Monthly Wrap Up: August 2021

Well well well, guess who finally decided to start writing her monthly wrap up posts! This is something I’ve always wanted to do ever since I started blogging but I wasn’t always sure about, since I consider myself a terribly slow reader (and a very moody watcher!), so I was afraid I wouldn’t have much content to put into these monthly wrap ups. But then I thought, I’d really like to have a way to see how I’ve progressed each month (even if I didn’t “accomplish” much), and so, voila! After 2 weeks of sitting in my drafts, my first-ever monthly wrap up post is now here!

Also, special mention to these dear bloggers: Cam of Camillea Reads, Ena J. of Flyer on the Wall, and Lia of An Ode to Fiction! I really like the way they organize their own wrap ups and reading theirs helped me a lot in writing my own! Thank you!  ♡

BOOKS

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⛅ Down to Earth by Betty Culley
This was honestly one of my favorite reads from this year; this precious book is a cozy, middle grade novel that leaves you warm and filled with wonder.

⛅ Unreal by Cindy Gunderson
My only Sci-Fi read for this month was one that dealt with augmented reality and a broken world. It was quite entertaining as well and I enjoyed the concept behind the book.

⛅ There’s Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria
I buddy read this one with Cam as part of our August Book Pick for Totes and Tales. Its a whimsical tale on magic and family that features LGBTQ+ characters as well.

⛅ What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
An anthology of short stories on love and loss, I read this book as part of this month’s BOTM at a book club discord server. While I wasn’t a fan of all the stories in the collection, I definitely enjoyed the vagueness of each one and how each story leaves you feeling a little different from the last one.

⛅ Relatively Normal Secrets by C.W. Allen
My final read for the month was another middle-grade novel about two siblings navigating a “futuristic medieval” dimension. This was a fun book that contained family secrets, magic, and a lot of questions.

MOVIES & TV SHOWS

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⛅ My Amanda (2020)
Pretty enjoyable and sweet, although I’m not sure if the way the platonic relationship between the two main characters were realistic. I didn’t like the ending though.

⛅ Wonder (2020)
I love movies with themes of wholesome family and teacher-student relationships, and I’ll admit this movie made me tear up a bit here and there.

⛅ Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap (2020)
I didn’t expect myself to enjoy this movie as much as I did. The jokes were so stupid yet I couldn’t help but laugh at multiple scenes. Is this movie supposed to make sense? I’m not really sure but I’m also not going to think too hard about it.

⛅ The Kissing Booth 2 (2019) and 3 (2020)
This is also the kind of movie I don’t want to think too hard about, because most of the scenes were montages anyway, and the characters were pretty annoying and petty. I just can’t believe it took three movies for Elle to finally realize that she should be choosing a university based on her interests and not because of two silly, immature boys.

⛅ A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Woke up early on a Sunday morning just to catch this psychological-thriller movie at the GOH server. I feel like I’ve watched this before, since it seems so familiar to me. Its eerie, slightly uncomfortable to watch, and despite its slow pace and menacing music, it kept me hooked throughout. Adding this to my re-watch list.

⛅ Little Women (2019)
I did a re-watch of one of my favorite comfort films with my cousin. I usually do not watch movies twice, but I just love Timothée. And also Saoirse. And also Florence.

⛅ Evangelion 3.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
I’ll just go right ahead and say it that I regret not doing a re-watch of the previous rebuilds before watching this one. The movie was so visually beautiful, but since I’m so forgetful, I felt lost through some of the happenings. Oh well, this can only mean one thing: re-watch/binge time.

⛅ Alias Grace (2017)
I’m so glad I’m ending August with a great short series that I watched on Netflix! Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, this show has stuff I usually enjoy: a historical setting, interesting characters, and murder!

THE BLOG

⛅ My first post for the month of August was a book review I did on Talia Hibbert’s Take a Hint, Dani Brown.

⛅ Wrote another review on the sci-fi ARC: Unreal by Cindy Gunderson.

⛅ Posted episode 5 of the Totes and Tales podcast, where Cam and I recommend books for the Wikathon 2021, hosted by Kate from Your Tita Kate.

⛅ Ended August by participating in the Blog Tour of Down to Earth by Betty Culley, hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. Read my full review here.

POSTS I ENJOYED READING

⛅ Cande from Cande Reads gave a list of middle grade reads for every occasion. Super timely since I started recently getting into Middle Grade!

⛅ Cam from Camillea Reads shares her top list of books with creatures on them. Just look at how cute the cover for Earthlings by Sayaka Murata is! Definitely adding that to my TBR.

⛅ Erin from Reading on a Star talks about her favorite books tropes. I definitely see a lot of tropes that I enjoy reading about as well!

⛅ Kal from Reader Voracious gives six, Sci-Fi books that is perfect for a beach read. I’m trying to explore more Sci-Fi books so this post was super helpful!

⛅ Ena J. from Flyer on the Wall writes a personal and heart-wrenching piece on her favorite home address. Grief for a place you hold dear to your heart is very real, and this letter perfectly conveys it.

PERSONAL RAMBLINGS

Writing this post was so much fun, as it allowed me to pause and reflect on the things I’ve read and watched. I can’t believe I was actually able to finish five books this month, despite having to go back to work during the second week of August. My usual is three books, maximum! With September right around the corner, this means that I will be turning twenty two soon. And of course, this also means that the trisemester is coming to an end, which indicates upcoming assignment submissions and exams! So September will surely be a hectic and busy month.

Anyway, I plan to finish reading my remaining two ARC’s (yay!) and finally get to reading the physical books I recently got. I also plan to watch some of the movies and shows recommended to me by friends, and do a bit more of personal writing. Oh well, let’s see how it goes! And if you made it this far, thank you for reading!

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Let’s Discuss!

💭 How was your August?

💭 Have you read any of the books and movies mentioned above? What are your thoughts?

💭 What are your plans for September?