Well hello again, people of the internet! 'Tis I, your friendly neighborhood Lila, returning from yet another trip around the sun and prepping for a new wild adventure! How y’all doing? Hopefully you are all safe, healthy, and happy and if not, hopefully brighter days head your way soon!

We have gathered here today, dearly beloved people, to do something quite fun, that is: to gab about my personal favorite things of 2023! I'll be honest with y'all: 2023 was "meh" for Yours Truly, BUT (!!!) it was brightened in part by some fun thingamabobs a-plenty that I gathered up right now to share with you!! So, today I want to tell you all about them!! Let's get right to it!!!

The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat.

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation's coveted spice - a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.

But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation's magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city's location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.

Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes - and in her own heart - but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?

In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.

Spice Road was my second read of this year (first pleasure read of the year, considering my first read of the year was a required college text), and lemme tell ya: it set the standard so high it's unbelieveable!! Now, y'all probably know I'm part Lebanese, so this Arab-inspired YA fantasy written by a Lebanese author was high up on my "Most Anticipated Books of 2023" list the moment I heard about it, and THANK. GOD. those high expectations were not only met but exceeded! Spice Road isn't just an action packed Arabian fantasy adventure, though. It tackled themes of racism, colonization, empire, classism, and being a bystander to these things, and it managed to do so with an extraordinary amount of grace (without coming off as preachy). If you're in the market for a new YA fantasy adventure, then I implore you to check out Spice Road!

A while back I discovered and fell absolutely in love with this post-apocalyptic fantasy audiodrama called Birds of Empire! The series follows members of four different post-apocalyptic "tribes" and the political machanations that each character is drawn into. The production of the show, the storytelling, and the voice acting are all absolutely EXCELLENT! It's truly an addicting audiodrama!! If you're a fan of audiodrama podcasts and/or audiobooks, or if you'd like to dip your toes into the format, definitely give Birds of Empire a listen!

Okay, I'm not even kidding when I tell you that just thinking about this TV series brings a giddy grin to my face!! I read Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before and the sequel waaaaay back in 2015 and even then I just knew I wanted to know Kitty's eventual story—and that feeling got even stronger after I watched all three of Netflix's film adaptations of Han's trilogy. So you can imagine my excitement when Netflix announced they and Han would be behind a spin-off series all about the adventures of the youngest Song-Covey sister!!

XO, Kitty follows Kitty Song-Covey as she jets off to Korea in search of love. When Kitty discovers her long distance crush, Dae, attends KISS, the exact same Korean boarding school which her mom attended, Kitty just knows she only one choice: she HAS to attend KISS too! But life and love in South Korea aren't quite as simple as Kitty imagined. Between navigating her different cultures, popular girls, rocky friendships, and, of course, LOTS of angsty romance, Kitty has her work cut out for her when it comes to finding happiness at KISS.

Now, lissen. Ya girl ain't usually a planner girly. As a matter of fact, ya girl has a genuinely severe diagnosed case of ADHD. In other words, I usually have a lot of difficultly with executive function skills including planning, time management, and organization. Like, it's...really bad...Anyhoo, all this to say I have struggled for my entire life to find a planner and/or planning system that works for me and that I'm able to stick to. Until this past half a year, that is, because in July of 2023, I purchased a Hobonichi Weeks planner. There are two things I love about this planner:

1. first off, it's condensed enough that it forces me to prioritize tasks because there's only room to write the essenetial BUT if necessary, I can write more on the blank pages next to the weekly spread and/or in the back of the planner.
2. second off, it's decorate-able!!! And who doesn't love to decorate? (don't answer that)

Now, you might be wondering what the Hobonichi Weeks has that bullet journaling doesn't, and for me the answer to that is: preordained structure See, one of the biggest problems for me when it comes to bullet journaling is that it's created by you and based on your internal sense of structure...which, as a certified ADHD Girly™, I do not have. So, if you give me a blank notebook and tell me to create my own planning system from scratch, I start to panic. But the great thing about Hobonichi Weeks is that it's organized for me but I can still decorate it myself and make it my own! *cue tears of joy overflowing*

Are you a Girl™? Do you like to rage (possibly against the machine)?? If so, and you haven't yet listened to SOUR and GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo then I have one question for you...What is it like to live under a rock??? Lol, I'm joking, obvioiusly, but for real, if you are a girly (of any age, really) and you want to rage of about the unfairness of how the world treats women—especially when it comes to romance— then Rodrigo's music is for you!

So, I'm an extroverted girly in her 20s who often feels a little lonely and lost (because, ya know, life as a girly in her 20s is chaotic to say the least) and I've struggled to find a lot of content creators who I fully identify with because many content creators are comfy introverts. But this year I discovered the YouTube channel Katherout and felt so seen! Katherine (the creator of Katherout) is an extroverted creator who also often feels a little lonely and lost and makes videos surrounding advice about that phenomenon. Watching Katherine's videos have made me feel so much less alone!!

So, dear friends, that's all I got for ya today! 2023 may not have been "my year," but hey, it also wasn't a bad year either, and the above gems provided some bright spots! I hope you enjoyed and maybe found something new to check out! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some adventures calling my name! Until next time and stay colorful, friends!

Ahem!

*attempts to sneak into the room as quietly and covertly as possible*

*immediately fails at previously mentioned attempt by way of accidentally bumping into a desk, knocking over a chair, and bonking head on the whiteboard*

*awkwardly waves at silent, staring masses of people in front of self before hurrying up to the lectern*

So, hi, guyyyyyyyyys! 👋

I've been gone for...a while...and, honestly, even that feels life an understatement! Tbh 2021 was a shitshow of a year and my physical and mental health both took a nosedive and crash landed in the sewer. Of course, just in time, my overdramatic, bitchy archnemesis, aka Mental Health Meltdown, made an unfortunate and most unwelcome reappearance right around the holidays, meaning even the last few days of 2021 were spent...in a "less than fun" manner, to put it lightly...

But have no fear, I'm still here, friends! Fortunately right at the beginning of 2022 I was able to start the process of getting what I need in regards to both my physical and mental health and I'm steady on the mend now! (Thank GOD for the wonders of "Better Living Through Chemistry™," as my mom calls what is otherwise known as "perscribed medications" lol!)

Fortunately, during my aforementioned prolongued hiatus from hell I did manage to find some new favorites to help me make it through, so I figured I'd share them with y'all!

Have you seen this show? Y'all, it's absolutely to die for! 😉 Only Murders in the Building is a murder mystery dramedy about three true crime obsessed neighbors and unlikely friends who team up to start a true crime podcast about solving what they believe was a murder that occurred in their NYC apartment building. And it's FABULOUS! I've always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes-ish murder mysteries, so it's like this show was tailor made for me! Plus, the ddition of comedic elements makes it extra fun. I am begging y'all to give this show a try if you have yet to see it!

I'm part Lebanese, so I grew up listening to Arabic music, and my love of it has stayed with me throughout my life. So, naturally, when I discovered Dana Salah via TikTok I became obsessed! In particular, her song "Weino" always gets me ready to hop on the dance floor.

If you're looking for some weird and wacky real life historical inspiration for your latest creative writing project, then Noble Blood is for you, my friend! Dedicated to digging into the wonderfully strange stories of history's most notorious nobles, this podcast is in turns informative and hilarious.

One thing I'm sure you'll soon find out about me is that I love a good fantasy story, whether it's a book series, movie, show, or podcast! And The Wheel of Time series adaptation DEFINITELY falls into the category of "a good fantasy story!" Granted, I have yet to read the beloved source material, but I've fallen head-over-heels for the show!

The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few...

- Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds.
- Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself.
- Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched.
- Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe.
- Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they must spend one year together to qualify for initiation. During this time, they will be permitted access to the Society’s archives and judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. If they can prove themselves to be the best, they will survive. Most of them.

Okay, technically I'm still reading this book, but I'm over halfway (67% to be exact) through it and asdfghjkl I love it so freaking much!!! If you somehow haven't hear of The Atlas Six, it's a book about a group of twenty-somethings with magical powers who are competeing to join a powerful secret society. And aaaah it's the best! I love the characters, and the plot is pretty intriguing. You absolutely have the check it out if you haven't yet!

This is quite a surprise to me as I did not start out at all interested in listening to Doja Cat's music. Nevertheless, she (and her music) persisted, and slowly but surely grew on me. In addition to being undeniably fun music, I love how the subtle theme of female empowerment runs through a lot of Doja's music. So I admit it: ...I was wrong.

We all know it's true: dating in your twenties in this modern world absolutely sucks, especially as a woman! That being said, the unique sense of sisterhood you get out of comiserating about this issue with other twenty-something women and dismantling any and all of your internalized misogyny together is like no other! I think that's why I enjoy Maddie Dragsbaek's channel so damn much! Maddie's videos are about all things relationship, sex, dating, and self love and I just can't get enough.

Well, dear friends, that's all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe found something new to love! Until next time...