Favorites of Spring 2024

 🌸 My Favorites of Spring 2024 🌺

Below, I have listed some of my favorite music, movies, YouTube videos, and TV that I have watched or listened to this spring. This has been a great season for some amazing entertainment. I also wanted to share the stories I loved on A03 from this season. 

🎞️ Movies/Movie Trailers/ Specials:

1. Wicked Trailer

~ I love everything Oz and have been wanting to see this musical for many years. Sadly, I have never been to the Broadway show, but I am highly looking forward to seeing the movie later on this year. “Defying Gravity” and “For Good” are two of my absolute favorite songs and I look forward to hearing this rendition of the songs. This trailer was great and made me even more excited to watch it. What little we hear of “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” sound incredible. I believe Cynthia and Ariana seem great in the roles so far. 

2. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE Trailer

~ I’ve been a fan of Beetlejuice since I was young. Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara are two of my favorite actors and I cannot wait to see them in this movie. The trailer looks great!

3. I Am: Celine Dion Trailer

~Well, I know what I’m watching in June. Celine Dion has been one of my favorite singers for over twenty years and I cannot say how much I look forward to seeing this. My grandmother had her greatest hit CD and I used to listen to it all the time. Memorizing many of the songs “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” “I’m Alive,” “My Heart Will Go On,” “I Drove All Night,” “The Power of Love” and my favorite “That’s the Way It Is.” 

🎵 Music:

This year has been absolutely amazing for new music. Here are some of the best that I loved in Spring 2024. My absolute favorites have an asterisk  (*) by them. 

1. “That’s the Way” by Jo Dee Messina

2. “Cracks” by BRELAND

3. “One Less Day (Dying Young) by Rob Thomas 

4. “The King of Wishful Thinking” by Go West

5. “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan*- Oh my goodness, this song is so damn great! This might be my favorite song from the entire year. I have loved this song since I first heard it in April. Cannot wait to have it on repeat for the rest of the year. 

6. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan*- Chappell Roan has such a great voice. I love this album very much. 

7. The Tortured Poets Department (including The Anthology) by Taylor Swift- I have an entire post on here about this album talking about each of the songs. My favorites from the album at the moment are “But, Daddy I Love Him,” “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” “The Black Dog,” “The Tortured Poets Department,” and “I Hate It Here.” 

8. “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen- Love this song

📺 TV Shows:

1. America’s Got Talent

~ I’ve watched AGT since it first came out in 2006, but dropped off watching it the last couple of years. It’s always a fun watch and I am glad I got back into it again this year. So much great talent! 

🖥️ YouTube:

1. BooksandLala

~ New Favorite Books + Seasonal Reading Stats- I’ll always be a sucker for Reading Stats. 

~ Reading My Most Anticipated 2024 Book Releases 🎂 📚

~ how about those reading goals? 🤦- I also have been trying to keep track of my reading goals as the year goes on so I can try to meet each of them. Love Kayla’s videos. 

~ play my daily word games with me & get book recs!- Love this idea so much. Clever way to recommend books. 

~ predicting & designing 3 book covers 🧠- I love this series so much. Kayla’s creativity is one of my favorite things about her videos. 

~ Reading 2024 Releases for 24 Hours Straight 😴 ⌛️- Wouldn’t be able to do this easily. Lol

~ My 5⭐️ Reading Drought is Over!! 🥳- Definitely, want to check out some of these books. 

~“Only 5-Star Authors” Reading Vlog 📚- Love her vlogs 

~Reading Until I Get a 5⭐️ || 1997 Books Vlog- I love this series!! Yay. 

~Hate Comments Control What I Read For a Week 😡- This video was a gem. Love the googly eyes scene.

~ My Summer TBR ☀️🦈

2. Charlie Hopkinson

~ Vaderkin breaks Qui Gon

~ Gandalf breaks down the Council of Elrond

~ Qui Gon reacts to the first RED lightsaber for 1000 years- I have been looking forward to Charlie’s video for this show. Only way I’m ever going to watch any of it. Lol 

3. Taylor Swift Themed Videos 

~ The Eras Tour (TTPD songs) in Paris- Oh my goodness, she sang “But, Daddy I Love Him”!!!! I’ve wanted to see this tour for over a year but now I want to see it even more. The entire TTPD set is absolute perfection. 

~ Taylor Swift- THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (MEGAMIX) | 31 songs | Official audio- Oh my goodness, this is incredible! Brilliant editing. 

4. Dominic Noble

~ 101 Dalmatians ~ Lost in Adaptation- Makes me want to read the sequel now.

~ Mary Poppins ~ Lost in Adaptation  

5. Daniel Greene

- I’ve watched Daniel for years and I don’t know why I don’t put him on these lists but I’m fixing that now. Love his Fantasy News series and many of his other videos. Especially, his book shelf roasting videos. 

~ New Beowulf Movie!🐺 Gollum Scandal ALREADY 👹 Fonda Lee Returns! 💪 Fantasy News

~ A King Has Passed 👑 Helldivers Retake Freedom 🌟 Megalopolis Looks INSANE ~FN~

~ Publishing Industry Is Failing 🔥 Berserk Carried by Fans! 👿 Original Starship Enterprise Found! 🏆 ~FN~

~ Witcher Is Ending ⚔️ Larian’s New IP 🏆 Mistborn Deckbuilding Game 👀~FN~

~ First Chapters: Mushroom Blues 🍄 Anita Blake 🧛‍♀️ Spin of Fate 🐍- Love this video. 

~ You Roast My Shelves! 📚🧯

~ I’M AFRAID YOU’VE GOT DRAGONS!🐲 ~REVIEW~ - I love watching Daniel’s reviews and he really made this book sound great. The Last Unicorn is one of my absolute favorite books ever and I adore fantasy satire (especially books like The Princess Bride). I will definitely be picking this beauty up soon. 

~ Stormlight 5 Finished 🎉 George R.R. Martin Shades Hollywood 😎 Tom Bombadil First Look 🧙~FN~ - Now, I want to watch @NerdoftheRings’s videos. Great video. 

~ The Witcher’s LIES! 🐺 D&D History Release 📜 NEW Hunger Games Book&Movie! 🏹~FN~

~ Sauron Is a Fish Now 🐟 Three Body Problem Movie 🪐 LOTR Anime First Look 👀~FN~ -I love how Daniel keeps introducing me to new Youtubers. Definitely want to check out Blue’s The Veneziad, now. 

Other Favorites

1. Video Games

~ Kirby and the Forgotten Land

-I bought this game 2 years ago and had not played much of it for until this Spring. Finally finished the game and I loved it! Reminds me of the Zoombini games quite a bit. 

2. My favorite stories on A03

I really want to gush so much about all of the stories on this list. There are so many that I would love to reread again and again. Damn, these writers are so great. 

~ Plus One by Caedmon*- One of the best stories I have read on AO3. It was absolutely hilarious, especially the chapter dealing with the bed. It had me cackling out loud. 

~ The Underlying Melody by Tossukka- I loved the dynamic in this one. 

~ A Billion Points of Light by akitsuko- A sweet story that I highly enjoyed. 

~ Give me a title, I’ll give you my heart by NohaIjiachi- Oh my goodness, Adam trying to set up Aziraphale and Crowley is hilarious. 

~ Tales of Turning Pages by foolishlovers*- I love writer Crowley and librarian Aziraphale. It was great to see Crowley keep returning to the library every week and the relationship build between him and Aziraphale. They were so sweet. 

~ Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by IneffableToreshi*- It is become very on brand for me to read multiple Christmas stories when it isn’t Christmas time. I found this story around the end of March and did not want to wait until Christmas to read it. This was such a great story that I loved. Crowley is ridiculous in it and I adored him so much. I love how he’s trying to use story elements he came up with to get Aziraphale to fall for him. Absolutely adorable and so much fun. It’ll be one I put on my list to read again at Christmas time, along with my other favorites from last year. 

~ A Situation series by sixbynine*- I’m a sucker for stories that remind me of You’ve Got Mail and this was a great one. 

~ Words rarely spoken by JessenotJessie*- The longest story I have read on AO3 so far and I absolutely adored every minute of it. I cannot believe how beautiful it was. This had me crying so hard sometimes and laughing the next. Crowley and Aziraphale were adorable together. Oh my goodness, I highly recommend every story on this list but this one was so damn good. It is over 300,000 words though and very explicit. 

~ A Touch of Heaven by IneffableToreshi*- I first read this story last year and absolutely loved it. I don’t believe I actually put it on any of my favorites lists and I wanted to make sure it got on one. This was so enjoyable the second time around. So sweet and heartwarming. 

~ Sweet series by Shay_Moonsilk*- I am finding absolute gems this April, oh my goodness. This was wonderful. I loved the found family elements of this series so darn much and I could not get enough of it. Also, I love stories that deal with legal aspects. Lawyer Crowley is everything. This series is everything and I really want to reread it. Absolutely beautiful in every way. 

~ Dare To Be Brave by Mimsynims- A cute story that I loved. I love how the puppies were best buddies from the beginning. Absolutely adorable.

~ Infernal Escapes by journeytogallifrey- This one was a lot of fun. I have never really had any interest in Escape Rooms, but man this intrigued me a lot. Gotta say it would be fun to do some with my friends sometime. 

~ Good Expectations by tweedfeather*-  I found Good Expectations in August of last year and have been reading every update that tweedfeather has made since. On April 14th, they finished the story with a beautiful epilogue that had me crying and smiling in so much happiness. This is one of my favorite stories I have found for the Good Omens fandom and highly recommend it. It is heartbreaking at times and also heartwarming. tweedfeather also created many stunning illustrations for the fic. 

~ Blame It on the Goose by almaasi- I keep finding so many stories that have me laughing really hard, which I definitely needed this season. The notes that Crowley and Aziraphale leave for themselves in this story are so damn funny. Loved them. The fact that they are getting so much trouble from a goose is just comedic gold for these characters. Brilliant. 

~ Postcards From Paris by ghostrat*- I read this first the first time last years when it was being released and absolutely adored it. Loved rereading it again this May. I know I will reread this many more times. It is one of my favorite Good Omens fan fictions. So sweet. 

~ Going Somewhere Slowly by curiouswriterkr*- Oh my goodness, this was beyond sweet! I absolutely adored this story with all my heart. 

June TBR

 

It’s been awhile since I have made a TBR for the month and I wanted to get back into doing it. Here are the books I plan on reading during June. 

May Reviews

   💐 May Reviews 🌷

May 1st-31st

Well, I was definitely right about May. It was my best reading month of the year so far and I read so many incredible books. Cannot wait to see what June brings. 

Book 37: Storm of Olympus

By Claire M. Andrews

Read April 30th-May 2nd

Pages: 470

Release Year: 2023

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Storm of Olympus is definitely the best book in the Daughter of Sparta series by far. I love where Claire M. Andrews took Daphne’s story in this volume. Her take on Greek mythology twists the myths in interesting ways and just has me wanting to read more. This volume continues on right after the last, with Daphne on Circe’s island. I love how she takes events from The Odyssey and makes them her own here. 

Daphne has gone on quite the journey since the first book in the series. Her character arc is an intriguing one and I enjoyed watching her come into her powers throughout this story. She is a dynamic character that has to work for what she wants, it doesn’t just come to her. I loved her interactions with the gods, goddesses, and the other characters. 

Daphne and Apollo’s relationship is one I highly enjoy. I adore this iteration of Apollo so much and want more with him. Claire takes so many well-known characters from mythology and turns them on their head. I especially love her take on Helen, Circe, Hecate, Apollo, and Hermes. The bond between these characters and the found family elements are some of my favorites. 

I recommend this series to Greek Mythology lovers, who love interesting twists in their retellings. The audiobooks are also very good. I read my ARC and listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Brittany Pressley does a great job with these books.   

*Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 38: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope

By Ian Doescher

Read May 4th

Pages: 174

Release Year: 2013

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An absolutely wonderful read for Star Wars Day. Ian Doescher did such a great job adapting Star Wars into Shakespearean language. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series now.

Book 39: The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien

By John Hendrix

Read May 10th

Pages: 224

Release Year: 2024

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John Hendrix’s The Mythmakers blends prose, images, and narrative comics as it chronicles the lives of two literary greats, C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien. It not only focuses on their Fellowship but also goes into details about their early lives, inspirations, how they were affected by fighting in WWI, their friendship, and many other aspects of their lives. I knew I had to pick up this beauty as soon as I saw it on NetGalley because of my great love for both authors. Hendrix does a wonderful job using this medium to tell his story and I loved the use of Mr. Lion and The Wizard, who are takes on Aslan and Gandalf. 

Along with the information on both authors, Hendrix also has what he calls Portals, which discuss other information such as myth and fairy tales. These sections were great extras that added to the overall experience of the book. I did not read them until the end but they can also be read during your reading experience because of the pages numbers telling you where to go (similar to a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story). 

I highly recommend this book to fans of both authors. It was an incredible read that was informative, enjoyable, and heartwarming at times. I know I would have loved this book when I was younger and first reading from both of their fantasy worlds. Definitely, would love to see more books like this for other fantasy authors, such as L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, etc. The Mythmakers will be joining my collection along with my Narnia and The Lord of the Rings series. Cannot wait to see the beautiful illustrations in color. 

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 40: The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

By Walter Moers

Read May 11th-14th

Pages: 704

Release Year: 1999

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I enjoyed following Bluebear on his journey during his first 13 1/2 lives. This is an utterly ridiculous zany adventure that draws you into the world of Zamonia. The formatting was also quite interesting and I loved the illustration style. 

The entries from Professor Abdullah Nightingale’s Encyclopedia were welcome additions to the overall tale. They had me laughing many times when Bluebear would get angry at the useful pieces of information he received from it, often too late for him to use. Hilarious. Reminiscent of Terry Pratchett's snarky humor. 

I was recommended this book over 12 years ago because of my love for The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and I can see the comparison to Douglas Adam's writing. Zany and silly humor fill this story. It is a joy to read most of the time.

Bluebear's adventures also reminded me of the way Kvothe in The Name of the Wind tells the story of his life. You wonder how much of the story Bluebear is telling is the truth or if he is making it up for the reader. The journey gets taller as Bluebear continues on with his tale. It makes you want to keep reading to see what else could happen to him and his companions. Though, I will say this book could have been shortened. It definitely doesn't need to be over 700 pages. 

My favorite part of this story was learning about the world of Zamonia and I look forward in continuing on with the series. I don't know where it will go from here, but I'm highly intrigued.

Book 41: Death’s Country

By R.M. Romero

Read May 15

Pages: 400

Release Year: 2024

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R.M. Romero does such an incredible job blending magical realism with a realistic world. This is my second of her works and I now know I will read anything she writes. I adored this story so much and could not stop reading it last night. Novels written in verse always draw me in and I am so glad I found Romero's A Warning About Swans last year, which led me to picking up this beauty.

As soon as I saw this being comped as part Hadestown and the myth of "Orpheus and Eurydice”, I knew I had to read it. Many of my favorite myths deal with the Underworld. Romero takes the myth and breathes new life into it with Andres, Renee, and Liora. It follows Andres and Renee as they travel into the Underworld to try and save their girlfriend, Liora from Death. 

A beautiful poly romance which touched my heart from the first chapter. Andres comes alive in Romero's very first stanza. He is depicted vividly on every page, his voice as distinct as his story. The story begins with him making a bargain with Death to take his anger away in exchange for something he will love in the future. When one of his girlfriends, Liora goes into a coma, he believes Death is taking who he loves. 

Andres is one of the Orpheuses of this story, who not only has to go on a physical journey, but also an emotional one. One of his girlfriends, Renee also takes on the role of Orpheus. She is the one who first suggests saving Liora and uses her magic to help get them into the Underworld. Liora is our Eurydice who gets a much more active role in the plot. I loved the journey all three had to go on. 

Along with the characters, the world is just as striking. The Underworld depicted in this story reminded me a bit of Coco but it is very much its own entity. I thought the idea of not only having ghosts of people, but also places, was intriguing. It's one of the most interesting takes I have found of the Underworld. Also, we meet many famous faces and get multiple references to mythology throughout the course of the story. The love of music was a beautiful part of this story.

"Ground control to Major Tom"

I highly recommend Death's Country. Romero is an incredible storyteller, whose writing is a masterpiece. I adored this young adult story about healing and love. A modern-day take on "Orpheus and Eurydice" that is definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 42: William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back

By Ian Doescher

Read May 17th-18th

Pages: 172

Release Year: 2014

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I absolutely love this series so much. Ian Doescher does such an incredible job adapting these movies into this format. The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the Star Wars movies and I highly enjoyed how Ian wrote this one. The music had me laughing in the audiobook performance. Cannot wait to pick up the next one.

Book 43: William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return

By Ian Doescher

Read May 18th

Pages: 165

Release Year: 2014

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Great conclusion to these wonderful versions of the original trilogy. I don’t know if I will continue with the others in this series, but I highly enjoyed this take on Star Wars. 

Book 44: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams

Read May 21st-22nd

Pages: 320

Release Year: 1979

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9th Reread:

It will never not be a joy to read this beauty!

This book is one of my top 10 favorite books of all time. I just absolutely adore Douglas Adams’s humor and will forever love this story and the characters. 

Book 45: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

By Douglas Adams

Read May 22nd

Pages: 250

Release Year: 1980

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2024 reread: 

I decided to reread the first three books in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series and then finally finish it this year. 

This was just as great as the first two times I read it, though I don’t enjoy it as much as the original. I love Douglas Adams’s audiobook versions of these books. Perfect to listen to while working.

2018 reread: 

Inspired lunacy at its finest. This is the second time that I have read this book. I decided to listen to Martin Freeman’s reading of it this time and I’m am so glad that I did. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it as much as I enjoy Stephen Fry’s reading of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but I’m glad to say that I did. Martin Freeman does an incredible job creating a voice for each of the characters in this zany adventure that I fully enjoyed. This book is quite insane and was a great follow-up to the first book. A fun ride!

Book 46: Life, the Universe and Everything

By Douglas Adams

Read May 23rd

Pages: 224

Release Year: 1982

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Not my favorite out of the series but there are parts I highly enjoyed. I love the part about the reincarnated person and how Douglas explained why the brown of petunias said “Oh no, not again” in the first book. Looking forward to finally getting to the final two books in the series.

Book 47: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

By Douglas Adams

Read May 23rd

Pages: 214

Release Year: 1984

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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is quite different than the other books in the series. Arthur is back on Earth and has to deal with trying to live an ordinary life after his hitchhiking adventures throughout the galaxy. I enjoyed this deviation. The major focus of this novel is Arthur’s relationship with Fenchurch and learning about what happened to the Earth. 

This is the second-best book in the series so far. I loved Fenchurch as a character. 

Book 48: Mostly Harmless

By Douglas Adams

Read May 25th

Pages: 288

Release Year: 1992

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Not sure how to react to the ending of this book, but I did like the rest of it. I enjoyed how Douglas used alternate universes and the way they played into the storyline. This book is definitely back to the heavy science fiction aspects like the first three books. I like how we got to see even more details of these worlds/universes. 

The ending is very abrupt and melancholic. It is an ending many readers do not and will not like because it could feel out of sink with the humor. I don’t hate the ending but I can’t say I wasn’t shocked by it. It’s an ending I’m going to think about for a long time. I don’t know if I’ll pick up the unofficial “ending” by Eoin Colfer. 

Book 49: Poems to Live Your Life By

Illustrated and Compiled by Chris Riddell

Read May 26th

Pages: 208

Release Year: 2018

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A beautiful collection of poetry and songs, along with stunning illustrations by Chris Riddell. Many of these poems I have read before but I will never get enough of them. Chris’s art is incredible and adds even more to each piece. There are so many greats here: Shakespeare, Neil Gaiman, Nick Cave (love his songs so much), Robert Frost, Lord Byron, John Keats, Rumi, W.B. Yeats, Lewis Carroll, Lord Tennyson, Emily Dickinson, etc.

This is a special little book that I highly recommend to everyone. Chris has chosen a great selection of poetry and created a stunning masterpiece of a book with them.

Book 50: Call Us What We Carry

By Amanda Gorman

Read May 27th

Pages: 228

Release Year: 2021

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Amanda’s poetry is beautiful

Book 51: The Adventure Zone, Vol. 6: The Suffering Game

By Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch (illustrator)

Read May 27th

Pages: 272

Release Year: 2024

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The Suffering Game was my most anticipated book of 2024. I was lucky enough to get to read it a couple of months early thanks to the publisher. I’ve been eagerly waiting for this volume ever since The Eleventh Hour came out last year and it was well worth the wait. This still has some of the humor of the other volumes but is getting much more heavy hitting. We found out a lot about the Bureau, the Director, and what is actually going on. 

Taako, Magnus, and Merle travel into a game called Wonderland, which is a carnival of torments. They are trying to win the next of the Grand Relics, the Animus Bell. The Director has sent them there to retrieve it and has also warned them of the dangers of Wonderland. To get further in the games, they have to each give up something important to them or part of themselves. 

This was a great volume in this series and I cannot wait to see what will occur in the next arc. Taako, Magnus, Merle, and the rest of the characters in this series are dynamic and I love learning more about them with each story. The McElroys have done an incredible job with this series. Every time I read another one of the graphic novels, I want to listen to the podcast. Also, these books are stunning to look at along with reading them. I highly recommend The Adventure Zone graphic novels. 

*Thank you very much to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.  *