Lately…on Mostly YA Lit is a new feature where I talk about things I’m watching, reading, loving or doing lately. Inspired by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner‘s “New to the Queue” feature, Lately…will be my catch-all personal blogging feature where I tell you a little about my life at the moment.

Hello all! Today I’m doing a special post on things I’m swooning over lately – whether it’s book boy/girlfriends, TV, webseries, and more.

The impetus for this post? My #OTSPSecretSister! If you don’t know about the On The Same Page Secret Sister Project, it’s a essentially a penpal project where bookish people from around the world send each other care packages to cheer and encourage every month for six months.

This round, my Secret Sister “Jane Bennet” asked me if I would be willing to be Emily to her Sloane (from Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson). In the book, Sloane will randomly mail Emily a list of tasks to complete – anything from “picking apples at night” to “kiss a stranger.” Jane is doing the same for me (albeit less scandalously, I hope!). This month’s task was to write a blog post about my favorites, so here we go!

Things I’m Swooning Over Lately

Book Boyfriends

My secret sister was very specific in wanting me to talk about book boyfriends, so here are some of my current ones. And incidentally, these are some of my favorite books as well!

Matt Finch from Open Road Summer by Emery Lord | Essay – This guy is probably my ultimate book boyfriend – he’s snarky, he’s understanding, he’s a brilliant songwriter and musician, and he really cares about Reagan. Also, he’s totally friggin hot and he doesn’t put up with Reagan’s crap. SO HOT.

Zeke from The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt | Review – I can’t even talk about how swoony or hot this book is. And a ton of that is Zeke – he is a master at holding back, but being incredibly sexy without even trying.

Ezra Lynley from First & Then by Emma Mills | Review – “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words…I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun” – that Pride & Prejudice quote pretty much sums up my love for Ezra and this book. He just grew on me!

All of the guys in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, but especially Kai | Review – it’s funny, because in Cinder, I was not super into Cinder and Kai’s relationship…but all the longing and seeing them separate from each other, then coming together and learning about each other…yeah, I’m totally, TOTALLY into Kai. He won me over.

Literary Webseries

I love a good adaptation. Whether it’s book-to-TV, book-to-film, book-to-miniseries, I’m a strong advocate of seeing the stories I love told in a different medium. So it’s no wonder that with the rise of YouTubers and long-format stories on YouTube, I jumped on the bandwagon pretty early and I haven’t stopped watching or loving them since.

Green Gables Fables – this is my favorite ongoing webseries, based on Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. The creators have done an amazing job of translating Anne, Phil, Gilbert, Diana, Ruby and the rest to modern day. The acting has gotten way better as it goes, and holy cow, the FEELS of this show. If Gilbert is one of your ultimate dudes, like me (see above), you will LOVE this version.

Classic Alice – I just recently got into this series, and I am OBSESSED. This series isn’t quite literary, but literary adjacent. Alice is a college student who is attempting to live her life like classic novels. The result is hilarious, sad, weird, and CHOCK-FULL OF FEELS. Beware: if you start watching, you won’t be able to stop.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries – No one is surprised by this, right? I mean, this is where literary webseries started! Brilliantly re-imagined and cast by the Pemberley Digital team, I’ve never watched anything online quite so engaging and with so much yearning than the second half of this series. From the moment we first see Darcy (and man, they take FOREVER to show him to us) to when Lizzie finally realizes her feelings, to them getting together…there’s a reason this was the webseries that launched a thousand ships.

Music

Hamilton, the Musical – I mean, everyone is obsessed with this, right? I don’t need to explain that this is an amazing hip-hop musical about Alexander Hamilton that makes me feel things and cry?

Sophie Park – this girl is my latest discovery through Spotify – I like her whimsical tone and sweet lyrics.

Television

The Great British Bake-Off –  I get sucked in by reality shows in a terrible way, but this is one that is actually not about scandal! Part baking competition, part food history documentary, part instructional food show, this is one for all of you home bakers and foodies – it’s SO fun.

Jane the Virgin – admittedly, I am very late to this train, but holy cow is this show cute! I’m only on the first first episodes but I love, love, LOVE the acting and the telenovela satire. SO GOOD.

Making a Murderer – Like you’re not watching and furious about this whole thing. If you’re at all interested in the legal system, this should go on your list. And then you should tweet me, because I have THEORIES.

Fuller House – this JUST came out and it’s nostalgia city for everyone in their late 20s and 30s…I grew up on Full House, and I’m so happy to see that it’s just as delightful and full of heart as the original!

Other

Emery Lord’s monthly newsletter, the em-dash – Ok, so hear me out. I know I’m like, the mega Emery Lord fan of your life, but I promise, if you’re not signed up for this, you’re really missing out. Emery has excellent taste, and each month she gives us her fave books, movies, shows and make-up, all in hilarious stream-of-consciousness. Like her books, though, this newsletter is also the real deal, with inspiring discussions of mental health and self-care. It’s like having her meet you for coffee once a month.

Crafting, Pocket Letters and snail mail flip books – I’ve never really thought of myself as a crafty person, but when Andi from Andi ABCs decided to invite our bookish community to do Pocket Letters to one another, I jumped in. I’m SO GLAD I did – I’ve done two so far, and not only have they gotten me to dig into my craft stash (and start a new one), but I’ve discovered how relaxing, creative, fun, and REWARDING crafting can be. It’s lovely to have something beautiful that you created in the end…and then to receive something back is just icing on the cake.

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Wow, this post turned out kinda epic. I’ll try to make it shorter next time. What things are you swooning over this month? Let me know in the comments so I can find more things to swoon over!