Apolgies for this delayed wrap up. In my head, I was convinced I already posted it. May literally has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It seems like this year, in general, has just flown. It turns out, May was an incredibly busy month for me with a lot of ongoing projects taking flight at work and making the most of any breaks in between. Therefore, my blogging activity took a hit, but I’m not worrying about that so much. Life is too short to stress about these things. Nevertheless, here is what I got up to in May.

On the Blog
Ones to Watch: May Book Release 2021
TV Talk: Reasons to Watch Shadow and Bone
May Highlights
Life: May went by in a blur. It felt like I was so busy at work that I don’t know what else I can say. We launched a Welsh Libraries collaborative podcast, Byw Llyfrau, where I was lucky to have the chance to create the graphics and contribute to interviews with Welsh authors about their work. Then, I had another interview lined up for the end of the month. Watch this space for the video distribution. So, work kept me busy. However, life also treated me to some fond memories. After over a year I finally got the chance to reunite with one of my closest friends and take a couple of days off in between. So yes, May feels like it’s come and gone in the blink of an eye.
Music: Of course, the May monthly musical highlight had to be Eurovision. It’s a tradition in our household to watch this song contest every year. Now, we already know that the UK is notorious for its bad production and even worse songs. It’s not surprising that we left the contest with exactly 0 points. Some highlights were Ukraine and Finland, but of course, with one good act, there are plenty of duds but still entertaining.

Books: *whispers* I think I’m slowly coming out of my slump. At work, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to interview a local author whose debut novel, Voyeur, is set to be released in June. I had the chance to read an ARC of the book, and it was the slow burn kind of addictive book that you can sink your teeth into. Following that, I felt like I was reminded of how fun reading could be and went to my stack and proceeded to internally debate which one to read next.
TV/Film: Not much to report on this front. I watched a couple of movies last month. The standout being, Grand Budapest Hotel. I’d previously seen bits of the film, but not in its entirety. On the TV front, I FINALLY caught up with La Casa de Papel. When people told me that part 3/4 raised the stakes even higher, I didn’t believe them. I now realise how wrong I was to doubt them.
Favourite Posts in May
I may onot have been as active on the blog, but there’s still a lot of brilliant content to be found in the community. Here are some highlights.
- The Orangutan Librarian talks about the restorative power of reading.
- Poorwa @ Poorwa’s Blog shares her blogging story
- Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books shares her experience in self-hosting.
- Kal @ Reader Voracious looks at how video games help calm anxiety during book slumps.
- Hannah @ Hannah’s Bookshelf shares some mythology re-telling recommendations.
- Kat @ Novels and Waffles shares 57 YA books about food.
- Em @ Em’s Bookish Musings discusses the importance of advocacy beyond media, a post I recommend everyone read.
- Kate @ Your Tita Kate looks at the weird Anti-Asian Racism in Shadow and Bone
- Sumedha @ The Wordy Habitat posted this wonderful review on You’ve Reached Sam.
- Nick @ The Infinite Limits of Love created this brilliant bookish fashion show.
- Kat @ Life and Other Disasters shares some underrated books with less that 5000 ratimgs on Goodreads
June Plans

June has been a fun month so far. I started with a week off where I intentionally left my work laptop at work so I could use that week to recharge my batteries. Of course, with the Euro’s starting, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Welsh team, despite not being a football fan in the slightest. I’ve got some additional plans and meet ups to look forward to towards the end of the month, but beyond that it’s just about seeing where the road takes me.
I’m so excited about your podcast life now!!! I wish I understood anything Welsh at all ahaha but the graphics look awesome and the intro music was fun and i’m sure you did such a fantastic job!
I’m glad you’re getting back into reading more again. I hope that once I’m done with Anna Karenina (currently at 83%), I’ll also get some more books in this month!
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Thank you. I’m really proud of how the cover turned out for the podcast. I felt like it pops without being overwhelming haha. It’s actually been quiet on the podcasting front at the moment cause we’re waiting for confirmations from more authors, but it’s been a fun experience, and I’m excited to see it grow, and maybe add in an occasional English language episode one along the way.
Backman strikes gold again. He really knows how to get me in the flow of reading haha. I’m still impressed that you managed to power your way through Anna Karenina haha.
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You should be proud! It looks great 🙂
AND LET ME KNOW ABOUT THOSE ENGLISH EPS!!!
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haha, i’m actually a pretty big fan of football and i’ve been enjoying watching the euro cup so far. this weekend was full of good games, though i have to admit to still be a bit shaken after that denmark game (one of the players had a cardiac arrest mid-game and it was super scary). i don’t know if you’ve watched the first episode of loki yet, but i did and i really liked it! i’m already anticipating the 2nd one coming out this 16th.
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I’ve been really getting into the Euros. It’s all I’ve been watching. My heart was in my throat when I saw Eriksen go down. It was so unsettling. I’m just glad that he’s on the mend now. It’s funny because I’ve been so consumed by football, I’ve not yet watched Loki. I’m hoping I can get to the first two episodes this week.
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hahah, i completely get that! i hope you do enjoy this start of loki, i certainly did!
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I’m glad you’re slowly coming out of your slump! I hope that continues.
I haven’t really been watching much but a couple of movies. My husband watched all the seasons of Narcos, so I guess I kind of watched those a bit. I am watching Ozark with him now, though.
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How are you finding Ozark? It’s on my watchlist, but I feel like I have to be in the right mood for it.
Admittedly, all I’ve been watching recently is the football, a statement I never thought I’d say haha.
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It’s intense! We both like it, though. I would say you have to be in the mood for something darker.
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It sounds like you had quite an eventful month with plenty of positive things too! I heard great things about La Case de Papel but never made time for it (I’m more of a movie guy these past few years anyways hahah). I hope June has been treating you kindly though! Stay safe! 😀
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When you get the chance, I would urge you to watch La Casa. It’s so tense, but so calculated and the performances are incredible.
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