Hi friends, welcome to June. Today I’m going to be wrapping up the month of May, what a month it’s been.

If you missed April’s wrap up, catch it here!

Currently Reading:

I’m 54% of the way through The Stand. Am I enjoying it? For the most part, yes, but the recent chapters I’ve read I just wasn’t a fan of. There was just so much that didn’t need to be added and I felt like I had to wade through words to get the actual point of the story.

I’m also reading Extras by: Scott Westerfeld, and I’m enjoying it. I’m still not 100% sure what the object is about being an Extra but the whole sneaky plot that the main character is on is intriguing, I want to see it through.

I’m lastly reading The Girl from the Well by: Rin Chupeco. This is definitely very creepy. I’m not very far in, but I’m really curious to see what this is all about.

What I read this month:

I read a total of 10 books this month. I honestly don’t know I did that because there were so many days where I just didn’t read much.

Anger is a Gift by: Mark Oshiro
The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by: Samantha Shannon
Almost Adults by: Ali Pantony
Specials (Uglies #3) by: Scott Westerfeld
The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2) by: Samantha Shannon
Ambush (Michael Bennett #11) by: James Patterson
Manhunt (Michael Bennett #10.5) by: James Patterson
The Picture of Dorian Gray by: Oscar Wilde (reread)
The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3) by: Samantha Shannon
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children #1) by: Ransom Riggs (reread)

Book Reviews this month:

The King of Crows (The Diviners #4) by: Libba Bray
The Speaker (Sea of Ink and Gold #2) by: Traci Chee
News of the World by: Paulette Jiles
The Storyteller (Sea of Ink and Gold #3) by: Traci Chee
Iron Cast by: Destiny Soria
When the Moon Was Ours by: Anna-Marie McLemore

Currently Watching:

I just started watching season 2 of Heroes and I’m enjoying it just as much as the first. I’m only 4 episodes in and I, of course, have a million and one questions trying to figure out how everything is connected and how it will all play out.

What I Watched this month:

Station 19 wrapped up it’s second season mid-May and woof… I wasn’t prepared for how this season was going to go down. I like this show for its characters and the way they are portrayed. I didn’t expect the show to deep dive into a character who everyone loved, after his death to be turned into a villain… but I also kind of like where they’re taking it… that ending was definitely a shocker.

Speaking of shocker endings… How to Get Away With Murder ended in mid-May as well. I wasn’t prepared for half of the shocking revelations that came through it all, but I appreciated how this show tied everything up. I didn’t expect the deaths of some of the characters, but I still enjoyed the ending. I’m going to miss this show; for everything we went through as viewers it’s going to be dearly missed.

I finished the first season of Heroes and I can’t wait to dive into the second season. I didn’t expect much from this show, but it definitely blew me away with amazing writing, and great loveable characters. I loved how we had all these characters who we knew would have to come together some time, and watching them do so was so much fun! I’ll definitely have a TV Tuesday post about this in the future.

Season 2 of Dead to Me was interesting. It was a constant back and forth of liking and not liking it. I have more of my thoughts coming tomorrow in my TV Tuesday post.

Riverdale wrapped up its fourth season, I believe it was cut short because the season didn’t feel over. This season, like all seasons before have had really good epiosdes followed by really crappy episodes. I’ll have more to say on this season in my wrap up coming sometime this month.

I watched a lot of movies this month. The fact that we’re still in lock-down meant that every day I’d finish reading around 9 and then put on a movie before bed so I got through quite a bit of movies. You’ll also notice that most of these made me cry…

A Secret Love was such a moving short documentary-style movie. Based on the true story of two women who loved one another in a time when it was ‘wrong’ to be gay. This story was so much more than just a love story. This was a story about strong women, fighting for justice in a man’s world. It also touched on the struggles of getting older, leaving the house you have so many memories in… yes I cried watching this.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 was just as cute and loving as the first. I watched the first movie after I read the books (I believe it was last year…) I noticed that the second movie was added to Netflix so I was like I gotta watch it. This gave me all the feels, and yes I cried… I’m telling you this is a theme.

Carrie Pilby was not anything I was expecting! I weeped watching this… I saw it on Netflix and decided to give it a go. I loved it… but it made me very sad. Carrie is a loner, living on her own in New York after graduating from Harvard at age 18. Her therapist suggests she create a list of things she should do to let herself be happy… and what ensues, oh boy. It was really good and yes, as much as it was sad, it was also really uplifting.
White Chicks was a total hot mess and I threw it on because I needed a laugh, and it did provide that. What a trip of a movie, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Ocean’s 8 was super interesting. I’ve never seen any of the previous Ocean’s movies, but I like Sandra Bullock so I thought I’d give it a go. It wasn’t that great, it was funny at times, a little bit of an eye roll at others, but in the end it was entertaining and I enjoyed watching it.
Booksmart was so much fun! I’ve heard this movie classes as ‘Superbad, but with girls” and I couldn’t agree more. The friendships, the heartaches, the learning they go through, uhhh and it all happens within one night was amazing. Yes I cried, but I loved this so much! This was all about finding yourself and about true friendship.

Set it Up was cute, it was predictable, and yet I still liked it. You have two big-shots who can’t stand each other, and their assistants who hook them up… it’s really obviously what happens and who actually end up together… but it was still a good movie. I wish that the two had remained friends, but alas. I also really like Lucy Liu and her character went through this 180 transformation, she remained true to who she was and sticking up for women.
Brené Brown: the Call to Courage was just so uplifting, as I knew it was going to be. This has been on my list on Netflix for longer than I’d like to admit, but man, I laughed, I cried it was good. She talks about in order to be brave you have to be vulnerable and man it’s true and she really know how to capture an audience. I adored her book Rising Strong a few years back, I should really read more of her work!

Ocean’s Eleven was actually really good, like I’m surprised by it. I didn’t expect much from this. After watching Ocean’s 8 I thought I should go back and watch the original trilogy… I was widely entertained and thoroughly engrossed!
Ocean’s Twelve … then 12 came along and well… I just wasn’t a fan of this one. It felt like there was too much going on and it just didn’t capture my attention like the first film did. There were definitely hilarious moments throughout but I didn’t care for the heists… and what was the whole Julia Roberts thing? I couldn’t stand that.

Ocean’s 13 was a good way to end this trilogy. After not caring for the second movie, this was good. I enjoyed the story and it was easy to lose yourself in the plot.
How Do You Know was a hot mess and something I will never watch again. Meh, the whole plot was dumb, I hated the characters, and I kept rolling my eyes while watching it. I love Paul Rudd but sorry your character was supposed to be the good guy, and he was for the most part, but he was more annoying than anything else.

Just Friends was another movie I just couldn’t get into. So the main character was fat and figured that’s why his “hot” best friend didn’t want to date him, so he grows up, gets thin, starts to act like real jerk and thinks she’ll like him now. UGH I hated every moment of this movie. Weight should matter, your personality should. I know this movie is over a decade old but it did age well.
40 Days and 40 Nights was actually a decent movie. I went into it thinking I was going to hate it… but I actually didn’t mind it. The main character wants to see if he can go 40 days without having sex/masturbating, his friends don’t think so and they try all these things to make him lose (which I think is rude), meanwhile he starts to fall in love with a girl. It was definitely interesting and kinda fun to watch a couple fall in love without sex.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall was funny, I didn’t realize Kristen Bell is in this movie, although I didn’t like her character. I obviously had issues with her character, just because you couldn’t make your relationship work doesn’t give you the right to cheat, then try and get back with that guy, UGH. I did like Jason Segel’s character and his plot arc.
Adventureland was forgettable; it’s about a bunch of kids who work at a theme park during the summer in the 80s. There’s love, and cheating and fighting, it all seemed very typical. As someone who worked at a theme park for years, yes I understood the whole people are dating, this person is sleeping with that person, but it wasn’t as dramatic. Honestly, there wasn’t anything that was memorable about this film.

TV Tuesday Posts:

Let’s Talk About… Tiger King
Let’s Talk About… Brooklyn Nine Nine Season Seven

Posts from the Month

WWW Wednesday #18 🌸
WWW Wednesday #19 💐
WWW Wednesday #20 🌺
WWW Wednesday #21 🌷

First Impression Friday: Ambush by: James Patterson

O.W.L.S Readathon Wrap-Up
Happy Blogiversary: I’ve Been Blogging for Half My Life

Books and Bakes Book Tag
Would You Rather Bookish Challenge Tag

May started off sunny and slightly warmer than April, which is a plus and just makes me happier when I see the sun. Although, we have seen that dreadful s-word… snow. I’m sad that we’re seeing snow in May. I’m also sad that I was still wearing a turtle neck in May…

But by the end of the month, we really started to see warmer weather! ☀️

In happy news, I started the month off with receiving a wonderful notification that I’ve reached 1000 followers! I’m still very shocked about that; thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every one of you! Thank you for following along on my journey ☺️

With that, I realized that my blogging anniversary is in May so I obviously wrote about it, you can read all about that journey in my post (linked above) so I’ll be short here, but May 26 is my 13th blogiversary and I’m so happy to have started blogging. I never thought making a little blog to post about my favourite band would lead to a lifestyle; I can’t see myself not blogging!

As we continue to live through COVID-19 we got a memo at work telling us that they’re going to be starting a process to get people back to work, the 10% who have to be at work to do their job, in the next two months. As for everyone else, they say it may not be until as late as early 2021… well that was hard to hear and accept. Most days I don’t leave my house; I did leave my house to go to a store for the first time in over 2 months. I was nervous at first, but it turned out okay and I was able to get some essential things I’ve needed.

This month has also had a lot of sorrow when it comes to #BlackLivesMatter. I have to say over the past week I’ve really had to check my privilege. I’ve always said that I’m not a racist, and I’m not, but as I’ve been learning, that’s not enough. I need to do better for my fellow Black people because they deserve better. I’ve learned that I need to become anti-racist and to not only stand up against racism when I see it, but to talk about race, and to have those uncomfortable conversations, and to of course, promote Black authors, creators and content. I’m still learning and trying to do better. To help, sign the petitions and donate.

A friend of mine shared more links today that I’m going to share here to donate and sign petitions:

https://www.wecantbreathenational.org/

https://naacp.org/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-regis

My heart is heavy from all the recent events, and all the ones that came before. It needs to stop.