Hello again, friends! How’s it going? I hope you’re doing well, and if not, I hope brighter days head your way soon!
Well well well, if it isn’t my good ol’ arch-enemy: the passage of time! Another month has flown by and have I gotten anything productive done? C’mon now, say it with me: no. *deep sigh*
Honestly, I feel like I am still suffering from a massive case of quarantine burnout and, lemme tell ya, friends, I. am. sick of it! Like, emotionally I am beyond ready to get up and get going with life but apparently my brain and body don’t agree with that sentiment seeing as I’m still not feelin’ it mentally and physically. Nevertheless she persisted. “She” being me, of course 😉
Anyhoo! I somehow managed to read a teeny tiny bit and I also watched some good shows and listened to some great music. So, friends, it’s time to get this wrap-up going and review my month!
what i posted
what i read
🐚 Aquicorn Cove by Kay O’Neill (★★★★☆) This was a cute little read with an awesome message about ocean conservation. It’s a Children’s graphic novel, so obviously it didn’t go that deep, but I think it was definitely entertaining enough to get kids interested in the topics of ocean conservation and environmentalism and that’s a win in my book!
what i’m currently reading
🐺 The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid (ARC) I’m moving through this one really slowly, but I am enjoying it overall, despite a few quibbles! I plan on reviewing this one, though, so I don’t want to give away too many of my thoughts just yet.
🧚♀️ These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan I’ve seen a lot of reviewers complain that this book was too cliché and trope-filled for them, but I’m actually really enjoying it so far? Granted, I didn’t go in with super high expectations and there may be something to be said about the idea that I need a light, fast paced, fluffy fantasy to help me through my current reading slump, but still!
🌳 The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson Lissen, y’all know I love the Truly Devious trilogy, so when I heard Johnson was set to release a spin-off companion sequel to the trilogy…let’s just say “i sprinted to the library to hit the books” would be putting it lightly. Fortunately for me, all five of the digital library systems that I’m a member of stocked a copy of the e-audiobook for The Box in the Woods on Libby! And so far I’m loving getting back to solving a gruesome murder mystery with with Stevie and the crew!
🌙 The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould (ARC) So, this is an audio-ARC I got through Netgalley, but it’s also the only book I’ve been hesitant about really digging into because it seems really grim and spooky and dark and, um, hi, major scaredy cat here! That being said, despite my apprehension, I’ve taken the plunge and what I’ve read so far is actually pretty interesting!
what i plan on reading
trope-ical readathon tbr
info here
| Prompt | Alternate Prompt | TBR |
| Absent/Dead Parent(s) | A book published under a pseudonym | These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan |
| Found Family | A buddy/group read | Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo |
| Coming of Age | A book whose protagonist is the same age as you | The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid |
| Food Themed | A “meaty” book (a book under 500 pages) | House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas |
| Blast From The Past | A book published before 2000 | A Sky Beyond The Storm by Sabaa Tahir |
| Mixed Media | Listen to an audiobook or read an ebook | A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee |
| (Post)Apocalyptic | A book with fire on the cover | Lightbringer by Claire Legrand |
| Historical Figure | A book published in 021 | Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart |
| Happens All In One Day | Read a book in a single Day | Buffy The Vampire Slayer Vol. 2 by Jordie Bellaire and David Lopez |
| Multi-POV | A book with multiple characters of color | Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé |
| New Kid In Town | A book from a genre you don’t usually read | The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson |
| Retelling | A book that’s been adapted for film or TV | Cinderella is Dead by Kaylynn Bayron |
| Fantasy Team Challenge #1 | A book featuring a dragons | Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo |
| Fantasy Team Challenge #2 | A book featuring a prophecy | For The Wolf by Hannah F. Whitten |
| Fantasy Group Read Challenge | N/A | She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan |
what i acquired from publishers
what i watched
gossip girl (2021 reboot)
I never watched the original Gossip Girl (which aired when I was in middle and high school), as I was never particularly interested in it, so when it was first revealed that HBO would be rebooting the show, I didn’t think much of it. Since the reboot aired, though, I’ve been hearing glowing audience reviews about how clever it is, so I decided to check it out. And you know what? I was pleasantly surprised! I have to agree that this reboot put a clever spin on the original and updated the concept to modern day very fluidly!
never have i ever season 1
I finally completed the first season of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever and boy was it worth it! I’ve spoken before about my love for this show, so it was great to jump back into it. The final few episodes of season one were equally as heartbreaking, heartwarming, and heartfelt as I remember the first part of the season being and, well, friends, lets just say several tears were shed.
what i listened to
high notes
- “positions” by Ariana Grande Jumping off my enjoyment of HBO’s Gossip Girl reboot, the show actually used this song in a scene and I thought its usage really enhanced the feeling of the moment—and! In addition, it also really made me love this song, haha! (Side note: As a musician, I love when showrunners use music in a way that both enhances the cinematography and emotional tenor of a scene, as well as enhancing the emotional impact of the music itself. It’s like this nice little positive feedback loop that’s so incredibly satisfying!)
- “Aye” by Mereba Mereba is one of my all-time favorite musicians, so when I saw she had a new album out, I had to check it out! Honestly, the whole album is incredible and “Aye” is just one of the amazing tracks off it!
- “SWEET” by BROCKHAMPTON This song reminds me a lot of the sound of my hometown in a way I can’t edescribe? It’s just got that feeling for me, ya know? Definitely a new favorite song!
what i bookmarked
for readers
- In celebration of Disability Pride Month, Abby showed off 35 YA books with disability representation
- Tabby encouraged us to read books to help celebrate Disability Pride all year long
- J shared more of their research, this time focusing on children and diverse books, as well as on empathy
- Maria talked about dark reads and also about dark academia books on her TBR
- Cosette and Caitlyn recommended books based on your favorite song off of Taylor Swift’s folklore
- Andrea shared eight ways to read books for free
- Sofii shared her top five books with shocking and impressive writing styles
- Stephanie reported to us about reading five books that Goodreads recommended to her
- Cristina Monica spoke with author Katrina Leno about her recently published novel, Horrid
- Marie showcased ten YA books featuring enemies-to-lovers romances
- Mehek unraveled her thoughts on the topic of how much book endings should affect ratings
- Birdie interviewed Kat Zhao, the author of the upcoming dark academia thriller How We Fall Apart
- Jayati talked up her favorite tropes and books featuring them
- Anna highlighted July 2021 through December 2021 releases starring bi protagonists
- Ally reported to us about reading books Goodreads recommended to her
- Bertie recommended “unconventional” beach reads for fans of fantasy, sci fi, and horror
- Briana discussed how book synopses set reader expectations and why that matters
for bloggers
- Malka wondered, “Is blogger burnout inevitable?“
- Kal shared 10 affiliate programs for book bloggers
for fun
- Sarah shared what disabled people wish abled people could understand
- Shaniya broke down the stereotype of the Black “oreo” (Video)
what i did in july 2021
July had its ups and downs, but it was mostly just pretty chill. In all honesty, I didn’t do much and the whole month seemed to fly by in a blur. It really was just, like, the lazy days of summer out here. Not much more to say about it.
what i plan on doing in august 2021
Well, my college’s Fall 2021 begins August 23, but I’m hoping to have some fun before that. My best friend recently moved back to my area, so I plan on spending plenty of time with her, and between the county fair, outdoor movies, sunset dance classes by the river, and more, I think we’ll be having a blast! I’m also working on a long term ✨secret photography project✨ and so continuing to plan for that should be plenty fun! Bottom line: I plan on making the most of this August before I head back to school!
spill the beans, friends!
- How was your July?
- Did you read anything that stood out?
- Do you have anything in this upcoming August that you’re looking forward to?
Thanks for mentioning me Lila! I’m also really enjoying Gossip Girl at the moment (I loved the original too). It’s far from perfect but I have such a great time with it every week! I’m planning to read A Lesson in Vengeance (hopefully soon) so I hope we both like it!
This is such a great post!! I especially love your currently reading shelf. And thank you for the shout out (:
The Dark and the Dead looks very interesting – all the books you spotlighted have such gorgeous covers it’s hard not to put them on my TBR!
July was a blur for me. I really want to read Aquicorn Cove since I love the author’s other series, it sounds really good especially since its talking about environmental topics 🙂
Lila, you’re SO kind! Thank you SO much for mentioning my post, it means a lot 😍👏🏻✨ & OMG, your stack of books planned for this month make me so excited for you, amazing titles! 👏🏻 I need to read The Dead and the Dark soon, I feel like I’ll love it. 🤞🏻
Hope you’re having a wonderful month 🥰
Thanks for mentioning my beach reads post! We’re both doing trope-ical readathon, this actually reminded me I desperately need to update the books I’ve read for it! I feel like I’m one of those people complaining about These Hollow Vows, I actually DNF-d it lmao, maybe I wasn’t in the mood?
My July had very little reading, since I was super busy with my internship. It’s over now, and honestly I’m quite sad. While it did take up so much of my time I really enjoyed it. But on the upside, hopefully now I can read some more in the few days before the semester starts up for me!
Thank you so much for mentioning my post! And since I haven’t been blog hopping much these past few months, I’ll definitely be checking out some of the posts you mentioned that caught my interest!
I hope your August was filled with fun and adventure and that your semester gets off to a great start!