Summer Wrap-Up

Hi, everyone! I can’t quite believe summer is over, can you? I’m a bit frustrated that I haven’t read as much as I wish I had this summer, but I did read some amazing books. So, quality over quantity has been my motto lately, I guess.

Now let’s see what books I’ve read, what movies/tv shows I’ve watched and loved, what I’ve listened to and what posts I adored from the blogosphere.

Fair warning : this is going to be a long post, I might include some things that you’re not interested in, you can skip those parts, I won’t mind.

Books I’ve Read This Summer

1. Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough – 5/5 stars

I really liked this one, it was emotional and very powerful. I enjoy reading books focused on female historical figures, especially those that have been overlooked in the past and didn’t get the recognition they deserved. I would recommend this one!

You can find my review here. 

 

2. In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan – 5/5 stars

Loved everything about the setting of this one, the idea behind the story was very original, the characters were super cool, especially the protagonist. I want to read more books that are full of satire.

You can find my review here.

 

3. Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga – 5 stars

I loved the world-building and the romance in this one, especially. I would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a hate-to-love romance and also for an unique plot.

You can find my full review here.

 

4. Warcross by Marie Lu – 3 stars

I think I’m going to review it sometime soon, I’d probably do a mini-review along with my opinions about the Wildcard Preview. I didn’t dislike the book, that much I want to tell you guys, it was just very hyped and I had huge expectations and it turned out just okay.

Review to come.

5. Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon – 4.5 stars

I really liked this one, the book is coming out in January, so I’ll probably postpone the review for this one. The subject of the book was very complex and interesting : a transplant between friends, toxic friendship, co-dependency, unrequited love. It’s messy and raw and it will probably hurt you.

 

6. Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton – 3 stars

I will never stop being disappointed with this book. Adele is singing in the background right now, I can almost hear her “we’ve could had it all” and damn, she’s right. I feel like I’ve been tricked by that amazing blurb that made the book sound like everything I’ve ever wanted, but the execution wasn’t the best, sadly. You can find my full review here.

 

 7. In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira – 5 stars

Perfect summer read, heart-touching generational story that I will never stop loving. I’m very, very close to adding Dellaira to my favorite authors list, she’s a genius.

You can find my full review here.

 

8. Women & Power by Mary Beard – 4 stars

If you’re looking for a non-fiction book on feminism and references to Greek and Roman mythology, this one is for you. I loved Mary Beard’s arguments, everything about this little book is very relevant to our society and what happens. Beard actually updated it after Trump got elected, it’s a thought-provoking read that I would recommend to you.

 

9. Sadie by Courtney Summers – 5 stars

Happy book birthday to Sadie again!! You can officially read this one and I strongly advise you to because it’s been a long time since a book blew me away in such a way. Especially if you’re a true crime fan, also there’s a podcast going on, you can find it on Spotify. So, check it all out!

You can also find my review here.

 

10. The Last Plantagenet? by Jennifer C. Wilson – 2 stars

Maybe I’m just not as much of a Richard III enthusiast as I used to be, maybe the book was just not my cup of tea, I don’t know what happened, but this one didn’t really work out for me. It felt a bit like a self-insert at times, it somewhat read like a fanfiction.

You can find my full review here.

 

11. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young – 4 stars

This was a good read, but it still had its flaws and sadly, it couldn’t get a five stars from me. I’m a bit sad because I’m obsessed with Vikings and I wanted this to be an absolute favorite of mine. EH, I’m still happy to get a strong Viking heroine in YA lit.

You can find my full review here.

12. Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon – 4 stars

I’m super excited to review this book, it’s probably going to happen later this week. I’m working on some reviews, including this one, this book is super important and I hope more people will read it and love Rosie’s story as much as I did.

Review to come.

 

UGH, I apparently finished Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott on 1st September, which means I can’t add it here, but I’m going to give it an honorable mention prior to reviewing it and say that it’s phenomenal. If you like mystery and twisted friendships, JUST READ IT.

Movies and Tv Shows I Loved 

• Vikings (season 5) – Ragnar’s sons are all grown up and they’re all acting like brats and I just want them to have a big feast, talk it out and be civil with each other again. But apparently, there’s going to be more and more drama. I’M HERE FOR IT. Also, Ubbe and Bjorn are my favorite Ragnarssons so far. I still don’t know how I feel about Ivar, most of the times I think he’s a complete psycho, but he’s smart and his strategy is great, I have to give him that. Hvitserk has potential and I hope they’ll develop his character more. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about because you haven’t watched the tv show, you should change that. It’s amazing, especially if you like action and drama and historical intrigue.

look at this cutie, i’m so in love. omg.

• Sharp Objects – I’m a huge Flynn fanatic, so I’m excited for every adaptation out there. This one was super weird and it didn’t help that I didn’t remember much from the book besides the big plot lines. I loved Amy Adams’ performance, however, give that woman an award. Trigger warnings : self-harm and mentions of rape.

• Set It Up – Kat @Life and Other Disasters recommended this to me and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a super cute and relatable rom-com for all of us that are in our early (or late) 20’s and are still trying to figure out what to do with our lives. I absolutely loved it, it has Zoey Deutch and Lucy Liu in its cast, how can you go wrong with that????

this is a mood, Harper. 

• To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T MENTION THIS? well, you were wrong. It was the highlight of the summer, I’m forever going to be obsessed with it and I’ll probably go rewatch it right now.

Songs I Love

• Kodaline – Brother (x) – for a reason or another, siblings songs get to me even though I’m a single child. WELL. Someone has to psychoanalyze this right now.
• NF – I Just Wanna Know (x) & If You Want Love (x) – so much talent, so much angst, I’ve always felt so attacked by this guy’s songs.
• Billie Eilish – you should see me in a crown (x) – I wasn’t a huge fan of her before this song, but I love its vibe, it makes me want to conquer the world or write a book about a dark queen smashing it.
• benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid – Eastside (x) – my girl, Halsey has been killing it lately. can you believe how much of a queen she is???
• Everything from Anne-Marie, I don’t understand why no one recommended me her songs before, but they’re super empowering. They make me want to dump my non-existent trashy boyfriend. Would totally recommend Ciao Adios, Bad Girlfriend and Alarm.

Blog Posts I Adored

This summer has been horrible for blog hopping and I’m sorry for that because I want to check everyone’s blogs and comment, but blogging slump is a thing apparently. I hope I’ll spread more love in the future.

• Marie @Drizzle and Hurricane Books had some tips about how you can support international book bloggers, which is so cool, you can check her post here and I’d love it if you could follow some of her tips.
• Kat @ Life and Other Disasters wrote a post about switching between ideas, where she mentions her new witchy wip that I’m currently reading as she’s writing it and I have to say guys, it’s very good. You can get a glimpse of it here.
• Anna @reading peaches gave us some recommendations of books with great villains, they were stellar as always and I would recommend you check it out here if the topic interests you.
• Aurora @aurora librialis shared non-canon ships a.k.a the gay ships we deserve (if that’s not the best title, then I don’t know what it is). You can check it here, she had some very interesting choices, I would love to see some crossover youtube fanvideos of those couples. They all sound super badass.
• Beth @Reading Every Night shared books that can get you out of a reading slump and I’m here for it, I need this list in my life. If you need it as well, check it out here.
• Bridget @Bridget and Books wrote a post where she recommended books based on other books that you might have already read. It’s a “if you liked that, then read this” kind of post and I’m a sucker for this kind of posts, they’re always such a fun way to find new reads and be drowned in your TBR. Check her post here.
• Amber had some great discussions that I adored about what is actually a real reader + the privilege in the bookish community and another one about abusive behavior and how we should stop excusing it. Yeah, she’s absolutely great at discussions. (x) (x)
• Caro made an awesome post with LGBTQ+ books that don’t feature cis M/M romances and it’s really great, I think you should check it out. Here is a link to her post, I thought she included some amazing books, some of them I’ve already read and loved and the other ones are very high-priority on my TBR.
• Shealea shared some of her spreadsheets that you might want to check out especially if you’re a disorganized blogger like me and you’re looking for something to diminish that chaos. Check it out here.
• LaRonda also had a great post about reading slumps and what is getting you there, that you might want to check out here. There were some very valid reasons that she included there and I related a lot.

What have you read this summer? What are your favorites books?

What are some Tv Shows/Movies that you loved and would recommend to me?