Lately With Lila | Spring 2020 (March, April, & May 2020)

Hello, dear friends! It’s been a pretty odd three months for everyone I’m sure. If anything, spring 2020 has proven just how quickly life can change! It’s also weird to be alive during such a strange and historic time. I can only imagine the stories we’ll tell future generations about this truly bizarre time! I think the most thing that seems most mind-boggling is that we’re so technologically and scientifically advanced…and yet, the entire world has had to shut down because of something so basic and natural as a virus…It really shows how far science still has to go!

Anyhoo don’t mind my tangential ramblings. We’re not here to talk about that godforsaken virus—we’re here to wrap up my bookish life and my favorites from March, April, and May 2020!

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BLOG NEWS/UPDATES

• I made a few very slight changes in the design of the site. See if you can spot them!

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BLOG POSTS

• My Brief List of Good Things To Bring You Cheer
• Quarantine Queen | 5 Comforting Reads To Get You Through Tough Times
• Find Your Inner Fantasy Fan! 10 Fantasies That Are GREAT For Getting Started With The Genre (Wyrd & Wonder 2020)
• Quarantine Queen | 5 Binge-Worthy Fiction Podcasts To Follow During Quarantine
• Magic & Mental Health | 5 Fantasies That Deal With Mental Health Disorders (Wyrd & Wonder 2020 / Mental Health Awareness Month)

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BOOKISH STUFF

READ

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was a massively fun, wild ride and definitely a satisfying ending. If you’re looking for a fun, minorly spooky series, check this one out!

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this book took me literally three years to finish but I’ve finally made it through and now I’m hooked!

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

This was cute and fun and I really appreciated all the diverse representation, but I wish there had been more depth to the characters and more complexity to the plot.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

What a fun ride this was! The story wraps up pretty well at the end, but I can’t help we get to see more of these gals and their adventures!

TBR

Since I’m just getting out of a reading slump, I decided not to set out even the loosest of TBRs for right now. TBRs tend to make me feel stressed and rebellious, which in turn tends to lead me right back into a slump. So for now, I’m just hoping I’ll read and finish something 🤷🏽‍♀️

BOUGHT

ARCS ACQUIRED

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MARCH & APRIL 2020 FAVORITES

Definitely check out my good things post for other recent faves!

MOVIES/TV

Never Have I Ever

The show I’ve definitely been most obsessed with is Netflix’s new teen dramedy, Never Have I Ever. Produced by Mindy Kaling, the show follows an Indian American teen girl named Devi (along with her family and friend) as she navigates her way through high school. The show is surprisingly touching, especially in its portrayal of grief, and will left me alternately cheering, sobbing, and sighing “Awww!” I binged half the season in two days and I’m excited to continue!

Outer Banks

I also checked out Netflix’s other new teen show, the action/adventure/drama show, Outer Banks. The show stars a ragtag gang of mostly lower class misfits (the “pogues”) in the Outer Banks who stumble upon a boat wreck which places them in the smack dab in the center of a dangerous mystery. It’s a tad slow going at first, but I’m pretty intrigued to see where it goes, especially given that I particularly love treasure hunt stories!

MUSIC

Eve Cornwell’s Playlists

Listen

Hailee’s Playlists

Listen

My Own Spring Playlist

Listen

Lifestyle

Learning Hand Embroidery

I’ve been using time in quarantine to learn hand embroidery and it is such a relaxing creative outlet for me! Basically, I started following this science communicator, Lauren, on Instagram (fyi her handle is @stitching_hew, for those interested) and she uses hand embroidery to teach about neuroscience. I saw all of her neat designs and that she was offering a couple of patterns for free on her blog and decided I wanted to teach myself the art! I looked up some tutorials on YouTube and it’s been great going so far!

OTHER

Eve Cornwell

one of my biggest recent faves is Eve Cornwell’s YouTube channel! Eve is a recent law school graduate who makes content that’s, like, 50% fun videos about law, law school, and the realities of being a lawyer and 50% lifestyle videos. I love her sarcastic yet peppy personality and her down-to-earth, casual discussion style. I always leave her videos having fun and having learned something. Seriously, check out her amazing channel!

The Bridge

I recently got into the sci fi audio drama podcast, The Bridge and, whoo chile, has it been a ride! I pretty much was instantly drawn in and fell in love with the story and the mysterious and quirky characters. The Bridge follows a radio show made for those crossing the Transcontinental Bridge, a futuristic bridge spanning the ocean and connecting the continents. As we listen along, we get to know the loveable crew of Watchtower 10 and start to real9ize that they’re more than they initially seem and that something strange and possibly sinister may be afoot! Definitely give this fun and gripping podcast a listen!

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AROUND THE BLOGISHPERE

FOR READERS

• Katie at Never Not Reading mulled over whether or not she wants to read literary fiction
• Jessica from Booked All Night shared nine bookish craft idea and showed us how to make dragon jars for our bookshelves
• The Orangutan Librarian pondered what YA actually is
• Sofia of Bookish Wandress gave us book recommendations for your zodiac sign
• Nandini from Novels And Nebulas also gave us book recommendations based on your zodiac sign
• Hollie over at Hollieblog told us why book recaps need to be a thing
• Caro of Bookcheshirecat reflected on her past favorite books
• Katie from Never Not Reading thought on fiction vs. non-fiction preferences
• Krysta at Pages Unbound shared 10 YA books she thinks should become classics
• Check out even more book recommendations based on your zodiac sign from Krysti at Page Candy
• Xandra of Starry Sky Books wondered how much a favorite series can impact us
• Margaret of Weird Zeal recommended books for Jane Austen heroines
• Maddy from Maddy Go Lucky discussed the (non)existence of the new adult category

FOR BLOGGERS

• Maha at Sunshine N’ Books invited six book bloggers to discuss their experience as Muslim book bloggers
• Marie of Drizzle and Hurricane Books spilled her five tips on interacting with the book blogging community
• Belle from Belle Can Read thought over the pros and cons of joining book Twitter
• Speaking of book Twitter, Amber from This Library of Mine talked about why it isn’t for her
• Kat at Novels & Waffles dished on how to write SEO friendly blog posts
• Sabrina from Wordy And Whimsical showed us post ideas she’s scrapped
• Sofi of A Book. A Thought. discussed the pressures of blogging
• The Orangutan Librarian shared why they don’t believe in unbiased reviews
• Ellen from allonsythoraxx updated us on how she outlines blog posts
• Marie of Drizzle and Hurricane Books also analyzed how book blogging has changed in the past five years
• Sofia at Bookish Wandress recommended adult fantasy books by female authors
• Aldii from Perfection in Books recounted her experience as a booktube viewer

FOR FUN

• Sumedha of The Wordy Habitat shared her tips for creating a routine that doesn’t lead to boredom
• Maha at Sunshine N’ Books gave us a reminder about being productive and creative during hard times
• Michelle from A Geek Girl’s Guide showed off video games with mental health representation
• Ellyn from allonsythoraxx wondered if cinematic universes actually work and how much is too much
• Lisa of Way Too Fantasy mulled over the book blogger’s conundrum of obligated reading
• Cinzia from the YouTube channel discussed her issue with “self care”
• Jessia at Jessica C. Writes announced her June Writing Challenge

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MARCH, APRIL, & MAY 2020 MEMORIES

March, April, and May were…well, they were a trip, if I’m being real with y’all. It feels like these past three months were really hectic and yet…I was pretty much confined to the house the entire time? I think it’s just that it was just a big adjustment period. I mean, my family and I had to adjust to quarantine, my school moved to remote learning, and, on top of that all, my mom contracted COVID-19. Thankfully, my mom has made a full recovery after two weeks of being very sick! Unfortunately, though, I ended up getting two weeks behind in my schoolwork as a result and I haven’t managed to catch up, meaning I had to take incompletes in both of my courses. Luckily, I have very understanding and flexible professors, who are willing to do all they can to help me out, so I’m thanking god for that!

But, believe it or not, there were a few bright spots in these past two months! My friends stuck by me and we spent time together everyday, whether it was by text, by phone, or by video. We also adopted a stray cat! We’ve named him Snoopy and he’s the best boy ever!

I also redecorated my room a bit (which I somehow managed to do despite the fact that it’s still an absolute mess) and I’m really pleased with the results!

I went for a colorful bohemian look, with a floral duvet from Urban Outfitters as my bed cover and a tapestry portraying a color image of the tarot card “The Sun” hanging behind the head of my daybed. I also covered the other wall next to my bed with art, posters, and an old map and looped fairy lights around my bed frame. Ultimately I’m in love with the result and I’m happy to have personalized my space a bit more!

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FORWARD THINKING

It’s really hard to say what’s gonna happen in the near future. May 28, 2020 marks the start of Phase 1 of reopening for my hometown area, but the Washington, D.C. area (including my hometown area) is still one of the largest Covid-19 hotspots in the US and, being the seat of government, the county/state/national officials are being very cautious about reopening. With that said and given we still don’t have a vaccine, I’m skeptical about non-essential institutions and shops staying open for longer than a month or two.

Anyhoo, all of this to say that everything is just so uncertain. The only thing I am certain of is that due to receiving an “Incomplete/Covid” grade in both my Spring 2020 semester courses, I now have to complete my coursework and finals over this summer. But other than that, it’s all up in the air…

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SPILL THE BEANS!

• How has your spring been?
• What books have you been reading?
• What are some of your recent favorites?
• Is there anything you’re looking forward to coming up soon?

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