wow, guys, we’re already halfway through the year! to be honest, this is very scary exciting.

this is my first time writing a monthly wrap-up post since i moved blogs, and i think i’ve forgotten how to write one properly. so please, kindly forgive me if my words come out all jumbled up.

READS

in june, i read fourteen books. it was a pretty good reading month for me actually – as i didn’t really have anything to do after the first quarter of the month (final exams *grits teeth in disgust*), i just stayed home and read all day.

here’s a little summary of my thoughts:

• on a sunbeam by tillie walden – i loved the art and the whole concept of flying through space and visiting forgotten places.
• the truth about twinkie pie by kat yeh – a heartwarming novel about family and friendship. it was so good!
• other words for home by jasmine warga – beautiful prose and there’s a meaningful message behind the simple words.
• king of fools by amanda foody – let me down a little, i didn’t like it as much as ace of shades. loved returning to new reynes though!
• full cicada moon by marilyn hilton – the relationships, the writing, the message – everything in this was so so beautiful.
• seven days of you by cecilia vinesse – not sure how i felt about this? the romance was a little too fast-paced for my liking.
• i love you so mochi by sarah kuhn – this was so darn adorable and i loved the slow burn romance.
• want by cindy pon – amazing world building. the chapters were a bit too long though, in my opinion.
• the thirteenth guardian by k.m. lewis – loved the world building, but was not a fan of the dull main characters.
• birthday by meredith russo – this was such an amazing love story from an #ownvoices author! i really liked it.
• comeback by lyn ashwood & meredith russo – a cute story about kpop. the mental illness in this was not dealt with properly though.
• ever the hunted by erin summerill – it was so gripping and action-packed, i couldn’t put it down.
• my almost flawless tokyo dream life by rachel cohn – adorable but not realistic. also some of the characters are SO RUDE, and i didn’t like that.
• tiny little brother by leva khal – cheeky little poems and cute illustrations about the love-hate relationship between siblings, which i found really relatable.

ON THE BLOG

time flies – marshmallow pudding is now one month old! here are the posts i’ve written in june:

• book review – i love you so mochi by sarah kuhn, in which i talked about my thoughts on the novel (and how kyoto has to appear more in books! it’s honestly so beautiful <3)
• chloe’s ultimate tokyo reading experience – book list, in which i planned out what books i’d be reading before and during my trip to tokyo
• chloe’s ultimate tokyo reading experience – travel diary, in which i gushed about how amazing tokyo was and talked about the places we visited
• down the tbr hole – week one, in which i tried to trim down my tbr, but kind of failed
• sweet sixteen ☽ thoughts, musings and ruminations, written on my birthday, in which i reflected on the previous year
• mid-year freak out book tag ヽ(๏∀◕ )ﾉ i read books. some were good. some were… not, in which i shared my thoughts on some of the books i read in the first half of the year

i also did some blog hopping, and i had a lot of fun exchanging ideas with other book bloggers and giving them the love they deserve.

OFFLINE ADVENTURES

the first quarter of the month, also known as the highly dreaded finals season, dragged on for what seemed to be forever, but somehow the only things i remember are doing past paper questions nonstop and getting writer’s bumps on my right hand. it was a terrible experience, 10/10 would not recommend.

after exams i got a few days off school, and visited tokyo with my grandma and mom. it was amazing – i ate a lot of delicious food, explored around the city and found some beautiful places. you can read more about my trip here.

when i returned to hong kong, i visited tai kwun with my friend. it’s an old building which formerly housed a police station, a prison and a magistracy. it is now used as an art gallery and some of the old jail cells are open to the public.

the building is so aesthetic – my friend and i were drawn to its architectural style and red bricks. we occasionally stopped to take photos, and visited some of the exhibition halls.

… and i celebrated my sixteenth birthday on the 27th. i had japanese grilled meat with my friends for lunch and hot pot with my family for dinner. it wasn’t much, but it was enough, as i spent the day with people who care about me, and whom i care about.

---

how was your june? did anything interesting happen? what did you read? let me know in the comments!