Well, dear friends, it would appear that we are well into summer and I am running late. Again. *sigh*
So, what am I running late in regards to? Well, that would be to posting my Spring 2021 favorites. Since I got my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine back in late April of this year, this past spring was essentially my last season in strict quarantine (and thank god for that!). So, naturally, I figured I'd share my favorite things that got me through that last little lead up to freedom! Now, I'm not gonna dilly-dally any longer, seeing as I'm already late—let's jump right in!
the gilded ones by namina forna
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be--not even Deka herself.
I've been having a really wonky reading year so far in that almost all of the books I've read have either been average or (unfortunately) below average. So you can imagine my surprise when I found myself genuinely enjoying The Gilded Ones! Like, this book is so good, y'all!! It's got feminism, friendship, magic, intrigue, and there's even an adorable animal sidekick thrown in the mix! What more could you ask for?!
shadow & bone (netflix)
I've been a long-time big fan of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology (and of her wider Grishaverse series as well), so when I heard Netflix was adapting those two interlocking series as a single show, I was absolutely ecstatic! Of course, I did have my worries, but it turns out there was no need for them because I couldn't have asked for a better adaptation! The show is so true to Bardugo's original works, and where it diverges from the source material, it still manages to ring true to the characters. What can I say, it did not disappoint as an adaptation! The one gripe I do have is how Alina's racial heritage was treated in the show. That being said, I'm considering doing a whole post on that topic, so I'll save my full thoughts for later. Overall I loved the show and I'm absolutely ecstatic that it's getting a second season!
sour by olivia rodrigo
As a 1994 "Zillennial" (a.k.a. a "Cusper" a.k.a. a "Confused Cusp Kid"), I'm not so far removed from Gen Z that I'm in the grumbling "Ugh! Kids these days!" phase of aging yet (folks, I think it's safe to say: the kids are alright). I love so much of Gen Z's generational "culture," and, of course, that includes the music! So, it's only natural that I've fallen completely in love with Olivia Rodrigo's recently released debut album, SOUR! First off, as a fellow singer, I have to say that Rodrigo's voice is absolutely AMAZING!! I think it's something these days when you can hear that the artist is using little to no autotune, so listening to SOUR really was a special treat. Furthermore, beyond her singing, it's truly impressive how good Rodrigo's songwriting is, especially considering she's only 18! I love the emotion she packs into each song, from anger to sadness to forgiviness. Anyhoo, long story short, I've been playing SOUR on repeat and it's pretty damn clear to me that Rodrigo is definitely one to watch!
uncarley
As someone who's also a book blogger, it's probably unsurprising that I love the little niche of YouTube that has come to be known as "booktube." Thus, it is probably also unsurprising that one of my latest favorites is a booktube channel I recently discovered called uncarley. The thing is, I feel like Carley's content is really accessible to people outside of the bookish community as well, which is so awesome! First off, she's fucking hilarious (which is unsurprising as apparently she's a trained professional comedian). Second off, she's just incredibly relatable and comes off as really down to earth. And, last but not least, her content is just plain fun! I also love that she talks so openly about being a young woman with ADHD (cause, lord knows, unfortunately us girlies with ADHD definitely don't get enough real life representation!). All in all, Carley's channel is sure to leave you bursting from laughter and with a few good book recommendations too!
Well, that's all for today, friends! I hope you enjoyed reading and maybe found something new to pique your interest. I know now that the weather is nice here in the DC area and I'm fully vaccinated, I'm sure I'll be finding plenty more new favorites to report back to y'all about soon enough. Anyhoo, I'm off to finish a great book I've been making my way through lately, so until next time, dear friends...
Post a Comment