumnal this year 🎃 I honestly am so pumped for the season and can’t wait for the activities and books, movies, tv series, podcasts, and music it brings!
Anyhoo, enough of my autumnal rambling! Let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns! September was a busy month for me, so I didn’t manage to consume too much media. That said, I did manage to begin reading a webcomic and start watching two TV series, so I’m counting that as a win! Let’s dive into the wrap up and see exactly what I’ve been up to…
what i posted
what i read
🗡️ Purple Hyacinth by Ephemerys and Sophism (Episodes 1 – 16) I was introduced to this gripping webcomic through Ritz’s review and I’ve been absolutely obsessed with it since! I gobbled up the first 17 episodes this past month and I don’t plan on stopping until there’s no more left to read!! Purple Hyacinth is a gritty mystery with a hint of fantasy set in a fictional land which is reminiscent of Victorian England. It’s about Lauren Sinclair—a cop with the ability to tell when someone’s lying—and Kieran White, a.k.a. “the Purple Hyacinth”—an assassin working for the notorious criminal organization, the Phantom Scythe. Both end up teaming up to take down the Phantom Scythe from the inside and the outside, and, of course, mayhem (and romance!) ensues.
what i’m currently reading
🐉 Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Yes, I’m still (slowly) reading this and, yes, I’m still adoring it!
🌊 A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid I’ve seen a lot of middling reviews for this book, but I’m actually quite enjoying it? I think it’s the perfect autumn read, due to its dreary and mysterious atmosphere, and I have so many questions about where Reid is planning on taking the story and the characters. I will say: it’s definitely an upper YA, and a dark one at that, featuring numerous discussions of sexual assault, abuse, and misogyny and sexism, so treat lightly if those things are triggering for you.
⚔️ Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer On a totally different tonal note, I started Assistant to the Villain as well, which is a light and comedic cozy fantasy/romance and I’m also really enjoying it! I honestly think the people who this has been a miss for went in with the wrong expectations, thinking it was either a genuinely dark villain romance or thinking it would have more elements of a serious epic fantasy. Personally, I went in expecting something light, a little cozy, and a tad goofy—something more akin to a romcom than a dark epic fantasy—and that’s what I’ve gotten so far.
what i watched
🎃 Over The Garden Wall I was in a very autumnal mood this past month, so I decided to watch the first few episodes of this beloved miniseries to see what the hullabaloo was all about. I thought it was cute, though I think if I’d watched it when I was younger I would have loved it more. That said, it was, indeed, a very autumnal, atmospheric series.
🛞 The Wheel of Time, Season 2 Episode 1 I absolutely devoured the first season of this show, so I figured I’d start the second season. I’ve only watched one episode so far since I started it at the very tail end of the month, but it looks promising. I’ve seen both positive and negative reviews of this season from fans of the books, but I haven’t read the books so I’ll have to judge for myself.
what i listened to
A few years ago I created a banger autumn seasonal/spoopy playlist called “ghouls just wanna have fun,” and every fall I love jamming out to it. Needless to say: this year’s time has come! Of course, I also made a monthly playlist for this September too. I was in a particularly autumnal mood, so the playlist has a good number of songs that give me the fall feels.
what i bookmarked
Marie recommended books like Red, White & Royal Blue
Aria spotlighted books by Singaporean authors and/or set in Singapore
Ninu highlighted 10 must-read classics by women writers
24hryabookblog took a deep dive into YA booktok and what’s trending
Bianca shined a light on duologies to add to your TBR
Simran shouted out some Red, White, & Royal Blue read-a-likes
Sophie & Beth pitted tropes against each other in a battle of the tropes: fantasy edition
Micaela created a playlist for Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Gabriela shined a light on books for Latine Heritage Month
Kristin built the ultimate fall TBR
Charvi questioned the marketing of books solely through vibes and tropes
The Orangutan Librarian discussed Fourth Wing and when it’s popular to hate on a book
The Library Ladies explored the subgenre of military sci fi
Delaney recommended books starring bisexual characters for Bisexuality Day of Visability
Willow in Winter shared the books and activities on their autumn bucket list plus aesthetic moodboards
Alicia told us all about her new favorite books by Latine authors
Abby put together her version of an autumnal almanac
what life’s like lately
Honestly, my life has mostly been wrapped up in school for the last month. I’m retaking Physics I and am also taking an English course and both of them started early in September. On top of that, I have my weekly choral rehearsals, so my schedule’s been pretty full. I’m hoping to have some autumnal/Halloween fun this October, though. I’d definitely like to get together with friends once or twice, despite my homework heavy schedule.
spill the beans, friends!
- How was your September of 2023?
- Did you read any memorable books?
- What are you looking forward to this upcoming October?
i haven’t watched the wheel of time but i’ve seen people say that season two is better than s1, i hope you enjoy your watch! ooh okay purple hyacinth is definitely going on my tbr. ritz’s review intrigued me and now you’ve sold me on it. it looks so interesting!!
have a great month ahead, lila!
thank you so much, jan, i hope your october has been swell! definitely give Purple Hyacinth a look—it’s so good!! and i’m really glad to hear that about The Wheel of Time, since i haven’t had the chance to watch more of it yet!
I’ve been seeing A Study In Drowning everywhere and based on your premise, I think I might pick it up! We don’t have autumn over here but I love seeing the rest of bookish spaces revel in it 🍂
i actually recently finished A Study in Drowning and it was really, really good!! if you end up picking it up, definitely let me know what you think! that’s too bad about autumn for you, but i’m glad you can live vicariously through our posts, haha. tbh, here in virginia we only get autumn weather and leaves during october, then in november it gets all wet and dreary because we’re hit by hurricane season (yuck)! i always wish i had more of the season, but i also don’t like cold weather so i’m also always conflicted in how i feel about autumn, lol! thanks for dropping in, lucia, and i hope you’ve had a lovely october ☺️☺️☺️
Good luck with all the school stuff! I’m sure you’ll rock physics! 💪🏻
I might have to give Wheel of Time another try; I was mostly annoyed by how much was changed compared to the book when I watched the first couple of episodes and never continued… But since I was never that blown away by the book, either, I should probably stop fussing! 😂
thank you so much, naemi ❤️ i haven’t read Wheel of Time, so i can only assess the show by its own merits. as a show on its own, though, i think it’s pretty decent! hopefully if you try watching again, you enjoy it more!
both a study in drowning and assistant to the villain sound so perfect?? definitely reading them sometime this year. maybe. if future anoushka still deems them interesting enough. i cant wait to read your final thoughts on all three books BUT FINGERS CROSSED YOU CONTINUE LOVING THEM.
GOOD LUCK WITH SCHOOL AND HOPE YOU’RE HAVING A GREAT OCTOBER, LILA
THANK YOU SO MUCH ANOUSHKA, I HOPE YOU’VE HAD AN AMAZING OCTOBER!!! (also i just finished A Study in Drowning and can confirm it was AMAZING [but very dark for a YA book]) ☺️☺️☺️
AH I really need to read A Study in Drowning soon, it sounds excellent and perfect for this season. Plus, I love that cover so, so much!
Thank you so much for sharing my post! And all the best of luck with school!! <3
of course, marie, you and nyx always have awesome posts! i just recently finished A Study in Drowning and it was really, really good (and surprisingly dark for a YA book?) and very atmospheric!