Hello, lovelies! Today I am back with another monthly favorites post. I decided to combine May and June together since I didn’t post one last month. I hope you enjoy.
//Books
The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner’s Guide To Getting Good With Money by Chelsea Fagan & Lauren Ver Hage – This is based on the very popular blog by the same name. It gives obviously gives tips on things like budgeting and investing, but it also gives career and cooking advice. The book is pretty much a guide to living frugally in your twenties. It’s a fun read, but if you’re looking for something a bit more comprehensive about finances, this probably isn’t the book for you. It talks more about the basics.
Al Capone Throws Me A Curve by Gennifer Choldenko – The fourth book of my favorite historical fiction series came out last month and I was so excited to read it. It takes place during the Great Depression. It’s about a 13-year-old boy named Moose, whose family had to move to Alcatraz Island after his dad got a job there as a guard. The series navigates his life living on an island with the worst criminals in America. His sister Natalie also has autism, which wasn’t a diagnosis back in the 1930s, so it’s interesting to read about the social stigmas surrounding that. I 100% recommend this series.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge – I don’t know how to explain this book properly. It’s a fantasy novel based on Beauty and the Beast and Greek Mythology. It has a very cheesy and predictable premise. Nyx has a forced arranged marriage to a demon and grows up trained by her father to kill him. I like that this book doesn’t follow all the tropes of her falling in love with the husband and finding a way to fix everything without killing him. In fact, this book surprised me. A lot of things I didn’t expect to happen, happened. And I like that Nyx is a self-aware character. She knows all the terrible things about herself and doesn’t try to justify them. I like that in a character.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez – This book is about a high school senior named Julia, whose sister was killed in a sudden accident. Her sister embodied all of the traits a Mexican daughter is supposed to have, but once she died, all of the pressure fell on Julia. In the months after her sister’s death, Julia learns more and more about the secret life her sister had prior to her death. This book is about grief, depression, and cultural expectations. I think it does a good job of balancing everything out. I recommend it. There are many twists throughout the book that will take you by surprise.
So Much I Want To Tell You: Letters To My Little Sister by Anna Akana – This book is a memoir by the YouTuber, Anna Akana. Her 13-year-old sister committed suicide when she was seventeen and this book contains all the advice she wished she could tell her sister. It’s a very amazing book. I finished it in a day. She talks about being an Asian in the acting industry, the process of running a business, tells the story of her abortion and about emotionally abusive relationships. It’s a very raw book. I don’t like reading memoirs, but I would recommend this one. It’s not really written like a memoir. It’s more like a collection of short essays.
(Here’s a link to a very funny video she made)
This segways into the next book.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling – I finally finished rereading the entire Harry Potter series, which I haven’t done since middle school. I’ve been listening to the audiobooks in my car and “read” the final two books in May and June. The series is still good and I want to rewatch all the movies now. When I first read it, my favorite one was Deathly Hallows, but now I think it might change to Goblet of Fire. I haven’t decided yet.
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman – I heard of the five love languages back in high school, but never read the book. It’s written by the psychologist, Gary Chapman, who states that there are five main ways people give and receive love: physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, and gifts. Everyone has a primary and secondary love language and that is how they feel most loved, while the others are icing on the cake, The original book is geared towards couples, but I read the second one, which is geared towards unmarried people. This version talks about expressing love towards parents, siblings, friends, coworkers, roommates, neighbors, etc. Chapman tells a lot of stories about previous clients and how they repared past relationships. I think everyone should read this book. It’ll help you understand yourself and others better.
(I also finished reading all the Avatar The Last Airbender graphic novels and a Sammy Keyes book. I also started A Reaper At The Gates, but will give my full review next month.)
//Movies
Avengers: Infinity War – I would’ve watched this the day it came out, but I had to wait for my brother Zidan. That was the hardest week of my life. I avoided all the spoilers and rewatched every single MCU movie before it came out. The anticipation of it was part of the fun. And I really loved it. They wasted no time on exposition and jumped straight into the action. My only problem is the ending. I don’t like the people they chose to kill because it softens the blow of their “deaths.” If they chose two other characters, I would’ve been devastated because I’d know that they wouldn’t come back to life, but a lot of the people who died will definitely come back to life. I’m trying not to spoil anything, so I won’t say anymore. I really liked the film and I think the writers balanced out all the characters really well.
Deadpool 2 – This movie was hilarious. I definitely prefer the first one, but this one is still really good. The end-credit scene killed me and I loved all the characters they added.
Young Victoria – This is the film about Queen Victoria on Netflix. I think I watched it once in middle school but don’t remember it. It was interesting if you like history, but I’ve seen better historical films.
Ali Wong Netflix Comedy Specials – I love Netflix comedy specials, so when this one came up in my recommendation box, I clicked on it. I recognized Ali Wong from the show American Housewife and she’s a writer for the show Fresh Off The Boat, so I knew it would be funny. She tells a lot of funny stories about her sex life and growing up in an Asian American family. I recommend watching the Baby Cobra comedy special before Hard Knocked Wife because it’s funnier if you watch them in that order.
Set It Up – RomComs are my guilty pleasure, but I have to be in a certain type of mood to watch them. Netflix released an original movie last month and after seeing trailers for it everywhere, I decided to watch it. It’s about two assistants who set up their nightmare bosses up in order to make their lives easier. I liked that this movie wasn’t super cheesy and that the dialogue was realistic. There was no sappy declaration of love. Everything unfolded very naturally. The actors did a really good job. If you’re in the mood for a feel-good movie, give it a watch.
//T.V Shows
Dear White People – I binge-watched both seasons in two days. I couldn’t stop watching it. This is why I didn’t watch it when it first came out. I knew that I wouldn’ t do anything productive. It’s based on a book that I haven’t read, so I can’t compare it for you. It’s about racism on college campuses. I recommend it.
13 Reasons Why – I know that this show gets a bad rep, but I really loved season 2. I enjoyed the book when I was fourteen, but I think the second season ruined Hannah’s character. The book really described her internal conflicts and how small rumors can spin out of control. I understand that the show has to be more dramatic and has to portray more outside conflicts, so I give them a pass. The story in season 2 was amazing and the ending was perfect. Especially in the climate we’re in now. I also love that you could sympathize with what all the characters were feeling and could understand what escalated them to that point.
H2O – I forgot how good this show was. My cousin Leya slept over for four days and we rewatched this show. It takes place in Australia and is about three girls who become mermaids. It’s not super childlike and princess-y. It goes a lot into the science fiction aspects about it. It’s a lot of fun.
Barbie’s Dreamhouse Adventure – Netflix created a Barbie show and I had to watch it. I’ve always loved Barbie movies and was obsessed with them as a kid (This blog is named after a Barbie song). The show is actually really good. It’s about Barbie and her family (her parents are main characters) living life after building a Smart House.
Grey’s Anatomy – I’ve been rewatching Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix. I’m all caught up with the show but have not rewatched the older seasons.. It’s still as good as I remember it.
//Music
Here are the songs that were stuck in my head last month:
- Circles by The Young Romans
- The Night We Met by Lord Huron
- Yours by Ella Henderson Cover by Aviva & Matthew
//Priceless
Knowing What The Heck Is Wrong With My Back – After six months of chronic pain, my orthopedist finally figured out what was wrong with my back. The disc between my spine and tailbone moved five millimeters, so I’ve been going to physical therapy to fix it. It just feels good to know what’s wrong because I’ve spent most of the year so far with my questions unanswered. I’ve been wearing a back brace and physical therapy has been helping. Thankfully, I don’t need surgery to repare it.
Hanging Out With All My Friends Together – In May, all of my friends from middle school got together and it was AMAZING. We haven’t been all together all year, which is strange for us. We want to plan more get-togethers more often.
My Cousins From New York Visited – Eid was in June and a bunch of my cousins came to visit. I hadn’t seen them in two years so we had a lot of fun catching up. I feel like I write about seeing a cousin every few months. I have a lot of cousins okay!
What books have you read this summer? Have you watched any good movies lately?