What a wild month of June it was! So much has happened recently that I don’t even know where to begin. (I know I say something like this every month, but this time I really mean it!). Here’s what I’ve been up to:
In June I read a total of 5 books:
- The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
- Grimm Tales: For Young and Old by Philip Pullman
- The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Why I Am Not Going to Buy A Computer by Wendell Berry
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Between finishing up my time at Oxford, adjusting back to living in America, and starting work, I’ve hardly had the time to read. However, the books I did end up reading were fantastic, making it difficult to choose just one favorite. While I loved having my mind blown away by learning that The Lost World was the inspiration for Jurassic Park (which I discuss in my recent Classic Couple post) my favorite novel from June would probably have to be Lincoln in the Bardo. A full review will be posted shortly, so for now I’ll just say that this book is both bizarre and brilliant. I love the unique format as well as the fascinating blend between historical fact and fiction. Would absolutely recommend it!
+ MOVIE: My mom and I have been looking forward to seeing the new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom for months, and we finally went to the theater to watch it on opening weekend. I know there have been some mixed reviews of it, but I really enjoyed it! There were some great plot twists at the end that made me gasp and one character in particularly that had us laughing out loud throughout the entire film. If you’re a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise in general, then I would highly recommend checking this out!
+ MUSIC: My music choice this month is very general, but very exciting: I finally purchased Spotify Premium! I used to always burn music to CDs to listened to while community an hour back and forth to work every day; however, now I can just connect my phone to my car and play whatever I want. My friends have been telling me to do it for ages, and I definitely should have listened to them earlier–it makes life so much easer (and my car rides so much better!).
+ FOOD: Since moving back home from Oxford I’ve loved being able to eat my mom’s cooking again. It feels great to be able to eat things I know for sure are safe for me to eat with my nut allergy (including my favorite burrito place, which is inexpressibly better than the burritos I ate in Oxford).
+ PLACE: I’m sure you could probably guess what I’m going to list as my favorite place this month: OXFORD. As I discussed in a recent Holly Goes Abroad post, leaving Oxford was incredibly hard and I miss it terribly. I’m so grateful for my amazing year there and cannot wait to hopefully venture back someday ❤
I spent the first half of June running around Oxford trying to squeak in all the last-minute things I wanted to do while simultaneously finishing up essays and tutorials. In a recent Holly Goes Abroad post I discussed all the fun adventures that summer term has to offer, like punting down the river and playing croquet on the Mansfield College quad. Of course, it wasn’t all fun in games–there came a time when I had to say goodbye to it all, friends and places and experiences and memories included. Before I knew it I was hopping on a seven-hour flight and heading back to New Hampshire to start my last summer as an undergrad (eek!!).
My summer thus far has mostly consisted of working at the same nonprofit I’ve been at for the past few summers and studying for the LSAT (the law school entrance exam) that I’ll be taking in July. While I miss exploring new places and hanging out with my friends dearly, it’s also been nice to catch up on some reading, writing, and spending time with my family. I’ve picked up my WIP again and I’m really, really excited about it–I can’t wait to eventually show you all when it’s done! I’m a little over halfway done with a rough draft at the moment, so fingers crossed that I can finish it before the end of the summer.
Here are some notable posts from my blog this past month:
- 20 Questions Book Tag | 2
- A Classic Couple: The Lost World and Jurassic Park
- Feminist Fridays: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Exploring Edinburgh, Scotland | Holly Goes Abroad
Here are some posts that I loved reading this month:
- Sophie Cliff wonders whether Instagram has changed the way we travel for better or worse
- Wendy shares 5 recommendations for body positive books
- Resh Susan shares what she learnt from challenging herself to read 30 books in 30 days
- Krysta talks about summer reading programs at local libraries
How was your month of June? What was the best book you read? Did you do anything really fun or exciting? Let me know in the comments section below!
And for all my fellow Americans out there: Happy Fourth of July!
Yours,
HOLLY
I didn’t know you wanted to be a lawyer! sounds like June has been intense. It’s so cool that you work for a nonprofit! I did a bit of that in my gap not-year. June was so bizarre, but I saw my family for a week, finished the first trimester of uni with pretty good grades, and did lots of fun things with friends (walks! museums! snowy mountains!)
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Yes! I entered uni wanting to be a lawyer, then thought I’d rather be a uni professor, then switched back to pursuing law school. It’s been a saga 🙂
Sounds like you had a great month of June! Any mention of mountains always sounds like a great time to me 🙂
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What a lovely month! And Oxford is such a pretty place (from all the Instagram stalking I do). Cheers to a great month in July
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Thank you! I miss Oxford dearly… but my home is beautiful in the summer as well, so I’m just trying to focus on that 🙂 Have a lovely July!
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Aaw…I understand how hard it is to leave a place you’ve come to call home *hugs* but newer and exciting things are to come, Holly! I’m keeping Lincoln in the Bardo on my list of books to buy. I haven’t come across it here, sadly 😦
June was a very busy month for me, so I’m really looking forward to a month of reading, writing, and (dare I say it?) job hunting!
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Thank you!!! *hugs back* 🙂 And best of luck job hunting! That sounds so daunting, but also really exciting!
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Good luck with the LSAT! That oxford year should look great on your law school applications. Any particular field of law?
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Thank you!! I’m not quite sure exactly what field of law I’d like to get into… trying not to get too ahead of myself! 🙂
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Lovely past month! And sparklers again soon, too, yeah? Heh.
I want to read Bardo! It’s somewhere on my TBR mountain.
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Lincoln in the Bardo is excellent! Bizarre, but brilliant. Happy July! 🙂
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Thanks for linking to my post! I hope you have a fabulous July 🙂
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No problem! Have a lovely July! 🙂
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I’ll have to give Lincoln in the Bardo a try…I’ve been eyeing it for a while and it does look good. All reading is currently on hold, though, as I’m doing War & Peace this summer, which has been an interesting experience, to say the least.
So happy for you that all your plans seem to be working out! Law school sounds very chic and professional, lol.
~Hermione
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Oooh how are you enjoying War & Peace? I read that last summer and it was such a saga 🙂 Happy reading x
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I’m definitely enjoying it so far…Tolstoy’s writing has a very different feel, if that makes sense, so it took some getting used to. I do like all the characters though, and that really helps!
~Hermione
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Ohhh I’m so happy to hear you’ve been picking up your WIP again, this is so exciting! I hope you’ll be able to write more and maybe share some of it with us sometim, that would be amazing 🙂
Best of luck for your LSAT, I’m sure you will do amazing, I’m sending you tons of good vibes ❤ ❤ ❤
Have a wonderful July, Holly! ❤
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Thanks so much, Marie! ❤ Between the LSAT, my WIP, reading, and blogging, I have plenty to keep me busy this summer 🙂 Have a lovely July, too! x
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It’s always tough to leave a place we enjoy so much. I’m happy that you are surrounded with your family and can enjoy your time with them, as well as your mum’s cooking, I know it’s one of your favourite smells. 🙂
I’m so intrigued about Lincoln in the Bardo. Looking forward to your review. 🙂
Crossing my fingers for you about that exam, sounds really exciting. ❤️
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Thanks so much, Vera! Being home definitely helps, especially since there’s so much work/reading/spending time with people to be done ❤ Lincoln in the Bardo was excellent–full review to come!
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Oxford must be great! I just did a semester at University of Edinburgh and had an amazing time (aside from the strike of course). I also really want to see Jurassic World, I am quite the fan of the whole franchise, way back to the Michael Crichton book that started it all!
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Oooh I visited my friend at the Uni of Edinburgh once and it’s so nice! I would love to go back and explore more of the city because I only stayed with her for a few days. The strike was very frustrating, though!
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I loved it there! Wish It didn’t have to end
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I’m glad you enjoyed Fallen Kingdom as well! One scene really broke my heart.
I didn’t know you were taking the LSAT or that you had a WIP. 😳 What genre is it?
I hope you’re readjusting well to being back home!
Here’s my June wrap-up: http://buecher-monster.de/2018/07/04/roundup-june-2018/ 😊
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Thanks Maraia! I haven’t really talked about the LSAT or my WIP on the blog before, but I’m really excited about them. My WIP is a collection of essays/sort of like a memoir… but meant to be funny and about a subject that’s really niche. I can’t wait to share more of it! ❤
Happy July x
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That sounds great! 😊
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I want to read The Ministry of Utmost Happiness SO BAD!! I absolutely loved The God of Small Things by her – it’s one of my favorite Indian books. Also, Lincoln in the Bardo has been on my TBR since last year – I really need to get to it soon! 🙂
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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is so good! I’ve never read her first novel but I’ll definitely have to soon 🙂
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