Thursday 2 July 2015

Monthly Wrap-Up | June 2015


It's time to wrap-up another month - where is 2015 going? We got some lovely weather here in the UK throughout June, so I've been enjoying the sunshine.



Somehow I managed to read twelve books this month, which I definitely wasn't expecting - in fact I even ended up completing my Goodreads challenge of reading 40 books! I can't wait to see how much more I can read this year.

There were some graphic novels, a dash of nonfiction, a couple of modern classics and a childhood favourite amongst my reads this year. A good month!



by Sylvia Townsend Warner

Reviewed here!


by Samantha Ellis

Reviewed here!


by Jerry Spinelli

Reviewed here!


by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault

Reviewed here!


by Roald Dahl
(re-read)


by Audrey Niffenegger


by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Brooke Allen

Reviewed here!


by Damien Kempf and Maria L. Gilbert


by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Jordi Bernett

Reviewed here!


by Harper Lee


by G. Willow Wilson, Elmo Bondoc and Takeshi Miyazawa

by A.F.E. Smith




I discovered a new favourite show in June: Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

I know, I know, it started back in 2o13, but I only just got around to watching it in June, and I couldn't stop. I marathoned the first season and loved it. I usually struggle with comedies; I know it makes me sound really miserable, but I get bored of laughing. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but I hate those shows with canned laughter (apart from Friends, which I will always love) that just continually make fart jokes and boob jokes, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine was so much fun. I laughed out loud more than once, and I can't wait to immerse myself in season two!



I also continued to watch Penny Dreadful, and season 2 is almost over! I loved Angelique so much, and I continue to adore Ethan Chandler who is just adorable.

And Hannibal returned in June! And then revealed season 3 would be its last because NBC have decided not to renew it...


Why is it always the best shows that get cancelled? Hannibal is such a fantastic show - how can it not be with Bryan Fuller at the helm and that fantastic cast? - and us Fannibals are all hoping that Netflix will pick the series up. I don't want this series to end! But, if it must, I trust that Bryan Fuller has created a brilliant finale. #SaveHannibal












As much as June has felt like another month that's gone by quickly, I also feel like I've packed a lot more into June!

In the middle of the month I ended up returning to Lancaster, where I went to uni, for the night because the publisher I work for published a short story collection written by one of the Creative Writing professors there. I helped to organise the book launch because I have contacts up at Litfest, so I travelled up there with Penny, our fiction editor, and then went out to dinner with two of my friends from uni who are still in the area. We had a lovely dinner at Bella Italia, and I completely forgot to take any photos because I'm rubbish, but it was so nice to be back in the city I love, even just for a night.

One of my friends was lovely enough to offer me a room for the night, and then I got back on the train down to south Wales the next morning. I also received some pretty cool news while I was up there; it turns out the portfolio I worked on for my MA last year is up on the uni's website for the current MA students to look at because it was one of the best from last year - I was so surprised!

I strayed into England twice in June; first to Lancaster, and then to Glastonbury. I moved around quite a bit while I was in primary school, and for a few years I lived very near Glastonbury in a little village in Somerset. I love Glastonbury; it's a fun, kooky little place that also claims to be the place where King Arthur is buried, in fact people still journey there every year to leave flowers for him at Glastonbury Abbey!

He and Guinevere have been missing since the dissolution of the monasteries (we have good ol' Henry VIII to thank for that) though it's doubtful that he was ever really there at all, as the monks happened to discover him at a time when the Abbey was in need of money. Still, it's nice to believe in things like this, isn't it? And he certainly means a lot to people; while we were there someone left him a rose.

If you ever have the chance to visit Glastonbury then I recommend going, especially if you've never been! It's a beautiful part of the world and Glastonbury Abbey is well worth a visit if you're a fan of history - in fact it's worth a visit even if you aren't! There are lots of fun little shops in Glastonbury, too, selling jewellery and incense and all sorts, and if you'd rather do something more outdoorsy you can always visit the Tor!


My mum explores Glastonbury Abbey...

These tiles are 800 years old!

I'm going to be doing some more exploring in July, a little further afield, as my friend Elena and I are off to Rome!







Becky Albertalli wrote a guest post @ Pop! Goes the Reader for Ladies in Literature month all about Body Positivity in Literature





Tonyalee @ Lilybloombooks wrote a great post all about Fitting In in the blogging world











How was your June?

2 comments:

  1. Off to Rome?! THAT IS SO COOL. LUCKY YOU!!! And those 800- year old tiles are quite spectacular. They totally are.

    Ahhh, so many awesome books! And I'm glad you love TKAM. I'm so in love with that book, and I really want to just throw everything and reread it because reasons. But my TBR is about to fall on me. hehe.

    Did you just say FANNIBALS?! Omg, that is an excellent fandom name. xD I haven't watched that show yet, but I do want to...and I'm sad it's getting cancelled. My favourite show of ever is Supernatural and I'm TERRIFIED it'll be cancelled because it's in it's 11th season. *gulps* My life will be so wrong without more episodes to look forward to. D:

    I hope you have a great July!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, I'm so excited! :D I'll have lots of pretty Italian pictures in my July wrap-up. ;)

      A part of me's a little annoyed that I waited this long to read it, but another part of me's glad because I don't think I would have appreciated it as much. I read it at exactly the right time.

      Haha, I did indeed - we are the Fannibals! And instead of 'hiatus' we have 'HeAteUs'. We're a witty bunch. ;) AND YOU TOTALLY NEED TO WATCH IT. Even if it does only get these three seasons (though hopefully it won't!) it's such a fantastic show, and well worth watching!

      My best friend is a big Supernatural fan, so if it is ever cancelled I'm sure I'll hear about it. I'll have to comfort her. :P

      Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a lovely July too! ^_^

      Delete