lately with lila may 2024 | brightness over the horizon

Hello again, dear friends! I hope all is well for you, and if not, then I hope brighter days head your way soon ☀️

I find myself surprised to say that May was quite a good month for me! It was busy, but I also got in some good fun with friends and with myself. And! I even managed to read and blog a bit!! (*gives self a desperately needed pat on the back for that*) What I managed to finish and also to pick up were pretty amazing reads! So let’s check out what went down this past May…

what i posted

Lately With Lila April 2024

My Wyrd & Wonder TBR (Wyrd & Wonder 2024)

The Wonderful World of Webcomics

10 Booktubers You Should Be Watching

Underrated Fantasies You Absolutely NEED To Add To Your TBR (Wyrd & Wonder 2024)

How I Approach Author Controversies As A Reader And Reviewer

what i read

🪻Purple Hyacinth (Season 1, Episodes 13 – 24) by Ephemerys and Sophism (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) My own post about webcomics and the comments I got on that post spurred me to have a mini-binge of Purple Hyacinth. Season 1 Episodes 13 through 24 were equally as amazing as the first 12 episodes! Plus, Episode 24 ended on a MASSIVE cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to see what happens next!!

what i’m currently reading

🐉Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier I started listening to the audiobook of this one on a whim when I realized it was available on Spotify. Turns out that was a great idea because I’m really enjoying it! I’ve never read a Polynesian inspired fantasy before, so it’s been really interesting to see how that culture influences Dragonfruit. It’s honestly quite a laid back fantasy in that I’m about 40% through and there’s yet to be any MAJOR conflict, yet I’m still having fun reading it and am eager to see where the story goes next.

what i plan on reading

clearursht readathon

✨I’m eager to once again take part in another mini-round of the ClearUrSht Readathon happening this June (info about this readathon can be found on its official Twitter page here and in the official announcement video here)! For the sake of my sanity, I’m only trying to complete three of the nine prompts (there are no rules to this readathon, after all!), and the following is my TBR:

• A Book That Is Your Favorite Genre // Fantasy ⇒ Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier Since I’m about 40% through this book and I’m really enjoying it so far, I’m hoping I can finish it this June!
• A Book With Drama // Evocation by S.T. Gibson I received an ALC of this audiobook right before it was released, so I’m hoping to be able to read and finish it this June as well. Featuring psychic mediums and a polyamorous relationship, this book promises to be full of drama!
• A Book That’s Part Of A Series // Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse This finale to one of my top three all-time favorite series finally arrives the first week of June and I couldn’t be more excited!!! If you think I plan on doing anything other than immediately gobbling up the audiobook of Mirrored Heavens, I must inform you that you have absolutely lost your marbles 😂

what i watched

Surprisingly, this past month I somehow managed not to watch anything…🙃

what i listened to

rehash

Rehash I’ve been a big fan of Maia’s YouTube video essay channel (Broey Deschanel) for years now, so I’m surprised I hadn’t realized she cohosted this podcast too. Nevertheless, once I learned she did, I knew that I had to give it a chance! Turns out that was a great choice!! On Rehash, Maia and her cohost, Hannah, talk about social media topics that were once in the spotlight but then quickly faded into the background. The hosts have great chemistry and are very knowledgeable—plus, they do their research, lol! If you enoy the “video essayist” corner of YouTube, Rehash is definitely a podcast you’ll want to check out!

my may 2024 playlist

what i bookmarked

Sia recommended fantasy books with disability representation

Ashley discussed rating and reviewing books you’ve DNFed and gatekeeping reviewing (Video)

Yara highlighted books by Arab authors (Video)

Cronk pondered over the question of “Can books save the world?” (Video)

Sophie talked all-powerful characters in fantasy books

Charvi recommended books to read for Mental Health Awareness Month

Alli sounded off on several bookish opinions

John Oliver of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver taught about the increasing threats to American public libraries (Video)

Imyril showed off some outstanding fantasy novellas (some of which are available free online!)

Bree shared her favorite Dramione fanfics (with spice info)

Leonie investigated the rise and fall of the love triangle (Video)

Maria shouted out books with amazing plot twists

Delaney ranked every Pride and Prejudice adaptation she’s read and reviewed her own reviews

Rebecca spotlighted grimdark fantasy books

Cait explained the importance of beta readers

Snapdragon Alcove shined a light on fantastical creatures they’d like to see more of in books

Rosina gave us tips on how to get into nonfiction books and also recommended nerdy YA romances

Shenwei interviewed Judy I. Lin, author of the new YA fantasy, Song of the Six Realms

Peat talked about some of the most interesting mothers in fantasy worlds, as well as some of fantasy’s greatest last stands

Clo continued her zodiac recommendations series by recommending books for Taurus placements

Sophie shared some bangers with us in her post about her favorite music of 2024 (part 1)

The Booked Shelf showed off some Winter and Spring 2024 YA cover reveals

Madeline highlighted YA books for AAPI Heritage Month

Aria spotlighted 10 multiverse books

Liv shouted out her top 10 audiobooks available on Spotify

Elsie shed light on her “bookworm mistakes”

Sophie elaborated on her dream reading set ups

Abi recorded a new reading log

Ellie created the cosyometer for books and told us all about fantasy games in her comfort zone

Alli sounded off on her bookish opinions: part 1 and part 2

24hryabookblog also posted their own book log

Niv lamented the books they’ve bought and never read

Nicole discussed why she believes book buying and reading are separate hobbies

Aelyn showed off five must-read boarding school fantasy books

Anna tipped us off to five historical murder mystery series to investigate

Becky recommended books to fill the Bridgerton shaped hole in your heart

Tree and Bree highlighted historical romances by BIPOC authors

Caro tried out five popular mangas and gave her thougths on them

Elle prepped us for Pride by showing us five books with sapphic representation

Sumedha gave us her best book recommendations

Emma interviewed Gloria Chao, author of When You Wish Upon A Lantern

Robin recommended ten historical romance novels for fans of Bridgerton

Anne tipped us off to how to write a book review

A Cup of Tea with That Book, Please listed books to read year-round involving mental health

Caitlyn blogged through her completion of a 24 hour reading challenge

what i did in may 2024

On the whole, May was a pretty good month for me! I managed to continue taking care of my mental health (and saw some great improvements!), while also making time for fun!

My mom and I went art supply shopping and I got some knitting needles, yarn, and a really nice Tombow brush pen. Afterward, we also went to this gourmet popcorn restaurant and got some delicious popcorn, which was a snack we both loved.

Another fun thing that happened was that I attended an African/Palestinian cultural event in D.C. with one of my good friends and had a great time with her. She and I are both Afro Arab (I’m Black/Lebanese and she’s Egyptian) and it was really nice to spend time together and also to spend time in community with our shared cultural communities. After the event, we browsed a local indie bookstore, where I bought a really nice, mini sized journal that I’ve wanted for a while. Then we headed next door to a local cafe I’d heard great things about, where I had a killer lavender honey latte. All in all, it was a great time and reminded me of the power of community!

what i’m hoping for in june 2024

I honestly don’t have much planned for this June aside from relaxing and hopefully having fun with friends. I decided not to take summer or fall courses this year in order to continue focusing on mending my mental health, so beyond doing just that, I don’t know what I’ll be doing.

spill the beans, friends!

• How was your May?
• Did you read anything memorable?
• Are you looking forward to anything this upcoming June?