Hello friends, happy Friday! I hope you’re all doing well and had a good month! May was a busy month, so I’m glad that June was a little slower because I already know July is going be craaazy busy… but before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk about my June!

Currently Reading:

Christine by: Stephen King. I’m onto my next King read! This has been exciting to read; I know the bare minimum of this story, so getting to read the lead up to it has been so fun. This has been thrilling in a good way!

The Arabian Nights translated by: Sir Richard Burton. You’ll see this twice here – below you’ll see I read 10 of the ‘best’ stories. I decided to find another copy that had more of the stories. This version has stories in it. I’ve been enjoying this translation better – it’s just easier to understand so I’ve really been liking this!

Whisper of the Tide by: Sarah Tolcser. I’m not too far into this and plots that happened in the first book are slowly coming back to me. I’m enjoying this, that’s all I can really at this point.

What I’ve Read:

65/100

They Both Die At The End by: Adam Silvera. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why are Adam Slivera’s books so sad? This was no exception, but it also had a lot of beautiful moments too. I wish I had gotten more from the world though… maybe in the prequel?

Different Seasons by: Stephen King. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I finished my next King read and this collection of novellas was so good; I really enjoyed 3 of the 4 stories, they were so heartfelt mixed with a hint of horror.

Greenwood by: Michael Christie. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I adored this. The multigenerational story telling; the connection to nature and trees, it was all so well done and written! It wasn’t a complete 5-star read since I couldn’t get into some of the characters.

When by: Daniel H. Pink. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was an interesting read, but a lot of the concepts didn’t feel truly new nor was this exactly what I thought it was going to be.

The Vanishing Half by: Brit Bennet. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I thought the concept was good, but it didn’t wow me in anyway. It was just an average read.

Anne of Avonlea by: L.M. Montgomery. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved being back in Anne’s world. Things are different, but some things still remain. I can’t wait to continue on this journey.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by: John Boyne. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was so ready to rate this 3 stars – there was even a moment when I thought about DNF-ing it because the beginning of this is not the greatest to read, but the way in comes out the other side was really beautiful.

The Gatekeepers by: Jen Lancaster. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Again, this one was close to being a 3 star read, but again, the ending was actually really good. This was a really hard read, but an important one.

The Arabian Night by: Anonymous. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I rated this before I started the version I’m currently reading and I probably would have given this a 3 star because I didn’t care for this translation. I still enjoyed the stories and the illustrations were beautiful.

Under the Udala Trees by: Chinelo Okparanta. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was heavy. It was queer, but it was heavy. This tells the story of one queer girl and her experiences in Nigeria. It was so eye opening, and sometimes just sad.

Links to my my blog posts this past month:

Links to posts I enjoyed around the blogosphere:

I was terrible at looking/saving at other blog posts this month. The two that I did really enjoy were from Krysta and Briana @Pages Unbound. Krysta talked about her Ideal Summer Reading Program and Briana talked about why she rates books 4 stars instead of 5.

This month started off slow, and you know what, I’m ok with that. May was so busy that going into June slowly was just what I needed. We had some of the smokiness from the wildfires that are burning in here in Canada, which I’ve never experienced before. It was not fun to go outside – I really hope that things start to get better, but unfortunately wildfire season is upon us and global warming isn’t helping. I thought it would be over, but it’s now the end of the month and it feels almost worse now. ☹️

Highlights:

✨Took in the nice (sometimes hot) weather

✨Had our first backyard patio hangout of the season, hanging out with the girls!

✨Got my hair cut for summer

✨Took a girl’s trip to Buffalo for shopping!

✨I bought shoes for 8$! Very excited to wear them

✨Went book shopping with a friend

✨Had a dance party with my brother, ha!

✨Spent Father’s Day in a small town visiting shops and eating ice cream!

✨Our bathroom reno finally finished up, woohoo!

✨Went out to brunch with friends, yum!

What I’ve watched:

One Tree Hill; season 7 & 8. I’m surprised I finished both these seasons this month, but here we are. I finished up season 7 and I know I always have to prepare myself for the last three seasons because the show has a whole new cast of characters, who I definitely enjoy. I really didn’t enjoy the Brooke/Julian/Alex of it all though. My gosh the amount of drama and miscommunication is so annoying to watch; I mean, yeah it gets sorted out, but woof. I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with Alex because on the one hand I want to like her, but on the other, she’s just really annoying. I like the friendship she has with Millie… despite the downward slope Millie goes on. Alex recognizes how she played into it all and actually tried to help, which I can appreciate. I enjoy Clay and Quinn joining the show because they are both so goofy and give the show a nice balance. Haley and her mom – that plotline always gets to me. I think of all the deaths on the show, that one hurts the most for me and I can’t explain why.
I also finished season 8! Anyone remember the campaign they had for season 8? Season Gr8t? I even won a sticker from it, ha! Anyways, this season felt like the show was trying to bring back all the elements that we first loved about the show, and I think they did that. I love the plot with professor Kellerman, it’s such a lesson, especially for Nathan and I thought it was just really good. It’s probably my favourite and most memorable storyline since it takes place throughout the whole season. Chuck gets more time and I LOVE his storyline with Chase. Chuck is good at being the saddest boy in the world. I liked that they tried to incorporate every holiday, too. Haley has a baby, Brooke gets married… and then in the span of one episode has twins. For someone who was obsessed with being a mother, they really made that plot super short. I thought the way they ended this season was really final – I guess they weren’t sure if they were coming back or not. Still a really gr8t (😅) season.

XO Kitty; season 1. This show was everything I needed it to be. It was hella cute, hella gay, with just the right amount of drama! I need there to be a season two because the way this season ended, I’m left speechless! Like I said last month, I’m glad that Kitty didn’t just go to Korea for Dae (because if you ask me, he’s not my fave pick for Kitty, he’s kinda boring) but that she went to find herself and learn about her mom and I loved that to pieces! I loved the k-drama-style filming techniques – I don’t watch k-dramas but I can see the appeal, this was done subtly as a nice homage to them. All the side plots were really well done too, they felt like they had purpose and relevance to the show instead of being random out of place stories. I loved Alex! The whole plot with him had me on edge, I never knew what was going to happen and what reveal would be next – great story writing! I don’t know who I want Kitty to end up with, but I have a feeling I won’t be mad at whoever they chose! Watch this show it’s so good!

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; season 5. This season was so much better than the previous one because wow was 4 a bit of a let down. We had so many good episodes this season. We got to see little bits on each of the characters as they went on different adventures and it was such a joy to watch. The whole plot with Odo was something else, his transformation was really beautiful. Watching him be a father to a baby changeling was just super cute. Also, we’re getting more of him and Kira again. I knew it was going to come back; it hasn’t happened yet, but the way this season ended, I have a feeling it could become a real thing. I like that we’re getting more from the dominion again. They really want to take over and the way this season ended we’re not sure what is going to happen. I also like that they have given a mascot if you will to the dominion, Weyoun. He’s basically captain obvious and just says the most obvious things – he makes me laugh. I look forward to where the show goes, but I’m also sad that it will be coming to an end. I think this series has had my favourite cast of characters.

Prison Break; season 2. This season was intense. I go from watching and then I either have to sit up or stand up to really watch because I get so invested. I’ve spent a lot of time yelling at the TV. This is now more than just the president trying to hide things. We now know why she wanted her brother killed and hidden away. Seeing these guys on the run and wondering if they’re going to get away with breaking out of prison is nerve wracking to watch. I can’t wait to see what season 3 holds – although I know it wasn’t the best because the writer’s strike back in 2007, but I’m still invested!! I want to know what Sona is. They keep teasing about it so I can’t wait to find out. I love the brother dynamic between Link and Michael, so beautiful!

List of Movies:

• Disney Movies:
  • Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus – the title is clumsy, but the actual movie wasn’t half bad; a kid who wanted to join the circus
  • Kidnapped – I had a hard time keeping up with this one, too much happening
  • Pollyanna – I unexpectedly loved this one, an orphan girl comes to live with her rich aunt who has no soul… it goes pretty much how you’d expect it to
  • The Sign of Zoro – Again, wasn’t expecting to like this much, but I came away really enjoying all the antics
  • Jungle Cat – The last True Life Adventure documentary! This one was much the same as the rest and was an alright watch
  • Ten Who Dare – this is literally about 10 guys who dared to go down a river – it wasn’t really memorable
  • Swiss Family Robison – The tree house was my favourite thing from this – I felt bad for the animals in this
  • One Hundred and One Dalmatians – I clearly didn’t remember the how to this plot, but cute doggies!
  • The Absent-Minded Professor – This was oddly entertaining, the OG flubber.
  • The Parent Trap – the OG one… I really enjoyed this one; twins separated at birth try to get their parents back together. Also, Haley Mills is just precious!
  • Nikki, Wild Dog of the North – this was… not good. A dog movie where the dog gets lost, then is trained for dog fighting, boring and horrible.
  • Greyfriars Bobby – this was a much better dog movie about a real dog named Bobby. It was slow but heartfelt.

What I’m watching:

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; season 6. This season picks up right where 5 left off and it’s been so action packed already. I look forward to this season.

One Tree Hill; season 9. The final season! I think this night be my least favourite season because it seems to go al l over the place – they pack so much in 13 epiosdes. What I do like is the return of Chris Keller.

The Simpsons; season 7. I’m still plugging away at this season. I didn’t realize how long it was (25 episodes). This season has felt more political than past seasons, but maybe that’s just me.

Instagram & YouTube videos from the month:

How was your June? Read, watch, do anything interesting? Let me know!