June Wrap-up // I Haven’t Left the House in Four Months…

We’re halfway through this god-awful year, and I really want all the misfortunes to end!!

Even though #BlackLivesMatter isn’t trending anymore, we still can’t forget about it. Here are petition links, places to donate to, ways to educate yourself, and more. Israel is committing genocide against Palestine, and this carrd contains a crash course on Israeli-Palestinian history (in case you want to know more), and donation links to help. There are countless other horrible things happening in the world (things are… not good here in the Philippines), and this website contains a masterlist of resources for every movement going on right now!

I don’t have much to say in this section, because quarantine has made my life extremely boring. Plus, I focused on reading and blogging in June. So here are the few things I have to say in bullet points:

• I officially haven’t set foot outside the house in four months!! I feel like other people wouldn’t be able to handle it, but good thing I’m extremely introverted. 😌 It sucks that every day is pretty much the exact same though.
• I completed Chloe Ting‘s Slim Thighs Challenge and 2 Weeks Shred! I don’t think I got any results from slim thighs which was disappointing, but it is what it is. I highly recommend 2 weeks shred though! Some of its exercises are extremely hard (especially if you do them back to back), but I got physical results from them and they got more bearable overtime. Plus, it’s super easy to commit to since it’s just two weeks!
• I sadly did not do much writing. I had some breakthroughs in June, but I still haven’t developed my WIP as much as I would like. I’m trying not to be too hard on myself since I was focusing on other things though! Also I’d love to tell you what my WIP is about, but to tell you the truth, I don’t know either. I’m working on it okay. 😔 Don’t judge me.

I read 10 books in June, which is pretty high for me! I’m also happy because all of them were diverse!! But let’s just ignore the fact that I read almost nothing from my June TBR…

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim– This was such a great courtroom thriller, and I can’t imagine the research that must’ve gone into it! I like how the writing never told you what to feel, and simply provided the cold, hard facts concerning the events that led up to the trial. The twists were good, though I think I missed some of them since I listened to the audiobook.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong– Again, I listened to the audiobook, so I missed a few things. The best word to describe this book is raw though, in its portrayal of a m/m relationship, the immigrant experience, and the narrators’ ancestors’ experiences in Vietnam.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge– I don’t think I can or even should review this, since it’s nonfiction about racism written by a Black woman. But I highly recommend it if you’re looking to educate yourself on racism in the UK, white feminism, and more. Though maybe pick up other stuff if you want an emotional and personal account of racism—this book is on the technical and factual side.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender– I didn’t enjoy this as much as everybody else, but I did like it. This is probably a matter of preference, but I feel like the characters could’ve been fleshed out more. I loved the gender questioning rep, inclusion of multiple queer characters, and discussions on how the LGBT community sometimes isn’t a safe space though.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow– This book just wasn’t for me. Objectively, it contains great messages pertaining to hope and resistance, and the romance is super healthy. However, I just didn’t care about anything that was going on, and I found the references to so many books (one of them being the Book Series That Must Not Be Named) kinda cringey.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by 墨香铜臭– This book did not completely take over my life, which was very disappointing. I guess knowing most of what would happen from watching the live action ruined my enjoyment? Also I didn’t like how the female characters were treated, and I don’t really get why everyone loves the main ship. 😶

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski– I understand the mixed reviews for this, but at the same time, do not hate on Sid and Nirrim, the sapphic couple that doesn’t have a soft dynamic we’ve been waiting for. 😤 I have faith that the sequel/s to this book will be better!

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson– I only have two words to describe this book: Black joy. It takes a very generic storyline, peppers it with diverse characters, and subverts tropes in the best way. We need a Netflix adaptation of this!!

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska– This wasn’t terrible, but I do regret reading it when I could’ve been reading better books. Maybe the worldbuilding could’ve saved it, but it wasn’t in-depth enough. Plus, the f/f romance lacked transition.

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth– This is the lesbian romcom we’ve been waiting for!! It was also so nice to read a book where the characters being gay wasn’t a big deal.

What I posted in June:

I finally posted more than four times in a month! Six isn’t much of an improvement but it’s something, and I hope I can post even more in July. 🥺

Also, I reached 700 followers—thank you so much!!

July is the last month of my five-month long summer break (I’m still thanking the gods above that I was granted one), and I’m Not Looking Forward to school in August. Though maybe it’ll be more bearable because it’s online, who knows. Anyways, I’m gonna beat myself up if I haven’t outlined at least part of my WIP by the end of the month. 😗✌🏻

How was June for you? What were the best and worst books you read? Have you not set foot outside the house in months like me?