June Wrap-Up | Pride and Permits, Books and Braces

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. I hope everyone had a good Pride Month! I had a very busy first month of summer break, with lots of different things happening. Overall, June wasn’t a bad month. I got a lot of reading done and was able to stay on track for some academic-based stuff I’m working on. Let’s go over what I read!

BOOKS READ

The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver|📖|★★★★★
I love how grief was explored. It highlights the fact that everyone experiences the loss of someone differently and how grief isn’t something that can be predicted. Liam’s journey after their brother’s death was messy and Mason Deaver showed that that’s okay.

Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman|📱|★★★★
The Paris Squad! I’m glad we got some more time with Tara and Darcy and Tao and Elle. And of course, Nick and Charlie. I love how their relationship grew stronger and what takes in Paris.

Heartstopper: Volume Four by Alice Oseman|📱|★★★★★
This volume delves deeper into mental health and I love how Oseman recaps the last few months, in the format of Nick and Charlie’s journal entries. It was a great way to get both sides of the story. Learning to just be there for someone was a great theme in the story which a lot of the characters learn about.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas|📱|★★★★.5
The best thing about this book, besides the characters of course, was the atmosphere. The brujx and Día de Muertos came to life through the writing. But Yadriel and Julian steal the show; those two are amazing. I also appreciate how the difficulties for Yadriel’s family from him transitioning was presented.

Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson|📱|★★★|my review
I appreciated the representation in this story and how it showed the struggles queer Black girls face. The character arcs were also really good. But the insta-love and some of the characters’ actions didn’t do it for me.

Loveless by Alice Oseman|📖|★★★★
I love the characters in this! It was sex-positive novel, filled with figuring out one’s sexual orientation. The peer pressure to have kissed someone and the uncertainty Georgia has was displayed really well. And of course, Pip and Rooney’s banter was amazing.

CURRENTLY READING

I just got Family at Liars, which I’m very excited to read. But I read We Were Liars around two years ago, so I need a bit of a refresher. So, I’m rereading it and then plan to go onto the prequel.

MY POSTS

With summer break came more time for writing posts, which I’m very happy about! In June, I wrote 9 posts, which is more than I’ve written in a while.

• May Wrap-Up|School is Out!
• Review: A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
• Let’s Talk Bookish: First or Third Person Narration?
• The Marvel Avengers Book Tag
• Pretty Deadly Words #2|In Which I Ramble About my WIP
• Let’s Talk Bookish: Books on Vacation
• 54 Thoughts I Had While Watching Heartstopper
• Let’s Talk Bookish: Book-to-Film Adaptations
• Review: Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE

• Fazila @ Fazila Reads discussed whether you should return Kindle ebooks after reading them and how it’s harmful to authors.
• Cherelle @ A Bolt out of the Book is back from her hiatus and discussed heroism, villainy, and anti-heroes.
• Belle @ thisbellereadstoo wrote reviews for three of Anna-Marie McLemore’s books.
• Sage @ Sage Shelves recommended their favorite queer books.
• J @ Midnight Book Blog discussed why she loves reading.
• Evin @ A Curly Sue’s Ramblings did the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag.
• Kashvi @ Misty Realms had guest blogger Prutha recommend 5 books for Pride Month.

BLOGS I DISCOVERED

bookshelfsoliloquies – This blog is run by Lay. I especially love reading their reviews, which are detailed and pleasingly formatted. I also like the aesthetic of their blog!

Fazila Reads – Fazila is a long-time blogger and she also has a booktube channel. I like her variety of posts, especially the discussion she did recently which I linked above.

I actually got some writing done! Now that school is out, I was able to find some time to work on my WIP. I wrote the scenes I wanted to write, skipping over others, which worked for me. I’m participating in July Camp NaNoWriMo this month and today is the first day. I didn’t technically complete draft 3 of OMaM but I got the major parts laid out and changed a lot of things from draft 2. So, I’m calling this draft 4. My goal for the month is 35k words which, if I’m able to finish the draft, should be achievable. I handwrote draft 3, but I’m going back to typing for draft 4. I’ve changed how the story starts and am planning to rewrite some scenes so they’re less awkward and a bit more realistic. I’m hoping to get a good start today. I’m planning to do a mid-month check in, so I’ll update you there!

🎓 I went to my middle school graduation on the first day of summer break. Some of my friends younger siblings were graduating and I didn’t get a proper 8th grade graduation, so I went to support and also see the last group of students I really knew. Being back there was a bit nostalgic but it was a lot of fun and I got to say hello to my old teachers.

📚 I’m participating in the summer program for the reading mentor program I did in the spring. I’m doing four sessions a week now instead of two and so far, it’s going well. It’s my second time doing this, so it’s easier to interact with the kids since I actually know what I’m doing.

🏕 I went camping twice, once over Father’s Day weekend and once last week. They were both a lot of fun and for the Father’s Day weekend one, I got to see my friend who I haven’t talked to in a couple of months. We had a great time at the river. Last week, we had to change our location, but we still had a good time. We met up with a family friend for one night. We went on a short hike and stopped by a bookstore, where I got Family of Liars.

🚙 I got my driver’s permit! The DMV didn’t take as long as I thought it would and I passed on my first try. I was trying to count how many I’d gotten wrong, but I kept forgetting. Also, Zootopia gave me unrealistic expectations for what the DMV looks like. I know it was meant to be exaggerated, but still.

🦷 I got braces again. I had them for two years when I was younger, just on my top teeth, and got them back in two weeks ago. They only did my bottom teeth, but I’ll eventually have to get them on the top as well. It was less than fun.

🏳️‍🌈 I went to a pride parade! It was a small one, the first annual one for the city near us. It was so sweet! I knew some people in the parade, so it was a lot of fun to see them. Everyone’s outfits were great and there were also some people who I go to school with who sang.

June Goals:

• Read 5 books ✅
• Post 8 times ✅
• Drivers ed ✅
• Get my drivers permit ✅
• Work on WIP ✅

July Goals:

• Read 6 books
• Post 8 times
• Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo

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How was your June? Did you read any good books?
Do you have any fun plans for July?