I don’t know about you, but June was a stressful month for me. I went on a bit of a mini-hiatus, which feels pretty silly to say considering that I still posted 3-4 times a week, but none of it felt very original. I more or less went through the motions, even though I had ideas for … well, more. If you were looking for bookish content in particular, dang it, I was not delivering.

In all of June, I read ONE book, which was fantastic, but I still didn’t feel like picking up anything else. Honestly, I unintentionally read a series of books that dealt with grief and a parent being sick/dying and it was just A LOT. I needed a bit of a break. However, This Time Tomorrow by Emma Staub was amazing and I have no regrets in reading it. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

As per usual, click on the covers to get re-directed to Goodreads, where you are always welcome to add me as a reading buddy! OR find me on Storygraph, where I have become more active this year. My own reviews you’re able to find by clicking on the titles in the list above, if there are posts for them.

Obviously, after such a barren reading month, I’m not all caught up on my reading goals anymore. Funnily enough, I’m still two books ahead of schedule, but the page count … not looking great. I’m not too worried, because I try not to let these challenges pressure me, but I hope I will actually get to read some more in July.

As I said, June was a busy, busy month for me. There was work, family and just personal stuff. It felt like there was always something happening, so I deliberately focused on simple joys and avoided being online too much. Can’t say that’s super easy when your literal job is working with social media, but I definitely turned it down in my private life. Now, I think I have a better handle on things and am looking forward to getting back into my routines or creating new ones.

Here’s a couple plans for the summer:

• I finally bought my roller skates and while I can barely go more than a couple steps at a time, I’m determined to learn this skill. In my head it’s a really fun, outdoors-y activity and I need more of those.
• As many of you have noticed, I got a bit obsessed with D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) and I’m actually going to host my own game – a one-shot based on the campaign the kiddos played in the first season of Stranger Things – sometime in August. I don’t have any maps or such, but I want to get crafty and make this a really memorable game for my cousins, who I’ve convinced to join me in this adventure. It’s kind of silly to DM a game first time you play it, but I’m gonna do it anyway.
• Find a new go to bar/coffeeshop/hangout-place, because when I was Vancouver I loved being a regular at certain places. I need to learn more about the area I live in now and explore my options.

Something that also can’t stay unmentioned is the fact that Life and Other Disasters turned NINE YEARS OLD this past month! I still can’t quite believe that I’ve been doing this for so long (or that I pretty much forgot about the anniversary), but I’m proud of myself for sticking to this for so long. If you want to check out my celebratory post and a little Q&A click here.

MOST POPULAR POSTS OF JUNE 2022

I’m going to keep sharing this little insight into my stats until someone tells me to stop, which hasn’t happened yet. So, let’s take a peek at what was most popular in June:

1. Should YOU Read “The Atlas Six”? (What I learned from my reread!)
   (originally posted March 2022)
   The ARCs for the sequel, The Atlas Paradox, are out in the world. I need to get my hands on one somehow, because I cannot wait to continue reading this story.
2. Something Different: Duskwood (Game)
   (originally posted June 2020)
   With the game coming to a close, I guess people were looking it up more again, but I only reviewed the first couple chapters and not the whole thing.
3. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Book Review)
   (originally posted in December 2020)
   It’s always listed, kind of reassuring.
4. Are Chris Evans and I compatible (readers)?
   (originally posted July 2021)
   I’m going to take a big guess and assume this is because of the release of Lightyear and the infamous puppy interview.
5. Are Pedro Pascal and I compatible (readers)?
   (originally posted December 2021)
   I don’t actually know if there was a particular reason Pedro got searched more, but you won’t find me complaining.

MY FAVORITES OF THE MONTH

I’m going to say two words: Critical Role! Okay, I’m going to say more than that, but I don’t think you all realize that ever since I discovered CR mid-June, I’ve watched more than 100+ hours of their content on YouTube. I also went and splurged in the EU Critical Role store, which is stocked terribly compared to the others! Please, someone, anyone who might read this and has a say in the matter, restock the items I want to buy. I really wanted to have Caduceus’ cardigan and the Keyleth dice set. PLEASE!!!
I already have a bucket hat, water bottle, Vox Machina and Mighty Nine dice sets as well as a chibi pin of my best boy – Dorian Storm. I AM OBSESSED!

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOGOSPHERE

I’ve been absolutely terrible at blog hopping, I really didn’t do much. If there’s a post you’re particularly fond of (your own or someone else’s), please don’t hesitate to link me up in the comments.

• Marie talked about 10 YA books that are ideal if you enjoyed reading/watching The Summer I Turned Pretty
• Caro did the Get to Know the Fantasy Reader Tag!
• Kristin ranked the 2022 releases she has read so far this year.

MY OTHER POSTS

MS MARVEL REVIEWS

• Episode 1: Generation Why
• Episode 2: Crushed
• Episode 3: Destined

TV SHOW/MOVIE RELATED

• Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #20
• Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #21
• Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #22
• Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #23
• Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #24

VARIOUS TAGS AND POSTS

• 9-year-blogiversary post
• Mid Year Book Freak Out 2022

TRAILER POSTS

• May 30-June 5
• June 6-12
• June 13-19
• June 20-26
• June 27-July 3

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I wish you all a pleasant and stress-free July! I hope it’s a good one. Let’s chat!