It’s been close to a month since I made one of these posts, and while I wish that I could make them more often…I know that they might get boring if they contain the same things. So maybe monthly, or bi-montly is best? I’m kind of winging it, and would appreciate any feedback you might have!

– CURRENTLY READING –

I started Defy the Stars but haven’t gotten too far into it yet, because I’ve been busy and all of my free time has been spent reading Now I Rise! This does not mean that I find Defy the Stars to be uninteresting, but it’s rather because Now I Rise is a sequel which I have been waiting for for over a year (quite impatiently). I read the first book in the series, And I Darken around April of last year because I received an ARC, so yes, it’s been quite the long wait for me! I will likely do some reading from Defy the Stars today though because I’m feeling like some sci-fi, and I feel bad for neglecting it!

For those of you wondering what happened to me reading Our Dark Duet, I’ve decided to put it on hold for now because I just couldn’t get into it. I hadn’t requested a review copy, but rather borrowed it from the library, and it was due soon. I also wanted to make it available for someone else who may really be excited about read it. Sorry to those of you who were expecting a review soon!

Sources: I have received both of these books from their respective publishers for review purposes.

– TELEVISION –

Since my last update, I’ve watched like one and a half episodes of  Riverdale, and am now about halfway through episode 7. This doesn’t mean that I think this show is lame, or that it doesn’t interest me. I just generally don’t watch TV shows on my own (with very few exceptions, such as The 100, and most of the kdramas I’ve ever seen, haha). I have also been quite busy, and cannot justify sitting and watching Netflix, when I could be catching up on some reading in stead. It’s also finally summer in Canada, so I prefer to sit in the sun with a book, whereas I can’t watch TV outside unless I squint at the screen.

Just like with Sweet Stranger and Me / The Man Living in Our House, I stopped watching My Secret Romance because I did not connect with the characters, and because I did not find the plot as interesting as I’d hoped. The summary made it sound as if this would be one of the steamiest kdramas to ever hit the screens, but I found the “passionate” scenes to be a bit more awkward than steamy. I may get back into watching this drama at some point though, unlike Sweet Stranger and Me, which I have not even thought about until I saw it in my previous “Currently…” update post.

I may start watching GLOW an original Netflix series since I have heard nothing but good things about it! But we shall see. Those of you following me on Twitter will know about it as soon as I start watching it, I’m sure!

Sources: I watch my Korean dramas on Dramafever and am watching Riverdale on Netflix! Dramafever is my go-to place for drama-watching (and I have a paid account for some years now), even though I used to be a www.viki.com girl only! Now I only go on Viki when Dramafever is down, although both sites are good, and premium accounts cost about the same for both.

– MOVIES –

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 was great, as was The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales! I am sorry that I have not yet reviewed these, and promise that I will soon! I did review Wonder Woman, and Universal’s new The Mummy, and you can read them here and here. I watched Transformers: The Last Knight last night and was not too impressed. I will be reviewing that one soon as well. Here’s what I’ll be seeing in theaters in the next month:

– TOP 10 SONGS –

Notes: I’ve been listening to a mix of kpop and Romanian pop lately. This tends to happen a lot, since I am Romanian and sometimes I end up missing the sounds of home. the “Mai Stai” song (which means “Stay” in English) is special to me because I used to listen to the group 3 Sud Est when I was just a little girl spending my summers with my grandparents in Romania. And Inna many of you will have already heard of! I think that she used to listen to 3 Sud Est while growing up as well, so collaborating with them must have been a dream come true! “Soare Patrat” (meaning “Square Sun” in English) is a Romanian song which kind of features the influences which Romanian music has absorbed from the Turks. Romania and the Ottoman empire have quite the history, and you can look up things about Vlad the Impaler and the Ottomans if you want to know more about that! Or you can read And I Darken and Now I Rise by Kiersten White with me, both of which contain real and fictive historical events! “Iubirea Mea” (meaning “My Love”) is a more Romanian pop song, although there may be some influences in there as well. And “O Iubesc Si Ma Iubeste” (meaning “I Love Her and She Loves Me”) is what me call a manea (or plural manele), and is another example of how some Romanian songs have become a mix of traditional Romanian music and Turkish music. I did not include a link the music video for that one because it’s kind of embarrassing, haha. The video is cheap, and features a Romanian girl with plastic surgery, excessive makeup, and a tight dress dancing suggestively. No thank you! I don’t want that sort of imagery influencing how people see Romania, Romanian music, or myself!

– CURRENTLY TRYING –

I am not trying anything new at the moment. Product reviews for some of the skin care and makeup I’ve been trying out will be coming soon!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN READING, WATCHING, LISTENING TO, AND/OR TRYING? ANYTHING THAT’S ON ANY OF MY LISTS? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! AND AS SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, THESE POSTS HAVE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT IN LAYOUT SINCE I FIRST STARTED MAKING THEM. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK YOU MAY HAVE!