July 2024 Monthly Wrap-Up!

Hey lovely readers! Welcome back to A Library in April😁🌸

I love putting together monthly recaps on my Instagram and I thought it would be great to also share them here on the blog. I'll be talking about the books and movies I've enjoyed, sharing reflections, and maybe giving a peek into my daily life. Let's figure out how to format this together! 😄

Summerween!!☀️👻

July was a thrilling month, quite literally! It was the month of Summerween!! For those who don't know, it's a readathon organized by gabbyreads (@_myfictionalworld) in July. A fun way for all of us who adore spooky fall vibes to experience a touch of Halloween in the summer. This was my first year participating! The event lasts for a full 7 days, featuring prompts to assist in picking your book(s) and daily Instagram prompts to share. Additionally, a Bingo card is created with cozy activities intertwined. The theme for this year was a ghostly pastel camping trip! She even collaborates with artists to produce stickers, bookmarks, and clothing items! If you're interested in joining this readathon, make sure to follow @thisissummerween for next year's details. Also, she hosts a winter-themed event called Winterween, so be ready for it this winter!

Below were this year's prompts and daily posting prompts:

Photo was created by @Thisissummerween

Photo was created by @Thisissummerween

What I Read:

My first Summerween read was "And Then There Were None", and I was blown away! I highly recommend it! I was in a book slump before picking this up, but the Summerween prompts of "Read a book with 5 words in the title" and "Read a book with a night sky on the cover" pushed me to choose it. (you can double up prompts if you like)

This book is a classic mystery with a who-dun-it vibe! A group of strangers is invited to an isolated island by someone they think they know for a summer holiday. As people start dying one by one, the question on everyone's mind is Who? and Why?

I was constantly on edge trying to figure out the culprit! I ended up giving this book 4.5⭐️

In my second Summerween read, "Clown in a Cornfield," I chose the prompt "Read a thriller or horror book." This YA Horror novel was hard to put down. The story follows Quinn, a high school girl who relocates with her father to an old, run-down small town. Shortly after her arrival, she is invited to a party in a cornfield, leading to a series of unfortunate events. The town harbors deep-seated resentment, and a malevolent force is approaching to set things right. I rated this book 4⭐️ and recommend it for the spooky season. I am excited to continue reading, as the third book in the series has been released!

On my last Summerween read, I decided to spice things up a bit and tackled two prompts at once: "Read a book in the dark" and "Read a book set in summer." I chose a Stephen King novella that follows the adventures of four boys on a quest to find a dead body. It's not just a spooky tale, but a heartfelt coming-of-age story where the characters go through some deep soul-searching moments. They reflect on their life, question who they are, and challenge their societal restraints. I gave it a solid 4.5⭐️ and recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Another Stephen King novella, haha! For those unaware, I am on a mission to read all of Stephen King's works. I even have a special section on my blog named Conquering King where I keep track of this journey. "The Mist" is a timeless horror story featuring monsters lurking in a dense fog, a group of individuals trapped in a grocery store, and the unsettling spiral into insanity that people experience during times of crisis. This novella can also be found in the book "Skeleton Crew," a collection of short stories. I gave this novella a rating of 4.75⭐️ and recommend you read it, as well as watch the 2007 movie adaptation.

Paul Tremblay's Horror Movie didn't quite meet my expectations, but it still had some interesting twists! I was all geared up for a spooky haunted movie set, like something out of the real-life experiences of filming the "Poltergeist" or "The Exorcist", or maybe a cursed film similar to "The Ring." Instead, the story veered off into an art-house direction, focusing on a group of amateur filmmakers struggling to finish a project plagued by all sorts of issues. Surprisingly, despite never being released, the movie gains a fandom thanks to a few clips on YouTube. Following a non-linear timeline, it circles back to a remake and reveals past events. While it wasn't exactly what I anticipated, I'd give it a solid 3.5⭐️ for keeping me engaged!

"The Reappearance of Rachel Price" was a perfect way to finish July! This YA Mystery is such a page-turner - once you start, you won't want to stop! The story follows Bel Price, a high school senior whose mother vanished 16 years ago. Just when Bel is being filmed for a documentary, her mother Rachel mysteriously reappears. The tension between them is noticeable as Bel sets out to uncover Rachel's secrets. Trust me, this book is a must-read! I gave it a solid 5⭐️ - it's a super enjoyable and engaging read that you won't regret diving into.

What I Watched:

So here's the deal - I've got quite a few favorite shows and movies that I tend to watch on repeat, you know, as background noise while I go about my day. Some of my top obsessions include Seinfeld, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Konosuba, Psych, The Waterboy, My Cousin Vinny, The Longest Yard (2005), and the list goes on! Trust me, there are plenty more where those came from, haha!

To save you from seeing the same titles over and over again each month, here's the plan: I'll only share updates when I finish a new season of a show or anime I hadn't seen before, along with any movies that are either first-time watches or ones I haven't seen in a long while.

Now that we've got that sorted, let's dive into my July Watchlist! 🎬

• Dune 2: This sequel was so good! A lot of action, drama, some romance, and of course politics.

• Alien: This was my first time watching this movie, we saw it during a weekend where my hubby got to choose what we saw, and he chose this classic sci-fi movie. I'm really glad he did because I really enjoyed it - I had seen a couple of clips throughout life but never fully sat down to watch it.

• The Outsider: I had been holding off on watching this because I wanted to read the book first, but it's taking way too much time lol, I'm someone who needs to watch or read things in order, and since The Outsider book is connected to the Bill Hodges trilogy, it is going to take a while until I get there. Visit my Conquering King page, you'll see why. Anyway, I chose to just watch the show before reading the book and I loved it! I ended up binging it on a weekend with my hubby, it was a really good thriller series and I recommend it.

• Dr. Stone Season 3: OMG it is crazy the lengths that this anime is going (SPOILER ALERT): building a pirate boat and now they want to go to space! Haha it's ridiculous, but it is so fun to watch, and I get to learn some science.

• Working Girl: I was in a mood for some 80s movies and I hadn't seen this one before, so I decided to give it a shot. It was alright, I didn't love it but it did fit the vibe of what I wanted to see.

• Jaws: Another movie that is a classic horror that I had not seen before! I chose this movie for the Summerween prompt "Watch a scary movie" from their Bingo card.

• The Rock: My Hubby chose this movie for us to watch one weekend, and it was a typical 90s action movie, I had a good time watching it.

• The King's Man: I LOVED THIS MOVIE! I love the Kingsman series and it was fun seeing how the Kingsman came to be. There were great fighting scenes, my favorite one being the fight scene with Rasputin!!! I was so excited about how good his dance-fighting style was, it made me want to get up and spin-kick with him!!

• And Then There Were None: Anytime I read a book that has a screen adaptation, I must watch it after reading. I chose to watch the 2015 series and had a good time. It was a pretty good adaptation even though there were some changes and additions made.

• Contact: Another Sci-fi pick made by my hubby, I had no idea this movie existed! An interesting sci-fi movie that makes one think about life and the meaning of faith.

• Konosuba Season 3: I will always recommend this anime. Comedy, slice of life, adventuring, it is the perfect combo for a 5⭐️ anime.

• Stand By Me: I had read the novella "The Body" for Summerween, so I had to watch the adaptation. I had never seen it before this watch, I will say I wasn't the biggest fan of the changes made, it's only because I bonded with the book characters so much. So it was sad for me when they took certain actions and triumphs away from certain characters. Other than that it was an ok adaptation.

• The Birds: A classic Hitchcock film I hadn't seen, and I gotta say I didn't love it. Please don't hate me, it just wasn't for me. SPOILER ALERT! I wasn't too fond of the main character and how she followed this man she didn't know out of town for a weird petty flirtatious dig. And then the quick romance when there was no build-up to it, and then the old Hollywood acting of her lying down prettily as the birds attack, no fighting back or covering herself lol🙄 Again, please don't hate me if you love it, it's just not for me🙏🏼

• Queenpins: I had seen the clip of Kristen Bell in the checkout line with her coupons and never knew it was from this movie. There were a good amount of funny parts and I had a good time, but I think this is a one-time watch for me. It was good for the moment and now it's done😅

• Deadpool & Wolverine: My hubby and I had a date night and went to the movies to watch this opening night. SPOILER ALERT! First off the plot was dumb, I'm definitely over the multiverse thing. Also, I don't believe his girlfriend/wife would ever leave him. BUT!! This movie was so entertaining, I laughed so much, loved the opening dance scene, and the fight scenes were great. The multiple Wolverine versions were fun to see, and OMG the past Marvel heroes from the 90s & 2000s making an appearance was the frosting on the cake!!! (I ❤️ Blade!!!🤩) It was such a fun movie and I do recommend watching it!

• Stardust: This is such a fun fantasy romance film, with similar vibes to "The Princess Bride" movie. I had only seen it once when I was a kid, so this rewatch was like the first time. I loved it and recommend it.

July Highlights!

Below are a few highlights from July! My husband and I tried out a couple of new restaurants - a hot pot spot and a ramen joint. We had a blast and plan to go back. I also managed to get a new shelf for my book collection (stay tuned for a possible reel of the setup), but can you believe how the mailman left my package like that? 😑 July is also when I began working on this blog, so I included a behind-the-scenes photo! ❤️

Feel free to share any highlights from July in the comments below! Whether it's a new book, movie, or restaurant you discovered, I'd love to hear about it and chat with you. Looking forward to connecting with you in August! ☀️🍉😎✌🏼