What I Loved: April 2019

It's time for another round-up of my monthly favorites! I genuinely love being able to gush about what I loved from the previous month. It's fun to discover who else shares my interests, getting new recommendations for similar things and encouraging people to check out (and fall in love with, hopefully) the things that I've loved. Let me know what you've been loving lately in the comments!

the Shadowhunters literary universe | I've been talking so much about the Shadowhunters series in real life and on our YouTube channel (evidence #1, evidence #2, evidence #3), and I feel that it would be remiss not to mention it as part of my favorite things. I committed myself to a project where I read all of the existing published hardcover fiction in the Shadowhunters universe in the latter half of March and the beginning of April, and it resulted in complete obsession with the fascinating world and incredible cast of characters that Cassandra Clare has created.

Avengers: Endgame (trailer) | Even though this is going up a little under a week after the movie has begun to show in cinemas, I still will leave my reaction to the film as this: hot damn, but that was an excellent cinematic experience to end an era. The characters, the story, the beats - it all really worked for me, truly, and I'm ready to go and see it again.

Snow White with the Red Hair (trailer, though I vote you watch the sub version) | While we haven't completed the first season yet, we are over halfway through it and Macky and I love this anime. There's a feisty and smart heroine, a charming and kind prince, an excellent set of secondary characters and a plot that is utterly compelling even as it navigates familiar twists and turns.

Fruits Basket (the reboot) (trailer) | I love, love, love the manga so dang much, and I had fully intended to watch the original anime... until it was announced that a reboot was going to be made. I'm so glad I waited because four episodes in, I am loving everything about it! Because the story is complete in manga form, it seems like the creators of the anime are able to tighten up their storytelling. Pairing that with excellent animation, and you can imagine how much I am loving this.

Waitress (the musical) | Hi, my name is Alexa, and I have seen Waitress six times with a variety of casts, and I really, really love it. I don't necessarily think all the songs are my jam, but there are some stellar tunes in there. And even though I know exactly how the story plays out, I still get emotional every single time we hit the finale. One of my favorite Broadway musicals I've ever watched! 

Me! by Taylor Swift feat. Brendon Urie | I am so ready for another era of Taylor Swift, as I'm one of those fans that have grown with her since the very beginning. This new aesthetic of hers, and this cheeky bop that she dropped at the end of the month? I'm really into it.

Sailboats by Brooke Fraser | This song is an older release that's been around for ages, but I only discovered it when Macky put it on my radar one weekend... and I obsessively love it. It's a gorgeous love song that really brings me to tears with how much it speaks to me.

Queen | I believe that it was Red, White and Royal Blue (which is phenomenal, by the way, and you need to preorder it or get it on release day if you're a contemporary romance fan) that inspired me to start listening to Queen towards the latter half of the month. I'm surprisingly familiar with a lot of their songs (though granted, a lot of it is a big part of pop culture), but I'm particularly obsessed with Don't Stop Me Now these days.

Sam Edelman flats | I bought my first pair of these babies a couple of years ago, as recommended by Rachel, and I love them. They're so comfortable, they fit my admittedly narrow feet so well and I could walk in them for hours. I ended up buying another pair in black leather, and I can foresee myself buying more pairs in the future.

J.Crew icon trench coat | This is actually an older item in my wardrobe, but I love breaking it out when the weather is warmer. There's just something extremely classic about a camel trench! It pairs well with so many different colors, and it's a perfect jacket for the seasons where the weather can't make up its mind whether to be cold or warm.