Lately With Lila October 2020 Wrap Up | An AMAZING Book, Catching Up On Shows, And Preparing To Clear My Shit!

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links for Libro.fm, which if used to purchase a subscription will give you one month free and will provide me with a free audiobook.

Hello, dear friends, and happy belated Halloween! How are y’all hangin’ in there? I hope you’re doing well and if not, I hope brighter days head your way soon. We have finally reached November of this seemingly unending year of horror! I think that calls for us to all give a giant “HAMDULILLAH!!” (translation: “THANK GOD!!”) lol! We’re nearly there, friends! But before heading on, it’s time for me to reflect on the past month of October. So, without any further ado, let’s dive right in*…

*Side Note: Am I the only one who can’t not hear the voice of commentary YouTuber Luke Alexander when I say any variation of the phrase “dive in”?

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BLOG UPDATES

This is it, friends! Hardcover Haven has reached its final form!!…Well, kind of. I’ve been eyeing this current blog theme for literal years, so I finally decided to splurge on it. While the theme is not likely to change from here on out, the header could still change. But, with that said, I do like how Hardcover Haven currently looks, so it’s unlikely to change headers for a good while.

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WHAT I POSTED

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WHAT I READ

While I actually read a good deal of several books in October, I only managed to actually finish one (in all honesty this is probably because I’m reading multiple books, which slows down my reading of each individual book). That being said, I really enjoyed the book I finished, so, ya know, quality over quantity…

  • Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (★★★★☆) Y’all. How do I express just how good this book is?! I really have no words. Black Sun is a politically-driven, own voices Indigenous inspired high fantasy and it was an instant new favorite of mine! Not only was it the first time I’ve ever seen my Indigenous American identity reflected in fantasy, but Black Sun is also deliciously dark and full of intrigue. Y’all really gotta hop on the train for this one, lemme just tell ya!

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WHAT I BOUGHT

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WHAT I ACQUIRED FROM PUBLISHERS

Thank you to all the publishers for allowing access to these ALCs and to Libro.fm for distributing them

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WHAT I PLAN ON READING

CLEAR YOUR SHIT READATHON

Find all the info about this readathon here!

VITALS

NAME: Lila

FATAL FLAW: Buys books instead of going to therapy (*weeps*)

TOP STRENGTH: Audiobook hero, master of headphones (I do lurve me a good ol’ audiobook!)

WEAPON OF CHOICE: A book, which may be magical. Or just glittery (What can I say, I’m predictable.)

READATHON TBR

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WHAT I WATCHED

I’ve been s l o w l y making my way through season one of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and savoring every moment and I figured there was no better time to continue the series than October. So, that begs the question…did I complete season one???? Of course not! That would make logical sense and being logic and making sense are two things ya girl just doesn’t do! That being said, I enjoyed what I managed to make it through and I’m looking forward to the rest!

I also started on watching The CW’s Nancy Drew adaptation and made in through the first few episodes. Tbh, I feel kinda mixed about this iteration of the classic detective. I love that The CW updated the cast to be way more diverse, but at the same time, some of the scenes felt rather…i don’t know…hollow? I have only made it two or three episodes in, though, so there’s still time for the actors to get comfortable with their roles.

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WHAT I LISTENED TO

Content Warning: Explicit lyrics

HIGH NOTES

  • “Californian Soil” by London Grammar Aaaah this song is so beautiful in every way!! And the vocals…*chef’s kiss*
  • “Nena” by YENDRY The lead vocalist in this song also has an amazingly gorgeous voice, like, I just…*implodes from the beauty*
  • “Think I’m Crazy” by Two Feet I love any and everything Two Feet makes, so this one was a no brainer!
  • “HIGHER” by Bishop Brigggs Briggs is another all-time favorite artist of mine, so this song is another no brainer.
  • “la luz(Fin)” by Kali Uchis ft. Jhay Cortez Fun fact: Kali Uchis is from my hometown. But aside from a hometown bias, this is just a fun song.

Aaaaah my new obsession! Faerie is a newer podcast from the producers of TANIS (which I’ll talk about in a minute) and Rabbits and it is so good! It’s premise is, “What if faeries were real and evil and there was a secret government agency dedicated to protecting us from them and them from us?” It’s creepy and magical and gripping and you’ve got to check it out, y’all!

I wanted to get a bit spooky with my media for October but not, like, too spooky, so I decided to return to listening to TANIS and was instantly gratified. I’ve explained the premise of the podcast and gushed about how great it is before, but for those of y’all who need a brush up, TANIS is a mystery/thriller/horror/fantasy/sci fi mash up that follows fictional podcaster Nic Silver as her searches for Tanis, a strange entity surrounded by mysterious and horrific occurrences. TANIS is weird and creepy and atmospheric and utterly addicting. I highly recommend it for year-round listening, but it is particularly eerie at Halloween-time!

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WHAT I BOOKMARKED

FOR READERS

FOR BLOGGERS

FOR FUN

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OCTOBER REFLECTIONS

October was actually a strangely quiet and uneventful month? It just seemed to fade into the mush of quarantine, I guess. I went to class, did homework, ate, went to sleep, repeat. But I guess sometimes life is just kinda “meh” like that. *deep sigh* Oh well, what can ya do…

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FORWARD THINKING

After that bland October, November is actually looking up a bit. It’s my birthday month, so that’s a plus and I’ve got some plans to get out and go to the city waterfront, as well as to some art galleries, which should be fun. There’s also Thanksgiving, which holds the promise of some delicious food! So, all in all, it’s looking like November’s shaping up to be a good month!

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SPILL THE BEANS, FRIENDS!

  • How was your October, friends?
  • Is there anything you’re looking forward to in November?
  • Read anything good lately?

Published by

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a twenty-something college student studying physics and anthropology and a lover of literature. When she's not busy reading or saving the world through science, Lila can be found singing jazz and blues and obsessing over hedgehogs (a.k.a. the cutest animals in the multiverse!)

13 thoughts on “Lately With Lila October 2020 Wrap Up | An AMAZING Book, Catching Up On Shows, And Preparing To Clear My Shit!”

  4. You mentioned my post. That has never happened before 😭 I had a bad reading slump after i read a really bad book. I fixed it with city of brass though so it’s ok. I’m looking forward to some cozy reads.

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  5. OMG, Lila!! every time I see your posts, I fall in love with your blog again, it’s just so beautiful! 😍
    Thank you SO much for mentioning my post, that means a lot, honey ❤️ & I can’t wait to know what you think about Plain Bad Heroines, it sounds super interesting. 👏🏻✨
    I hope you have a great November and enjoy your birthday very much 🥺🥰

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  7. Happy early birthday to you. I hope you shower yourself with good vibes and all things nice. 😀

    I’ve seen so much hype for Black Sun and everything about it sounds like my kind of fantasy. I definitely need to get my hands on that book.

    Your blog design is also stunning!!

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  12. Pingback: Lately With Lila November 2020 | A Farewell To Autumn – Hardcover Haven

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