You know the drill by now. It’s winter, we’ve gone from pumpkin spice to peppermint, there’s snow coming down somewhere, and it’s time for me to share with y’all the books, movies, music, and other media that have gotten me through the past few months. I was planning on doing a post for all of winter (December-February) and post it at the end of February, but there’s so much on this list already that I decided to do a separate post for just the stuff of the past two months. I read a lot of books. Don’t question it. Without further ado, here’s the best of winter 2020.
Books
The sheer QUALITY of books on this list -- it will legitimately not get any better than this. We’ve reached the peak here. All the books on this list are absolutely elite. Go read them.
Sci-Fi
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
Dangerous missions infiltrating enemy headquarters to stop a war; experimental government weapons gone wrong
Slow burn enemies to lovers
I love the main character with all my heart
Marie Lu supremacy
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
People with special powers fight against each other; a villain infiltrates the heroes to get revenge, but builds connections within the heroes -- the question arises as to who the real “villains” are
One main character was raised by the most powerful villains while the other was raised by the most powerful heroes
The powers people have are actually so cool (ex: being able to draw anything and have it become real, absorbing anyone’s power that comes near you, your blood crystallizes into daggers)
Fantasy
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Sequel to Six of Crows
The ultimate adrenaline rush -- think Money Heist on steroids
On the lowest of keys this book broke me
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Elaborate fantasy scavenger hunt with lots of magic and plot twists thrown in
I’m slightly mind boggled
The characters definitely grow on you
Contemporary
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
US First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales for a spicy secret relationship
Enemies to lovers and forbidden romance
LGBTQ+ representation!!
This was not good for my lonely heart (swoon)
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Two high school rivals team up for a huge senior class scavenger hunt
Enemies to lovers
Topics: fear of the future, society looking down on what you love, the transition from high school to college, complicated family dynamics, maintaining friendships
Both the main and the love interest are Jewish, and they had some really interesting conversations about being Jewish and their experiences with anti-Semitism, which I learned a lot from
Rachel Lynn Solomon has my heart for the natural diversity she incorporated into this book. The book is set in Seattle, which is such a diverse area, so I loved the incredibly diverse set of characters
Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett
Josie, after moving from town to town with her mother, settles back in the town she grew up in
Friends to ex-friends to friends to lovers?
Topics: rebuilding friendships and not putting up walls, family drama (reconciliation, finding out the truth about your past, and figuring out your future)
Romance novels always make me want to live in a small town and this one was no different
Don't Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno
Rosa tries to make decisions about her future while also navigating a relationship with a guy who she should most definitely be avoiding
Topics: figuring out your future (college destination + majors), family drama, reconnecting with your heritage
I really enjoyed how much Rosa valued her Cuban heritage and how important Rosa’s heritage was in the story
Just like Rachel Lynn Solomon, Nina Moreno incorporated a lot of natural diversity in this book (I LOVE it)
Side note: I should’ve asked for an Alex Aquino for Christmas. Regrets.
Interlude after all the freaking books: nice view from last week
Movies/TV Shows
Clouds: based on the life of Zach Sobiech, a teen with osteosarcoma whose music went viral; I legitimately cried for the entire length of the movie
“You don't have to find out you're dying to start living.” - Zach Sobiech
Julie and the Phantoms: ghosts make music!! The soundtrack is solid gold as well
Survivor: a classic show that I would never go on but is spectacular television
Music
“evermore” - Taylor Swift (this woman saved 2020 change my mind; my faves: “willow”, “champagne problems”, “gold rush”, “tolerate it”, “closure”)
“Positions” - Ariana Grande (this album grew on me a lot; my faves: “pov”, “motive”, “six thirty”)
Ruel (all his songs are beautiful; my faves: “Say”, “Dazed and Confused”, “Face to Face”, “as long as you care”, “Hard Sometimes”)
“Songs I Wrote In My Bedroom” - Anson Seabra (perfect for getting in your feels; my faves: “That’s Us”, “Emerald Eyes”, “Trying My Best”)
“remember the mornings” - Clinton Kane
“River” - Olivia Rodrigo
“Home for the Summer” - Sara Kays
“Plot Twist” - NIKI
“Peppermint Winter” - Owl City
“No Way” - Anthony de la Torre and Lana Condor
“Glory Days” - The Vamps (I love the acoustic version)
“The Dark” - Arcana (written for one of my comfort book couples <33)
“Please Don’t Say You Love Me” - Shalom Margaret
YouTube Channels
Offline TV (streamer house that makes the funniest videos I will ever watch; top-notch entertainment; also check out their individual videos, their podcast, and all their friends!!)
elloitsangela (the study with me queen herself)
Amelie Zilber (she’s more known for TikTok but I wanted to put her on here -- she’s one of my favorite “influencers” because she’s such a good role model and is the exact kind of person we should be giving platforms to)
Lauren Norris (sophomore at the University of Alabama; lifestyle + college content; she seems so sweet and I love watching her college vlogs while doing busywork)
Podcasts
Rotten Mango (true crime; hosted by Stephanie Soo, the YouTuber who covers true crime on one of her channels, but this podcast features a lot of the cases that are a little too… dark for YouTube)
Recipes
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