#july reading goals

[stuckinapril]

Sun slanting through floor to ceiling windowpanes and cocooning me in warmth… hello

[princessofmanyfaces]

July Wrap-Up

🗓️ I've read 12 books in June 2023, DNF'd 2

⭐ My reading experience was an average of 3.5 - 4 stars, a good month.

📝Most prominent author was Lauren Asher and Jennifer Lynn Barnes

📚 Books read in 2023: 72/52 - 138%

[bluewaterhigh2005]

happy 2024 i beat the illiterate allegations

[meeghanreads]

July 2024 TBR

Hello friends!! Welcome to the July 2024 TBR. A post where I will attempt to intuit what I feel like reading for the month of July. If you cast your mind back to my June TBR post, I drafted it with the assistance of ChatGPT. And… I absolutely failed. I read a grand total of one book out of the ten that AI picked for. Although, to be fair, it was the ONLY 5-star read for June that I had. Which…

[darcyfirth]

finished reading another book for this year 🥳

[its-deandraa]

My 2023 Recap!!

January:

▫️got a 2nd job that’s a WFH job!

▫️went to the library

▫️139 day streak for duo French!

Febuary:

▫️actually started my new job!

▫️read 3 books! (The first three in Shadow and Bone series!)

▫️169 days for my French streak!

▫️went to the library more!

March:

▫️made some yearly goals

▫️189 French streak!

▫️started new workout plan!

▫️started my Saturn Return 🪐

▫️learned how to use printer at the library! (Game changer for me!)

▫️got a new hairdresser and haircut!

April:

▫️216 for French streak!

▫️follow up for anxiety program referral.

▫️continued workout plan!

▫️finished reading another book!

▫️started paint-by-number

▫️started growing cucumbers!

May:

▫️wrote my resignation letter for my first job.

▫️quit one of my jobs!

▫️went to a surprise party!

▫️finished majority of my YT script

▫️244 for French streak!

▫️survived a cold

▫️bought gel plate for art

▫️got $20 for completing surveys

▫️bought a backdrop + tripod

June:

▫️had fun at one of my friends b-day party!

▫️worked my last day at my first job.

▫️made some art with the gel plate!

▫️another $20 for doing surveys

▫️spending a lot less on transportation and ordering out because of my job.

▫️worked more hours at my WFH job.

▫️269 french streak!

▫️bought the book “the Artists way”

▫️cooking more!

▫️found a scam in my bank account!

July:

▫️still growing tomatoes and cucumbers!

▫️continued workout plan!

▫️cooking and making food more!

▫️deleted my Flo app to track more on paper!

▫️saving more money!

▫️saw the Barbie movie with some friends!

▫️bought BEYONCÉ tickets and planned a whole trip!

▫️290 for french streak!

August:

▫️finally got reimbursed for the scam in my bank account

▫️planned my outfit for the RENAISSANCE TOUR! (Are you ready?! SHAWHAM!)

▫️finished a sewing project

▫️did a mini photoshoot for my sewing project

▫️309 days for french streak

▫️made pasta salad!

▫️got a new phone!

September:

▫️329 french streak!

▫️went to Vancouver by myself!

▫️had an overall successful trip to and from Vancouver!

▫️went to the Blodel conservatory in the van Dusen Gardens in Vancity!

▫️WENT TO BEYONCÉ!!! 🪩

▫️got my picture taken for a CBC article!

▫️got Beyonce merch!

▫️went to the aquarium!

▫️found a real fur scarf at the thrift store!

▫️had a going away party with former co-workers!

▫️finished a journal & started a new one!

▫️had movie night with a friend!

October:

▫️347 French streak!

▫️several Halloween movie night with my friends!

▫️bought two new journals!

▫️bought new headphones from warranty!

▫️bought my own candles and birthday balloons

▫️cleaned out a lot of my Twitter likes and hopefully deleting soon!

▫️got a call from a psychotherapist to determine next steps for therapy.

November:

▫️cleaned out two shelves in my room and reorganized a bunch of stuff!

▫️cleaned/reorganized desk and bought a desk mat!

▫️1 year french streak!

▫️cleaned out mini fridge and tea area!

▫️got a gift card from my work!

▫️got a refund from an Astro reading I didn’t get earlier in the year!

▫️enjoyed Kurtis Conner special! (Damn he’s funny!)

▫️started Christmas shopping!

▫️finished one of my yearly goals which was Reading 10 books!

▫️printed more from library like my workout sheets and debt tracker!

December:

▫️380 days for French streak!

▫️went to see the Renaissance movie!!

▫️finished Christmas shopping!

▫️made a friend a bucket hat!

▫️turned 29!

▫️got myself two bras and a sweater!

▫️found an Oleg Cassini wool skirt set from the 60s at the thrift store!

▫️started holidays with my WFH job!

▫️got some Oh doughnuts for my birthday!

▫️got most of the stuff I wanted/needed for Christmas!

[titsthedamnseason]

part five of the hero of ages if called “trust” ?!

[bye-bye-firefly]

i said this to my friends like. i have Lost nano. as i said at the start i do not ever plan to lose ... But we cannot All be winners... but despite this im still like i did a REALLY good job. im sure everyone knows about how inconsistent my writing is like when i put out chapters and when theyre done and everything but its like 41k in a month is nothing to look over like thats really good for me. even on a good day im not writing the fucking 3k that i wrote once or the 2k i wrote at the start. i DO want to try and keep writing everyday because it wasnt the writing everyday that fucked me, it was real life shit and the holidays and work and friends and blah blah blah there is stuff OUTSIDE of writing that i have to do. i have Obligations. AND im a human person who likes to do things other than make money and write; i like playing video games and hanging out with my friends and if i dont have that socialisation time then its like. Rover

like this was REALLY great i felt like id gone back to my early days of fic writing and writing everyday like i did on propaganda and actually having like ideas and just writing and progressing the story I LOVE WRITING!!! i didnt need to be reminded how much i love writing but i did have to be reminded just how much i can DO. because sometimes you just have to sit down and say I'm going to write today and THATS IT. for some people thats harder unless theyre medicated but for me i do think i could force myself to just sit down and write. but im not writing 10k in one sitting LMAO that would burn me out and then we'd NEVER get the chapters of nameless im working on.

BUT I AM PROUD OF MYSELF. like i failed and i had fun doing it AND i have 41k words of my novel down! so one day thats going to exist and im happy with the state that everything is in right now ^_^ but i think during december as i get my work hours in im going to start time blocking and then in january, ill have to do that in both my journal and in my calendar. im actually really excited about it and i hope that if i make it a habit to set that time up for myself, i'll actually Follow Through and Do It. and then we might get consistent updates like i used to do And wouldn't that be beautiful ...

but yeah!!! im really happy about my novel and will set up time for it in my calendar when im not so super tired of writing it because thats all ive been writing this month 😭

[aspeckof-stardust]

.

[onceuponastarryeye]

books read in 2023

the ones who walk away from omelas - ursula k. le guin (5/5)

animal farm - george orwell (4/5)

the mystery of the blue train - agatha christie (4.25/5)

the memories of sherlock holmes - arthur conan doyle (3.5/5)

five survive - holly jackson (4.75/5)

liars, inc. - paula stokes (1.5/5)

blindness - josé saramago (4.5/5)

the hound of death (a short story) - agatha christie (3.5/5)

the lies we tell - katie zhao (4/5)

the magician's nephew (the chronicles of narnia #1) - cs lewis (4/5) (rr)

peril at end house - agatha christie (4/5)

rebecca - daphne du maurier (5/5)

these violent delights (tvd #1) - chloe gong (3.75/5)

the lion, the witch and the wardrobe (the chronicles of narnia #2) - cs lewis (5/5) (rr)

the screaming staircase (lockwood & co #1) - jonathan stroud (5/5)

the dagger in the desk (lockwood & co #1.5) - jonathan stroud (4.25/5)

espaços de recordação - aleida assman (academic)

murder at the vicarage - agatha christie (4.5/5)

the whispering skull (lockwood & co #2) - jonathan stroud (4/5)

the hollow boy (lockwood & co #3) - jonathan stroud (4/5)

the creeping shadow (lockwood & co #4) - (4.75/5)

the empty grave (lockwood & co #5) - jonathan stroud (5/5)

a treatise of human nature - david hume (academic)

ensaio sobre os dados imediatos da consciência - henri bergson (3/5) (academic)

lord edgware dies - agatha christie (4/5)

the communist manifesto - karl marx & frederich engels (academic)

the horse and his boy (the chronicles of narnia #3) - cs lewis (4/5) (rr)

matter and memory - henri bergson (3/5) (academic)

the hour of the star - clarice lispector (5/5)

bergsonism - gilles deleuze (3/5) (academic)

three act tragedy - agatha christie (3/5)

the hound of the baskerville - arthur conan doyle (4.5/5)

happy place - emily henry (5/5)

death in the clouds - agatha christie (2.75/5)

prince caspian (the chronicles of narnia #4) - cs lewis (4/5) (rr)

los marcos sociales de la memoria - maurice halbwachs (4/5) (academic)

how to worship Jesus Christ - joseph s. carroll (5/5)

introdução ao estudo do método de marx - josé paulo netto (4.5/5) (academic)

anxious people - fredik backman (5/5)

the collective memory - maurice halbwachs (5/5) (academic) (rr)

murder in mesopotamia - agatha christie (4/5)

cards on the table - agatha christie (4/5)

the voyage of the dawn treader - (the chronicles of narnia #5) - cs lewis (5/5) (rr)

yellowface - r.f. kuang (3.5/5)

the girl on the train - paula hawkins (4.25/5)

dumb witness - agatha christie (3/5)

the silver chair - (the chronicles of narnia #6) - cs lewis (4/5) (rr)

before your memory fades (btcgc #3) - kawaguchi toshikazu (4.75/5)

pride and prejudice - jane austen (5/5) (rr)

perfume - patrick suskind (4/5)

sociologia de la memoria - paolo montesperelli (4.5/5)

capital's unfolding systemic crisis - istvan meszaros (4/5)

the last battle - (the chronicles of narnia #7) - cs lewis (3/5) (rr)

appointment with death - agatha christie (5/5)

the great gatsby - f. scott fitzgerald (4/5)

the collective - alison gaylin (3.75/5)

para além do capital - istvan meszaros (academic)

the ballad of songbirds and snakes (the hunger games #0) - suzanne collins (4/5)

história, memória e educação - lombardi et al (4/5) (academic)

der ursprung der familie, des privateigenthums und des staats - friedrich engels (3/5) (academic)

metamorphosis - franz kafka (4/5)

murder is easy - agatha christie (4/5)

how to survive your murder - danielle valentine (4.5/5)

arsene lupin, the gentleman-thief - maurice leblanc (3.5/5)

sad cypress - agatha christie (5/5)

northanger abbey - jane austen (5/5) (rr)

the return of sherlock holmes - arthur conan doyle (4/5)

phantom of the opera - gaston leroux (5/5)

persuasion - jane austen (5/5) (rr)

one, two, buckle my shoe - agatha christie (5/5)

the suicide house - charlie donlea (5/5)

endless night - agatha christie (5/5)

life and limb - jamie andrew (3.5/5)

final offer (dreamland billionares #3) - lauren asher (3.5/5)

the valley of fear - arthur conan doyle (4/5)

capitalismo pandemico - ricardo antunes (4/5)

one of us is back (one of us #3) - karen mcmanus (4/5)

cecília vargas em incêndio na casa-grande (cecília vargas #1) - kézia garcia (5/5)

cecília vargas em um ladrão ä solta em itapainema (cecília vargas #2) - kézia garcia (5/5)

emma - jane austen (5/5) (rr)

evil under the sun - agatha christie (3.5/5)

uma oração de amor - lyta racielly (4.75/5)

minha verdade - kell carvalho (4.75/5)

il nome della rosa - umberto eco (3/5)

more adventures of sherlock holmes - arthur conan doyle (4/5)

opal (the raven cycle #4.5) - maggie stiefvader (4/5)

sense and sensibility - jane austen (4.5/5) (rr)

do deserto ao jardim (guia-me #1) - aline moretho (4.5/5)

a classe trabalhadora: de marx ao nosso tempo - marcelo badaró mattos (5/5) (academic)

o monstro dançante (baile dos corvos #1) - gabrielli casseta (5/5)

o monstro aventureiro (baile dos corvos #3) - gabrielli casseta (5/5)

um clichê de verão - lyta racielly (4/5)

hercule poirot's christmas - agatha christie (4.75/5)

o monstro rockstar (baile dos corvos #3) - gabrielli casseta (5/5)

the german ideology - friedich engels; karl marx (3.75/5)

a portland row christmas (lockwood & co #4.5) - jonathan stroud (5/5)

litte women (volume #1) - louisa may alcott (4/5)

m or n? - agatha christie (4/5)

estuda comigo? (c(o)stomizei! #1) - sâmella bridges (4/5)

conta comigo (c(o)stomizei! #2) - sâmella bridges (4/5)

[princessofmanyfaces]

The Secret Cove in Croatia

A 2 Star read for me | I wanted to give it 3 stars but the end SUCKED

The drama was so unnecessary and their ending so rushed. You could have resolved that at least two chapters earlier and added Maddie and Nick coming home together and just more fluff for them?

The characters were pretty much unlovable unfortunately

If you want to include bulemia and bodyshaming in your book, you should make sure that you touch that topic with some sensitivity and not just throw it in there as a plot device (for the bully btw 🥴) that was handled like shit. Better keep it out then

⭐⭐

[booasaur]

Something really amazing happened in France, and I think it'd help us in the US to learn about it. Forgive the long read, but I think this is genuinely great both because of what happened and how.

So as some of you might have seen, in a decision historians will debate for years (mostly to figure out just WTF he was thinking, even though he is alive right now and can be asked), the French president, Emmanuel Macron, currently in power and THREE YEARS before the scheduled election, seeing the far right rise in popularity decided to dissolve the assembly and hold snap elections.

577 seats were up for grabs. Remember that number. Since half of that is 288.5, 289 seats are needed for a majority.

The first round happened last week and boy, was it bad. The far right made HUGE gains. It won or was in first place in so many races. And Macron's party ended up third!

Overall, this is how things ended up after the first round:

Far right bloc: 33%

Left bloc: 28%

Macron's centrist party: 20%

Conservatives: 7%

The way the French system works is that if a candidate gets over 50% of the vote, they win outright, and some of the far right did manage that. But, many races went to a runoff.

Immediate projections after were that the far right bloc might win anywhere from 240 to 310 seats, a catastrophe.

A shameful swing to the far right leading to the first time they'll be in power since the 1940s? Yes, but maybe not??

This is where things get interesting.

Unusually, a lot of these runoffs are 3-way, instead of a simpler 2-way choice. And in pretty much every case, that helps the far right.

So on June 30th, the night of the first round, this is how things went down:

Immediately, the left parties put out the call: anywhere they were third, they withdrew and their voters would go over to whoever was running against the far right candidate. Their goal: form a "republican front" to block the far right. The far right cannot get 289 seats.

Macron's bloc was not so...motivated. Different people put out different instructions: in some places, if they were third, they should drop out, but only to help the center left, not far left, in other places, see how far you are, only then drop out, that kind of thing.

The conservative party simply said they won't drop out and won't give their voters instruction either way in races they're not involved in.

Late night developments:

More people in Macron's party are now beginning to realize the situation and starting to coalesce around whichever candidate can beat the far right one. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, from Macron's party, says clearly the priority is to block the far right. BUT, some Macron spokespeople on TV say they'll form a coalition only with the center left and conservatives, splitting the left bloc if needed. Some individual Macronists still saying they won't drop out, even if there's no hope of winning.

Lol.

So, now July 1st:

Only half so far. In one race, where the sister of Marine Le Pen (the far right leader and the face of their movement) was leading, the third place Macronist refused to bow out.

Excellent quote from another Macronist:

Perhaps realizing the same thing, that Macronist in the race against the Le Pen sister now drops out.

In some places, third place Macronists are dropping out DESPITE Macron bewilderingly telling them NOT to?

Halfway through the day:

Of the 311 3-way or 4-way runoffs, the number is down to 135 because of these candidates dropping out: 121 Left, 56 Macronists, 1 conservative.

Oh, there was this, in case people had any doubts about how terrible the far right are:

And to show the selflessness of the left:

July 2:

The deadline to decide if they want to stay in a runoff is today.

A dozen new third place Macronists who said they'd stay in have now dropped out. One got a call from both the PM Attal AND Macron to drop out, signalling the dawning understanding of the importance of this moment.

Even some conservative party members are now backing the left candidate who faces the far right.

A Macronist who had 30.55% of the vote in the first round and came in third to the far right's 33.11% and left's 32.73% and who would have been tempted to stay has dropped out.

The deadline to stay in or not has now passed.

Look at these far right shenanigans!

Macron still being a freaking loser:

July 3rd:

In the end, of the 311 3- or 4-way run offs, only 91 left. Some polls come out that have the far right getting between 190 to 220 seats.

July 4th:

New polls say the balance of the voting itself isn't transferring between the left and center and predictions have risen for the far right, now predicted to get between 210 and 250 seats.

July 5th:

New polls again, left voters now predicted to do better transferring vote to the centrists, decreasing the far right projections again.

However, scandalous reporting emerges: while Attal was trying to fend off the far right, Macron was not only NOT taking the far right seriously, he was undermining efforts to defeat them. His team shrugged off the first round results and celebrated a BIRTHDAY as the results were still coming in?

July 6th:

A few runoffs happened yesterday, nothing much unexpected, some left and center wins.

July 7th:

The day of reckoning. At this point, the expectations are that the far right won't come close to that 289 number but could still easily have the most seats.

GUYS.

It's over and the left are in the lead!

A LOT of cases where a leftist or centrist was 2nd in the first round and now won.

Amazing:

SO many lessons to take from this.

First, you have to vote! You have to. You can't do anything without voting. The freaking French, who'll protest for anything, are showing up to vote. If you're trying to achieve any kind of result and it's not going to happen by January 2025, you have to vote now.

But just as importantly, the left and center (and even conservative) parties made very key decisions. They were all lucky that Attal, who Macron chose, saw the big picture, bigger than indeed Macron could. A stupid selfish centrist leader could have still ruined everything if it were up to him.

TL;DR: After a disastrous first round in the national French elections where the far right was on the cusp of taking power, the left and center formed a strong coalition and through the power of voting and unity, overcame the far right AND their selfish centrist president to win.

[comfortlesshurt]

i cannot stick with a title to save my life, but progress update on the two bigger rough drafts i've got going on (also venting in the tags!)

[cemeterysgirl]

gonna be on later in the dayyyy 𓆩♡𓆪

[newlacesleeves]

okay i lied chapter 12 might be my favorite

[aces-and-angels]

video taken from shahed's instagram follow: @shahednhall verification source (no. 224 on el-shab-hussein/nabulsi's list)

"I like to photograph everything. I like to collect special shots because the memory is not repeated. I like to make it in my memory and the memory of everyone. I did not like to share the destruction. I did not like to share the life that has become black and white despite this reality, but my message is to show the beauty of my family and how much they deserve life. I do not want them to appear in a picture they do not like and do not want anyone wish for it. The lens of my camera will continue to transmit the most beautiful shots. Get up, fight for me, a new danger that presses

I hope you save my life before it's too late.🙏💔"

- shahed (please read & share full post here)

no one should have to showcase their suffering for others to care. sadly, people only seem to mobilize after something truly horrific happens. i am begging you all not to wait for the next tragedy. there is no pause button, no reprieve, no escape from the suffering these families face on a daily basis. they all need your help now.

if you don't know her already, shahed is a 21 year old who used to be a student at al-azhar university before the genocide began. with both her parents having taken ill, she is the sole provider for her family right now, including her five siblings, youngest of whom is just a baby.

shahed is currently trying to put together an evacuation fund for her younger sisters (who have hepatitis and are severely ill.) they were recently removed from the clinic where they were getting treated due to overcrowding/because there were more pressing cases to be attended to, likely because of the massacres that took place days ago and are still happening today.

there is no room left for people's complacency-- it's okay if you're unable to donate right now-- what's not okay is assuming others will pick up your slack. just because your dash is full of 🍉content doesn't mean that's the case for others. you taking a second out of your day to spread shahed's campaign brings her that much closer to her goal. please do whatever you can to help her out.

SHAHED NEEDS TO REACH $40K USD BY THE END OF THE JULY IN ORDER TO GET HER FAMILY TO SAFETY

current stats: $34,137 raised

---

tagging for reach (sorry yall- if you wish to be removed from this list, please let me know, no hard feelings🖤)

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