September, in my opinion, is one of the easiest months to love. We’re transitioning from summer into the cozy months. This summer, I spent a lot of time listening to Audrey Hobert, watching Slushy Noobz on YouTube, and reading Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. But now that fall has arrived, I’ve changed up my taste:
Mandy’s iphone
I think a lot of young girls would tell you that YouTubers raised them. Personally, I used to watch a lot of Emma Chamberlain and Nicole Laeno when I was in middle school. I loved watching girls around my age or a little older because I related to them and their content. Watching strangers on the internet do the same boring, mundane tasks I do makes me feel less alone. Recently, my favorite YouTuber has been Mandy’s iPhone. I adore Mandy’s videos. She chronicles her life through little mini movie vlogs, taking her fans on adventures and showing what her days are like as a pet mom to two dogs and three cats. She’s a blind box collector and always takes herself on solo dates to get a sweet treat. To her fans, Mandy is the internet’s big sister. She gives advice to her followers and shares the anxieties and joys of her life so openly that it’s inspiring. I’ve really loved watching her fall vlogs to get into the mood for the season.
Angel by Lizzy McAlpine
In the transition from summer to fall, Lizzy McAlpine’s new album, Angel, has brought me so much comfort. I got into Lizzy’s music with her popular song “Ceilings” a few years back, and have loved her voice and songwriting ever since. In Angel, she focuses on the vivid experience of new love, conveying her feelings through heavily poetic lyrics. My two favorite tracks on this album are “Anybody’s Fool” and “Our Strange Ways.” The lyrics keep me entranced. She has a way with words that makes her music a sad, melancholy experience for her fans while also bringing so much meaning to her work. Not to mention I’m absolutely obsessed with the album cover art. It’s this gorgeous, almost Kandinsky-like piece of art. The album makes me feel cozy.
Dawson’s Creek
Back in April, I started Dawson’s Creek on Netflix out of slight curiosity and a lot of boredom. I’d seen a couple of scenes on my TikTok “For You Page,” and I pride myself on having watched a lot of popular TV shows from the 1990s and early 2000s (Gilmore Girls, Friends, etc.). Many of those ended up being some of my favorite series, so I wanted to give this one a chance.
After losing steam towards the middle of season two, I stopped. It wasn’t until I returned to school this summer and saw the show would be leaving Netflix that I started watching again, with a little encouragement from a close friend who was dying to have someone to discuss it with. Now, as I’m on the season three finale, I am so incredibly hooked. Dawson has infuriated me this past season, but the sweet softness of Joey and Pacey’s growing love has kept me engaged. I’m so proud of Jen’s character development, and I’m increasingly invested in Jack’s storyline. It’s been the definition of a “comfort show” over the past couple of weeks, and I’ll be sad when I finish the series.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
After finishing Katabasis in June, I wanted to keep reading R.F. Kuang’s work. Babel has had a chokehold on me since I first read it the summer before my freshman year of college. I love that book, so I knew The Poppy War series needed to be next on my list, even though I’d been putting it off knowing it was a devastating (yet unbelievably powerful) read. I’d read enough reviews to know the impact it had had on its readers and now I’ve officially begun. Following Rin, a war orphan, the novel tells the tale of an intelligent young woman journeying to train at Sinegard, the most elite military school in her country. Rin will face trials and tribulations throughout her arc, and I’m excited to follow along!
There is so much good media I want to continue to explore. I guess you’ll have to wait until my next article to figure out what else I’ve been consuming!
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