Kickin' It: June 2019 Wrap Up
Wednesday, July 03, 2019
Kickin’ It is a feature at The Bucket List where I round-up the whole month in one post, bringing you reviews you may have missed, other awesome bookish things, and even what I’m currently obsessed with in other media besides books. June was a whirlwind. Summer is officially here and with it, the sweaty temperatures and sunny temperaments. Ever notice that people are happier when the weather is nice. It’s great! Plus, all this sunshine is doing great things to my reading. Quantity-wise, at least. Quality-wise, I’ve been struck by the 3-star monster and don’t know how to get rid of him. Overall, the month was a good one. I was able to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, while reading loads of books I’ve been meaning to get to. Here’s what I read in June:
Romanov by Nadine Brandes (4.5 stars): Wow, this one was good! It was a bit slow pace. Plus, it wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be, following more closely to actual Romanov history than Anastasia the animated movie. Yet, it was magnificent: beautifully crafted, wonderful story with the perfect amount of magic!
This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (3 stars): This was good but not great. It had many awesome elements to it: a relationship via email, a celebrity falling for a non-celebrity, and great small town vibes. It was just a bit too long and not long enough, if that makes sense.
A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab (5 stars): Why did this take me so long to read? I took me weeks to finish this. I was savoring every moment. I know I still need to read the prequel comic but the original trilogy is over and it’s devastating. I’m hoping Schwab will return with more since the ending was left open for more. A reader can dream, right?!
Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West (4 stars): I was worried since the last two books I’ve read by Kasie West have just been okay. However, Listen to Your Heart turned out great! It was such a cute summer read!
Last Breath by Rachel Caine (4 stars): I’ve been slowly making my way through the Morganville Vampire series. I hope to finish the series by the end of the year. This is the 11th book and it was a good one. Despite finding them a tad repetitive at this point, Last Breath did something I did not expect. I can’t wait to read the next book to see what happens next!
My Lady’s Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris (3.5 stars): Oh, this one was so much fun! It’s a historical romance choose-your-own-adventure book. I haven’t read the entire book but I’ve read up to 5 different scenarios. I’m not sure how many stories are in the book, considering your jumping pages all over. Despite the stories being a bit ridiculous, every story pulls from a different sub-genre so you never know what you’re going to get. Serious nonstop fun!
Vampire Knight vol. 12 (3 stars) | Vampire Knight vol. 13 (3.5 stars) | Vampire Knight vol. 14 (3 stars) by Matsuri Hino: I started this series back in grade school and recently realized that I never finished it. I own up to vol. 14 so from here on out I’ll have to purchase the rest. However, even though the art is as amazing as I remember, the story is all over the place.
All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover (5 stars): Wow! I don’t know why it took me this long to read this but I’m so glad I finally picked it up. This is the second book I’ve read from Colleen Hoover and most definitely not my last. Amazing!
Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle (2.5 stars): Meh. I really don’t know what to say. This had all the things going for it: filmmaking, romance, a lovely beach setting. Yet, the main character was rather annoying and both love interests felt very one-dimensional. There needed to be more and there just wasn’t.
You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith (3 stars): I used to love road trip books but the older I get, the more I grow out of them, I suppose. This one was okay. I was expecting more of a romance rather than a self-discovery plot. I did find some new places to put on my own travel bucket list which is always fun.
Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin (2 stars): I’ve owned this ever since I read and loved Something Borrowed. Yet, this one was just awful. The plot revolves around a woman who flirts with the idea of cheating on her husband with the one who got away. Ugh, if I had known what it was about beforehand, I wouldn’t have picked it up. The woman continuously tries to justify her cheating and just nope. The only reason it got a 2-star instead of a 1 was because Giffin’s writing is always so readable and fast-paced.
The Fandom by Anna Day (3 stars): I thought this was going to be a 5-star for me. The Fandom follows a group of friends who are transported to their favorite fandom while at a fan convention. From there, they accidentally murder the main character of the series which changes the story completely and makes the group center stage. The concept was top notch but the execution was just okay.
Maybe This Time by Kasie West (7/9/19): Sophie, the local florist, is required to be at her clients’ events. So is Andrew, the chef’s son. Even though they both been in each other’s way, they are only just noticing one another. Another cute read from Kasie West that I will not miss!
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (7/9/19): Mulan meets Project Runway. I am here for it! The cover is gorgeous; the synopsis is great! I have such high hopes for this.
Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud (7/30/19): Zora is stoked to take part in this prestigious summer program. But when an actual prince, Owen, invites her to be his plus one at his brother’s wedding, she is anything but prepared. This is a definite summer read!
June wasn’t the month of watching. However, I was able to catch a showing of Rocketman, a sort-of bio pic musical of Elton John. It was a good movie and Taron Egerton killed it. What else did he kill—quite literally he killed Robin Hood which was a terrible movie that was all over the place. Also, I went to see Men in Black: International and as much as I miss Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, this one brought in a new cast with the same nostalgic magic from the previous films. On TV, I watched some of those Netflix movies I’ve been meaning to including Murder Mystery and Always Be My Maybe. Both were pretty ridiculous but very entertaining. Overall, it was a fine media month.
How was your June? Did you read any amazing books? Did you watch any fantastic shows/movies?
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