April Favourites

Curl up with a cuppa and enjoy some old school internet vibes.

Ahh, remember the good old days of monthly favourites videos? They were always my favourite (ha!) things to watch, especially from my favourite YouTubers like Zoella and Carrie Hope Fletcher. While some people still do them, I feel like they don’t appear quite as much nowadays. So I wanted to do an equivalent here on Substack each month, sharing things that I loved, and I think you might too!

So, without further ado, let’s begin.

Books

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

“Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow and water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth.”

I fear I may have become a full V.E. Schwab fangirl with this one - I just adore everything about her storytelling. This book tells the story of three women, each who become vampires throughout the ages, and what it costs them in the long run. It’s a bloody and incredible rollercoaster from beginning to end and a super cool sapphic spin on the vampire genre.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne by Emily Critchley

"People often say of a painful memory or experience, that it belongs to the past. Does it? I wonder. In my experience, the past does not readily absorb what we would prefer to forget: our less than fine moments. They are still there, those moments; an unforgivable word said to a loved one, a terrible mistake, a moment of human weakness or cruelty."

This was one of those books I picked up in a bookstore simply because I adored the cover, and I’m pleased to say it didn’t steer me wrong! This book follows a young girl named Gillian as she is invited to her wealthy school friend Violet’s estate for Christmas. Once there, things slowly start to unravel, and Gillian finds she will do absolutely anything to fit in with Violet’s charismatic older sisters, even at the expense of her friend. I really didn’t see where this book was going, and even in the end I found myself surprised by the reveals. An underrated gem, I definitely recommend!

Fashion

My Tweed Run Ensemble

I was so excited to participate in this year’s Tweed Run - an annual bike ride across London where everyone dresses in vintage inspired tweed looks! I received so many compliments on my look and I was so pleased with how it came together. This beautiful dress is from Buckstone Country - an independently owned fashion brand who do the most stunning, classy pieces. And the hat is from Rose Cherie Paris - one of my favourite hat brands of all time.

Chillinen Blue Maxi Dress

I have quite a few dresses from this brand now and I absolutely love their vintage inspired designs. This one reminds me a bit of the dress that Rachel McAdams wears in The Notebook and everyone I meet always comments on how lovely the colour is.

Beauty

Jo Malone Red Roses Cologne

I suppose I’m subconsciously attracted to anything with rose in it by nature of my name, but the Jo Malone Red Roses Cologne has been my current fragrance of choice. It’s perfect for this time of year (I do love a floral) and my fiancé says I smell like Turkish Delight (in a good way).

L’Oréal True Match Foundation

Can you believe I reached the ripe old age of 32 and this is the first time I’ve used a foundation? I wanted to start practising with one as I’ll be doing my own bridal makeup. Anyway, I saw a lot of recommendations for this one and I highly recommend it. It’s not too heavy and has fantastic coverage.

Phlur Peach Skin Body Mist

Is there anything like putting on a gorgeous body mist after getting out of the shower? I feel like it just tops everything off. I’ve been using the Peach Skin one from Phlur lately and it’s gorgeous. It gives very sunny holiday vibes, with a fruity floral. vibe.

YouTube

Puppet History Contingency Tapes

I’ve been a massive fan of the Puppet History series for years now. I mean, it quite literally combines two of my favourite things - history and puppets. Created by Shane Madej (who I also happen to have a large, unrelated crush on), the Professor, a little blue puppet guy, teaches guests on his show all about a moment in time.

Recently, they have moved all of the videos over to a new channel and have created shorter ‘Contingency Tapes’ which I have been absolutely loving. I highly recommend watching the whole show (in order, as there is a storyline to it as well), and then starting on these tapes if you’ve never seen them before.

Incredible Movies Nobody Watched (Vol. 2)

Part 2 to another amazing video of the same name, I highly recommend this if you’re looking for some new films to watch that aren’t just the same old sequels, remakes and nostalgia bait that Hollywood loves to churn out nowadays. Friendly Space Ninja has immaculate taste and I have never once been disappointed by one of his recommendations.

The Rise and Fall of Misery Memoirs

A fascinating look into the boom of ‘misery memoirs’ in the publishing industry in the 00s. I remember when these were all the rage. I used to visit my library and they would be absolutely everywhere. As someone who has never been a fan of tragic sad stories, they were never for me, but hearing about how they were so popular and how so many writers faked stories is truly interesting.

Music

Chess the Musical

I won’t lie, I have absolutely no idea what this musical is about. From what I’ve read, it gets re-written every time it gets revived, but I will say this - the new Broadway album absolutely slaps. So many bops. Personal favourites include ‘The Arbiter’, ‘Endgame Part 2’, ‘Nobody’s Side’ and ‘Overture’.

Growth - Wildernesses

I’ve been a huge fan of this new band since I saw them perform at one of my fiancé’s gigs. A dreamy, ambient sound that reminds me of a lovechild of Of Monsters and Men, Lord Huron and The National. These guys need to go far. I’m obsessed. Personal favourites include ‘Four Hour Drive’, ‘Happy Hollow’ and ‘Sleepless’.

Night at the Opera - Emei

One single for this month I’ve been absolutely obsessed with! I love a good TikTok song find and this one was blowing up for months, so you may have heard it. This is one for the theatre kids and is such a fun bop. Plus it reminds me a lot of the vibes of my second book.

Video Games

Baldur’s Gate 3

Took me long enough, huh? If I’m being totally honest, I tried playing BG3 last year and couldn’t get into it. I’m not a huge fan of turn-based combat systems and it just kept annoying me so much, despite my love of the world, characters and story. I asked my fiancé if he would do the combat elements for me during a new play through and he agreed. I am now absolutely obsessed with it. If you love role playing, magic based game with an incredible amount of detail and story, you need to play this. Hopefully you’ll actually like the turn-based combat and therefore enjoy everything about it.

And obviously I’ve romanced Gale of Waterdeep my adorable wizard who eats my loot (swoon).

And that’s everything for my April favourites! I want to do this as a regular series each month, sharing all of the things that I’ve loved. I personally used to adore this kind of content on YouTube back in the day (and still do! I highly recommend checking out Cherry Wallis’s seasonal favourites series).

Let me know what your favourites were for April and if there are any categories you’d like me to add going forward. Bear in mind I don’t watch TV and I only watch films occasionally, so I will include these if they come up in the future.