Since I generally do these monthly recaps to capture a snapshot of what my life currently happens to be like, I have to be honest and say that nothing much has changed. I'm still working from home, and only really go out for essentials. I played a lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the first half of the month, watched shows (I'm currently rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender, and getting into Black Clover), gotten some great new music on my radar (James Bay dropped one new song and shared two more during a recent live show he did on YouTube; Taylor Swift surprise dropped a whole new album) and hung out virtually with family and friends.

The one thing that changed this month? I feel like I got back to my normal reading groove! By the end of today, I'll have read 13 books this month. I fell in love with Daughter of Smoke and Bone all over again during my reread. I also finally read The Eye of the World, which is an incredible series starter and I'm ready to read the rest of the Wheel of Time series. I was pleasantly surprised by three 2020 releases: A Song Below Water, Dark and Deepest Red, Forest of Souls and Ever Cursed. And I was happy to continue reading the Keeper of Lost Cities series with Flashback, and to read more Guild Hunter books including Archangel's Blade.

• Series Review: The Illuminae Files
• My 2020 Reading Journal | Mid-Year Update
• Friends with ARCs: Paris is Always a Good Idea + Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Teashop
• Adventures in Anime #5: Sailor Moon, Part 1
• Adventures in Anime #5: Sailor Moon, Part 2
• Abbreviations #107: Beach Read, Eighty Days to Elsewhere + The Roommate

If you want to see Macky & I talking about books you should definitely check out our YouTube channel.

Here are all the videos that went up in July:

• July 2020 TBR
• Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, 2020 Edition
• Cold Snap | BlueRoom Projects Presents
• What We Read S04E01
• May 2020 Book Haul
• June 2020 Book Haul

Beach Read has an excellent premise: romance author January Andrews and literary fiction author Augustus Everett are beach house neighbors for the summer and, upon discovering that they are both in writing ruts, they make a deal to write in each other's genres and see who gets published first. Sounds right out of a rom-com, right? The novel certainly delivers on the promise of a lovely romance, providing readers with many a scene that will make you laugh, swoon and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But that's not all Beach Read has to offer, as the author effectively manages to make her portrayal of January and Gus feel so real and honest. Emily Henry certainly didn't shy away from peeling back all the layers of these characters, showing us all the beautiful and broken parts of themselves. All these elements - the characters, their relationship, the story - came together so beautifully, and I flew through the pages of this novel. Beach Read is, without a doubt, one of my favorite 2020 reads and I can highly recommend adding it to your TBR!

Beach Read | Pub Info: May 19, 2020 by Berkley. Buy the book!
I downloaded an e-galley for review from the publisher via NetGalley.

When I heard the full premise of Eighty Days to Elsewhere (Ramona "Romy" Keene needs a job to save her family's bookstore, and embarks on an audition journey for Ex Libris Expeditions mirroring the one Phineas Fogg takes in Around the World in Eighty Days as best she can), I was even more excited to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, the concept of this story ended up being stronger than the actual execution. There was too much going on in this story, and it felt underdeveloped. I was particularly bothered by the parts that invited the main character to check her privilege because, though it was a good thing to see her challenged, the way it was done cheapened the included situations. I also didn't feel comfortable with how many of the travel challenges were handled (and yes, I know this is fiction, but having known people who have experienced similar difficulties, I just wasn't into it). To top it all off, I never really clicked with the main character either. While I did find some of the travel adventure bits interesting, overall, Eighty Days to Elsewhere was really a disappointing read.

Eighty Days to Elsewhere | Pub Info: August 11, 2020 by Berkley. Buy the book!
I downloaded an e-galley for review from the publisher via NetGalley.

In search of a contemporary romance read to escape into for a while? Allow me to tell you about the book that provided one of the most delightful reading experiences I've had in 2020: The Roommate. (Obviously, if you happen to be into the "and then they were roommates" romance trope, it is very much a given that this will tickle your particular fancy.) Clara Wheaton moves cross-country at the invitation of her childhood crush, only for him to leave her sharing a lease with a charming, handsome stranger named Josh who has made a name for himself as a porn star. Insert likable characters, witty banter, comedic shenanigans, heartfelt emotions, thoughtful commentary and the typical rom-com miscommunications, and the end result is this joy of a book! It had me laughing so hard I cried, text yelling at my friend DJ at just about every scene and deeply invested in this romance. Rosie Danan did such a great job bringing Clara, Josh and their love story to life in a way that entertained me from start to end. The Roommate was so much fun, dang it, and that's definitely something I know a lot of other readers will appreciate too. It's one of my favorite romance reads for 2020 and I'd recommend adding it to your TBR!

The Roommate | Pub Info: September 15, 2020 by Berkley. Buy the book!

I downloaded an e-galley for review from the publisher via NetGalley.

It's time for more Adventures in Anime! My best friend Rachel & I team up for this collaboration where we pick out an anime, watch it together and then answer a series of questions about it for the blog. Since we've been alternating between anime shows that are new-to-us and shows we've seen before, we decided on a whim to embark on our most ambitious adventure yet - a rewatch of the entirety of Sailor Moon, including the films! I'd like to note that we watched the original anime, though I'm definitely planning on watching Sailor Moon Crystal as well.

Since this is the longest series we've committed to watching for this collab (5 seasons and 3 films, to be exact), it seemed only right to split up our thoughts into two posts. On Monday, we both shared our thoughts on each season and film. Today, we're sharing our series favorites!

Favorite episode per season? Please note that the episode numbers refer to the episode's number overall, and not specific to the season it's tied to.

• Episode #45-46 (Season 1) - I couldn't pick between the last two episodes, so I'm giving myself permission to pick both. It was emotional and satisfying to see the culmination of the journey Usagi and her friends had been on since their abilities were awakened.
• Episode #88 (Season 2) - This is the second series finale that I'm including as a favorite! I really liked how everything wrapped up for this particular plot with Wiseman and Black Lady. And much like the previous series finale, I got very emotional about how it all ended!
• Episode #125 (Season 3) - This is the third and last series finale that I'm going to be including on my list of favorite episodes, and I had to because it's also extremely well-done. I really love the way things wrap up for this season, particularly when it comes to the characters. (I've got to give a bonus shoutout to E106, which is the episode where you first see the transformation sequences for Uranus and Neptune!)
• Episode #151 (Season 4) - This, honestly, is the season I struggled with most when it came to picking a favorite episode because it was my least favorite season. But I did really enjoy this episode because it centers around Ami and has a music-related plot.
• Episode #172 (Season 5) - Before anything else, I have to mention that Episodes #167-171 deserve a shoutout for being a beautiful set-up for my favorite episode. This episode isn't the season finale, but it ends the initial six-episode arc of this season on an incredible note. I loved this entire arc in general, and will say with certainty it's my favorite of all of them. But I just thought the way it all came to an end was so well-done, and I definitely shed way more tears than I expected to watching this episode in particular!

Favorite quote(s)? I was surprised that I had more than one to pick from (at least based on my notes while we were doing our rewatch), so I'm going to share three. Mind you, this is obviously based on the translated subtitles!

• "The future is something you create yourself. If you give up, nothing will change. If you just believe in yourself, you can create any fate you want." - Sailor Mercury
• "If you love someone, you can find the courage to overcome anything." - Sailor Jupiter
• "People should go all out on the things they love." - Sailor Venus

photo source

It's time for more Adventures in Anime! My best friend Rachel & I team up for this collaboration where we pick out an anime, watch it together and then answer a series of questions about it for the blog. Since we've been alternating between anime shows that are new-to-us and shows we've seen before, we decided on a whim to embark on our most ambitious adventure yet - a rewatch of the entirety of Sailor Moon, including the films! I'd like to note that we watched the original anime, though I'm definitely planning on watching Sailor Moon Crystal as well.

Since this is the longest series we've committed to watching for this collab (5 seasons and 3 films, to be exact), it seemed only right to split up our thoughts into two posts. Today, we're sharing our thoughts on the series, including our thoughts per season and per film.

Sailor Moon is one of the earliest anime shows I can remember watching when I was still living in the Philippines. My viewing of the series wasn't straightforward (it was in bits and pieces depending on what I could catch because getting access to it back in the day wasn't very easy), but I watched a good chunk and it cemented my interest in stories about magical girls who work together to save the day. (Listen, I spent years waiting for a magical cat to find me and gift me an item that would allow me to call on my own powers, thank you very much). 

Sailor Moon follows Usagi Tsukino, a middle school student whose entire life changes when she discovers she has the ability to transform into Sailor Moon. As she learns how to use her abilities and comes into contact with the other Sailor Scouts, Usagi finds herself and her friends acting as Earth's primary defense against evil (particularly of the intergalactic variety). The series follows Usagi and company over the course of a few years, not only highlighting their battles against all their enemies but also their individual journeys and their friendships.

It was so much fun rewatching the entirety of the series (and doing it with one of my best friends)! I genuinely enjoyed getting to know Usagi and the Sailor Scouts all over again. I laughed a lot, I cried a lot and I may have occasionally swooned (though don't get me started on Mamoru because I have a lot of thoughts and most of them not positive). I was entertained, and still swept up in the magic of this concept and the adventures and struggles and triumphs of this group of young women. This is not to say that the series doesn't have its problematic elements, as there are definitely episode themes, lines and situations that really bothered me as an adult (and sure, it's partly a product of its time and partly the translation perhaps, but still though, those things were not good). I still had a great time revisiting the series though, and can certainly say that the good parts - the Sailor Scouts, the friendship, the strong moments of empowerment and empathy - still really worked for me.

Season 1, Sailor Moon | This is the season I've watched the most times, so I'm pretty familiar with the character reveals and series of events. But that didn't stop me from still really enjoying it! I loved the experience of meeting Usagi and the rest of the Inner Sailor Scouts all over again, though it was also fun to see all the pieces of the plot come together. I did find the villains even more underwhelming than I remembered, as they felt formulaic and underdeveloped (though the motive does make sense as a whole), and there were a few problematic themes tackled in some of the episodes. I definitely still got emotional at the end though!

Season 2, Sailor Moon R | I really dislike the first half of this second season. It took me a while to figure it out, but my problem with it lies in the fact that it felt like a lot of filler due to underwhelming villains and the low stakes. It just felt like a repeat of the first season (where the gang has to learn to work together and to unleash their abilities) by fighting the monster of the week. The second half of the season, which is marked by the arrival of Chibi-usa, was better, though I was still uncomfortable with the way they portrayed Chibi's relationship with Mamoru. The plot picked up, and I was definitely pleased with the finale for this season as well.

Sailor Moon R the Movie: The Promise of the Rose | While I do think that this film is better than the first arc of the actual season, it was simply okay. I did think they did a better job using elements from the series to make a cohesive story, but I was still pretty unimpressed with it overall.

Season 3, Sailor Moon S | I still love this season so dang much! It was really nice to have a lot of time just hanging out with the Sailor Scouts, and to see how they (as individuals, and in terms of their friendship) grew a lot stronger. I also thought that the main conflict was pretty compelling, especially because it was divvied up into a number of smaller parts and culminated in a very solid ending. Granted, I'll admit to being a little biased because this is also the season where the Outer Scouts become a bigger part of the storyline. I was living for seeing them interact with Usagi and company, and it was interesting to have the conflict between their goals be a big part of what pushes all these characters into growth by the end of the season.

Sailor Moon S the Movie | Unlike the first film, which drew a lot from the season prior to it, this felt like a standalone addition to the series. I really like that it focused primarily on Luna (who is a character I adore)! It was a short, sweet, and romantic little tale, and it ended up being very heartwarming.

Season 4, Sailor Moon Super S | This is a season that had a solid start, as I was immediately interested in the fantastical aspect of the lore centering around Pegasus. But my interest quickly burnt out, as I found myself quickly getting tired of the villains and their antics. It just fell back into the formulaic 'monster of the week' setup (and the way they conduct their business was so disturbing and made me very uncomfortable) that lasted all through the end. Worse yet, it didn't give Usagi and the others any semblance of the maturity they could have had after all they faced in the previous seasons. Even though it had its moments, this season was disappointing (especially after S).

Sailor Moon Super S the Movie | Much like the first film, I found this one underwhelming as well. The plot itself felt very much like a fairytale, so you'd think I would have enjoyed it more, but alas, that was not the case. The only thing that I really liked about this film? The appearances by the Outer Scouts (and yes, I'm well aware I am biased).

Season 5, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars | The first arc of this season is incredible and, to me, is the best arc in all of the Sailor Moon anime (including the films). The combination of excellent characterization, a compelling villain and a strong plot really had me going, and I was a total mess when that arc wrapped up (and for good reason, I assure you). The rest of the season was really fun too, especially with the presence of the Outer Scouts, the arrival of the Sailor Stars and the overall plot. I enjoyed so much about this season, and while it didn't quite end up becoming my overall favorite, it was definitely a solid season to end the anime series with!

SEASON RANKING (from favorite to least favorite):

Sailor Moon S | Sailor Moon Sailor Stars | Sailor Moon | Sailor Moon R | Sailor Moon Super S

FILM RANKING (from favorite to least favorite):

Sailor Moon S the Movie | Sailor Moon Super S the Movie | Sailor Moon R: The Promise of the Rose

Have you watched Sailor Moon?

It's been seven years since her mother died, and Chelsea Martin still has parts of her life on pause as she grapples with her grief. When her father announces he's getting remarried, it throws her for a loop and pokes at parts of her life and heart that she'd been avoiding. Chelsea impulsively decides to relive a post-college trip that she took before her mother fell ill in order to try to find that elusive something she feels is missing in her life. Chelsea begins to reconnect with herself as she revisits Ireland, Paris and Italy, and she just might find romance waiting for her with someone unexpected.

The premise of Paris is Always a Good Idea makes it sound like exactly the sort of romantic comedy film that I would watch in a heartbeat. I was optimistic going into it, and can happily report that I really liked it! McKinlay's writing is very readable, her characters were likable, the romance was adorable and the story was funny and heartfelt at turns. But there are two things that really stood out to me about this one. First, I really enjoyed being able to travel vicariously through this novel. McKinlay does such a good job giving readers a sense of the places visited in the book, even with the limited amount of page time each gets. And second, I really liked that this story was primarily about Chelsea coming to terms with her own personal struggles. It felt really honest to watch her struggle with grief and anger, and to see her revisit the past and make note of the parts of it that had and hadn't changed. I particularly loved the juxtaposition of who Chelsea was then and who she is now, as that's always a character journey I appreciate reading about when it's done well. To sum it all up, Paris is Always a Good Idea is great, and I'd recommend checking it out.

Paris is Always a Good Idea will be published on July 21, 2020. Preorder the book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions stated are my own.

What’s an unusual or unexpected trip activity you’ve experienced that challenged you personally? It's going to sound a little bit silly since many of you know how lucky I am to have traveled so much in the last decade. But back before I was more experienced with travel, I accompanied my grandmother and her friends to Japan. I had to navigate the Japan transit system without prior knowledge of it, as this was before the time of smartphones being the norm and the internet not being so easily accessible. It was definitely an adventure, especially for someone as shy and introverted as I am, but it definitely taught me that I can handle that stuff when I need to!

Vanessa Yu has always been able to read people's fortunes (good and bad) by seeing the dregs of their drinks. After she predicts a death in the future, Vanessa feels the responsibility and guilt of her ability weighing on her. When her aunt Evelyn extends an invitation to Paris for a visit so that she can teach Vanessa how to use her ability, she jumps at the chance. But while she's in the City of Lights, Vanessa might learn that it's not necessarily about finding control but instead discovering more about herself (and her family) and learning to accept it all.

I really, really enjoyed Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Teashop! Roselle Lim works her magic yet again as she incorporates food, family and a journey of self-discovery all into one tale. In her sophomore release, Lim really does an incredible job portraying Paris. She invites the reader to feel nostalgic or wistful for it by using an array of details. And, as proven in her first novel and cemented by this one, Lim also has a knack for incorporating food incredibly well into her narratives. Her descriptions lend to the feeling that you are experiencing the food right alongside the characters, and I was constantly hungry and craving all the dishes (especially the pastries, my goodness, the pastries) she wrote about. The story itself is also compelling to read. Lim does well juggling a variety of plot points that weave together Vanessa's personal growth, her relationships with her family, her aunt Evelyn's reasons for settling in Paris, and a budding romance for Vanessa. I really got swept up in the narrative fairly quickly and enjoyed it all, though I did find the ending to be a little rushed for my liking and perhaps a little too movie magical in its near perfect happy ending for all. Still, it was such a delight to read from start to finish! I would definitely recommend checking out Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Teashop when it comes out in August.