May Wrap-Up | 2020 | Upside-Down Books

May got the better of me, guys. I tried my best but OH MY GOD there were so many assessment to do for uni that I’m afraid I had to put reading on the back burner. That means I only read a measly three books last month which is depressing but alas, what can one do.

But one thing we have to give me kudos for guys: CoNsIsTEnCy! YEAH. YAS. YISS. I did a good job, right?! Never before (since 2016* lol) have you seen me post so regularly! I am so impressed with myself. And look, I know I had a week off more or less just now but that was because of final assessments. BUT – if you check out my YouTube chanenl you’ll see I didn’t miss a beat there! GAH. So proud. Who knew organisation and schedules could work so well.

Truthwitch
by Susan Dennard

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Author: Susan Dennard
Published: January 2016
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 484 {paperback}

Will I continue the series? YES

This was really good! I was so excited to pick this up because when it first came out it was so popular. I loved the magic system in this and the relationships between all the characters. I cannot wait for book two.

Review to come

Bridget Jones’s Diary
by Helen Fielding

Genre: Romance, General Fiction
Author: Helen Fielding
Published: 1996
Publisher: Picador
Pages: 310 {paperback}

Will I continue the series? NO

Oh god. This was awful. Who would’ve thought?! I couldn’t believe how cringe-worthy this was to read and so much of it just felt wrong. I disliked this, I will not read the sequel. Honestly, the longer it’s been since I read it, the harsher my opinion becomes.

Review to come

Hunted
by Meagan Spooner

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling (Beauty & the Beast)
Author: Meagan Spooner
Published: May 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 384 {paperback}

Okay but this was brilliant. Beauty and the Beast retelling done RIGHT. I was really impressed in particular because I haven’t liked one of Spooner’s other books previously, and it’s always a pleasant surprise to be proven wrong!

Review to come

Books to Buy This Month
I did some reviews:
I participated in Top Ten Tuesday
April Book Haul
April Wrap-Up
I did some book tags:
- The Waffle Book Tag
- The “I Should Have Read That” Book Tag
I recommended by favourite audiobooks

Genres Read

Pages Read

Total: 1,178

Goodreads Reading Challenge

30%, or, 24/80 books

TBR Count

273 [+9]

May was an exceptional month. Which always makes me happy because birthday months SHOULD be amazing. I nailed it, guys, and I’m so proud. I’ve worked really hard to hit the sweet spot between study and blogging and I think I found it. Granted, like I mentioned before, the last week has been heads down tails up with assessments. BUT THEY’RE DONEEE. And I’ve got like, what? Two months off? Off uni, in any case. But looking back, JUST full time work seems like a breeze without studying as well!!

Who knew all you had to do was to start studying full time to make work seem like a walk in the park? Right??? ANYWAY. May was great. I read very little. But I’ve had so much fun making content. I also bought/received SO many books (and you’ll see all of those very soon).

I’ve been doing well at uni which is a relief. I also turned 24 so now I’m nearly a quater of a century old. I’ve got a new lighting set up for YouTube which is awesome because now I don’t have to rely on daytime hours which is a massive relief during winter. And one of my plants is growing so well (his name is Zazu).

It’s somewhat tragic as I write this because I’m supposed to be in New Zealand with my favourite Kiwi right now but GEE THANKS COVID. Pft. Definitely mad about that but alas, what can we do. Instead, I can focus on reading. I’m going to put in a massive effort for these last few weeks of June because I’m really, really, really, really behind on my Goodreads reading challenge. I’ve lowered it down to 80 books for the year and am still amazingly behind.

I am also very, very close to 1,000 followers on Instagram which is really exciting! I’m thinking of doing another giveaway to celebrate when I hit that milestone, so if you missed my birthday giveaway, keep your eyes peeled for the 1K (and go follow me if you’re not already! Make the giveaway happen sooner!).

I’ve barely watched any movies in May, either. I watched a few competition shows on Netflix but truly, all of my spare time has really gone to studying and content creation, which is somewhat terrifying.

Movies I watched

Onward, 2020: 7/10 stars

This was good . . . but not quite as good as I had been hoping. It was fun and magical but I don’t know? Emotionally brutal, as we would expect from Pixar. But I find myself left wanting something more.