It’s been a long 10 months since we last spoke, and a lot of things have happened: I saw new bookstores, I started cooking again, I marked off a bucket list experience, I got a dog and an inhaler. I’ve also read A LOT. Like, a whole lot. In the ongoing drama that is Long COVID, one of my biggest struggles has been the debilitating brain fog, but no longer! 2022 opened me up to a cranial ray of sunshine and a thirst for the most comforting, delicious books that I could find. So I’m back! And with a whole lot of books to talk about.
As I’ve mentioned before in this newsletter, one of my all-time favorite genres is Young Adult. It’s usually an overly dramatic story, most of the problems that characters face aren’t all that serious in real life, and I can get through a stack of YA books real quick. Obviously, it’s the first thing I reach for when I’m seeking out a comfort read. Within YA, there are genres of all kinds- whatever you like, it exists. For me, that means YA Romance: the ultimate security blanket, curl up and cry your heart out, fuzzy socks and my softest pajamas on the couch type of read. Is it sometimes ridiculous? Of course. Is it often cheesy? Yes! But does the purity of first love sucker punch me right in my feels every single time? Abso-freaking-lutely it does. I just want to feel something! Rip my heart out and then apologize with a mix tape!
If you’re desperate for the same type of comfort, might I suggest Heartstopper? I’m not usually one for graphic novels but this one hooked me right from the start. I stumbled across the Netflix adaptation a couple of months ago and man, oh man, it did me in. Curiosity led me to the original graphic novels by Alice Oseman and I’ve been in love ever since! Who could have guessed that this sweet gay British comic could have been the exact brand of fluffiness that sustained me through the last month? Certainly not me, but here we are. I absolutely cannot recommend it enough.
On a note other than my romance obsession, there are a few things changing about this newsletter moving forward…
First up, more guest writers! Do you want a platform to just wax poetic about your favorite read? Or maybe you have big feelings about some literary news, or you just want to rage openly about a bad book? In addition to some specific writers talking about some specific literary subjects, I’m looking to you, dear reader, to help me fill out the Lost Friends content calendar. While I love writing and could truly talk about nothing other than books for the rest of my earthly life, sometimes I need help. So please! If you or someone you know might be interested in writing or reading for LFLC, reach out via reply to this email, or on the LFLC instagram page.
Second, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…. a podcast!!! I know, I know. Everyone and their mother has a podcast these days. But as a baby of the early 90s, I’m pretty sure I’m in violation of some law somewhere if I don’t at least try. What’s this podcast going to sound like? Well, mostly it will sound like me talking to people about books. Just like the conversations that many of you have everyday out in the world, so we will have that conversation directly into your airpods. Stay tuned for more info on where to find us!
And lastly, a new lil segment for this humble dispatch… I’d like to give an author shoutout to the lovely Lynn Painter. I read Lynn’s first book, Better Than The Movies, a few months ago and it was SO GOOD that I immediately preordered her next book, and her next next book, and signed up for her email list. Delightfully, that email list often receives another romance novel in serialized form, which is truly the light in the dark that my gmail account needed. Lynn writes for both YA and Adult fans, and her romances are the perfect amount of squabble and steam (we *love* an enemies to lovers storyline in this house), and she regularly releases bonus content for the impatient readers among us. Lynn interacts with fans through her social media and her email frequently, and seriously could not possibly be more kind or fun to talk to. I’m really looking forward to her next few books and I hope you’ll give her a read!
Also, be sure not to miss one of her character-inspired Spotify playlists… I basically have The Soundtrack of Wes and Liz on repeat forever.