Hello everyone!
How was your June? Mine was… erh, um, uh, let’s just say I SURVIVED!!!
It was tough! I worked a lot and didn’t sleep enough! I struggled to keep up with reading and writing and blogging and exercise and………… I am SO glad that June is over! I’m ready to burrow somewhere and hibernate (or go on a loooooooong vacation.) #adulting
On the plus side:
We got another dog!! (Maybe I’ll share more about this little guy at the end of this post if you all stick around 😉 )
I kind of finished writing my first EVER complete novel outline, just in time for Camp Nano next month! Yay!!
Phew. So I did get a few things done 🙂
I read 5 books this month, which I am proud of because A) one of these is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which should really count as two books by my standard, and B) it was a super CRAZY month.
How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method goes in-depth about… well, how to use the Snowflake Method. I enjoyed reading about specific examples of how to complete each step in the snowflake. Also, this book is interestingly written in a novel format rather than a standard textbook format. (What!? I know, you’d have to read this book to get what I mean.) On the other hand, I feel that it is sufficient to just read the online article by Randy Ingermansen without reading this book. You can also read more about the Snowflake Method in my post here.
Truth be told, guys, (hides face from thrown tomatoes), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is my LEAST favourite of the series so far in my re-read. It is too long, and angsty, and nothing much really happens? Kind of like the middle-book syndrome? On the other hand, I did enjoy just being immersed in the world of Harry Potter. That, and Luna and Neville are super awesome.
Emmy & Oliver was such a refreshing read after the Order of the Phoenix! (Thank you Marie for this recommendation 🙂 ) Loved reading about Emmy and her friends! Loved the childhood friend trope! Loved the chemistry between Emmy and Oliver!
I enjoyed Room the movie. When I read the first page of the book, I knew I wanted to read the rest of the book right away. I loved the premise of the novel- the idea that a boy who spends his first five years living in a small room sees the outside world for the first time.
I read Strengthsfinder 2.0 for a book club at work. It made me think: Our modern society is highly focused on weaknesses. We’re all told to identify our weaknesses and improve on them. However, rather than working on being “passable” in our areas of weakness, why not focus on becoming even more awesome at our strengths? Strengthsfinder 2.0 includes access to an online quiz which helps you identify your top 5 strengths. The book goes more into detail about how to utilize each strength. This book helped me gain some insight into what I’m good at, not just in the workplace but in everyday life as well.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is such a fun read. (Thank you Beth for this recommendation!) I love that the main character Monty is far from perfect, but lovable all the same. I also love that this is a book about a road trip that makes me want to travel that much more! (I am still reading this book so not counting it in this month’s total)
Here are some posts that I enjoyed 🙂
You guys know the Myers-Briggs personality test, right? Well, Alex @ Scribbles and Stories just invented a MBTI-inspired test for writers!
Kelly @ Another Book in the Wall writes about why endings don’t always have to be happy. Pssst…. bittersweet endings are my favourite type of endings!
Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books tells us ALL about her trip to Berlin. Warning: beautiful pictures ahead that will make you wonder why you aren’t in Germany right now.
Beth @ Reading Every Night discusses why she loves movie adaptations… even the terrible ones!? You’ve convinced me, Beth!
Stefanie @ Stefanie Crafts with Wool and Paper shares a beautiful DIY zipper pouch project, complete with photos and step-by-step instructions!
Kat @ Life and Other Disasters celebrates her 5-year blogiversary! If that is not true dedication, I don’t know what is!
Last but not least, a big THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment this month. There’s no way I can mention all of you here but you know who you are. You guys kept me sane (you have no idea!)
And last but not least…. Here is the new member of our family:
Zander is a rescue from a local animal shelter. He is a Mini Pinscher and is tiny (8 lbs)! He is at least 10 years old, but I am surprised by how much energy he still has. He warmed up to us right away and even fell asleep on my lap on the car ride home from the shelter. He is getting along with our current dog (Charles the greyhound) though he is still a bit afraid of the big guy.
We are still working on house-training with Zander. We think that he is house-trained but he can’t hold his pee for that long so we are training him to use a pee pad when we are not home. We also need to work on his recall, since he doesn’t recognize his own name yet!
SOPHIE LI 
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