Hi everyone, and I hope you’re having a great summer! I thought I’d do something a little bit different for this blog: recapping what I’ve been watching, reading, and visiting this summer. Let me know in the comments what you’ve been doing to keep yourself busy 🙂
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Books
With summer comes lots of free time, and I’ve tried to finish a couple of books on my TBR. From fiction to memoirs, here’s a list (and short reviews) of the novels I’ve read in June & July.
The Sun and the Star
Author: Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
I was pretty excited to finally have my hands on this book after it’s much anticipated release! Though skeptical of how well Rick Riordan could write standalone novels (with another author, as well), I was pleasantly surprised by The Sun and the Star. Riordan & Oshiro masterfully brought the readers directly into Tartarus with Nico & Will, illustrating the horrors of the depths while depicting the growing relationship between the main characters. While I was initially worried at how well I could remember the characters and occurrences at Camp Half-Blood, I felt like I had never left.
That being said, I must admit that The Sun and the Star was a bit of a slow read. While I was hooked into the plot, there was a little bit too much character development between Nico and Will and not as much adventure as I had thought there would be. Additionally, I also missed hearing from other demigods as is the case in other Riordan adventures; solely focusing on Nico & Will could become quite boring at times.
Overall, I would recommend The Sun and the Star if you’re an avid reader of Rick Riordan’s books. On the other hand, you won’t be missing much (plot-wise, at least) if you miss it. Do yourself a favor and check out a copy at your local library instead of purchasing it for full price. It was a good read, but not one that I would particularly look forward to reading again.
Books Like This: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series), The Heroes of Olympus (series), The Trials of Apollo (series)
Becoming
Author: Michelle Obama
Genre: Memoir/Autobiography
WOW. That’s how I would summarize my reaction to this read in one word. Becoming is a brilliantly crafted novel from former first lady Michelle Obama. No matter who you are and where you’re from, reading this book offers a glimpse into the life of the streets of Chicago, where Obama and her family grew up. She takes you through her earliest memories, up until her life post-White House.
I learned quite a lot from this book: no matter what you want to do in life, there’s a long journey to get there. Obama recounts how she worked several jobs, from law firms to healthcare positions, all while questioning what she really wanted to do. She does a brilliant job at setting her life apart from her husband’s: telling readers that she’s Michelle Obama, not just Barack Obama’s wife.
It was quite a long book, but I felt enthralled through all of it. Reading about her struggles in predominately white schools, or the stress she felt when her husband was away campaigning was an exciting new perspective that I’ve never seen before. Obama takes readers through her life in the White House; the ups and downs and how she strived to bring her own changes.
Becoming was the first memoir I’ve ever read, and I really loved how it was written. If you’re looking for a novel to inspire and motivate you to bring change, this is the one. Apart from that, it’s overall a fun way to follow along the life of a former first lady; an experience not many people get to know about.
Books Like This: A Promised Land, The Light We Carry
Whale Done
Author: Stuart Gibbs (FunJungle Series, Book 8)
Genre: Mystery/Action (Fiction)
Whale Done was one of my favorite mysteries I’ve read this year. Like all other FunJungle books, it follows Teddy Fitzroy, child to the employees at the FunJungle amusement park. However, wherever Teddy goes, mysterious, animal-related crimes seem to follow. In Whale Done, Teddy travels with his girlfriend Summer (daughter to the CEO of FunJungle) to Malibu, California after an unexpected incident occurs. Instead of getting the relaxing vacation he was expecting, Teddy is shocked when a shored-up whale explodes in front of him. Even while told it’s not his job to investigate, he does so anyhow. Uncovering shocking new truths and struggling to remain close with Summer, Teddy ultimately unveils the truth when he least expects it.
Author Stuart Gibbs does a great job (as always) at writing a puzzling plot that intrigues readers. At the same time, there’s other things going on that all eventually help Teddy discover the person behind the crime. If you’ve never read the FunJungle series before, it makes a lot more sense to read the other seven books before Whale Done. Once you have, I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy this novel as much as I did.
Books Like This: Spy School (series), FunJungle (series)
Movies, TV, and More!
With Barbenheimer hitting cinemas in July and plenty of other shows trending on Netflix, there’s quite a lot of shows and movies I’ve been watching in the summer 🙂
Suits (TV)
Where to Watch: Netflix/Peacock
Season Count: 9 (2011-2019)
If you haven’t already heard about Suits from a friend or seen it in the list of top shows on Netflix, I’ll let you know just how fun this show is to watch. Unlike countless new series that have hard-to-follow plotlines and leave you disinterested, Suits follows a pretty routine order. Each episode typically contains a new case, lawsuit, or something else happening in the firm, as well as progressing drama between characters.
Suits follows the story of Mike Ross, a former college dropout and drug dealer with a brilliant memory. When he finds himself interviewing for a job at the Pearson-Hardman law firm, he is hired by Harvey Specter, an extremely smart and experienced partner. While he doesn’t have the law degree that he needs, Harvey agrees to keep it a secret from others at the firm.
Over the course of several seasons, the two work on dozens of cases together. There are also several other characters that play major roles at the firm; like Jessica Pearson, Rachel Zane, and Louis Litt. I’m still in the middle of watching (season two as of now!), but I can assure you it’s an amazing show.
The best part is, you don’t need to pay full attention to understand what’s going on. Unlike other shows that can leave you confused when you don’t binge watch, Suits provides a new story every episode, allowing you to watch whenever you like.
Barbie (Movie)
Where to Watch: Only in Theaters (as of now)
Runtime: 1h 54m
Surely, you must have heard the hype behind the Barbie movie. Starring famous actors Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, and other stars, I could already tell this would be a great watch from the first trailer alone. The writing of this movie is just brilliant; instead of the carefree, childish movie you might’ve expected it to be, Barbie takes you on an emotional joyride; dissecting the expectations of society while linking it all to childhood dolls.
There were several aspects of the movie I enjoyed; the music (how can you go wrong with Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and more?), the humor, and how well it deals with real-world issues. There are not many critiques you can make about Barbie; it has brilliant writing, producing, and acting. Overall, I would watch this film countless times over; and I highly recommend going to watch it in theaters with your friends and family.
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
While the football (soccer in the US) action in most of Europe has wrapped up for the Summer (and we all desperately wait to see which club Mbappé will end up on next), the Women’s World Cup has kicked off over in Australia and New Zealand. At the time of writing, the group stage matches are wrapping up as the Knockout Stage pairings get finalized.
In the past, the Women’s World Cups have been fairly one-sided; bigger teams like the USA crushing much smaller nations (e.g., USA 13-0 Thailand, 2019 WWC). This year, I’ve happily noticed that more and more nations are developing stronger women’s national teams. Countries like Vietnam and Zambia are able to take the world’s biggest stage alongside the bigger nations. And, there’s no shortage of surprises, like Colombia upsetting Germany 2-1, or Australia advancing with a 4-0 win against Canada to knock them out of the tournament. Not only does this bring better quality football, but it also moves along the fight for equal rights and pay in football.
As a USA supporter, I’ve recently doubted if they can pull off a three-peat, after a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, and a disappointing 0-0 draw against Portugal that barely allowed them to move on. But, there’s still plenty of games left; so anything can happen!
To Be Watched:
There’s still plenty of things that I have left to watch (and hopefully I’ll get to them by the end of the summer!)
- Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie (Netflix): As a very passionate Miraculous Ladybug fan, I was really excited when the Miraculous animated movie was announced! Fortunately, it released on Netflix (USA), so I don’t have to book tickets to go see the film. Based on the trailer, I can already tell how different this movie will be from traditional MLB animation and directing; and I can’t wait to watch it.
- Stephen Curry: Underrated (Apple TV): A documentary from my favorite athlete? Of course it’s on my TBW list! A lot of people (myself included) have only seen Stephen Curry as the star he is in the modern NBA. But long before his championship success, there was a time when most analysts didn’t believe such a short, scrawny kid from Davidson could perform on basketball’s biggest stage. Underrated tells the full story of how Steph went from a doubtful prospect to one of the greatest. Whenever I get around to watching it, I’m confident I won’t be disappointed.
Honorable Mention: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Of course, I can’t write a blog about what I’ve been doing this summer without including TotK. I’ve had this game since release, and boy, have I enjoyed all 50 hours I’ve spent playing. Expanding on the already impressive game that Breath of the Wild was, Tears of the Kingdom manages to create a new, complex story, while still involving the characters from its predecessor.
Right now, I’ve completed most of the story: I can’t mention where I am due to spoiler reasons 😦 However, there’s still so much I haven’t done. From countless shrines left to complete, regions to explore, and monsters to defeat, I can easily see myself still playing through the end of the year.
A full review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be published in the near future.
Travels
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve had my fair share of traveling throughout this summer as well 🙂 Here are some photos from my trips and the most memorable parts.
Alaska
The state of Alaska has always been a sort of mystery to me: what’s it actually like? Is it an ice-cold tundra filled with snow and igloos? Turns out, I was wrong. Alaska is by far one of the most beautiful places I’ve been able to visit. From gorgeous snow-capped mountains, to stunning waterfalls and glaciers, it really has it all. My family and I traveled to several places, including Seward, Anchorage, and Denali National Park. Some of the highlights of the trip including going dog sledding (!), taking a boat tour of the glaciers, and seeing bears in their natural habitat in Denali.
Carmel, California
The relaxing beaches of Carmel are beautiful this time of year. Along with that, the famous “17-mile drive” contains gorgeous views of the ocean. My family and I visited Carmel on a daytrip, and it was a lot of fun. From the soft, white sands to the calm but lively downtown, I would love to go again. Some of my favorite parts were eating delicious Clam Chowder on the docks and climbing huge rocks overlooking the beach.
Baking
Of course, I can’t go a whole summer without improving my baking skills. Throughout June and July, I have baked up two recipes from scratch (linked so you can try them yourself): Chocolate Cupcakes and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Graduation Cupcakes 🧁🎓
My sister recently graduated from high school, so to celebrate, I baked up these delights! I bought some cupcake liners and sprinkles to match the theme, and then followed this handy recipe. It was my first time baking cupcakes, so for that I think it was a good first effort. However, they were quite dry, so I would recommend adding some ingredients or changing the dry:wet ingredient ratio if you decide to bake these yourself.
Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍪
These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. Period. With perfectly sweet cookie dough combined with irresistible chunks of chocolate, it’s no wonder the batch was nearly gone as soon as I baked it. I used this recipe, adjusting it to make 1/2 of the quantity (18 cookies). I will advise to flatten your cookies on the baking sheet before putting them in the oven, as they will not sink quite as much as you want them to. Also, be sparing with the amount of salt you put, as too much can overpower the taste. Even if you’ve never baked before, I highly recommend trying your hand at making this scrumptious treat.
That’s it for this post! I’ve had a lot of fun this summer, and I hope you have too 🙂
Let me know in the comments what places you’ve visited, shows/movies you’ve watched, books you’ve read, or anything else you’ve done to keep yourself busy.
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