Hello again, dear friends! I hope all is well for you, and if not, I hope brighter days head your way soon! It’s time to strap in for a wild ride, cause today we’ve got a GINORMOUS one! Today is all about celebrating the highs and lows of the entertainment I’ve consumed so far in 2024!
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resources to help change the world
Before anything: FREE PALESTINE!!! 🍉 For over half a century now, the Israeli government has been enacting a genocide against the Palestinian people. This is more than something that started on October 7, 2023. It’s not complicated. It’s genocide. And it’s important that we witness, raise our voices, protest, and fight against it in any way possible. Below are a list of resources to help educate yourself on Palestine, as well as to donate to aid the Palestinian people. In addition, I’ve added some Palestinian influencers and journalists you can follow to learn more from and who keep track of what’s going on. Peace to all and keep fighting the good fight!
educational resources
aid & assistance donation resources
journalists & influencers
- Motaz (journalist)
- Bisan / Her Backup Account (journalist)
- Plestia (journalist)
- Subhi (influencer)
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE ✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼
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To be honest, 2024 has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. Early on in the year, I was dealing with a lot of physical and mental health challenges, which affected my ability and desire to do basically anything and everything. Fortunately, I was able to ask for and recieve help with all of my health issues and I’m now on the mend and in a much better place! Despite these issues, I still managed to have some memorable entertainment and life moments—so let’s dive in and check out my recap!
books
my 2024 mid-year reading goals check in
I had a bit of a rough start to 2024 mental health-wise and, while I'm now doing much better, it definitely affected my ability to make progress with my reading goals, unfortunately. I was hoping to complete 15 to 20 books this year, but I've had to scale that back to 5 to 10 books. I also was hoping to take part in G's/Book Roast's Year in Aeldia reading challenge, but I missed so much of it that I think that goal is a total wash for me. That said, I am still hoping to check off some prompts for the 2024 Beat The Backlist reading challenge and the 2024 Swords & Stars reading challenge. I'm also taking part in The Carterhough School of Folklore and the Fantastic's 2024 Summer Reading Challenge, which hopefully will help me read more! Regardless, my primary goal each year is always "quality over quantity," so I'm trying to remember that numbers shouldn't be something I stress over.
favorite read of 2024 (so far)
Well, technically I only read and finished one book prior to July this year, and it was a novella 😅 Fortunately, it was an amazing hit with me! Which novella do I speak of? When Among Crows by Veronica Roth! Listen. I'm not usually someone who goes for standalones nor for novellas, so I am abolutely stunned by the fact that I loved this standalone novella so much!! Especially when you consider that I hadn't read any of Veronica Roth's works since The Divergent Trilogy!!! As much as The Divergent Trilogy means to me, in retrospect I can recognize that it's not the most well written series of books, but what is clear to me after reading When Among Crows is that in the years since writing her debut series Roth has really mastered her craft.
most anticipated book releases of the second half of 2024
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan seems like the perfect mix of The Shadows Between Us and Inkheart and I am SO HERE for it! To my understanding, Long Live Evil is about a woman who's transported into the world of her favorite fantasy book series, only to find out that she's now the villain in the story. Sounds amazing, right?! I can't wait!!
Apparently, Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid is a feminist retelling of Lady Macbeth's story, and I can already feel the urge to have grabby hands for this book forming within me! I wasn't a fan of Reid's debut Adult fantasy novel, The Wolf and the Woodsman, but I was a fan of one of her other novels, the feminist YA dark academia fantasy standalone, A Study in Drowning. That all said, I think Reid's take on Lady Macbeth could be a hit for me, so I can't wait to see for myself what it's all about!
I love the Truly Devious series, so of course I am absolutely ecstatic to check out Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson! It looks like this book is a standalone mystery novel that's unconnected to the world of Truly Devious, but I'm still ridiculously excited to read it eventually. I love Johnson's writing in her mystery books, in addition to her sense of humor and how she incorporates it into all of her works. I'm super eager to see how she writes mysteries outside of Truly Devious, so I can't wait to get my hands on her upcoming novel!
The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow seems like such a unique novel, and I'm so here for it!! It's synopsis speaks of princesses, arranged marriages and mirror worlds which hide a strange darkness---all of which sound incredible! It's rare in our current publishing landscape that I come across traditionally published books which seem so unique, so I'm hyped for The Girl with No Reflection!
I've been hearing about This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings for years now as I actually followed the author back when she was an active booktuber. I know Hayley's big pitch for her debut novel is "Black, sapphic vampires during the Harlem Renaissance," and that honestly sounds so incredible to me!! After literal years of anticipating this book, I can't wait to find out if it lives up to my dreams of it!
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright looks like a delightfully dark romp and I'm so excited for it! After all, it's got vampires and an angsty polyamorous romance and is written by a Filipino author---what more could you ask for?! I've seen so many of my fellow online community friends salivating over this upcoming release and I am fully down with the hype!
I absolutely LOVED the underrated GEM that is Wolf by Wolf so when I saw the author had a new book releasing after years of silence, you can bet your bottom dollor I was (and remain) so stoked! And, lucky for me, The Enchanted Lies of Celeste Artois by Ryan Graudin looks equally as amazing as the author's other works! Set in the magical and lush world of Paris in the early 1900s, this book boasts of fortune tellers, con artists, and devilish deals. It sounds incredible and I can't wait to find out if it really is!
Y'all know I'm always down for a good story involving fae, and it looks like Tales of a Monstrous Heart by Jennifer Delaney has me covered this year! Interestingly enough, this book is also touted as being a gothic, dark academia romantasy, which is a take on fae fantasy that I haven't seen before---so I'm extra excited for it! Tales of a Monstrous Heart seems like a monstrously good time that I can't wait to get my hands on!
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite stories, so when I heard that For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga is a Pakistani-inspired retelling of it? Oooooh, y'all know I instantly added this to my TBR!!! I mean, who doesn't love a good revenge story? Certainly not me! Catch me on Audible the midnight this book releases, eagerly downloading my pre-order, lol!
Last year one of my favorite reads was Spice Road, so obviously I am super excited for the sequel, Sea Serpent by Maiya Ibrahim! Spice Road ended at a wild point and I can't wait to see what's next for the characters. Most of all, I can't wait to see how the characters grow and change, cause Ibrahim's character work is immaculate! I'll be so happy when I have the audiobook of this book in my posession!
I wasn't a fan of Down Comes The Night, but I'll be giving the author another chance with the upcoming adult fantasy A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft. I'm particularly interested as the main character is a folklorist and I'm majoring in anthropology with a minor in folklore and mythology---so the MC and I have that in common! A Dark and Drowning Tide is also described as a sapphic rivals-to-lovers fantasy romance and oh my god I need it now!!! This book sounds so amazing and I'm looking forward to getting it!
I saved the best for last because my most anticipated release of the entirety of 2024 releases during the second half of the year and that book is Heir by Sabaa Tahir!!! I've heard conflicting reports as to whether or not Heir is connected to the world of An Ember in the Ashes, but regardless, I'm hyped for this new book from Sabaa! This is her return to fantasy, and I absolutely cannot wait!!!!
tv & film
favorite tv series of 2024 (so far)
I haven't watched many TV series since the beginning of the year, so this prompt had me searching my mental archives, heh. But once I jogged my memory, the TV series I've watched this year that stuck out to me was one I've only watched two episodes of so far but still loved: School Spirits. My enjoyment of this series is a bit of a surprise to me seeing as I went into watching it thinking it was gonna be something TOTALLY different. I had thought it was a comedy---turns out it's actually not, it's actually a murder mystery. But it also was really good, despite my misconception! School Spirits is about a teenage girl who wakes up to find that she's been murdered (to her disbelief) and who goes on to try and solve the mystery of her own murder with the help of her living and dead friends. It's a surprisingly emotional show, and the actors really do it justice. I can't wait to watch more of it, and I definitely recommend you check it out!
most disappointing tv series of 2024 (so far)
When I saw that the Amazon reboot of Mr. & Mrs. Smith had released earlier this year, I was excited. I had watched the original movie for my film theory course, and thought it was relatively fun. Unfortunately, the Amazon reboot left me kinda disappointed. The original film uses a pretty unique framing device which makes the film feel a little more flirty and fun, but the reboot (which is supposed to tell the origin of Mr. and Mrs. Smith's marriage) totally drops the framing device. It was choices like that that I think made the series lack a certain charm, and the humor that was utilized was so dry that it didn't pick up the slack. I also feel like the actors did the best they could with the script and directorial choices, but ultimately the characters felt very stale. The pacing of the plot didn't help, either, as it felt oddly slow for an action series. All in all, the more I relflect on this series, the more disappointed I am.
most anticipated tv series releases of the second half of 2024
The first TV series releasing in the second half of 2024 that I'm anticipating is one I've been anticipating for literal YEARS now that finally has a release date! It's Marvel and Disney+'s Agatha All Along! Ever since I watched WandaVision a few years ago and heard that Agatha would be getting her own series, I've been anticipating the show. In fact, I'm pretty sure this series has been on most of my quarterly check ins since I initially heard of it! And we finally have a release date for it---September 18, 2024! I'm so freaking excited!!! Agatha was such a compelling character in WandaVision and I absolutely can't wait to find out more about her and see her causing chaos in more stories!
Another upcoming TV series I'm looking forward to is A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. All I really know is that this series is about a teen girl who starts a true crime podcast as part of a school project wherein she aims to solve a murder mystery which everyone thinks was already solved. I also know the original book series by Holly Jackson is ridiculously popular. I've never read the books this YA mystery/thriller show is adapted from---but please don't kill me yet because they're on my list! I'm actually currently reading and enjoying Holly Jackson's latest YA mystery/thriller (The Reappearance of Rachel Price), which is part of why I think I'll enjoy this upcoming adaptation of her other series. So, I'm excited to see if this show lives up to all the hullabaloo!
favorite movie of 2024 (so far)
This year has been the year of "screen scarcity" for me, seeing as I've only watched one film this year! Thank god it was a good one, though!! The singular movie Ive watched this year was Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, which I mostly enjoyed. I don't think it quite surpassed the first film for me, but it was a fun watch and, of course, the animation was INCREDIBLE! I also loved seeing more of Gwen's story in the film---I feel like it had equally as much depth as Miles's story, which was a pleasant surprise! And in the end, the cliffhanger ending rocked me, especially knowing that these films take a while to animate, meaning we probably won't get the sequel for a bit 😭
music
favorite songs of 2024 (so far)
If there's any song that reminds me that I'm proud to be an Arab girly (especially in times like these), it's "Batwanes Beek" by Felukah. This fun anthem is a remix of a classic Arab song called "Batwanes Beek" (which, fun fact, the original "Batwanes Beek" was also sampled by R&B legend Aaliyah) and I love it to bits! It perfectly mixes the sounds of Arab pop and Western pop to get listeners dancing, and it has plenty of cultural Easter eggs for Arab and Arab diaspora listeners. Just perfection!!
Sometimes there are songs whose lyrics just get you, and for me one of those songs is "Free" by Florence + The Machine. I've been a big fan of Florence + The Machine since I was in high school (so, like, for 15 years now *sobs*) and I've always felt Florence Welch's songs have amazing lyrics paired with insanely beautiful, haunting, and atmospheric music. "Free" is no different in that regard, but there's an added layer of lyrical relatablilty for me which makes this particular song extra special.
Last but certainly not least is the powerful protest song of the year: "HIND'S HALL" by Macklemore. It's so lovely to see artists like Macklemore and Kehlani take a stand for what they know to be right, even when it's against the industry. And, just like we saw in the 1960s and 1970s, turns out protest makes some good music! "HIND'S HALL" reminds me of the good in the world, that there are people who are willing to stand up in the face of evil, even if doing so means making sacrifices.
favorite albums of 2024 (so far)
Babe, wake up, new Elyanna album just dropped!!! WOLEDTO by Elyanna is the latest addition to the Palestinian-Chilean artist's discography, and it is immaculate, as per usual! I know I can always expect perfection from Elyanna and, honestly, WOLEDTO doesn't disappoint.
If you're in the market for another Palestinian artist who perfectly mixes Levantine Arab sounds and Western music, then you need to check out Deira by Saint Levant! My friend recommended Saint Levant's music to me a few years back, but he's gotten much more attention in light of recent events, and I genuinely couldn't be happier that people are listening to him now!
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish is another 2024 album that I've been obsessing over. I feel like Billie's music get better with each album---and that's saying a lot as she started out with her music being AMAZING!
most disappointing album of 2024 (so far)
The minute I listened through The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams, I realized why most Swifties seem to love Abrams. It's because she sounds like a carbon copy of Taylor Swift. Everything from her vocals to her production to the vibe of her songs on The Secret of Us sounds exactly like Swift, to a point that it's a little freaky. Which, I guess isn't surprising when you consider that she's opened for Taylor on on the Eras Tour and that Taylor's producer, Jack Antonoff, also produced The Secret of Us. Still, it is quite disappointing and makes the album fade into the background of wannabe pop stars pretty easily, seeing as it's nothing new. I know that sounds harsh, but I'm miffed because I can tell Abrams has talent, it just seems kinda wasted, ya know?
favorite newly discovered artists of 2024 (so far)
I know I'm late to the party for Sabrina Carpenter but I'm here now, okay?! I love all of her latest music and the stylistic variety she's been showing within all of it. I'm so impressed by her vocal versatility, like, it's embarassing that I wasn't listening to her before now!! It took me a minute after hearing "Espresso" to jump into listening to her backlog, but, guys, I'm there now and I love it so much, I promise! I can't wait to hear her upcoming album, and if you aren't yet onboard the Sabrina Carpenter Express(o), I encourage you to jump on now before it leaves the station!
miscellaineous
favorite webcomics of 2024 (so far)
I zoomed through the entirety of what's currently posted of Morgana and Oz by Miyuli earlier this year, and I fell so in love with it! This adorable webcomic is about a witch and a vampire from feuding clans who befriend each other and team up to investigate some mysterious, magical happenings. It's sweet and cozy with a hint of dark mystery, which sounds like an odd pairing but works perfectly!
favorite podcasts of 2024 (so far)
When it comes to podcasts, I've listened to several new-to-me episodes of old favorite shows, but my latest new favorite podcast that I hadn't listened to previousy is Rehash. Surprisingly to me, Rehash is cohosted by one of my favorite YouTubers---Maia of the video essay focused channel Broey Deschanel. The other half of the cohosting duo is Hannah, who I believe is a researcher for Maia. The podcast is about internet "phenomena" that quickly gained and lost the spotlight in the public's conscience. If you're a fan of YouTube video essays and commentary channels, then Rehash is the podcast for you! Maia and Hannah take a very balanced and nuanced approach to their topics, and it's clear that they do their research very well!
favorite youtubers of 2024 (so far)
Recently on YouTube I've really been enjoying Lauren Louise. Her videos have a very calming vibe about them, full of gentle visuals and atmospheric ambient background music. It's all very lovely and tranquil.
miscellaineous favorites of 2024 (so far)
my new(ish) midori b6 slim journal
I'll be real with you: I'm not a "journal everyday" kinda person. My journaling is part scrapbooking and takes place more sporadically than most people online advise. But what's made it easier for me to journal when I do journal is having less page to fill. And that's where the Midori B6 Slim journal that I purchased this past May comes in handy! It's shorter and slimmer than the A5 journals that a lot of people favor, which makes it easier to fill up quicker because---ta da!---smaller page size! For me, this helps take the pressure off feeling like I have to write a lot without having much to say, since it's just easier to fill a page with less. Which is...a relief, tbh 😅
favorite memories of 2024 (so far)
having an arts and crafts day with friends at a cafe restaurant
Back in April, my friends and I had an "arts and crafts date" at a local restaurant and it was such amazing fun!!! We all brought different arts and crafts supplies and taught each other things like knitting and how to make friendship bracelets whilst snacking on delicious brunch food! We a had such a great time, and I was happy to spend more time bonding with my friends!
attending an african-palestinian solidarity event with my friend
In May, one of my good friends and I made a day of going to an African/Palestinian solidarity event and then spending time in D.C., and it was great! It was lovely to be in community with both of our cultural communities, since both of us are Afro Arab (she's Egyptian and I'm Black/Lebanese). After the event, we went to a local indie bookstore, where I purchased a tiny journal. Then we went to a funky local cafe next to the bokstore and tried out the lavender honey latte---yum!
going to the smithsonian folklife festival with friends
I know July 1st is technically the second half of the year, but I'm counting it anyway 😆 Anyhoo, this past July 1st, my friends and I went to the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival. The Folklife Festival is a free annual event put on my the Smithsonian which celebrates the cultures of the world. This year's theme was "Indigenous Voices of the Americas," so they had food, music, dancing, arts and crafts, activities, and sports from Indigenous America. It was so much fun to go to with my friends! We saw a singing and drum performance, watched Indigenous Latin American skateboarders, and had delicious Indigenous American food! Afterward, we went to a local restaurant for dinner, and it was soooo good!! I had a great time, but the best thing was just having fun with my friends 💗
spill the beans, friends!
- What are your entertainment favorites from the first half of 2024?
- What are you looking forward to in the second half of 2024?
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