June Wrap Up

I’m Back!

Hi Guys! I’m feeling pretty good about myself this month, because I actually manged to read SEVEN books in June, which is insane for me these days! Also I pretty much LOVED them all (with the exception of two “sort of” ok ones).

This past month has been insane! So much traveling, work, and just other random shit going on. However, I did manage to watch a ton of Netflix, see way too many movies & read half a dozen books (and a bit)… so I feel pretty good about it!

Okay, so lets get RIGHT into it!

So…..As always, here are some of my favorite things from the past month.

TV SHOWS

Okay so you guys know I love TV in any form. These are my “Top 2” from the past month!

1.) “Glow” on Netflix

I saw this on Netflix the other day, and I randomly decided to give it a shot. I’m a big Allison Brie fan (after seeing her on Community), and I knew I would love this. Also, Marc Maron is in the cast, and I fucking LOVE him as a comedian… so it was win already from the get-go.

So “Glow” aka “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” is based on a true story, and it’s so hilarious. You guys will love this one I promise. So much heart, and just so much girl-power antics. My boyfriend and I really loved this one. We watched every episode in two nights! It’s a bit ridiculous, a bit serious, and 100% amazing. LOVED this.

2.) “Gypsy” on Netflix

Okay so this one JUST came out. I’ve been in love with Naomi Watt’s, for what seems like FOREVER. Mulholland Drive, I Heart Huckabee’s, Funny Games.. etc etc.. she’s a fantastic actress with SO much range. I knew this would be great, before I even pressed play. I was right! This is such a dark, twisted, and unexpected little story. A therapist, intertwined and messed up in not ONLY her own life, but the lives of her patients as well. Seriously check this one out!

MOVIES

1.) “Bokeh”

Artsy/ Dystopian Style Film

On Netflix

Okay so first off I need to tell you guys something crucial. My #1 “Bucket List” goal is to “Go To ICELAND”. I am obsessed with anything/everything Iceland related. This movie is set/filmed in Iceland, and I’ve been looking forward to it for MONTHS!

Wow. Such a beautifully shot movie. Every. Single. Scene…. was just shot to perfection. The Director really captured Iceland’s essence, and made you feel like you were there with this couple. The scenic shots actually gave me goosebumps, and I was so so in LOVE with every shot, that I kept obsessively pausing and un-pausing the movie, so I could “Insta-Story” it.. you know the drill.

This is basically the story of a young couple (one of which is the incredibly talented/SO gorgeous Maika Monroe from “It Follows”) who travel to Iceland, and wake up one morning to discover.. literally EVERYONE else on earth seems to have disappeared. This is the most perfect, simplistic, and well done post-apocalyptic story I’ve seen in years. I loved the simple, yet horrifying tone of it.

So SO good. A bit slow moving, but if you are an artist/photographer.. or really anyone who appreciates artistic shots at all.. this is for you.

2.) “The Gallows”

On Netflix

HORROR MOVIE

“Found Footage Genre”

I am a Horror Movie creep. I’ve seen everything/anything horror. I can tell you firsthand that the whole “Found-Footage Genre” is a hard thing to pull off. I’ve only ever seen it done GREAT a few times. Examples are, “VHS”, “Grave Encounters”, etc. This movie was pretty good. Not incredible, but overall a decent/quite scary horror movie.

It basically takes place at an abandoned high-school at night.. where years ago an “accidental death” takes place during a school play… having to do heavily with “THE GALLOWS”, aka a kid accidentally hangs himself while “pretending” to do so for the show. It’s very disturbing, and actually quite a well done horror film. I have REALLY high-standards for scary film’s, so trust me.. this is a GOOD review!

So that’s it for my categorized favorites this month.. but I have a few other sort of random things I’ve loved during June.. which are…

“NYX” Matte Finishing Spray

Anything from the “Brandy Mellville” store!

Anna Faris’s podcast “Un-Qualified”

My new 50’mm Canon Camera Lens

Lorde’s new album is SO GODDAMN PERFECT

“Fox on an Island’s” ETSY Shop is TO DIE FOR. I got this adorable fox enamel pin (shown above) last month and I’m in love.

Anyway, so lets get into the BOOKS I read this month, which I’m proud to say there are…SIX of! I guess I had too much free time on my hands this month haha.

BOOKS

1.) “One True Loves”

By, Taylor Jenkins Reid

7/10

Ohh I really enjoyed this little story. I don’t really read a ton of “Romance” type novels… and honestly after all the fucked up thrillers I’ve been getting into.. this was the perfect change for me.

This is the story of a woman who falls in love with her high-school sweetheart, who then marries him and lives an incredible first few years.. only to then have him DIE in an horrible accident. She then deal with the devastating grief and consequences, finally manages to move on and get engaged to a new wonderful man… only to then find out…. HER HUSBAND WAS FOUND ALIVE! He’s NOT dead!!! But WAIT.. SHE’S ENGAGED to another man now!!! So yeah, drama drama DRAMA, and I loved it.

This story was quite predictable, but overall it was cute, and a nice change of pace for me.

(GoodReads Plot)

(From the author of Maybe in Another Life—named a PeopleMagazine pick and a “Best Book of the Summer” by Glamour and USA Today—comes a breathtaking new love story about a woman unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiancé who has finally brought her back to life.

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying)

2.) ” Every Last Lie”

By, Mary Kubica

10/10

I love Mary Kubica so much. Her writing is incredible, and her first novel completely blew me away. This new one “Every Last Lie” did NOT disappoint. This was such an expertly crafted, amazingly executed thriller. So much suspense, tension, and intrigue. I loved this SO much.

This is the story of a woman who loses her Husband in a tragic accident, and after his death is met with a ton of horrifying unexpected “questions” regarding his life and death. Like..was it REALLY an accident? Who was he.. really? So perfect.. one of the best books I’ve read all year. You guys will love this!

(Good-Reads Plot)

(New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL, Mary Kubica is back with another exhilarating thriller as a widow’s pursuit of the truth leads her to the darkest corners of the psyche.

“The bad man, Daddy. The bad man is after us.”

Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon.

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick’s death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation and Nick’s last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date—one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.)

3.) “Our Little Secret”

By, Roz Nay

10/10 OMG OMG OMG SO GOOD

Holy SHIT I was not expecting this book to be SO good. I randomly picked this one up at like an IGA grocery store or something. This book was written by a somewhat “local” author, and it honestly completely blew me away.

This book reminded me a lot of the vibe of the book “YOU” by Caroline Kepnes, which has got to be 100% one of my ALL TIME FAV books. So this is a HUGE compliment coming from me. This book is told from the perspective of our main character Angela, who is being held in police questioning for the possible murder of someone she knows.. very well! I don’t want to give any spoilers, but trust me when I tell you guys that this is a murder-love-triangle-relationship-mystery from HELL, and you really need to be a part of it. I read this entire thing in one evening.. it’s so brilliant.

(Good-Reads Plot)

(For fans of In a Dark, Dark Wood and All the Missing Girls comes Our Little Secret, a compulsive and thrilling debut about a missing woman, a tangled love triangle, the secrets we keep and the secrets we share.

The detective wants to know what happened to Saskia, as if I could just skip to the ending and all would be well. But stories begin at the beginning and some secrets have to be earned.

Angela is being held in a police interrogation room. Her ex’s wife has gone missing and Detective Novak is sure Angela knows something, despite her claim that she’s not involved.

At Novak’s prodding, Angela tells a story going back ten years, explaining how she met and fell in love with her high school friend HP. But as her past unfolds, she reveals a disconcerting love triangle and a dark, tangled web of betrayals. Is Angela a scorned ex-lover with criminal intent? Or a pawn in someone else’s revenge scheme? Who is she protecting? And why?

Twisty and suspenseful, Our Little Secret is an intense cat-and-mouse game and a riveting thriller about the lies we tell others—and ourselves.)

4.) “The Handmaids Tale”

By Margaret Atwood

10/10

“But who can remember pain, once it’s over? All that remains of it is a shadow, not in the mind even, in the flesh. Pain marks you, but too deep to see. Out of sight, out of mind.”
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

I’ve already read this book, and absolutely loved it. The newly released Television show adaptation of this book on “Hulu” just came out, and the response has been incredible. The show was SO fantastic, and everyone is talking about it! I watched every single episode back-to-back and I realized that I needed to re-read the book immediately.

Reading this book the second time, was even better than the first time around. So many little bits and pieces that I missed the first time. This book is chilling and horrifying, and so deeply affecting. I really REALLY loved this.

(Good-Reads Plot)

(Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now… )

5.) “The Princess Saves Herself in This One”

Poetry by, Amanda Lovelace

10/10

“fiction:
the ocean
i dive
headfirst
into
when i
can
no longer
breathe
in
reality.

– a mermaid escapist II.”
― Amanda Lovelace, The Princess Saves Herself in this O

This particular book of poetry has been getting a TON of attention on good ol’ Instagram lately, and I knew I had to join the party. I feel like I was the LAST one to get there haha. A few weeks ago I decided it was absolutely NECESSARY that I buy this book immediately, so I did.

Not only is this book of poems absolutely gorgeous, but the poems inside are just perfect. The DEDICATION of this book stole my heart.. she decided her book to none other than HARRY POTTER.. and you guys know how I feel about him. I mean I have a Harry Potter tattoo.. on my ankle forever… I’m pretty fucking into it.

Her Dedication (Basically to the legend HARRY POTTER himself) is….

“for the boy who lived.

thank you for inspiring me to be

the girl who survived.

you may have

a lightning blot

to show for it,

but my body is a

lightning storm”

“friend request from ………”
a) the girl who said you were ugly.
b) the girl who said your voice was off-key.
c) the girl who refused to defend you.
d) the girl who laughed at you behind your back & to your face.
e) the girl who took your lunch money every day because she said you didn’t need to eat.
f) the girl who said you were “fat” even after you starved yourself to death.
g) the girl who was supposed to be your best friend.
h) all the above.
-keep pressing ignore, lovely.”
― Amanda Lovelace, The Princess Saves Herself in this One

(Good-Reads Plot)

(Ah, life- the thing that happens to us while we’re off somewhere else blowing on dandelions & wishing ourselves into the pages of our favorite fairy tales.”

A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind. Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.)

6 & 7:) “PS. I Still Love You” & “Always and Forever Lara Jean” by Jenny Han

5/10

Okay so YES I gave these two books (2 out of a series, with three total books). I read the first book in the 3-series “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” a few years ago.. and I enjoyed in, in a campy “young-adult contemporary” vibe… So the last two books came out recent-ish-ly.. and I figured I should probably read them both.

I will say this… the covers are GORGEOUS, and I am so happy to have all three on my shelf. Also I KNOW 14 year old Carly would have loved this shit. I just think…. at the age of 29… this is WAY WAY too immature for me. I’m not even going to bother reviewing this.. I mean it’s SO babyish and sort of lame. I found the main character very irritating and just WAY too much. Too “girly” and sort of a weird portrayal of a “good girl”. It’s a very “cute” story, and I really did love parts of it. This story made me DESPERATE to bake, which I never do! These cookies in the photos.. I fucking MADE them! Because of this book! So yes, overall pretty decent.. and if you are ages like 11-17 you will adore this whole thing I’m sure. I just couldn’t relate, and I ended up feeling WAY too old for this series. I think it’s time to give up “Young Adult” for good.

Jenny Han is a beautiful, atmospheric writer.. it’s just a bit too young for me.

(Good-Reads Plot)

*For the first book in the three-part-series*

(What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.)