Hi all!
Welcome to my July Favourites for 2017! It was the middle of winter in Melbourne so I spent a lot of this month huddled in bed (recovering from jet-lag), reflecting on our incredible holiday, drinking tea, blogging, gaming, working on my third novel and staying warm. Despite not going on as many adventures, I still managed to create a best-of list. I also read plenty of books (see below) as tis the season! I hope you enjoy!
THE BEST OF JULY:
1.) Collection – Book Bag Badges
When I was in Oxford, I picked up a Bodleian Library tote bag to add my budding collection of badges to. All of the pins listed below mean something to me personally:
- The top left is of Romeo & Juliet from Verona. I love Shakespeare and all his plays so I just had to get this pin when I was in Italy.
- The bottom left is a silhouette of Sherlock Holmes which I picked up at the Baker Street Museum in London. This is my favourite pin so far.
- The top right is from the YA Chronicles February 2017 box. I mentioned this subscription service in my May Favourites 2017! The pin says ‘Okay? Okay’ and it’s from The Fault in our Stars by John Green.
- The bottom left is an owl I picked up at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Athens was named after the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena so the wise owl is revered in this city. I also love owls in general.
I’m looking forward to collecting more as I go!
2.) Books – The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Illustrated Special Editions
How wonderful is life now that the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Illustrated Special Editions are being released? They are so incredibly beautiful. Jim Kay has done a great artistic job of bringing the wizarding world to life. I wish I had read them this way growing up. My old copies of the series are stored away in my mum’s house and they are quite worn so it was time to start over in the best possible way. At this stage, only Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are available. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will be out later this year which I will be sure to purchase. Once our children are of age, it will be fun to read these together and look at the magnificent artwork as we follow the story. I cannot wait to complete the set!
3.) BookTuber – JesseTheReader
Check out his channel here!
In July, I binge-watched Jesse George’s awesome BookTube channel. He is hilarious, makes original, creative content and romanticises reading which I truly appreciate. Jesse is an American guy who has gotten so popular, he gets invited to lots of A-class events and interviews bestselling authors. Thanks to him, my TBR (to-be-read) list is a mile long! It’s nice to see a male that is so in love with reading. He also hosts a group called Booksplosion with two other BookTuber’s where they nominate a book every single month that everybody needs to read and then invites his followers to participate in a live show to discuss it. It’s a great way to join a virtual book-club! Check him out for a laugh and quality content.
4.) Game – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Yay! I finally started playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt this month. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two games and this one exceeded both in my opinion. If you don’t know what this game is about, basically you play as Geralt who is a Witcher (a travelling monster-hunter for hire with supernatural powers). In Wild Hunt, Geralt goes to the city of Vizima where he is tasked by the Emperor to find Ciri, a Child of the Elder Blood who has the ability to manipulate space and time. From there, you go on amazing adventures to find Ciri with lots of side-quests and missions along the way. The story is interesting, the graphics are insane and the magic system is incredibly easy to understand. If you do everything, you’re looking at over 200 hours of game-play. I still have a long way to go but I’m loving it!
5.) Etsy Store – FormandFlux Soy Candles
I love books and candles so when I discovered FormandFlux had combined two of my favourite things, I had to get them! Winter is a great time to light candles and keep your home warm. All of the candles are soy-based and stored in jam jars with aesthetically pleasing labels on the front. I picked up Dusty Bookshelf (made with musk, sandalwood, tea and spices) and Narnia Pine (made with pine-needles, wood cutting and blended icicles). Both smell absolutely incredible and give me such a seasonal feeling. I absolutely love this Etsy store and it just happens to be located in Melbourne, Australia where I live. I can’t wait to pick up more!
6.) Movie – To The Bone
In July, I finally watched To The Bone (watch on Netflix) starring Lily Collins and Keanu Reeves. I had been wanting to see it for some time as it broaches topics that are rarely portrayed on film and television. The story follows Ellen (Collins), a teenage girl battling anorexia and depression. Before the film begins, there is a trigger warning for those suffering with eating disorders. It is very real, raw and deep so be prepared for some intense moments. Ellen’s health is on its last limb. She has tried every therapy group, program and doctor. In one last effort to save her life, her stepmother fights for her to see unconventional but highly popular specialist Dr William Beckham (Reeves). He sends her to a group home for youths with anorexia and there she learns to find the will to live in unusual circumstances. I truly enjoyed the humour and heart in this movie. There is a big focus on dysfunctional families and how a lack of emotional parenting can affect children in different ways. It was an accurate and sensitive representation of mental illness.
7.) Journal – Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal
If you know me, then you know I love Tiny Buddha. Last year I took part in their 365 Love Challenges and I am subscribed to their newsletter which I receive weekly. This year, they released a beautiful gratitude journal with introspective prompts and images to colour in. I spent this month filling out a page per day and colouring in the lovely artwork. The gratitude questions were so uplifting. They made me appreciate things I normally wouldn’t think about and feel truly privileged. I am such a big advocate for journaling – see: Why I Love To Journal & You Should Too! It’s something I do every single day and one of my biggest passions…
8.) Memory – Best Moment of July 2017
My favourite moment of July 2017 was Sunday the 16th. My sister and I met up in the city to hang-out before she left for an overseas trip and together, we went on the ice-slice at the Eureka Towers. This attraction literally ended that day as it was only available during the 2 week winter school-holidays period but it was so much fun and made us feel like big kids. We paid $10 for 3 rides each and it was super enjoyable. I’m a huge believer of connecting with your inner child and just letting go even if you feel like you’re ‘too old’ for something. There was a 71 year old woman in line with me that went on the slides without any children and you couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. That’s inspiring!
TOTAL BOOKS I READ IN JULY 2017: 9
– The Last Beginning by Lauren James (Book #2 in the Next Together Series) – 5/5 STARS
– Lord Loss by Darren Shan (Book #1 of the Demonata Series – RE-READ) – 5/5 STARS
– Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell (World Book Day Special Edition – Short Story) – 5/5 STARS
– Attachments by Rainbow Rowell -5/5 STARS
– Demon Thief by Darren Shan (Book #2 of the Demonata Series – RE-READ) – 5/5 STARS
– The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness – 3/5 STARS
– Slawter by Darren Shan (Book #3 of the Demonata Series – RE-READ) – 5/5 STARS
– Bec by Darren Shan (Book #4 of the Demonata Series – RE-READ) – 5/5 STARS
– Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – 5/5 STARS
Thank you for reading my July Favourites. I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know what you were loving this month. Next month I’m looking forward to some great movie /book releases, working further on my third novel, hopefully going on some road-trips, hikes, the Melbourne Writer’s Festival and basically being happy that it is the last month of winter!
Peace & Love xoxo
Disclaimer: This post contains links to my Amazon & Book Depository Affiliate which helps fund my blog, I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own
Again it amazes me how you pack into each month, whether hot or cold weather 😀 Those pins are sooo cute and the Sherlock one is very artistic-looking, and can see why it’s you like it so much. The special edition Harry Potter books look so well done, and I hope you enjoy reading the stories all over again – or even just put them on your shelf! I still remember having the very first books. Well, they were actually my brothers but why not call the mine too, haha.
You look so happy on the slide. Hope your sister has a good trip overseas and it is a very fun-filled one. So looking forward to seeing you soon, my friend! I don’t have much to tell you because I haven’t been doing much but enjoying winter as it is and enjoying each day <3
Also I forgot to say your blog post didn’t appear in my reader 🙁 But I always look forward to your blog and love coming by each week <3
It’s strange how it doesn’t appear…thank you for reading and supporting me as always. I truly appreciate it xx
Thank you my dear friend! I cannot wait to see you 🙂 that is okay, I am just looking forward to your company xxx
I loved “To The Bone” film too! So moving!
It was such a great film!! Thank you for stopping by 🙂 🙂
The harry potter special editions look super cute! i’ve already read the books but i would deffo buy again just so i could own these copies haha!
They are so worth buying! Such a special keepsake! x