THE ONE ABOUT AUGUST FAVORITES
Published on: September 01, 2023

 

Hello, lovelies! Summer has come and gone, school has started back up, and I’m doing the day job thing once more. To keep the spirit of the summer holidays alive, let’s dive into some of my favorite things from August!

I Read…

BRING ME YOUR MIDNIGHT by Rachel Griffin! I enjoyed THE NATURE OF WITCHES and WILD IS THE WITCH a lot, so I was super excited to get my hands on Griffin’s next novel!

If you’re familiar with Griffin’s work, you’ll know that she doesn’t write books crammed with action sequences; she writes magical stories that are quiet and immersive. Soft, angsty, lush, and romantic, Tana’s story is one about duty, destiny, desire, choices and consequences—and love. Yay!

Tana’s fate has always been set, follow the coven’s rules, practice only low magic, never touch a Moonflower and marry the mainland Governor’s son. Tana accepts her fate until she meets Wolfe. Darn it, I TOTALLY fell in love with him and the way he challenges Tana, making her question everything she thought she knew.

BRING ME YOUR MIDNIGHT is a wonderful, enchanting fantasy romance. If you enjoy magic, witches, the sea, and forbidden love, I suggest you read this book!

I Watched…

JOHN WILLIAMS’ FILM NIGHT at Tanglewood, filled with memorable film clips and famous music from the silver screen! John Williams and David Newman conducted the Boston Pops, who were joined by the BU Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Vocal Program.

Tanglewood is the famous summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its training academy, (the Tanglewood Music Center), as well as the Boston Pops. Spread out across the Koussevitzky Music Shed and the Tanglewood lawn, 18,000 music lovers came together to enjoy the marvelous night, the amazing music, and two of the greatest film composers of all time. The grounds were a sea of picknick blankets, camping chairs, foldable carts, candles, flower, wine, and tons of food—which made for a wonderful atmosphere. “Magical” is the best word to describe this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

I Listened to…

A lot of country music! While road tripping across Vermont and Massachusetts, I listened to the radio a lot: sooo many channels with country music!

Think of it what you will (twanging guitars, cowboy hats, trucks…) but one thing that country music does VERY well is storytelling! The lyrics are built like a miniature story, with a hook and a pay-off and clever wordplays along the way. The stories are often simple, but also full of meaning, emotion, and purpose—conveyed in just a few, impactful words.

All in all, country music is short form storytelling and if you’re a writer, I highly recommend checking it out 😉