Tag: june

Monthly Digest

Monthly Digest | June 2021

bookishluna7 Comments

Hello and welcome to a run down of my past month. If you follow me over on twitter you will have seen that I want to share a bit more than just reading books with everyone so my monthly wrap ups are going to be sharing, of course, books, but also a few more things as well. Each month what I share might be different, but I want to share something that sticks out as a propionate memory or just some random things that sparked my interest. I hope you enjoy!

Reading

Current TBR Count is at 33 books.

Crochet & Crafting

This past month has been fun for crafting and crocheting. I completed my first granny square sweater without a pattern! I never really made anything before without a pattern and I actually really loved how it came out. On top of that I made quite a few market bags and made a huge chunk of progress in my ally blanket. I am hoping to finish that in the near future, I have never done a graphgan before and it takes a lot more time than I thought it would, but I am really liking how it is coming out.

On top of that I figured out how to transfer images to wood using Mod Podge, I feel like I am going to be using that in quite a few things in the future. I tested it out by making myself my own rune plate on a piece of cut wood. It came out fabulous! If I bought the same thing it would have been easily $35, I made it myself for about $12. This is one of the reasons why I love DIY so much!

Life

This past month I have been doing a lot of deep cleaning. I don’t know if it is because I am doing Summer cleaning instead of Spring cleaning, but I have been feeling the itch to purge a bunch of stuff I have not used in a while and clothing that isn’t really my style anymore. I have really been trying to acquire clothing and things I like and are truly my style. I think being at home so much over the past year I have kind of figured out what I really enjoy and want in my space. I think this month was just the month where I really started to follow through on it.

Anyway, that has been a bit of an incite into my life over the past month. I didn’t really make notes throughout this month because I didn’t know the direction I wanted this blog to go in, but now that I have an idea I think in next months digest you will see the difference. I hope you had a wonderful June!

Sign Off 2020

Tumblr | Twitter | Goodreads

To Be Read

To Be Read | June 2021 | Trying TBRvatar

bookishluna2 Comments

Hello and welcome to my TBR post for the month of June. I feel like June was snuck up on me all of a sudden, but I am really excited about the warmer weather. This month I decided to try something new and play a game created by a booktuber. This month I decided to try the TBRvatar created by Book Roast. She was kind enough to share the cards with all of her followers so we can okay along so I printed them and laminated them, sorry for the glare, I wanted them to hold up over time. Anyway, on to the TBR!

The Books

The first card I picked was Flopsy: Read a book that you find intimidating. I picked the book Assassin’s Quest, the final book in the Farseer Trilogy. I am intimidated due to the size, but also because it is the final book in this trilogy, I have really enjoyed it so far and I hate to see it end.

The second card I pulled is Desna and Eska: Read a Book About Siblings. This was actually a difficult one to find on my shelves, I am not going to lie. I went through a ton of books and finally found this one, where in the description it says, “a sister mourns her brother”. While it is very sad sounding just with that line, the overall description sounds really interesting and I think it is the only book that mentions siblings I have currently on my shelves.

My last pick for the month was the cards entitled, Music Night: Read something that’s between 330-370 pages whilst listening to music. I decided to go with People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, which was gifted to me for my birthday in May by Reg, which was so thoughtful and kind of her.

I really enjoyed pulling a card and going through my TBR to see if I can find a book to go with it. It was really great way to get more familiar with the books that have been on my shelve for a bit and slipped to the back a bit. I actually also ended up unhauling about 10 books while I was doing this, so I am all set to donate those soon as well.

What do you plan on reading this month?

Sign Off 2020

Tumblr | Twitter | Goodreads

Wrap Up

Wrap Up | June 2020

bookishluna6 Comments

Wrap Up

Hello and welcome to my June wrap up, wow it feels so weird typing that. Already halfway through 2020. This month was quite an improvement reading wise for me, I actually did some reading. I am not quite sure what happened in May and what put me out of the mood to read, but thankfully it has passed and I ended up reading quite a bit. Here are the books I read, my backlist checkin and my monthly stats!

Read 2

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, I felt that this book was average for me. Not amazing and not bad at all, it was just in the middle. I enjoyed the world, but I was not invested in the plot or the characters. I was just someone following along. Now, this could be because as I stated earlier I don’t read a lot of YA anymore and I am annoying specific when it comes to fantasy. I really did enjoy the world building in this novel and I feel like Schwab has a lot of talent when it comes to this. I will say I am happy that I gave it a try and finally read it. I always had the feeling of “Fear of Missing Out” when it came to this series, now that question has been answered. Thank you for picking my book Melinda!

View all my reviews

UntamedUntamed by Glennon Doyle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very interesting collection of stories to make up the author’s memoir. I found the stories shared to be heart warming and raw. The author really sharers herself with her readers, but also gives them something to reflect on.

View all my reviews

Twelfth NightTwelfth Night by William Shakespeare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review to come!

View all my reviews

Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, #1)Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, I felt that this novel has a lot of potential, it was dark, twisted and let’s face it inspired by one of the most popular horror novels of all time. I really enjoyed a lot about this book, but what lost me was the characters actions. Sometimes I just felt like, wow, they are meant to be detectives? Their actions just were not believable. That aside, I did enjoy parts of it and I am curious enough to be thinking about continuing this series. That is a big deal for me, because I tend to hate series.

View all my reviews

Full Dark, No StarsFull Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

1922-5/5 psychological and dark real world horror

Big Driver-2/5 the assault is r*ape.

Fair Extension-3/5 – interesting, but I wasn’t really feeling it.

A Good Marriage-5/5 Just when you thought you knew someone completely, another story were man is the true monster.

View all my reviews

Anansi BoysAnansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a really interesting story sett in the same world as American Gods. It was a twisting tale and as always Gaiman has a way with words. As always the writing was done very well and the story was imaginative to say the least. The reason I took a few stars off it because there were a few parts I became bored with, but over all I really did enjoy it. If you liked American Gods, I think you will like this as well.

View all my reviews

Before the Coffee Gets ColdBefore the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this and I really want to read more from this author. I really liked how the author mixed the magical with the mundane to create such a heart warming story.

View all my reviews

Middle Mark Books 2

Beat the Backlist 2

Start of 2020: 51

Current: 6

Reading Stats

What was your favorite book this month?

Sign Off 2020

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

To Be Read

My Owned TBR | June 2020

bookishluna12 Comments

Owned TBRHello and welcome to my little post about my owned TBR. Last June I shared a post called My Owned TBR | June 2019, I figured it would be fun to look back and see how my list has changed over the last year. I am also going to be doing something a little new, so please let me know if you like it!

2019 Owned TBR

Here is my Owned TBR from last year. At this point in time I only had 44 books on my my shelf that needed to be read. Looking back at this list I can see that I read or unhauled every single one of these books and that kind of blows my mind.

My Current Owned TBR

  • Celtic Mythology by Philip Freeman – A wonderful gift from Ariel!
  • The Night Country by Melissa Albert – Wow, I have quite a few series I want to finish for someone who doesn’t favor series anymore
  • The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – Wow, I have quite a few series I want to finish for someone who doesn’t favor series anymore
  • House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas – suggested reading
  • A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon – Wow, I have quite a few series I want to finish for someone who doesn’t favor series anymore

I hope you liked this type of writing and comment on my book stacks. I figured I have Procreate, I might as well use it now and again for my blog. Anyway, that is my owned TBR list. I have a total of 33 books, less than I had this time last year I feel like that is a win for two reasons. The first being my TBR is going down and second I want to get my TBR to around 5 by the end of the year. I decided to give To Be Read Time by Read it Forward to see how long it would actually take me to get my TBR to 0. According to this and if I keep up my reading pace of finishing a book every 3-4 days I will finish my TBR by October of this year. I am tempted to give this a shot so I might be posting more about owned TBR list.

What books are on your TBR?

Are any of these books on your TBR?

Sign Off 2020

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Wrap Up

Middle Mark | June 2020

bookishluna9 Comments

Middle Mark

Hello and welcome to my mid-month reading check in! This month is already off to a wonderful reading start. Last month I read so little I didn’t even post a Middle Mark post, but today I can happily say I read enough to warrant a post. At this point my reading has spanned both non-fiction and fiction as I make efforts to better educate myself and continue to grow. Now, on to the books!

Read 2

I'm Judging You: The Do-Better ManualI’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As the descriptions says this book talks about “all of the topics your mama told you never to bring up at polite dinner parties.” There were a wide range of topics in this book from social media sharing to race. But, they were all important ones that needed to be addressed. The author does a really great job of writing no-nonsense and felt like a friend was talking to you. I realized a lot while reading this book and I highlighted so much that I want to go back on and reflect some more.

View all my reviews

 

The Glass HotelThe Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The major theme of this book is moral and moral compromise. Throughout this story many characters are faced with making a decision and coming to terms with their own morality or lack there of. This could be getting into a relationship with a wealthily man not for love, overlooking how greedy they really are. This was an interesting read for sure, but I thought it would not be so focused on the 2008 economic disaster. I thought it would have been more balanced between the three settings put forth in the description. Regardless of this, as I said, this was an interesting read and I did not regret it at all.

View all my reviews

 

QuichotteQuichotte by Salman Rushdie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overall, I really liked this book it addressed a lot of issues in our society when it comes to both race and mental illness. I recommended this to quote a few people after reading this retelling of sorts of Don Quixote. But, it is more than a retelling, as I mentioned it address quite a few topics, but does so as a magical realism novel mixed with a couple other genres.

View all my reviews

Currently Reading 2

I am currently reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I am enjoying it a ton and I should be finishing it today at some point.  I am sitting at around 60% and that chunk I read in one sitting, soo you can see why I am so confident it is going to be finished today. After I finish this I am going to be jumping into my buddy read with Jenna and Reg, we are reading Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz, I have never read a book by this author so I am really intrigued.

What was the last book you read, did you like it?

How are your reading month coming along? 

Sign Off 2020

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Bullet Journal Jottings, Writing & More

Bullet Journal | June 2020

bookishluna6 Comments

Bullet Journal

Hello and welcome to another look into my bullet journal. The past month has been fun breaking in my new one. The pages are starting to fill in nicely and it isn’t looking so pristine anymore. This month, like last month, I wanted to try a new weekly layout and a few new spreads I felt like they layouts I had worked well in theory and in some cases, but some of them were just not as practical. So, without further delay, here is what I did for the month of June! Wow, June already.

Items Used

Archer & Olive A5 Garden Sliter Dot Grid notebook

SAKURA Pigma Micron Pen Set  01

Kraft paper

Unknown orange – label rubbed off.

Here is my dashboard page, this month I decided to to a more horizontal layout to my calendar. Last month I tried a vertical layout and while it looked cool, but it wasn’t really practical for what I needed it to do. So, I changed it up to this. I also am using art that is from Plant Based Bride, who I have been following for some time. Her stuff is just amazing. I decided to print it on kraft colored printer paper this month to warm up my bujo a bit.

Th8is month I decided to take about my pages a day spread, I did like no reading in May, well a lot less than I have been so far this year. I just didn’t like how it looked without being so filled in. I kept my TBR list about the same and then added monthly goals. On the right side I added a social media planner of sorts just to keep track of it a bit better. In May I forgot to write a few posts on time and they were a bit late and I was not too please with myself. I also decided to try this reading tracker and just mark the days I read, almost like a habit tracker.

This month I decided to take a book out of Books with Chloe reading journal and track my reading for the monthly by printing out little pictures of book covers and gluing them in my bujo. I doodled a few shelves for them and hopefully there will be a few here. I also put another piece of art from the same author above. I really loved the feel of these pieces it gives me a roman feel.

On the right is another piece from Plant Based Bride, I wanted to keep this spread pretty blank. On the right is going to be a picture of this months oracle card for my to reflect upon. I did not pick it yet so I left it blank. I am just going to scan it and print it out and then doodle my thoughts around it as them come throughout the month.

Now, here is the weekly layout I am giving a try this month. This spread is taken from Shayda Campbell. I really liked how this weekly spread focused on a reflecting on ones week. In her adaptation she put a place for a good memory, miles or km run I think, and really structured the reflection more than I personally wanted to. So, I took her idea and just left it open for myself to just do as I pleased. I also noticed at this point in time I don’t need a box for each day of the weekend and I can just join them together.

Also, this month I decided I wanted to take part in a low key readathon and I really saw a ton of great ones, huge thanks to those who let me know over on twitter! I ended up picking the FeelGoodathon. I liked that you could either follow reading prompts or self care prompts for this readathon and the fact it is two weeks. If you want more information you can check out their twitter here: @feelgoodathon. I decided since it was a readathon I wanted to track my pages a bit at this point or maybe just the books read each day. I figured I would put both here and not pressure myself to write both if I didn’t feel like it, which I feel like goes well with this readathon.

What theme are you using this month?

What do you have planned for June?

Sign Off 2020

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

To Be Read

To Be Read | June 2020

bookishluna1 Comment

To Be Read

Hello and welcome to my June TBR! I am actually excited for the month of June for a few reasons. We are officially in the last month of the first half of the year, which is a bit mind blowing. On top of that I feel like it will be a nice fresh start for my reading since it was a bit subpar last month and I am actually not forgetting about my ebooks for once! I don’t want to ramble this month, but I really feel like it is going to be a great month. On to the books!

Physical Books

The first book is going to be a mystery one that was picked for me by Melinda from Basement Bookcase. It is a new to me author and something that is very outside my normal reading so I am excited to see how it works out.

The first book pictures is Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Last year I read my first book from him and I really fell in love with his writing style. Plus, one of my goal this year is to read a book recommended by one o my favorite authors and this was on Joe Hill’s list. So, I get to read a book by a great author and cross a 2020 goal off of my list.

Next I have Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King, which is the Stephen King book that I have had on my owned TBR the longest and I am in the mood for something scary so I am picking this up. I am not really sure what to expect because I completely forgot the description at this point. I just remember picking this up at The Strand in NYC at last years Bookcon.

Twelfth Night is my Shakespeare pick for June, I really don’t have a ton of thoughts on this just yet.

Lastly I am buddy reading Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz with Jenna and Reg this month. I have never read anything by Dean Koontz, but I know they are a popular author and I am always seeing their name everywhere so I am excited to give them a shot.

Digital Copies

I have really been neglecting my digital books as of late and I really need to get to them. So, this month I want to read three of these.

The first listed here is The Devil in the White City by by Erik Larson. This story shares some of what transpired around the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, including Americas first serial killer. It is a morbid one, but I really want to know more about the World Fair because I hear about it often, but also about this criminal history.

The second book is I’m Ju I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi. The tag line “Perfect for starting important and meaty discussions about all of the topics your mama told you never to bring up at polite dinner parties.” really sold me.

Lastly, we have Your Goddess Year: A Week-by-Week Guide to Invoking the Divine Feminine by Skye Alexander. I have always been interested in leaning about the gods and goddesses from a wide range of civilizations. I feel like a lot of them are not talked about a lot because they are not part of the major circles of gods we study in school so I am excited to learn about 52 new ones!

I just noticed that all my ebooks were nonfiction! This really excites me because I have been meaning to read more of it since I read none last month.

What are you planning to reading this month?

Have you read any of these books, did you like them?

Sign Off 2020

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Hauls & Unboxings

Read 5, Buy 1 | June 2019

bookishluna23 Comments

Read 5 Buy 1.jpg

Hello and welcome to another kind of blog post series I am adding to my blog. Nearly a year ago I shared by Read 5, Buy 1 Challenge, you can find that here: Lets Talk | My Read 5, Buy 1 Challenge. In this post I explain how I challenge myself when I feel that my Owned TBR has gotten a bit out of hand. Well, This past month with Book Con I decided that having nearly 50 books at one point was way to high for me to be comfortable with. So, I decided to reinstate the Read 5, Buy 1 Challenge. In the linked post it goes into detail of what it is and what it entails, but I will give you a little summary.

Pretty much for every 5 books you read, you get to buy 1 book. No book buying bans needed with this, but it does help you cull your TBR and get it under control. I have used it quite a few times over the year. My last run of it I got my TBR down to the high teens, which is within my happy place of owned TBR. Anyway, each month I am going to give a little summary of how it is going and share the books I read and the book I bought.

Read

Buy

Since I started this in the middle of the month I only have one book hauled through this challenge. Now, I need to get reading so I can get my TBR down and buy some books! Any questions about this challenge I am happy to answer.

Divider 2What does your TBR look like?

Have you ever done a book buying ban?

SignOff12:17

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Wrap Up

Wrap Up | June 2019

bookishluna15 Comments

WrapUp12:17

June was a very crazy month for me, I am so I am very surprised at how much I ended up reading this month. I was expecting to read maybe only 4 books, but I ended up reading much more than that.

I will say this month I was very bad about sticking to my TBR, June TBR | 2019, I ended up only reading 1 book on that list until the 24th of the month. Then, I kinda tried to binge the rest of the list. The main reason I did not do to well with sticking my my TBR was my mood reading and the books that became available from my library. Library books always take precedence with me because I can’t keep them and I might not be able to extend my time with it if someone else is in line.

Anyway, I overall liked a lot of the books I read this month, but below is some more details about the books themselves and my thoughts.

Divider 2

Read 2

The Secret Life of BeesThe Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked the time period this was set in and how it was true to that time period. It showed the hardships that African Americans faced and the horrible treatments that were thrust upon them. I enjoyed the writing style and the theme of bees throughout the story.

I think I have come to realize though, that I do not like stories about young girls who lose their mothers at a young age. I think it is because I have read it so many times or what, but I am just not in the mood or enjoy stories with that plot line.

View all my reviews

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with MeLaura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have not read a lot of books or comics or anything in a while that dealt with HS aged people. But, I am very happy that I read this. I started reading this as a preview from the publisher on their website, when the preview ended I needed more and got it from my library that thankfully had it. I finished it in one sitting.

The story line was heart wrenching, but heart warming at others. I loved that the characters were raw at times, but the issues that were hinted at and full on explored are real issues that are dealt with every day. I really enjoyed reading this.

On top of the storyline/plot being amazing, the art work was beautiful. I enjoy the style that is used and the color pallet and use of color to highlight certain aspects of the story. You can clearly see a lot of time and hard work went into this graphic novel.

View all my reviews

Daisy Jones & The SixDaisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first started to read this I started to feel like I was mislead by the title of this book, but that quickly turned around for me when I was about 70 odd pages in. This story had me really engaged for a few reasons. The first being the time period, how can you not want to hear a story about a rock and roll group in the 1970? The second being the format of this novel.

I didn’t know that this was set up as an interview the entire book and I think it really lent itself to the story. I feel like the story would not have been as powerful and I would not have felt as much as I did if it was written another way. Also, if you are into audiobooks, I think this is one of the best I have ever listened to. They have an entire cast and it makes the voices so much more distinct, even through they would be without the audio.

This story talks about a lot of different struggles and it really is a roller coaster, but not the one you would expect from a rock group.

View all my reviews

The Woman in the DarkThe Woman in the Dark by Vanessa Savage

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am kind of struggling to pin point why this book didn’t blow me out of the water. I think the main reason is because I was able to predict a lot of what happened from very early in the book. I think once I made an assumption and it started to be proven correct I was just kinda meh about it.

I think if you have not read a lot of thrillers this is a great place to start. It is shocking and has quite layers to it. The writing style itself is good and it flowed for sure. One thing I really liked is the fact that I was debating throughout that maybe this is actually happening or it isn’t happening at all. What is reality?

View all my reviews

Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I still don’t like Shakespeare, I am not sure why I keep trying at this point.

View all my reviews

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great reread and adventure! Not really much to say other than I love this book and this story. It is filled with quirky wonderful characters and takes place in a very imaginative world.

View all my reviews

 

Middle Mark Books 2

Beat the Backlist 2

Current TBR: 45

Backlist TBR: 6

Divider 2

What was your favorite book you read this month?

SignOff12:17

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Hauls & Unboxings

BOTM Unboxing | June 2019

bookishluna2 Comments

BookHaul12:17

Hello everyone, if you have been around for a while, you will know that I have been a subscriber to Book of the Month for some time. If fact, I was able to find some stats, so here they are.

As you can see I have been a fan for some time and I just wanted to write a quick post to share the book I ended up picking for June. This post is a little delayed because I was at Book Con and it was so much fun! So much so that I needed to sort out my shelves before I could open this box. Anyway, here is the book I picked this month!

Divider 2

-Blurb-

M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family is a gripping legal thriller that forces the reader to consider: How far would you go to protect the ones you love? In this twisted narrative of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life—and one another.

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him?

Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Familyasks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

Source: goodreads.com 

Normally I am not a huge fan of legal thrillers. I have never really been a fan of them in general, my mom loves SVU and a lot of those thriller/legal/crime shows. I think the closest I have come was enjoying Bones, but I personally liked the people and the science aspect of it not the prosecution and courtroom stuff. Anyway, I digress. This one seemed different to me. I feel like this is more going to focus on relationships and how people might end up is situations they stumbled upon if that makes sense? But, I am curious how the family dynamic is going to handle this as well. So, I see is being more about the family.

Either way, I am really excited to now have this book on my shelves.

Divider 2SignOff12:17

Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads