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Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

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[Wrap-Up] May 2018

June 1, 2018      Erica Robyn      22 Comments

Wrap-Up for May 2018

This month was a bit of a crazy one. I was just so darn busy… I really wore myself out. I have so much on my plate right now, none of which I can offload. But luckily, I was able to keep myself out of burnout levels. I know I say this a lot, but I really need to get better at planning true days off where I can just sit and relax. 

In other news, Alex and I made a lot of progress with wedding stuff, so that was refreshing! If we could have a couple more days where we are as productive as we were one Saturday this month, I’ll be feeling better about wedding-related tasks. 

Work is still going well! A few hiccups here and there, but I feel like I’m starting to really settle into the position. 

Now, let’s dive in to my monthly wrap-up!

My Reading Breakdown for May:

  • 5 Stars- 4
    • I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
    • The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
    • The Summer the World Ended by Matthew S. Cox
    • Voltron Legendary Defender Vol. 2: Pilgrimage
  • 4 Stars- 5
    • The Case of the Stinky Stench by Josh Funk, Illustrated by Brendan Kearney
    • The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, Illustrated by Oliver Jeffer
    • The Eldritch Heart by Matthew S. Cox
    • Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk, Illustrated by Brendan Kearney
    • Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero’s Journey
  • 3 Stars- 0
  • 2 Stars- 0
  • 1 Star- 1
    • Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
  • DNF- 0

Monthly Musings:
  • Watching: 
      • Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996 Documentary)
        • This was really hard to watch. It was very graphic, there were a lot of intense interviews with the families, and some of the close-mindedness really got my blood-boiling. And what a terribly sad story. This film will make you want to scream at the screen, “WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?!”
      • Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000 Documentary)
        • This one was just as hard to watch as the first… my goodness! One person that makes an appearance very frequently makes me so uncomfortable. Alex and I are hoping to watch the next movie soon, we’re so invested in the case now. 
      • Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011 Documentary)
        • WOW! We were blown away by this one!!
      • Deadpool 2 (2018 Film)
        • Absolute perfection. 5/5
    • Playing: 
      • I’m still horribly addicted to Marvel Strike Force.
      • My time with Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery was short-lived. I’ve deleted it from my phone already. The energy issue just got too bothersome and the fact that the story isn’t consistent AT ALL was too annoying. The storyline was so slow, and there just wasn’t enough going on with the side stories to keep me interested. 
    • Drinking:
      • Alex and I decided to try the Angry Orchard Rosรฉ. It wasn’t for us. Neither of us took more than a couple of sips. 
    • Listening to:
      • I had heard a few songs by I Prevail before, but this month I heard a song that I absolutely adored. I told Alex the only way to listen to it was in the car, with the volume up high. He also enjoyed it! I was so in love with this one song that I purchased the full album that it was on. It was a great purchase; I love it! Here’s the song that got me hooked (but make sure you’re listening with a speaker with good bass!):
      • On our drive up to Portland for a friends graduation, we stumbled across a show on Liquid Metal all about the Misfits… It was AMAZING. Alex doesn’t totally love punk or metal, but he put up with it for me ๐Ÿ™‚

    • In the bookish community: 
      • The Art of Racing in the Rain is going to be a movie! Check out this article from BookBub that covers what we know so far. Milo Ventimiglia? I’m sold!
      • Jo Lindell put together a post of Must-Read Children’s Books, featuring my post about Dragons Love Tacos! 
      • AJ Sterkel of Read All The Things! participated in The Sunshine Blogger Award. 
      • JJ of This Dark Material linked out to two of my posts in her Sunday Post (thank you again!). 
    • Looking forward to: 
      • The Heart Walk- Alex and I are both participating in this through my work. I can’t wait to see the turnout and introduce Alex to some of my friends at work!
      • My bridal shower! Woot! I didn’t want one of these celebrations at first, as Alex and I don’t have the space for more things in our current townhouse (which is why we set up a “Newly Wed Cash Fund” to put toward a house). But I’m glad my family talked me into it. My mom and Alyssa (one of my bridesmaids) are planning it together. It’s going to be so fun!
      • For one of my book clubs, we’re going to read AND watch Room! I’ve already read the book and seen the movie, but I can’t wait to experience it with my group! 
    • Monthly bookish related haul:
      • I’m not sure if this will be a permanent feature here or not, as I’m not huge with bookish hauls… But I just had to share these goodies!
      • The owner of our company gave EVERYONE a gratitude journal! I’ve made an entry every day so far. What a lovely idea! This reminds me of my Good Things Jar that I did a few years ago. 

      • Over the course of the month, I also snagged a couple of albums, the latest Stephen King novel, and a delicious smelling candle!
        • Lastly, a tank top that I had ordered also came in. This is from LookHuman.


    In Case You Missed It
    • [Wrap-Up] April 2018
    • [Top 10 Tuesday] Books Iโ€™d Slay A Lion To Get Early
    • 2018 Summer Comment Challenge
    • Visiting Bookery in Manchester, New Hampshire
    • Free Comic Book Day 2018
    • Honest Review Requests Gone Wrong, Part 2
    • GDPR & Policy Updates
    • 3 June Book Releases I Canโ€™t Wait To Read
    • #BookBlogExpo Day 1: Introduction & Networking
    • #BookBlogExpo Day 2: Favorite Section in the Bookstore


    Thanks for reading!

    How was your month? Have any special plans for June? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!

    SaveSave

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Angela says

      June 1, 2018 at 3:44 am

      I participated in the Sunshine Blogger Award. It was really fun!

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:41 am

        Agreed, it's such a great tag!

        Reply
    2. Zoe O'Farrell says

      June 1, 2018 at 8:21 am

      I love this wrap up! Sounds like you have had a busy month! Glad to hear you are getting your wedding sorted!

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:41 am

        ๐Ÿ˜€

        Reply
    3. Amy says

      June 1, 2018 at 9:01 am

      Glad the wedding stuff is going well! Sorry you've been so crazy busy though ๐Ÿ™ I hope you get to relax a bit in June and just chill for a few days at least.

      Looks like you had a great reading month! Have a lovely June ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:41 am

        Thank you! ๐Ÿ™‚ Happy June to you!

        Reply
    4. Barb says

      June 1, 2018 at 12:46 pm

      Sounds like a great month and I love the Deadpool picture. But why didn't you pose like him ๐Ÿ™‚ I've never heard of that song before but it's pretty good. I have Amazon music so maybe I'll check the album over there. Glad to see you snagged The Outsider. I remember our wedding day and as lovely as it was, I was just glad to be married and be able to REST!

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:34 pm

        Ha!! ๐Ÿ™‚ So many people have asked me that!! I should have! I hope you enjoy the album!! And yes… I'm ready for a vacation, that's for sure!

        Reply
    5. AJ Sterkel says

      June 1, 2018 at 3:45 pm

      Hopefully June will be less crazy for you. Good luck with the wedding planning. Iโ€™m envious that you got The Outsider. I need that book in my life. Have a great June!

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:34 pm

        Fingers crossed!! And thank you so much. I hope you're able to get a copy soon!! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Jenny says

      June 1, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      Wow! Lots of 5 star books. I didnโ€™t have a single one in May. ๐Ÿ™ Good luck with all the wedding plans. I know how stressful it can be.

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:34 pm

        Ah bummer! I hope you have a bunch for June! ๐Ÿ™‚ And thank you!

        Reply
    7. Abby Miller says

      June 1, 2018 at 5:08 pm

      Looks like you had a really good May. Hope your June is a little more relaxed for you. Good luck with your wedding plans.

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:35 pm

        Thank you! <3

        Reply
    8. Shooting Stars Mag says

      June 1, 2018 at 7:02 pm

      I hope you have a great June and get lots more wedding stuff planned! I love finding new music – it's great. ๐Ÿ™‚ I have my youngest niece's birthday party in a week (she's 2) so that should be fun! Other than that, there are some events going on in my city in June and I'd like to hit up a couple of them. OH! My dance recital is next Thursday. LOL It should be fun. ๐Ÿ™‚

      -Lauren
      http://www.shootingstarsmag.net

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 1, 2018 at 10:35 pm

        Thank you! Oooh! You have a busy month!! Enjoy! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    9. Lauren Stoolfire says

      June 2, 2018 at 1:47 pm

      Yes, Deadpool 2 was outstanding!

      Looks like you had a pretty good month!

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 2, 2018 at 10:57 pm

        I can't wait to watch it again!!

        Reply
    10. Amber Elise says

      June 3, 2018 at 12:44 am

      I've always been curious about Angry Orchard Rose! What was your biggest problem with it?

      And I never got the hype about the HP game, it's pay-to-play right? I don't have that much patience. I barely play Sims Mobile.

      So happy that the wedding is coming along, and don't worry, it's going to happen to it'll be great not matter what!

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 3, 2018 at 1:14 am

        It hurt my jaw when I drank it. Like in the back, right under my ear… if that makes any sense haha! I'd love to hear what you think if you give one a try!! We still have the remainder of the 6 pack in our fridge. Maybe I'll give it another go!

        And yeah… there are pay options to make it go faster. I refuse to pay and have no patience to wait either. it was SO slow.

        Reply
    11. Gennifer Eccles says

      June 3, 2018 at 9:36 pm

      Seems like you had a great reading month with only one bad one! I absolutely loved Deadpool 2! I was very shocked by that death, but the after credits definitely rectified that. ๐Ÿ™‚ The whole X-force sequence was my favorite!

      Reply
      • Erica Hatch says

        June 4, 2018 at 10:32 am

        ๐Ÿ˜€ Oh my gosh, yes. The credits were perfect!

        Reply

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    Hello! Iโ€™m Erica, a Mainer living in New Hampshire who runs on hot tea, good books, and loud music. Join me as I seek out amazing horror tales and help support the indie horror community!
     

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