The Journeys of June

➹ The Journeys of June ➹

This month I read 3 books. That may not sound like a lot but it is more than any other month this year!

I also watched 13 movies and 6 TV shows... so yeah, you can see where all my reading time goes...

On top of that, there were also some great mobile games with interesting storylines that I really got invested in. I'll briefly talk about those too!

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✘ Books ✘

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✦The Ghost Hunter's Daughter by Caroline Flarity

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This book is about a town that gets overrun by an evil demon who brings out the worst in humanity. It was a dark and engaging insight into the worst human traits and a great story of friendship and strength.

Overall I really enjoyed this book though it wasn't as much of a horror as I had hoped.

I wrote a full review here!

✦ The Women of Dauphine by Deb Jannerson

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This was by LGBTQI+ read for the month! 🏳‍ :rainbow:

Overall I really loved this story of a girl living in New Orleans who falls in love with Gem, a ghost who is tied to her house and cannot leave. The writing was absorbing and flowed and the story fun and unique.

There were some moments when the story fell a little flat however, with tension feeling anti-climactic and problems solving themselves. But the good outweighed the bad and I do highly recommend!

Full review to come!

✦ How To Bee by Bren MacDibble

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I LOVE this book! And I love Cally Black/ Bren Macdibble! She is such a lovely human being with a fantastic unique writing voice that I could pick out from anywhere.

A story about the importance of friendship, family and keeping promises, this middle-grade book follows the determined Peony as she pursues her dream of becoming a Bee on her farm as real bees are extinct.

She is thrown obstacles and ultimatums but in the end she never wavers from her morals and what is important to her, which is freedom and family.

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✘ Movies ✘

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✦ Aladdin

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This movie was SO much fun!

This was the only movie I saw in the cinemas this month and I had a great time! The visuals were great, the songs were wonderful and comedy was hilarious.

I think the critics were way too harsh on this movie! It was fantastic and the actors, cast and crew did such a wonderful job of bringing this Disney classic to life!

✦ Christopher Robin

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Christopher Robin was such a sweet movie! Pooh was adorable and funny all at the right moments.

It was an imaginative, emotional movie that was perfect for the light-hearted mood I was in. When I was younger I would have loved it too!

✦ Fallen

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Honestly, the start was okay, the concept was cool and the setting was great! Definite Vampire Academy and Mortal Instrument vibes!

But ultimately, this was a vaguely interesting idea that wasn't executed well. It was full of cliches, insta-love and cringey sexual tension.

I was way more invested in the main characters best friend and her love interest. They pretty much saved the movie for me. But then! Spoiler alert... they both died! Such a waste.

✦ Five Feet Apart

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This movie is based on the book of the same name!

Be sure to grab your tissues for this heart-breaker! Five Feet Apart stars Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse as two teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis, a chronic illness that affects the lungs. The story takes place in a hospital where the two characters fall in love.

However, people with CF must stay 6 feet apart at all times so that they don't infect each other. This causes emotional turmoil for these characters who can't interact in the way others can.

I felt this movie was really beautiful and so important in raising awareness to CF in an honest and accurate way.

The best part for me was that the actors and directors took huge care in ensuring that CF and life with a chronic illness was represented the right way and in my opinion and based on my own experiences, they definitely achieved that.

This isn't necessarily a movie I would view again and again but it is well worth a watch. Do, however, be prepared to cry.

Other Movies I Watched This Month:

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Winchester :star: :star: :star: :star: .5 (A horror movie based on the real people and story of Winchester Mansion!)

See You Yesterday :star: :star: :star: :star: (A movie about time travel with a darker undertone of police violence against African Americans)

Good Sam :star: :star: :star: .5 (About a reporter who investigates the story of an anonymous person leaving money for the less fortunate)

Always Be My Maybe :star: :star: :star: .5 (A diverse rom-com about the rekindling love between childhood friends)

Rock My Heart :star: :star: :star: .5 (A girl with heart problems learns to love life again when she befriends a horse and becomes a rider. It might make you cry!)

Murder Mystery :star: :star: :star: .5 (An Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston comedy that plays on classic murder mystery tropes)

Baywatch :star: :star: :star: (The Zac Efron remake)

Rim of the World :star: :star: .5 (A kids movie about children saving the world from an alien invasion)

The Darkest Minds :star: :star: (Let's not talk about it...)

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✘ TV Shows ✘

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✦ Stranger Things

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This was a re-watch for me in preparation for the new season and I think it's fair to say this show is even better the second time round!

I adore the 80's nostalgia, the conspiracies, the connections with other 80's movies, the awesome characters, and all the monsters! Just EVERYTHING!

Such a great show and I can't wait for season 3!

✦ Trinkets

:star: :star: :star: :star: .5

I was pleasantly surprised by this teen drama which follows three friends who meet through a group for kleptomaniacs.

Characters who bond over stealing from others is already a great premise but I wasn't prepared for the emotions and the love I would have for them all!

A wonderful Netflix show that I recommend to everyone!

✦ Tales of the City

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Another story for pride month, this 2019 show is based on an older show of the same name and a book series by Armistead Maupin!

Ultimately, it is a show about family and home as characters congregate at 28 Barbary Lane for Anna Madrigal's 90th birthday. Anna is a trans-women who opened her home and became a safe and accepting haven for several of the queer community.

There is bunch of conflict, growth, adventures and plot twists that make this show a celebration of life and love and an engaging story to see unfold.

It isn't a show I would normally watch but I'm so glad I did!

Other TV Shows I Watched This Month:

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The Society :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: (The teenagers of a small town return from a school trip to find everyone has disappeared and all the roads are blocked by an impenetrable forest)

High Seas :star: :star: :star: :star: (A Spanish murder mystery set on a cruise ship full of twists and turns. The English dub is quite good but I prefer watching in the original language with subtitles)

No Good Nick :star: :star: :star: (A kids disney channel show about a girl who is a con artist and tries to steal from the family who have taken her in)

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✘ Games ✘

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✦ Very Little Nightmares

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Very Little Nightmares is a adventure puzzle game available from the app store at a small price. It is a prequel to the console game Little Nightmares which I have also played.

It is a creepy and dark adventure that takes you and The Girl in the Yellow Raincoat through a series of rooms in a mansion while avoiding lurking monsters.

The controls are simple and easy to pick up and the story behind the game is both engaging and mysterious. The puzzles can be quite difficult so it will take all your cleverness to make it through.

Is the perfect creepy game if you like things scary, but not too scary! It's also great if you love to theorise about what everything means and how the world works.

✦ Life is Strange

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Life is strange is an adventure game where your choices influence the direction and ultimate outcome of the story and largely focuses on the idea of the butterfly effect. If you have heard of Until Dawn, it is a similar concept.

If you aren't good at making decisons and sticking to them then this game may not be for you. It definitely makes you questions your choices and your morals!

The plot follows main character Max as she discovers she can rewind time and must somehow save the town from a tornado that will destroy it in the near future. The first chapter is free and the next chapters cost a small fee.

The MC is a little too angsty and emo for my liking and the dialogue is a little awkward at times. However the game concept, controls and storyline are all fantastic and if you like choose your own adventure type games then this is definitely your thing!

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Thanks for reading! Good job if you got all the way through this long blog! Have a great day and enjoy July! 🧣