lately with lila april 2024 | beginning a glow up
Hello again, dear friends. I hope all is well with you, and if not, I hope brighter days head your way soon! I apologize for the interruption in my content, I had some issues with my blog behind the scenes. But I’m back now and I’m so happy I am!
I’m not gonna lie: April was a really rough month for me. I’m honestly shocked that I managed to get anything done. Maybe that’s something to celebrate, but, frankly, I just feel exhausted. Anyhoo, I did somehow manage to consume at least a little bit of entertainment this past April. So, without any further ado, let’s check out what went down…
RESOURCES TO HELP CHANGE THE WORLD
Before anything: FREE PALESTINE!!! 🍉 For over half a century now, the Israeli government has been enacting a genocide against the Palestinian people. This is more than something that started on October 7, 2023. It’s not complicated. It’s genocide. And it’s important that we witness, raise our voices, protest, and fight against it in any way possible. Below are a list of resources to help educate yourself on Palestine, as well as to donate to aid the Palestinian people. In addition, I’ve added some Palestinian influencers and journalists you can follow to learn more from and who keep track of what’s going on. Peace to all and keep fighting the good fight!
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
AID AND ASSISTANCE DONATION RESOURCES
JOURNALISTS & INFLUENCERS
- Motaz (journalist)
- Bisan / Her Backup Account (journalist)
- Plestia (journalist)
- Subhi (influencer)
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE ✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼
WHAT I’M CURRENTLY READING
🎬The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson I started reading this book on a whim and got totally sucked in! I always forget how much I enjoy a good mystery novel until I’m reading one, and then I’m like “OMG, I need to read mysteries more often!!” And this was one of those books that has me feeling that way! Right now I’m about 20% through, and it’s already building suspence sooo incredibly well! Definitely check out The Reappearance of Rachel Price if you’re a mystery fan (or maybe even if you’re not).
WHAT I PLAN ON READING
✨I’m taking part in Wyrd & Wonder (more info on that event here) this May, so I’d like to read a book or two (or three lol) encompassed by this year’s theme, which is “cozy.” I’m a mood reader, so I don’t like to majorly plan ahead when it comes to my reading life, but there are a couple of books I have in mind. First off, I’m really in the mood to finish The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, so I’m heavily leaning toward making that my main read for the month of May. I’m also considering Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater since I’ve heard so many great things about it and it also seems like the perfect read for a month which falls on the cusp of spring and summer. Last, but certainly not least, the third book I’m thinking I might read is Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare, because there’s something so cozy about historical fantasy.
WHAT I WATCHED
🔫 Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1, Episodes 1 – 2 (★★★☆☆) I vaguely knew that this reboot was a thing, but I didn’t realize it had been released recently nor that it was produced by and streamed on Amazon Prime. So, color me pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across this series on Amazon Prime in the middle of April! I decently enjoyed the original Mr. & Mrs. Smith (which I first watched in fall of 2022 for my film theory course) and I always feel like I’ll enjoy espionage stories, so I was down to give this series reboot a chance. Ultimately, though, this reboot was just alright. The humor was very dry, and there wasn’t much action, which kinda felt like a let down, even though I know it’s supposed to be the origin story of the main characters’ marriage. It just felt a tad…stale? I think the original was very clever in how it framed and paced the story, but the reboot lacked the same charm and flirtatious feeling. I might give Mr. & Mrs. Smith another try later on, but for now it’s left me with a middling impression.
WHAT I LISTENED TO
WHAT I BOOKMARKED
Jesse asked people whether booktube cares (too much) about popularity (Video)
Ana recommended books that gossipy people will love (Video)
Willow shared books by autistic authors that star autistic characters for Autism Acceptance Week
The Booked Unicorn highlighted Nigerian fantasy and sci fi books you should be reading
Chiara spotlighted diverse YA books
The Booked Shelf shined a light on YA cozy fantasy books
Fully Booked ran an interesting editorial about the origins of myth
Kristin showed off 15 books that define her reading taste
Amanda of Bookish Brews interviewed author Christopher Murphy and they discussed making space for queer characters of color in thrillers
The Orangutan Librarian ranted about several awful adaptations and also assessed how negative her content is (or is not)
Bree wrote up a beginner’s guide to the childhood best friends-to-lovers trope
Krysta responded to the Let’s Talk Bookish topics of “can there be too many retellings (in literature)?” and “is it possible to separate the art from the artist?“
Raiko invited us to take part in their original May Madness reading challenge
Briana asked the question, “why are we still debating if audiobooks ‘count’ as reading?“
Lucy investigated the romantasy subgenre explosion from a publishing industry perspective (Video)
Sumedha shared her comfort books
Lucia gushed about why she loves writing book reviews
Louise went over books she’s forgoteen she’s bought
Nicole rated romance tropes
Carol talked over the pros and cons of historical fiction
Kat quickly reviewed seven books her friends recommended to her
Aria listed ten books featuring the “found family” trope
WHAT I DID IN APRIL
I mostly took April to really deeply focus on my mental health, as this year has been incredibly rough for me in all honesty. I feel like I’m still very much at the start of my mental health “glow up,” but I’m slowly doing a bit better day by day and that’s something to be proud of.
WHAT I’M HOPING FOR IN MAY
Honestly, I’m mainly just hoping May will be a calm yet productive month. I do have some tentative plans to have fun with friends, including a plan to go to an amusement park with my friend if everything pans out. I also will likely see my partner a couple of times during the month, of course, so that should be a nice time. I’m not taking any summer courses, so I’m definitely looking forward to having some extra time on my hands to just relax. All in all, I’m just hoping for happiness, so let’s all keep our fingers crossed for that!
SPILL THE BEANS, FRIENDS!
How was your month? Did you read anything memorable? What are you looking forward to in the upsoming month? What’s on your May TBR?
I’m so glad to hear you’re on the road to feeling better ! 💫 I remember being there, the more time passes, the more blurry it becomes. You’ll still have bad days, but they feel much less worst.
I hope you’ll get to do all that you’ve planned this may !
thank you so much, kristina, that means a lot to me ❤️ i’m still not at “optimum lila” level, but i’ve made good progress on the road to reaching that point and i’m really proud of that! i hope you have a lovely month as well!