August Favourites

Happy Thursday my lovely friends, I jope that your week has been going great so far. Today is the second day of September, which means that I will be wrapping up all of my favourite things in August. This is a new thing that I will be trying to do at the end of every month, and it will be divided into different parts: books, TV and Music, and Lifestyle, which will vary according to what I loved during the

month

These monthly wrap-up will both be a way for me to share the things that I have enjoyed and to hopefully help you find something too, but also a way for me to look back on what I loved and the media I consumed.

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Books

I have read 11 books this month, which is a very high number for me, but which can also be explained by the fact that I was on holiday for two weeks and read about eight books while I was there. The only time I manage to read so many books is when I am doing a reading challenge and I set myself specific time to read. I can promise you that next month will not have so many books.

Among these books, I have:

• One five-star books

• Six four-star books

• Two three-star books (one 3.75)

• One two-star book

• One unrated book (I tend not to rate non-fiction books).

Of course, my favourite book this month was Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which does not come as a surprise since the other two books of hers that I have read are some of my all-time favourites. It is such an amazing book, and if you want to learn more about it, you can read my summer reads recommendation post here.

Among the four star books, I have quite an eclectic selection. Two of them are French books: Paradis Perdus by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt and Nos Richesses (A Bookshop in Algiers) by Kaouther Adimi. They both have what I love most about French literature: beautifully written narrative and a story worth reading. Paradis Perdus retraces the story of humanity from the neolithic to the great flood. Nos Richesses is a romanticized biography of Edmond Charlot, whose bookshop in Algiers was an institution and where authors such as Camus began their carreers. The other four star books include the second volume of the manga Kuroko's Basketball (an all-time favourite, please go watch the anime), Beach Read by Emily Henry, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes.

The three star books are The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious #3) and The Bad Mothers Book Club by Keris Stainton, both of which were very enjoyable without being the best books I have read this month.

The last two books in this list are Second Place by Rachel Cusk (2 stars) and When I Dare to Be Powerful by Audre Lorde (whom I adore, please read some of her books, you will not be disappointed).

TV and Music

In terms of TV and Music, there are a few things that I want to mention.

First, I have been on a bit of a superhero/DC binge recently. The two main things I want to talk about this month are the (newly) HBO show Titans and the movie Suicide Squad.

I feel ike this month has been a good one for my DC-loving heart. As you may know, the DC movies and TV shows are not the best, and when compared to their superhero counterpart Marvel, they just seem terrible. However, I think that with Titans and the new Suicide Squad they are finally on the right track to do something good.

First of all, I think that the move from Netflix to HBO was the right one for Titans. HBO allows them to make something that stays true to the comics, and that is sure to make the fans happy. It feels like th story is finally picking up (after two seasons) and the show has great plotlines, characters, and overall a great rhythm. If you are a DC fan, I would recommend giving the show a chance, putting up with the first two seasons and enjoy the third.

Similarly, I went to the cinema recently to see Suicide Squad. Was it the best movie I have ever seen? No. However, did it give me hope for the next DC movies? Absolutely. It was fun and lighthearted, the characters were funny without overdoing it, and the plot was actually pretty easy to follow. I think that if they continue to do their own thing rather than try to follow the MCU, they will be able to make great movies. I am very hopeful about it all.

Music-wise, there is one main thing I want to talk about, and that is the beauty that is Orla Gartland's new album Woman on the Internet. With just one listen, I became obsessed with it and could not stop playing it over and over again. I have been a fan of Orla for a while now and was so excited when she anounced her album. I wish I could describe everything it made me feel, but honestly I had such an intense reaction to it that it would be impossible to do it justice. My favourite songs on the album: Left Behind, Codependency and You're Not Special Babe.

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And there you have it folks! These are my favourites of the month/a little reading wrap up for the month!

What have you been enjoying lately? Read any good books? Watch any good shows? Tried any good things? Let me know in the comments or on my instagram.

Until next time xx