A Bizarre Collection of Books and Candles: April Favorites!

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At the beginning of the year, my English teacher assigned The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Predictably, she asked us all, "do you think we'll have another roaring twenties?". I wasn't sure if she was talking about alcohol and swing dresses, or just mayhem in general, so I didn't reply; I have my answer now. Clearly, we're living through a wild time, but it's quite different than the era of one-hundred years ago. Our roaring is worlds away from glaring trumpets and speakeasies - it's a little quieter. A little more planned. It's eight P.M. fireworks and howling and little girls spinning in backyards. It's Zoom notifications and NPR news. To Fitzgerald's gin, I have black tea. To his brash cityscape, I have a silent suburb.

Another month has come and gone, and it's odd, because I didn't hear it fly by. It was sneaky and molasses-y, and I can't tell you exactly what I did, because time has become pretty irrelevant. I can say, however, that I made an effort to live through this hollow where my life used to lay. Though everything's topsy-turvsy, I'm trying to stay grounded. I've failed many times, potentially more than I've succeeded, but that doesn't matter so much. What matters is that I'm trying, we're trying, and we're here. So that's something neat to Fitzgerald's whiskey neat. Here are my April favorites:

Top Songs:
- "People Need A Melody" by The Head and the Heart
- "Cologne" by Haux
- "From Eden" by Hozier
- "25 in Barcelona" by JP Saxe
- "Menswear" by The 1975
- "Chewing Cotton Wool" by The Japanese House
- "PDLIF" (Please Don't Live in Fear) by Bon Iver

Top Books/ Plays:
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
→If you're looking for an odd read and a protagonist you'll hate.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
→If you're looking for brilliant writing and characters you'll be devoted to; warning, lots of explicit violence.
Lucky in Love by Kasie West
→If you're looking for a light romance with a cute anteater.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
→If you're in the mood for wit galore. And a healthy dose of satire.
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
→If you want to read one of the best historical fiction authors, ever.
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
→I just started this, but it's making me... dare I say it... furiously happy.

Top Films/ Videos:
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower is on Netflix, y'all!
- Onward, that one Pixar flick with Tom Holland. So cute. So good. Beautiful animation.
- This funny Elizabeth Bennett compilation. An icon, really.
- Christmas at the Wizarding World AKA Maya lives vicariously through YouTubers.
- Literally any Matt D'Avella video, they're so well-done and inspirational.
- Neville Longbottom - The True Chosen One

Random Things I'm Loving:
- Candles? I never thought I'd like them, but then again, I never thought I'd be completing high school from home. Right now, I am quite enjoying a warm candied pecan candle I found in a closet. Just remember to blow them out so your mother doesn't have a heart attack.
- Milk Bar Gluten-Free cookies. My sister's birthday was this month, and we got a box of these delicious treats shipped from New York. And um... yum.
- Filming videos! It's actually a lot more fun than I thought it'd be. No wonder this You of Tube has gotten so popular. If you're interested in watching me make a fool of myself talking about books, here's my channel.
- Goodreads! So many incredible recommendations, so many fellow book lovers, so many (mostly) wonderful reviews!
- Disney released their Dole Whip recipe, and it's surprisingly simple. Have I made it? No. But it makes me happy anyway. I think they also released their churro recipe, if that's more of your cuppa tea.

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. Much love.
- Maya

Photo by Anshu A on Unsplash, Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash,
Photo by Taylor Simpson on Unsplash, Photo by ASHLEY EDWARDS on Unsplash,
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

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