July 2023 Favorites
Well, summer break for the kids is nearly over, but the summer sun will continue going (too) strong for another month or two at least. I have a few new products in the shop, I’m working on my next poetry collection and a new short story, and I’m not ready for my little ones to head back to school in a few weeks.
I read six books in July:
Seeing them all together like this is kind of neat! Look at all that pink and red and yellow! As you can see, I’ve been very into contemporary romance this month. The titles are:
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Happy Place by Emily Henry
The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa
Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
I’ll probably post reviews for some of these, but not yet—I have more reading (and writing) to do.
Top articles, podcast episodes, and more that I enjoyed this month:
Polite Society (streaming on Peacock) is an action-comedy film I enjoyed this month. Its plot was a bit loose, but the humor and sisterly love won me over.
This Death, Sex, & Money episode with Brandon Taylor is a brilliant listen. I used to follow Brandon on Twitter (I’ve since deleted my account) and when his name popped up in my podcast feed I knew I’d be in for something good. I highly recommend this episode and everything he writes.
The newest part of my daily morning routine is listening to an episode of The Daily Pep. Episodes are 5 minutes or less and offer one quick tip related to creativity, courage, or getting things done.
Fallout 4 is my new favorite game, and it’s the one I’ve played the most this month. I love how the gameplay is similar to Skyrim (of course, they’re both made by Bethesda), yet the intricate worldbuilding of the Fallout universe could not be more different from the Elder Scrolls universe. Love, love, love. This is actually the first time I’ve played a Fallout game, and I already own New Vegas, so that one’s on my list to play next.
My favorite books I read in July:
This month in music:
My top artists & albums for July were Alkaline Trio, Children of Bodom, and the soundtrack for Fallout 4 by Inon Zur.
Alkaline Trio was one of my favorite bands from my high school days, and I’ve never stopped loving their angsty lyrics or punk/alternative vibes.
My favorite songs from the month were:
Alkaline Trio - Every Thug Needs A Lady
My favorite Amazon purchases of the month:
These hard plastic massagers are meant to work through shoulder or back knots, and they’re excellent little back massagers.
Extendable back scratchers are pretty neat! These were an impulse buy, but I have no regrets.
Christmas in July AND a cozy mystery collection? This was an easy purchase! I haven’t started reading it yet, but I am so looking forward to it.
