Quarterly Recap: April-June

It’s the beginning of July. I can’t believe I already had to write that sentence, but here we are. And because it’s the seventh month of 2024, it means it’s time for another quarterly recap, where I take a look back at the blog post from the past three months as well as a brief look at what’s coming up. As always I’m starting with reviews.

April, May, and June Reviews...

• What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall
• The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu
• The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
• The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
• Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages by Frances and Joseph Gies

Other April, May, and June Blog Posts....

• I Watched Marry My Husband (2024)
• Short Stories I Read in May
• What I've Been Listening To + Upcoming Albums
• Short Stories I Read In April
• I Listened to What Now by Brittany Howard
• I Listened to Found Heaven by Conan Gray
• Quarterly Recap: January-March
• I Listened to World Wide Whack by Tierra Whack
• I Listened to Act ii: Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé
• What I've Been Listening To (April)

Looking ahead this month, I have a couple of music related posts as well as reviews for some books releasing this month. So keep an eye out for that content.

Up next, I have a good selection of ARCs to read, including one of my most anticipated releases of the year from one of my favorite authors.

And in terms of gaming, the last Nintendo Direct brought some surprises and slightly expanded the list of games I’m looking forward to in the last half of 2024. Tales of the Shire (the Lord of the Rings farming sim), and The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom, the new 2D game set in Hyrule, where you get to play as Zelda, according to the trailer.

Quarterly Recap: April-June

Welcome! It’s July…already, and I feel like the year is flying by. It's already time for the second Quarterly Recap of 2023. This time, I’m covering blog posts that have appeared on the blog from April through June. As always, I’m starting with reviews…

April, May, and June Reviews...

• The Cult of We: We Work, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion by Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell
• The Book of Gems by Fran Wild
• Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
• The Border Keeper by Kerstin Hall
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
• Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
• The Thorns Remain by J.J.A. Harwood
• Breakup From Hell by Anna Davila Cardinal
• A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

**Note: Weekly memes (like Music Monday and The Friday 56 + Book Beginnings, can be searched with their labels: Music Monday, The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings)**

Other April, May, and June blog posts...

• Short Stories I Read in May
• Upcoming Music I'm Waiting For
• Short Stories I Read In April
• So I Played Ooblets
• Short Stories I Read In March
• So...I Played Aggro Crab's Going Under
• I Listened to So Much (For) Stardust by Fall Out Boy
• Quarterly Recap: January-March

Looking ahead, I’m pretty excited for the ARCs I’m going to be reading in the next couple of months. I won’t say too much here, but some of them are much anticipated sequels or new books from some of my favorite authors.

In July, there’s a new book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia coming out, plus I’ve finally gone back and read the beginning of the Discworld series.

As far as games, I'm slowly working my way through the Subnautica games. But, mostly, I’m knee-deep in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This game is massive, and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of the story or the areas available to explore yet. But, I’m having so much fun.

Quarterly Recap: April-June

It’s July, so it’s time for the second quarterly recap of 2022. As always, I’m starting with the reviews that have appeared on Our Thoughts Precisely in the last three months.

April Reviews:

• A River Enchanted Rebecca Ross
• Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega 

May Reviews:

• We Free The Stars by Hafsah Faizal
• The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah 
• Shadow Grave by Marina Cohen
• Monsters in the Mist by Juliana Brandt

June Reviews:

• A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
• Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
• Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

Other April Posts:

• Short Stories I Read In March
• I Listened to Crash by Charli XCX
• Thought Corner: What I've Been Watching
• Quarterly Recap: January-March
• Break Notice

Other May Posts:

• I Played Horizon: Forbidden West
• I Listened to Serpentina by Banks

Other June Posts:

• I Listened to Hypnos by Ravyn Lenae
• I Listened to Harry's House by Harry Styles
• Short Stories I Read in May

Looking ahead, I don’t have any plans. I was exposed to someone who had covid and, at the beginning of June, I got sick. I’m feeling better now, but the whole thing just kind of derailed my month.

As for upcoming posts, I’m reviewing two of my most anticipated releases of this month and a recent (and favorite) nonfiction read. And, for later in July, there will be a post dedicated to Dawn FM by The Weeknd. Also, Adri is taking over one of the Friday weekly memes post, as well as talking about one of her favorite bands.  

Quarterly Recap: April-June

Well, hello. How is everyone doing today? It’s officially July, which means its summer. It has been really hot where I live lately, and I can’t help but wish it was already fall—when it will hopefully cool down a little. It’s also already time for April, May, and June’s quarterly recap. 

April Reviews:

• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Case Study of Vanitas vol. #7 by Jun Mochizuki

May Reviews:

• Jelly by Clare Rees
• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Aristocracy by William Doyle 

June Reviews:

• She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson 
• The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory 
• The Heartbeat of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, translated by Jane Billinghurst
• The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

April Other Posts:

• Upcoming Music I'm Waiting For (2021)
• I Listened to 1/f by Laura Mvula
• Quarterly Recap: January-March

May Other Posts:

• Short Stories I Read in March & April 
• I Listened to The Bitter Truth by Evanescence 

June Other Posts:

• I Listened to Scaled And Icy by Twenty One Pilots
• Short Stories I Read in May
• I Listened to 2000AND4EVA by Bree Runway 

Looking ahead, I don’t have any definite plans. Instead, I want to mention some upcoming reviews. The first is What Lives in the Woods, a spooky middle grade novel coming out in September. Next, my review for You Can Never Tell—an exciting domestic thriller and mystery—will be out sometime in august. This month, I’ll have reviews for Six Crimson Cranes (a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales), and for The Brilliant Abyss, which is one of my favorite nonfiction reads so far this year.

Short Stories I Read In June

Today, I’m here to talk about the short stories, podcast episodes, and other miscellaneous posts I read and listened to in June.

St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid by C.L. Polk (Tor.com, June 5, 2020)

The first short story I read in June was St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid by C.L. Polk. This was an immersive story. It felt like a coming of age tale, and it was excellent. Polk’s writing is deft, and the story flows so well that I felt like it was over too soon. The voice of the narrator is vivid, and the world built here was detailed and full of bees and magic—both helpful and dangerous—that felt organic to the environment. St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid is the kind of story that leaves a lasting impression, and it’s world was one I want to read about again. I already have a copy of Polk’s novella, and I want to read it soon.

Two Truths and A Lie by Sara Pinsker (Tor.com, June 17, 2020)

The second story I read was Two Truths and A Lie by Sara Pinsker. The story followed Stella, who was home visiting her parents. While there, she ended up helping an old friend clean out a relative’s house after their death. Immediately, I enjoyed Stella’s perspective, as she tried to figure out what was going on—with her memories and what that had to do with an old, unsettling TV show from her childhood. From start to finish, this story was an engrossing and chilling read with an atmospheric tone that captured the creepy/horror aspects of some of the darker fairy tales. It did it in a subtle way that gradually built up the tension as the story progressed, and I never knew what was going to happen next. What made this one so memorable was the feeling it invoked: how it rapidly went from feeling very “every day” and somber, to mysterious, and then to eerie. The twists were fantastic and unexpected, even to the very end of the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this one.

From Around the Web

• Not Until We Get A Turn: Retellings, Tropes, And Who Gets To Tell Stories (Kalynn Bayron; Tor.com; June 8, 2020)
• Raise Your Voice: Bethany C. Morrow’s A Song Below Water (Alex Brown; Tor.com, June 8, 2020)
• Nature, Horror, and the Inherent Darkness of the Human Condition (Alexis Henderson; Tor.com, June 4, 2020)
• Print Run Podcast episode 132
• The Role Publishing Plays in the Commodification of Black Pain (L.L. McKinney; Tor.com, June 17, 2020)
• Our Opinions Are Correct Podcast episode 60: Why Stories Need Good Dialogue

Quarterly Recap: April-June

It’s hard to believe that it’s already seven months into 2020, but here we are. It’s also time for the usual quarterly recap. As usual, I’m starting with reviews.

April Reviews

• Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter
• Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

May Reviews

• All Systems Red by Martha Wells
• The Night Country by Melissa Albert

June Reviews

• Ghost Squad by Clairbel A. Ortega
• The Case Study of Vanitas volume #3 by Jun Mochizuki 

Other April Posts

• I Listened to Death Stranding Timefall
• Sketchbook: Alice
• Short Stories I Read In March
• Quarterly Recap: January-March

Other May Posts

• Short Stories I Read in April
• Sketchbook: Watercolor
• I Listened to Super Sunset by Allie X
• Favorite Recipe: Dark Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
• I Listened to Shadow Works by Kerli

Other June Posts

• Favorite Recipe: Tortillas
• Short Stories I Read In May

Looking ahead, I really don’t have any solid plans for the next three months, and I’m not trying to make any. 2020 has been fairly unpredictable, and I plan on just rolling with the flow. I do have a couple of upcoming posts this month that I’m fairly excited to share. I recently read one of my most anticipated books of 2020: Haunted Heroine, book #4 in the Heroine Complex series by Sarah Kuhn. My review for it will be on the blog on the release day. Next, I listened to Chloe X Halle’s latest album, Ungodly Hour, and I have a post for that too (which will be up sometime this month). I also checked out Lindsay Ellis’s debut novel, Axiom’s End, so there will be a review for that too this month.

What have you been reading recently?

Quarterly Recap: April-June

It’s time for another Quarterly Recap. It feels like this year is flying by, but what can you do about it? Tell “time” not to go forward? I don’t think so. Besides, I have some upcoming posts—including a couple of reviews—that I’m excited to share on the blog. Plus, the release dates for some of the albums and fall books I’m looking forward to are approaching.

Looking back, I noticed that I didn’t get around to working on another colored pencil post. However, I’ve decided to hold onto that idea and use it at a later date. I was also largely inactive on the blog during the month of June. I needed the break, and it gave me some time to just read and create without feeling like I was running out of time. That being said, I read a lot of good books during the last 3 months. Among my favorites being: the entire Binti trilogy, Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, and The Missing of Clairdelune by Christelle Dabos. So, as usual, I’m starting off with reviews….

April Reviews

• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

• The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

May Reviews

• Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor

• Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor

• Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

• The Girl With the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis

• The Missing of Clairdelune by Christelle Dabos

June Reviews

• Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Other April Posts

• Quarterly recap: January-March

• I listened to Cuz I Love You by Lizzo + The B Side

Other May Posts

• I listened to We Need To Talk by Tayla Parx 

Other June Posts

• n/a

Looking ahead, I have watercolor and music related posts that I will put on the blog sometime in July. And in September I will be talking about Word to the Wise (book #10 in the Library Lover’s Mystery series), as well as one of my new favorite romance novels: Well Met by Jen DeLuca. Word to the Wise is an excellent addition to the series. Well Met involves a Renaissance Faire and banter between the characters while they’re in costume. However, that’s all I’m going to say about those books until August and September. 

What’s a recent read that you really enjoyed?

Quarterly Recap: April-June

It feels like it was just yesterday when I sat down to write the last quarterly recap post, even though I know it was three months ago. So much has gone on, but I feel like I’m reading less—specifically, I’m having a harder time finding books I want to read. I do have to say that the books I finished reading were ones I really loved. So, that counts for something. Anyway, on to the recap!

April Reviews:

• Ace of Shades
• How To Break Up With Your Phone
• The Collapsing Empire

May Reviews:

• Heroine Complex
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
• Aggretsuko

June Reviews:

• Heroine Worship
• Bruja Born
• Heroine's Journey

Other April Posts:

• I Watched Jupiter Ascending Again
• Quarterly Recap: January-March
• Upcoming Music and Recent Releases
• In Which I Forgot About The Blogiversary

Other May Posts:

• Acrylics #2
• We're Gonna Talk About Romance Tropes

Other June Posts:

• Mid-Year Resolution Check-In
• I'm Now On Instagrm

I want to get back into the habit of reading more often; although, this one depends on what books I come across. Currently, I have some eARCs that I’m excited to dive into, including Jasmine Guillory’s The Proposal, and Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett. I also want to make some more art related posts since I really enjoy putting them together....

Quarterly Recap: April-June

Well, looking back at April, May, and June, I realized how much time I actually took off. However, it was kind of necessary because I've come up with some changes I want to make to the blog...

April Review:

• Labyrinth Lost
• The Hate U Give
• The Crooked Sixpence

May Reviews:

• Windfall
• Strange The Dreamer
• The Gauntlet

June Reviews:

• Colored Pencil Painting Portraits
• Starflight
• A Crown of Wishes 

Other April Posts:

• Quarterly Recap

Other June Posts:

• So Many Questions + Do I Still DNF Books?
• Weekend Tidbits # 11: Some Exciting Things

I don't really have much to say for this section of the post, because I have a few upcoming things that will go more in depth with what I plan to do. So, it just wouldn't make sense to repeat some of those points.

Quarterly Recap: April-June

It's hard to believe that 2016 is more than halfway over, and its already time for another quarterly recap. These past three months have been pretty good, but June was definitely a slower month. Anyway, I'm going to get on with it, starting with reviews for the month of April, May, and of course, June...

April Reviews:

• Batman V Superman
• The Illustrated Compendium of Animal Facts
• Flora Segunda
• The Wide-Awake Princess

May Reviews:

• Oleah Chronicles: Justice
• Founding Myths:Stories that Hide Our Patriotic Past
• The Darkest Part of the Forest
• The Body At the Tower
• Dead is a State of Mind
• Brain Freeze Journal

June Reviews:

• Need
• From the Notebooks of a Middle School princess
• Rain: A Natural and Cultural History
• Royal Wedding Disaster

Other April Posts:

• Musing Mondays: What I'm Reading This Week
• Release Day Blitz for The Glittering Court
• Thursday Tracks #1
• January-March Quarterly Recap 
• Release Day Blitz for The Rose & the Dagger 

Other May Posts:

• Random Weekly Questions
• It's All Historical
• What I'm Reading

Other June Posts:

• Recent Nonfiction Favorites
• Weekend Tidbits #7
• Random Weekly Questions
• Release Day & Giveaway: Eternal Sacrifice by Stacey O'Neale

I've had a moderately productive three months (plus my co-blogger dropped in with a new review). The majority of the books I picked up were either just okay or extremely good. So, I hope that that trend continues (fingers-crossed, that it stays that way; I hope I didn't just jinx myself).  Anyway, I also want to go back and read more of the older books I might have missed. I've had a ot of fun with that so far.

Quarterly Recap: April-June

Wow, would you look at that, it's already JULY. Anyway, welcome to what would have been the second trimonthly recap, but I'm renaming it to Quarterly Recap. (Its still going to remain as once every three months, so that's not changing.) As always, I’m going to give a quick summary of all of the things that happened on the blog from the beginning of April all the way through June. So, I’m just going to jump right into it, and start with reviews…

April Reviews:

• Howl's Moving Castle
• Seeker
• John Shaw's Guide to Digital Nature Photography
• Landry Park
• Headstrong: 52 Women who Changed Science and the World 

May Reviews:

• Rise by Amanda Sun
• Cookie Love by Mindy Segal with Kate Leahy
• Space Exploration for Dummies by Cynthia Phillips & Shana Priwer

June Reviews:

• Love Fortunes and Other Disaster by Kimberly Karalius
• Save Me by Jenny Elliott
• The Tapper Twins go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey
• Inside Out (Movie Review)
• The Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes
• Max (Movie Review)

In general, April was a relatively busy month. I did the first Trimonthly Recap for the January through March, and started doing a new type of post called Weekend Tidbits. I also participated in the Reading Habits Book Tag and a list post called Series/Novels I would Like to see on the Screen. And lastly, I took part in the Blitz for Awakening by Shannon Duffy and a release day post for Dragons Are People, Too by Sarah Nicolas.

I started off May with a much needed week long break before participating in the Release Day Blitz for The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. I also did a Weekend Tidbit about the humming bird that was nesting right outside the window of my house. They were cute while they stuck around, but I never got a picture of them before they left the nest. Later in the month I participated in a Release Date Reveal for Victoria Scott's Titans and a short release day post for Lindsay Cummings Death Code.

And finally, we have June. At the start of the month was the cover reveal for Of Ice and Snow by Amber Argyle. On the fifth it was National Doughnut day and about a week or so later I posted a Weekend Tidbit about my day and the recipe I tried out. Later in the month I did an Interview with Kimberly Karalius, and entered Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles Bookmark contest.

I have to say that it's been a pretty productive three months, so the only thing I'm really looking forward to doing is maintaining my pace with blogging and reading.