June was loads of fun; I read 11 books and visited 6 cities! Despite that, June’s recap is shorter than usual because I’m saving the details for full travel recaps that I’ll be sharing throughout July. I wish every day of my life could be filled with books and Hungarian lemonade, but alas, I’m back in Philly now and gotta figure out what I want to do with my life to be a productive member of society.
Read
I’ve read 40 books this year, and we’re only halfway through! Last year I read 39 books total!
I hashed out seven book reviews in one afternoon before I left for vacation, so most of the full reviews for these books are good to go! (I’m so proud of myself haha. I’m kinda digging bulk reviewing. It gives time for my thoughts to settle, making it easier to write comprehensible reviews.) I just need to get around to photographing the accompanying photos. There are a few eARCs that I went back to check out of the library so that I could photograph a physical copy–still waiting for most of those to come in.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara // ★★★★★ // A true crime account of the Golden State Killer. Incredibly well-researched and well-written. A must-read for any true crime junkie! You might not want to read it inside your house though–scary. (Full review here)
Recursion by Blake Crouch (eARC) // ★★★★★ // A sci-fi thriller involving technology recovering memories. One of the best novels I’ve read dealing with the concept of memories (i.e. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton and The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh fell short of my expectations). This book did for me what Inception did. (Full review coming soon)
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim (giveaway win) // ★★★★☆ // Won this in a Goodreads giveaway and read it with Sadia and Tegan! A courtroom mystery about “a Korean immigrant family and a young, single mother accused of murdering her eight-year-old autistic son.” There was so much suspense and I didn’t want to put it down. I was hoping for this to be a 5 star read, but there wasn’t a WOW/deep emotional moment that tipped me over. Still, a great novel. (Full review coming soon)
Naturally Tan by Tan France (eARC) // ★★★★☆ // Tan France’s (of Queer Eye fame) memoir, covering his racial and sexual identity, school life, early interest in fashion, relationships, unconventional career path, experience on Queer Eye, and some fashion tips, of course! A fun and easy read that Tan fans will not be disappointed by. His voice was very distinct in his writing. (Full review coming soon)
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom // ★★★★☆ // This book gave me a lot to contemplate; this book is all about love and relationships (not necessarily romantic), whereas all I want in my life currently is stability and independence. This book didn’t hit me emotionally as hard as it seemed to hit most other people, but my eyes did sting toward the end. (Full review here)
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman // ★★★★☆ // I love quirky characters, though I admit that I was weirded out by Eleanor at first, but I gradually found her entertaining. The thing is, whenever there’s anything involving idolising celebrities (even if it’s just a local musician, like in this case), I shut off; I’m too triggered by k-pop culture. Raymond was super endearing though. (Full review coming soon)
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center (eARC) // ★★★★☆ // Cassie found her family in the Austin Fire Department, but when her ailing mother asks her to move to Boston, Cassie must reestablish herself with a new crew, which isn’t easy, being the only female firefighter. The story was very predicable and the idea of a strong woman was kinda superficial, but it was a fun read with a dreamy if obvious romantic interest. I loved following Cassie’s relationship with her mother Diana; Diana and Diana’s best friend Josie were my favourite characters. (Full review coming soon)
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan // ★★★★☆ // This gay utopia was a bit too sweet for me, but I loved Tony and got more into the story 3/4 through when I got to learn more about him. I think his arc gave this light story more depth. (Full review here)
Please Send Help by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin (eARC) // ★★★☆☆ // Two best friends help each other survive post-grad life via correspondence over text and email. At first, I thought the office drama the two friends gossiped about was entertaining, as there’s a lack of office drama in my life, but then the rest of the book was just more of the same. The characters were pretty flat. (Full review coming soon)
Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang (eARC) // ★★☆☆☆ // I was really looking forward to this collection of Asian/Asian-American stories, but I felt completely disconnected from the characters and writing. The characters felt more like archetypes than real people. (Full review coming soon)
My Crazy (Sick) Love by Drica Pinotti (gifted) // ★★☆☆☆ // Amanda is a hypochondriac, and she’s on a quest to fix her frigidity problem. The premise seemed fun and silly–the perfect summer rom com–but reading chapter after chapter about her hypochondria felt tedious after awhile and verged on narcissistic. In my opinion, she more likely had Munchausen than hypochondria. (Full review here)
To be read
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling // I started rereading the series for the first time last October, and I still haven’t finished the series. It doesn’t take me too long to finish a Harry Potter book; I just take long breaks in between. I think it’s about time I got around to rereading the last book!
The River by Peter Heller // This is my next buddy read with Sadia and Tegan! Two best friends are out canoeing and hear a man and woman arguing, but the next day, they only see one man paddling on the river alone. Is it the same man, and if so, where’s the woman?
No Exit by Taylor Adams // This will be my buddy read after that with Sadia! A storm forces Darby to wait at a remote highway rest stop with strangers, but as she’s stranded there, she discovers that the van parked next to her car has a girl locked in an animal crate. Which of those strangers are responsible?
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch // After enjoying Blake Crouch’s Recursion so much, I decided to go for Dark Matter next. I saw many people mention how much they loved Dark Matter (an older title), which motivated them to read Recursion (a new title).
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane // Bookstagram is solely responsible for getting this book on my TBR. The blurb, hype, and cover are giving me Little Fires Everywhere (by Celeste Ng) vibes. I’m trying to keep my expectations for this book manageable though.
The Gospel According to Coco Chanel by Karen Karbo // Swiped this from a secondhand bookshop for $2. Seems like a fun, quick read.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff // Swiped this from a secondhand bookshop for $8. This book first got on my radar when Michelle x Daisybutter shared a link about it in February. Seems like a fun, quick read.
The Crowns of Croswald & The Girl with the Whispering Shadow by DE Night (gifted) // I read The Crowns of Croswald last summer, but I plan to reread it before I read the next book in the series, The Girl with the Whispering Shadow. Middle grade fantasy.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng // Swiped this from a secondhand bookshop for $3. It’s been on my TBR ever since I finished Little Fires Everywhere in March.
Becoming by Michella Obama // This was the first book I bought this year–new off Amazon too! (I usually shop secondhand)–and I still haven’t read it!
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger // I have yet to read a classic this year, unless The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho counts? My roomie’s copy has been sitting in my room all year.
July’s TBR list is a bit optimistic, but I think it’s doable because two are rereads (HP7 and The Crowns of Croswald), and four are short (The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, The Tao of Pooh, The Crowns of Croswald, The Girl with the Whispering Shadow).
Music
I don’t usually listen to Machine Gun Kelly, Yungblud, or Travis Barker, but I found this on Youtube Trending and was obsessed. Spotify’s recommendations have been failing me these last few months ):
Movies/TV shows
Watched On the Basis of Sex, What Men Want, and Mary Queen of Scots on the plane!
On the Basis of Sex mostly focused on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Moritz v. Commissioner case, “a case in United States federal court decided in 1972 that held for the first time that discrimination on the basis of sex was not permitted by the US Constitution.” I wonder how accurate this dramatised version is. It was solid but I preferred the RBG documentary.
I watched What Men Want for Taraji P. Henson. It was hilarious but the sex scenes were awkward to watch on the plane hah… I watched Mary Queen of Scots for Gemma Chan. I love period dramas but I was kinda bored by the politics.
My watch of the month was Netflix’s When They See Us and the accompanying Netflix special When They See Us Now, an interview of the cast and the actual Exonerated Five hosted by Oprah. I watched the interview first to mentally/emotionally prepare myself for When They See Us, and I would recommend watching in this order. The injustice was heartbreaking and I have no idea how those five children-now-adults survived in prison. It’s unbelievable how this was allowed to happen.
Lately
On the very first day of June, I headed to Atlantic City with Bomi and her boyfriend. We read on the beach, ate on the boardwalk, popped by the carnival, and played at the arcade! I spent the rest of the week prepping bookish content, seeings friends, and prepping for vacation.
Check out my snapshots of Switzerland. Full post next week! This is a view of the Alps from our breakfast buffet at the Piz Gloria, as featured in James Bond: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Check out my snapshots of Vienna. Full post the week after that! We walked everywhere in Vienna, and pretty much every path took us past the Hofburg Imperial Palace.
Check out my snapshots of Budapest. Full post the week after that! Spent an afternoon on Castle Hill.
When I got back from vacation, there was one week left of the month. I went to the gym seven times in five days: swam four times, kickboxed three times! Last month I tested out free trials at a few kickboxing gyms, and I committed to one gym when I got back from vacation. I wasn’t planning to join a kickboxing gym after the free trials since I already pay a pool membership, but I had so much fun kickboxing at this gym, and the first month is only $30. I love having a trainer, and it’s something I’ve missed from my days of competitive swimming. As for swimming, it’s a good way to stretch out in between kickboxing; otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to move the day following a kickboxing workout, not to mention kickboxing three days in a row (no recovery time!) coming back from vacation (filled with bread and gelato!). I was trying to get back in shape this week, but I don’t plan on going this hard on the reg; I’m planning to swim MWF and kickbox TTh. I’m tempted to kickbox and swim on Saturdays too, but I should probably be prioritising other things in my life oops…
What was your highlight of June? What are you looking forward to in July?