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Watched & Read, September

I frequently get asked what I'm reading or watching, so I've decided to try a new series where I round up all the novels and movies I watched per month. Since this is the first month I'm trying out this new series, I have some honorable mentions that are rolling over from the end of August that I'll share below as well.


*Where to listen: I use the Libby App all the time which is free to everyone who has a library card. I also pay for Spotify and if you do you get 15 hours of an audiobook per month, so basically two shorter books or a book and a half.

*Where to read: I thrift a lot of my books, use the library a ton, download checked out Libby books to my kindle, and occasionally treat myself to a crisp new book from a book store as well.

*Where to watch: most everything I watch can be found on Hulu, Disney+, Prime, MAX, or Netflix.



August roll overs:

Watch:

  • Raya and the Last Dragon - I have really been getting into watching animation movies again. I think the feel-good-ness of them mixed with the escapism has been fitting the perfect need I've been craving this year.

  • Never Been Kissed - believe it or not I had never seen this movie before now! It's a classic, so it has that feel-good vibe, and I do recommend it, but its not on my repeat watch list.

  • Ponyo - if you grew up watching Studio Ghibli you will love this. It's not only extremely cute, but also thought provoking and tugs at the heart strings. If you're reading this, thank you Steph, for recommending it!


Read:

  • Swan Song, by Elin Hilderbrand - I think this was her last book (for now at least) and it was the first of hers that I read! I am now hooked and reading all her other books lol

  • The Five Star Weekend, by Elin Hilderbrand - Loved this one, I recommend!

  • Just For Summer - I listened to this one and it was soooo good! I thought it was going to be cheesier than it was, and wasn't sure how much I'd like it, but I really enjoyed it. It has a romantic storyline for sure, but the different family dynamics they explore are a bit deeper than a normal beach read love story IMO. You'll be cheering along the way and rooting for the characters individually, but also as a couple.


September Faves

Watch:

  • The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - this is a semi rollover, semi September watch. I started this on a plane in July and finally finished it in September when I had access to the DVD to do so haha. I think if I hadn't watched the other Hunger Games movies I wouldn't really care for the film, but because I have seen the others I thought it was interesting as a back story. The main female lead also has an amazing voice, so her singing scenes were great.

  • Emily in Paris, season 4 - the non-serious feel good silliness I am SO invested in. I binged the new episodes and am happily awaiting the next.

  • Perfect Couple - Rich people murder mystery based on the Elin Hilderbrand book, which I hadn't yet read, but couldn't wait to watch. I had a feeling of how the series might go, but also was curious about "who did it" up until the end. The series wasn't ground breaking, but it was a good cast (I love the roles Meghann Fahy plays, so for that alone it's worth the watch!). The opening credits song and dance will be forever engrained in my head in the best way.

  • Diary of an Old Home - good HBO home series that explores older houses that have been preserved as they gain new life and minor renovations. I didn't watch every episode, just bounced arounds to watch the ones about the homes that interested me. Each episode is 15-20 min so they're great for just a mini watch! Good series if you're into home decor/design shows!

  • Fool Me Once - TW: guns are present in this series - I binged this over a couple of days, it was so good IMO! Intense mystery, but not really scary. 10/10 recommend if you want a phones-down type of show.

  • Abbott Elementary - I started this series when it first came out and I couldn't really get into it, but decided to try it again this month and am lovin it. Its a fun feel-good mockumentary style sitcom with short episodes thats great to have on while you cook dinner or curl up on the couch to unwind from the day. I still have many episodes to go, but am slowly falling in love with every character and their unique quarks, especially Principal Ava.

  • Started the series High Potential - I've only watched two episodes since they release one per week, but so far I like it! It's no new concept, but I'm likely still going to watch the full season.

  • Continuing to watch the new season of Only Murders In The Building!

  • Rewatches: Parent trap and Little Women

Read:

  • Wedding People, by Alison Espach - TW suicidal thoughts are present in the novel - I listened to this book on the Libby app and the narrator had a great delivery. I had no idea what this book was going to be about, I just saw someone recommend it so I tried it out and I loved it. The POV is from a woman who's marriage recently ended and feels incredibly lost and done with life. She finds herself in a hotel she had dreamed of going to with her husband (but never did). Besides her room, the hotel is booked out for a wedding and the relationships she makes with these "wedding people" end up not only saving her life, but also guiding others in the right direction.

  • The Island, by Elin Hilderbrand - This was a slower EH for me, but I still really enjoyed it and there were def some page turner moments. Interesting concepts about marriage and relationships (lots of love triangles) explored while a 4 women (a mom, two daughters, and an aunt) reside, reconnect, and heal together on a small island off of Nantucket.

  • The Secret Book of Flora Lea a novel, by Patti Callahan Henry - I listened to this book on the Libby app and LOVED it. It was so great that it motivated me to go on more walks just so I could listen to the story, it made me slow down with my night time routine to prolong listening, had me shut of TV to get back to the story, and I would just lay in bed listening as well. This book was unlike other stories I'd read in the past and the descriptive imagery was so captivating. It's told from the perspective of a sister, Hazel, but bounces between when she was young and now when she's older. Hazel and her younger sister, Flora, were evacuated to a home in the countryside to stay safe during the war. To comfort her younger sister during these horrific times, Hazel would make up stories centering around a magical place called Whisperwood. Years later that same story she told her younger sister, and to no one else, wound up in a printed novel at the bookshop where Hazel worked. The rest of the book takes you on the journey with Hazel as she pieces together clues to hopefully find her long lost sister.


Thats it for September! Check back next month for October and if you have any reccies please drop them in the comments (on the blog or on this ig post), thank you!


xx, Rose

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