July was the month of sunburns, white wine, and day trips. We officially entered the second half of the year, and I’m startled by how quickly things are beginning to move.

Pages Turned

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Absolutely incredible! This is a book that is going to stick with me for a long time – it was informative, provocative, and at times, devastating. The book follows Frankie McGrath through her two tours in Vietnam as a combat nurse before returning home to a world she no longer fits in. Her military family doesn’t acknowledge her service, the VA ignores her PTSD, and time and time again she is told there were no women in Vietnam; she needs to move on and forget. The problem is, she can’t. I loved this book. Women are often overlooked in history, and reading an example of that in such recent history was eye-opening. I highly recommend this book, specifically the audiobook, which was fantastic.

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

My very first dark romance (shout out to Bailey for the rec). This one follows Aly, a trauma nurse, and Josh, a masked social media creator. Her online obsession turns very real when a drunken dare leads to stalking, banter, and a shared fight against an outside threat. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t love this book. The romance was so-so, and I had to continuously remind myself that her insane decisions to trust her stalker were all in the spirit of the book, and not a decision I had to talk down a real-life friend from making. The part of the book I really enjoyed, funny enough, was the murder plot that involved the mob in the second half of the book. I wish the author had put more of that in and less of their just okay romance.

On the Nightstand

I am currently reading Summer by Edith Wharton. This is truly the perfect summer read in my opinion – a coming-of-age story at just 160 pages. The book follows Charity Royall, a 17-year-old living in rural Massachusetts, who embarks on her first love affair, offering her the chance to break free from her isolated town. Edith Wharton is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite authors, and like the rest of her works I have read, this one is captivating me. Wharton perfectly captures the feelings of being 17, itching to break free, and the intense emotions of a first love. Compared to The Beautiful Summer, which I wrote about last month, this book is miles better. I can’t wait to keep going and see what happens to Charity.

Not a Book, But –

This month I saw The Phantom of the Opera for the first time on stage at the Pantages in Hollywood. It is my friend Daria’s favorite play, and she invited me to come along with her while it was touring near us. I haven’t seen any Phantom media before (I did know the general story; I’m not living under a rock), but the performance seriously blew me away. The opening when the chandelier is revealed was a religious experience, and the music gave me chills. I can’t believe I went this long without seeing the play, and I am so grateful that Daria included me in this experience! If you need me, I’ll be singing in the sewers.

A Quote I’ve Been Sitting With

One of the parts I really loved about The Women was the female friendships. Frankie made amazing friends during her tours, and they were integral to her survival when she returned – supportive, understanding, and loyal. This month started my goodbye tour of LA, and my friends have been a big part of that. I have been prioritizing quality time with my people and reflecting a lot on how much has changed since I first moved to LA five years ago. I am so incredibly grateful for my friends here, and I’m going to miss our routine. It is making saying goodbye extremely difficult, but I know I couldn’t make this change without the support they have given me as I’ve grown into myself over the years.

See you next month!

Xx,

Liv

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June gloom was my ever-present companion this month. I wanted happy hour outside, but Los Angeles gave me cloudy and gray. What’s a girl to do?

Pages Turned

The Shippers by Katherine Center

My very first Book of the Month pick! I ended up getting this as an audiobook, and it was the best companion on my drive home to the Bay this month. The book follows JoJo Burton as she decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all during her sister’s cruise ship wedding, roping in her childhood bestie, Cooper, as they team up, fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, get jealous, and answer long-held questions. I loved the characters in this book so much, and by the end, I had tears welling in my eyes as I drove down I-99 to Los Angeles. This is the perfect sweet, summer romance to get you through the upcoming heat waves! I also need to mention how FUNNY this book was. I was laughing out loud in some parts and swooning in others. I seriously can’t recommend it enough.

The Beautiful Summer by Cesare Pavese

Not all books are going to be winners, and I was severely disappointed in this one. The novel follows Ginina, a 16-year-old girl, during a 1930s Italian summer. She’s desperate for adventure and soon finds herself wrapped up in the dazzling world of bohemian artists and entrenched in a doomed love affair. For me, a coming-of-age novel about a girl experiencing love for the first time is usually an immediate high ranking for me, but this one didn’t deliver. I’m going to chalk it up to the simple fact that this man has absolutely no idea what it’s like to be a teenage girl and all the complex emotions that come with it. Instead, I found myself reading a choppy story with half-baked characters and a main character that simply would never exist in real life.

On the Nightstand

I am currently reading To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. The novel surrounds the Ramsay family’s summer holidays on the Isle of Skye, exploring family dynamics, the passage of time, and the search for meaning. This is definitely a heavier book than I would normally gravitate towards in the summer, but Virginia Woolf has a way with words I can’t resist. I’ve only just begun the book, but I am extremely intrigued by the way she has thrown away the traditional plot for a more poetic exploration of the characters. I have a feeling this book is going to tear me open and leave me raw for days, so stay tuned for my review on Goodreads!

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Not a Book, But –

I finished watching the BBC adaptation of The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow and consider me obsessed! That was truly one of the best page-to-screen adaptations I have seen in a long time, and I will be rewatching it over and over again for the rest of the year. The casting was absolutely impeccable – Ella Bruccoleri as Mary and Dónal Finn as Mr. Hayward should both be winning awards for their performances. It was also so beautifully shot and well-written that I think every single crew member deserves a raise. This is your warning that it is going to be my whole personality moving forward.

A Quote I’ve Been Sitting With

The central theme of The Other Bennet Sister is learning to shine in your own unique way and finding the people who appreciate you for those qualities. Mary is surrounded by talented, beautiful, charming sisters who make her feel less than, but on her own, Mary is smart, empathetic, and honest. Mrs. Hill says this quote to Mary during a moment where she feels like she will never be a woman who can compare to her sisters, but Mrs. Hill already sees the qualities in Mary that make her special. With social media, the ozempidemic, and increasingly unrealistic beauty standards, I’ve often felt like I can never compare. Yet that doesn’t mean I’m not beautiful and special in my own way. I might not be a daffodil, but I would be proud to be considered a lily alongside Mary.

See you next month!

Xx,

Liv

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May has been the perfect appetizer for summer. I packed away my sweaters and broke out my sandals. We are staying out later, spending more time outside, and feeling the urge to be fun and flirty.

Pages Turned

Exit Lane by Erika Veurink

I bought this book at the L.A. Times Festival of Books last month, and it was the perfect little romance to get me in the mood for summer reading. The book follows two people over the course of about 10 years of chance encounters, fighting off their obvious feelings for each other (imagine When Harry Met Sally). I love a shorter book in the summer months, and at barely 200 pages, this book packed a punch. The yearning was so real, and I was screaming every time they decided to ignore their obvious attraction to each other. I have been loving a good slow-burn romance recently, and Erika delivered! My only qualm: when they finally got together, the book wrapped up too fast. I wanted them to work for it a little more, especially since it took so long to get there in the first place!

Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen’s Unsung Characters

For all my girlies out there who love Jane Austen, you have to read this! The book is an anthology of short stories, each an imaginative reboot of the lives of Jane Austen’s minor characters. Usually, with anthologies, I never like all the stories, which puts a damper on the book as a whole. That was not the case here! I genuinely loved each one! My favorites were “Lace and Larceny,” which reimagines Caroline Bingley as a white-passing black woman from New Orleans traveling through the Wild West, and “Sense, Sensibility, and Snapdragons,” starring Margaret Dashwood as she finds true love. I had so much fun reading this and could not recommend it more!

On the Nightstand

I have been listening to the audiobook for Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki ahead of my Boston move (my bestie said she wouldn’t let me into the state of Massachusetts until I read this, and she was right). The book is a biographical fiction about Margaret Fuller, who was an important member of the Transcendentalist movement with Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, and even inspired Louisa May Alcott’s work. I knew absolutely nothing about her before this, and now she is up there as one of my favorite women in history. She had such an impressive life, I find it criminal that she isn’t mentioned alongside her male counterparts more often.

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Not a Book, But –

I went to the Ren Faire earlier this month and got whimsical! This was only my second time going, and it is such a fun experience; I understand why people are so hyped about it. While I was there, I bought a bunch of loose-leaf tea and a special cold brew jar to make iced tea, which is definitely going to be my hyper fixation this summer during these Los Angeles heat waves.

A Quote I’ve Been Sitting With

I’ve been thinking about this quote a lot, especially as I am listening to my book about Margaret Fuller. I don’t need to tell you all that being a woman is truly one trial after the next. We have to scream from the rooftops to be heard, and still won’t be taken seriously. Not to mention, with the current state of the country, we are fighting each and every day for the rights to our bodies, minds, and well-being in the face of a society that deems us lesser than. That isn’t living, it’s surviving. Life is never going to give us permission, and I hope you all do it anyway, and remember to celebrate even the smallest of wins.

See you next month!

Xx,

Liv

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April swept in, and it’s finally starting to feel like spring! I’ve been buying tulips every week to decorate my living room and commemorate the sun setting after 7pm. Slow mornings, a lot of tea, and a reading pace that feels right for this time of year.

Pages Turned

Heart the Lover by Lily King

This book was HEARTBREAKING!! I was not ready to be so in my feels at 11am on a Tuesday, but I am so glad I finally got around to this one. The story was beautifully written and truly made me believe in love. I highly recommend going into this blind if you can. I did not read the synopsis of the book and instead trusted my friend’s recommendation, which I think made the book so much better since I had zero expectations. It’s also a quick read, so perfect to bring along for any vacations you have planned!

D.C. Stars Series by Chelsea Curto

One of the hockey romance series that has been eluding me until now. The first and third books were fine, but Power Play and Hat Trick had me locked in. Instant book boyfriend statuses for both, and you all know I love forced proximity!! I also loved how the author includes an evil man as a side character in each book, who gets what he has coming for him every time. She doesn’t hold back on how men really treat women, and I appreciated being able to enact vengeance through the FMC.

On the Nightstand

I have finally started Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen’s Unsung Characters, which includes eight short stories from various authors reimagining the minor characters from Austen’s novels. So far, I have read a fabulous story about Miss Bates from Emma, and have started a story about the Bennets, which has been so fun in conjunction with watching The Other Bennet Sister on BritBox.

Not a Book, But —

It’s two things, I can’t help myself. First off, I have been playing Untouched by The Veronicas on repeat after seeing a Pride & Prejudice edit on TikTok (check it out here) using the song. I feel like it’s prepping me for summer.

Next, I have been watching The Man in the High Castle on Netflix and have become totally addicted. It’s a period drama, but it operates under the impression of what the US would be like if Germany and Japan had won WW2. I’m on Season 3 now and cannot wait to see what plot twists come for me next.

A Quote I’ve Been Sitting With

This quote has been haunting me, truly a dagger to the heart once you read the book and understand the context. While the quote is from the perspective of a lover, I have been thinking about it mostly in terms of regret. With summer approaching, I always feel the need to seize the day, every day (and that’s exhausting), always leading me to regret not doing “enough” by the time September rolls around. But what this quote has made me realize is that this summer I want to truly be present in every moment. It doesn’t matter if I go out every day or have a music video-worthy summer. I want to look back and realize that in every moment I was there, I felt all the feelings, saw all the things, and experienced everything the moment had to offer. That is what makes a great summer to me.

See you next month!

Xx,

Liv

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