Guys, I wrote a really thought out blog post about the lessons I learned doing two internships in college and IT DIDN’T SAVE. Thankfully, I caught it in time because the scheduled post for today was just an outline. I don’t have time to rewrite the whole thing today (nor do I want to), so you guys are getting the “Favorites” post that was scheduled for this Friday. I am so sorry about that and I am very upset about this, but what can you do.
Hello, lovelies! Today, I’m sharing a monthly favorites post where I will talk about the books I read, movies I watched, the music I listened to, etc. in the month of June. I hope you enjoy.
Last Month’s Post – April & May 2019 Favorites (Books, Movies, Music, Etc.)
//Books
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – I reread this while I was in Europe. The audiobook came from the library and it was a quick listen. I loved these books as a kid and the first one is by far my favorite. When I was younger, I didn’t realize when they said “Two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve” meant humans. I thought that Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy’s parents were named Adam and Eve and the biblical thing was a coincidence.
Sammy Keyes (Books 1-3) by Wendelin Van Draanan – I was in a bit of a reading rut when I came back from Europe, and whenever I’m in one, I always go back to my favorite series, Sammy Keyes. I reread the first three books in the second half of June and it helped me get out of my slump. I talk about these books every year. In summary, it’s a mystery series following a 13-year-old girl, Sammy, as she finds herself in a multitude of situations. After all these years, I still find little clues that lead to the mysteries being solved without giving too much away.
Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews – Okay, so this one has been a long time coming. I started this book back in April when college started getting busy and put it down when I went to Europe. I would put it down for days at a time, but when I picked it up, I was easily sucked back in. This book is about a Russian ballerina, Dominika, who was taken by the KGB and was forced to become a spy and a “sparrow” (an agent trained to seduce marks). The book gets kind of graphic when it comes to her training, but it isn’t too much. I did find myself having to put it down a few times near the beginning. The novel was actually written by a former CIA agent, so a lot of the detail in the story is authentic. In the beginning, Dominika’s point of view is what engaged me, but over time, I began to like the CIA agent, Nate’s, chapters, as well. I rated the book four stars on Goodreads because of the writing style, but I would honestly rate it five-stars based on enjoyment. Every time I picked it up after putting it down, I loved it.
The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs – I think this is my guilty pleasure book. The title is so cheesy, but the story itself is a satire of fairytale tropes and it’s such a quick read. It’s one of the books I fall back on whenever I’m in a slump. Basically, the princess, Meg, is locked in a tower by her parents (while she was asleep) in order to have a competition to win her hand in marriage. The way the author goes about dismantling all the tropes is very smart. The book could have easily become a predictable romance, but it didn’t. It’s a light and fluffy middle-grade book that always makes me smile.
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella – I read the book Finding Audrey back in January and absolutely loved it, which is how Sophie Kinsella got on my radar. I tried another one of her books, The Undomestic Goddess, back in March but ended up DNFing it because I got bored. I think I would’ve put this book down, as well, if I weren’t in the mood for a lighter book to read. The best way I can describe it is as a rom-com in book form, but the romance isn’t even a huge part of the story. It’s about a woman named Katy with a nightmare boss in London and how she deals with early 20-something life. I think this book would have been a lot funnier if I was in that season of life because one of the reasons I loved Finding Audrey so much is that the older brother was so much like my brother Zidan. Even so, I enjoyed it a lot. The message was about how we portray our lives in a certain way that makes it look better than it is, but I personally don’t like that concept. I don’t like to just assume that the people who post happy posts on social media are unhappy. I’d rather think that they actually are. The book was a lot of fun if you’re looking for an adult contemporary.
//Movies
I watched a lot of movies last month while I was traveling, but I don’t want to talk about all of them. Here are just some that I REALLY liked.
Before We Go – I watched a lot of movies with Avengers actors last month. It wasn’t necessarily on purpose, but it wasn’t on accident either. I saw a Chris Evans interview a few months ago where he said that most people don’t see his favorite movies he’s acted in, and I have to agree. I think I’ve only ever seen him in Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and The Nanny Diaries. I ended up watched two of the movies he mentioned because they were on Europe’s Netflix. This was one of them. (He actually directed this one, too). I had seen the trailer for it before but didn’t think I would like it. I started it on our last night in Copenhagen and really liked it, but it wasn’t on Netflix anymore when we got to Germany the next day. It didn’t show up again until I was back in London, which is when I was finally able to finish the movie. It’s kind of like an indie or Sundance film. It’s a romance movie, but not a romance movie. A married woman gets her purse stolen in New York and gets help from a stranger at Grand Central Station. It doesn’t have the most interesting plot per se, but I ended up liking it.
Room – This is one of my favorite books of the year. I read it quite recently and watched the movie on one of the bus rides in Europe. Brie Larson won an Oscar for the film. The movie (and book) is about a woman who was kidnapped and was locked in a room for years. She gets pregnant and gives birth to a son, and she raises him as though “Room” is the entire world because she doesn’t want him to feel like he’s missing anything. It follows their life in the room and their eventual escape.
The Hate U Give – I watched this movie on the plane. THUG is one of my favorite books of all time, but I didn’t watch the movie when it first came out in theatres because I was worried it wouldn’t do the book justice. I had been avoiding it up until now, and I will say that it exceeded my expectations. The movie focused on the important aspects of the novel and explained everything really well. It put a lot of things like family dynamics and the interracial relationship on the backburner, which didn’t bother me too much since they focused on the important Black Lives Matter issues. You can’t expect movies to portray everything. Especially since there was so much more depth in those other issues. It would have taken the focus away from the main point.
Gifted – I also watched this movie on the plane. It was so good! McKenna Grace and Chris Evans were such great actors in this film. It was very emotional. It was about an uncle raising her niece, who turned out to be extremely gifted in mathematics. Because of this, her grandmother shows up and tries to take the girl away from him.
Lucy – In this movie, Scarlett Johanson plays an American student studying abroad in China. She gets taken by a mob and a bag of drugs is surgically placed into her and she’s sent across the border. When the packet bursts inside of her, her brain and body became incredibly enhanced but it was slowly killing her. I had no idea what this movie was about when I clicked on it and it was a trip.
Aladdin – I’ve never been really into the live-action craze, but this movie was better than I thought it would be. I had heard many mixed reviews, so when my family went to watch it, I went in with an open mind knowing what all the complaints were. I ended up enjoying it. It wasn’t supposed to be anything more than what it was. It’s definitely the best live-action thus far and I’d watch it again if it played on T.V. in the future. They changed the story enough to keep it engaging.
//Music
//T.V Shows
Mr.Iglesias – I thought this was a comedy special, but it’s actually a sit-com about a teacher working with underprivileged kids in a public school. It’s a fun watch. Here’s the trailer below.
//Live Shows
The Phantom Of The Opera – I bought tickets for this three hours before the show while I was in London. It was only 30 pounds, which is a good price for a West End Show. I walked to Her Majesty’s Theatre from my hostel to watch it and liked it a lot. I’m assuming you know what the Phantom of the Opera is about (it’s about a phantom who haunts the opera), so I won’t give you a synopsis here.
//Priceless
Truly Traveling Solo – I’m really glad that I made the most amazing friends on my trip, but I really do love traveling alone. I got a chance to truly do that again in Amsterdam and London. It was great being in charge of my own schedule and being alone with my own thoughts. I spent an hour in two book stores while in London without having to think about anybody else’s desires.
Coming Home From Europe – I was genuinely exhausted after traveling for a month straight. It was great to come home even though I still miss it.
My Aunt Visited From Bangladesh – I hadn’t seen her since I was in Bangladesh a year-and-a-half ago, so it was great to catch up.
My Internship Started – Working five days a week on a regular schedule has been an adjustment after being self-employed for so long, but I’m learning so much and really love it.
Trip To Savannah – My family took a short weekend trip to Savannah a few weeks ago. It was so much fun. We haven’t been to the beach together in at least three years.
Well, that’s it for now! I wrote two blog posts today (No I didn’t. You’re computer didn’t save the f*cking thing past Triasha). I’m so proud of myself. It’s so nice having blog posts scheduled out early because I don’t always have time to write every day. Until next time!
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Did you read any good books last month? Movies? T.V Shows? Music?