In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot going on *gestures everywhere*, so rather than get into anything too tragic, as we’re wont to do, we’ve instead gathered some Comfort Media for Interesting Times (™)–that is, the pop culture we turn to when things are rough and we’re in need of a boost to help us make it through.

This episode, in the style of our Pop-Culture Round Ups, we trade off sharing cozy books, music, and TV shows that bolster our spirits and help us feel warm inside.

Lit "rounded up" this Episode:

• Howl’s Moving Castle (1986) by Diana Wynne Jones
• On a Sunbeam (2018) by Tillie Walden
• Eva Ibbotson’s 5 romance book set in the early 1900’s, but especially The Reluctant Heiress (1982) A Countess Below Stairs (1981)

• The Discographies of Maaya Sakamoto (Shounen Alice and Single Collection: Nikopachi (2003)) and Hikaru Utada (Bad Mode (2022) and Ultra Blue (2006)

Show Notes:

• What's Sparking Joy: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, Blue Box (aka Aoi no Hako) on Netflix
• Other lit discussed this episode: Spinning by Tillie Walden, My Happy Marriage, The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones, First Love (J-Drama)
• Correction: Tessa from The Reluctant Heiress is a staunch "republican," not "communist."

Check out SLL Live in 2025:

• April 2025 - Romance in CNY: ⁠⁠⁠https://romanceincny.com/⁠⁠⁠
• July 2025 - RomantiConn: ⁠⁠https://www.romanticonn.com/⁠⁠

On Future SLL Episodes: A Court of Thorns and Roses/A Court of Mist and Fury, Strangers Again, Let's Get Divorced, and Trope Spotlight: Forced Proximity.

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SexLoveLitPodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; on Instagram , Tumblr, and BlueSky @SexLoveLitPodcast.

Our cover art is by Charcooll (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/charcooll/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). TheSLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr;Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Sex. Love. Literature. is a pop culture podcast that relishes the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in media. Join pop culture scholars (and besties) Ayanni and Corinne as they deep dive into why the “sex-stuff” in media matters. Main episodes drop the last Friday of the month.