my june favorites

2024

watching

Bridgerton

I read “The Duke and I” (the first book this series is based on) in 2021 when this show took off. It was an average read but my friends have raved about this show. So I finally pulled the trigger about a week ago, and let me just say the investment I have in the lives of these characters has me screaming at my TV. I’m currently still working through Season 1, but I anticipate I will breeze through that and the rest of the show rather quickly.

playing

Hades 2 (early access)

Hades is one of my favorite games, so when I discovered I could purchase Early Access to Hades II, right as my summer break started… well, I just had to play it.

Hades II is a roguelike (a dungeon crawl through levels with permanent death of the player character) action role-playing game rooted in Greek myth. Players control Melinoë, daughter of Hades, tasked with saving her family from Chronos, Titan of Time.

You meet other (extremely attractive) gods along the way, who help you out on your journey by gifting you boons and other resources. The visuals are stunning, the music is pumped up, and the story, while not yet complete, is compelling.

Watch the trailer here if you are interested in getting a better idea of the ambiance.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

the sheer delight I felt when I caught this shark…

My friend (shoutout to Mary) recently let me borrow this game for the Switch. I enjoy the low-stakes nature and cuteness of ACNH. My favorite aspect of the game thus far is discovering new insects, fish, and sea creatures - AND adding new fossils to the museum collection. There is still much for me to uncover in this game, but I’m excited to meet new villagers and build up my island.

reading

my 5 star reads from June

With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer

• Genre: Romance, contemporary, young adult, magical realism

• Description from Goodreads: Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck…

• Why I loved this book: I have been a longtime Marissa Meyer fan, ever since I read Cinder at the end of 2020. So having read Instant Karma, the first book set in Fortuna Beach, and finding out a sort of sequel was being published, I knew I needed to give it a read - and I was not disappointed! What made this book most enjoyable was how relatable Jude is. He enjoys playing D&D, being creative, and going unnoticed. His story is about finding not only love, but himself, and gaining confidence in his abilities. He very much reminded me of myself when I was in high school (in the best way possible). I highly recommend this read if you enjoy Marissa Meyer, young adult reads, and magical realism.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

• Genre: Romance, contemporary, young adult

• Description from Goodreads: As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he's forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don't leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he's found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he's left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love—or himself—at all.

• Why I loved this book: This book talks about life from the perspective of a high-schooler who identifies as Korean-American. Frank feels trapped between these two worlds and identities, not feeling like he truly belongs in either. One of my favorite scenes from this book was when Frank went out to lunch with his girlfriend, Brit, and her parents (all very white), to a restaurant serving Asian cuisine (I can’t quite remember what kind). Brit’s parents ask Frank to order for the family, with the implication that Frank knows everything about the menu… because he’s seen as Korean. Brit calls her parents out on this, and this opens up a conversation about how white people aren’t expected to know everything about German or Irish cuisine, so why are the expectations different for others? I enjoyed the discussions about race, the witty humor, the friendship between Frank and Q, and how the romance develops in this book (not how you would expect).

Funny Story by Emily Henry

• Genre: Romance, fiction, contemporary

• Description from Goodreads: Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

• Why I loved this book: I enjoyed Funny Story because Emily Henrey has this uncanny knack for making me feel exposed. While nothing remotely similar has ever happened to me, I saw pieces of myself in Daphne - being described as buttoned-up, feeling like you suck at small talk, thinking this person is the right person, all because you met accidentally and things seem to fall into place before completely breaking apart… so yeah. Loved this book.

listening

wearing

One of my favorite things to do at the end of the day is pick the next day’s outfit. Thank you to beepworld for reviewing the Indyx app, because it’s unlocked something feral within me. The pure joy I get in designing and executing an outfit - particularly using pieces I’ve had trouble styling - is a great dopamine hit. Here are my favorite/most worn outfits from June.

tasting & smelling

from left to right: lattes, strawberry matcha, peach pie

Not pictured is all the fresh fruit and watermelon I’ve consumed over the past few weeks. :)

how was your June?

Let me know what you enjoyed and what you’re looking forward to this July!

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