Snapshots: May

Here's a short summary of my highlights from this month:

• Awkward self portrait to show off my new haircut. I was extremely tired to my long hair and decided to cut off around 8 inches. 
• I haven't been buying a lot of vinyls lately, but I did pick up Fall Out Boy's new record on vinyl and it's so pretty.
• Since my semester ended on the 15th, I've had A LOT of time to read since then. I'll be sharing my book wrap up post next week. 
• Hazel turned one last week! So we threw her a party, the evidence is on the dog blog. 
• I saw two of my favorite artists in concert this month, Walk the Moon and Ed Sheeran. It was my third time seeing Walk the Moon and second time seeing Ed Sheeran. The above photo is from Walk The Moon, who are definitely one of my favorite groups to see live. 

Playlist: Lumos

I've had a rough time lately dealing with finals and the overall stress of life, so I made this playlist of songs that made me feel calm. I always name my playlist after spells from the Harry Potter books, and I choose the illumination spell because I personally feel a sense of calmness while listening to it, similar to turning on the lights.

Listen | Tracks:

1. Lights - Portal
2. Ed Sheeran - Tenerife Sea
3. Pentatonix - Run To You
4. Mumford and Sons - Not With Haste
5. Freelance Whales - Red Star
6. Walk the Moon - Iscariot
7. Bastille - Oblivion 
8. Boy - July
9. Coldplay - Strawberry Swing
10. Of Monsters and Men - Sloom

Instax Diaries #3

I finally had a chance to shoot through my last two packs of instax film. I had originally wanted this post to be of double exposure, mini shots but I'm still trying to get the hang of shooting multiple exposures with my Lomo'Instant. Once I order more film, I'll keep testing it out and hopefully they will make up my next instax post. Even though these photos aren't what I originally wanted to post, I really like the feel of them together. I think they turned out to be a nice representation of spring time.

The above photo is making me miss bluebonnet season a lot. 

I kept following the butterfly in this shot, in the hopes that it would open it's wings for me. But alas it never did and I think it's wings were a little damaged

- Jessica

Books I Read in April

Here is my April wrap up post! I read a total of 8 books this past month, which brings me to 38 read books this year (two away from my total last year). So here are a few of my spoiler free, thoughts and feelings about these books:

I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell - This story is written as a letter from Juliet and recounts her relationship with Lucas, who can see parts of their future together. I felt that it's well written and a really interesting concept, that kept me thinking throughout. I have so many questions about what Lucas saw but didn't tell Juliet, and because of this I would love to read something from Lucas' perspective.

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley - I have been meaning to read this book for years, and I'm so happy that I finally got the chance to because it was so good. I was really surprised at the split narration in the book and even more surprised at how they connected. I really enjoyed this book and the various symbols in it.

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan - Will Grayson, Will Grayson is one of my favorite books so I was extremely excited that Levithan had written a companion to it. Hold Me Closer is the musical Tiny Cooper was writing during Will Grayson, Will Grayson. In my opinion Tiny Cooper is one of the funniest characters ever written and I was a little hesitant to see how his voice would translate in script form. I was not disappointed with this book, it's hilariously written and Tiny's voice is so present. I really loved this book and imagining some of the musical sequences was a delight.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab - I don't read adult fiction often, but after reading this book I feel like I should. This book is so well written and I love the characters and the worlds the author created. I honestly can't wait to read the rest of the series, because I have so many questions about this book that I want answered.

The Tightrope Walkers by David Almond - I struggled with reading this book and I wasn't as satisfied with it as I had hoped. There were points of it that I enjoyed but overall it was too slow paced and I wanted more to happen to the main character.

Hallow City by Ransom Riggs - I wrote about reading Miss Peregrine in my last book post and I liked this book more than the first one. I don't want to spoil this series for anybody so I'm going to keep this a little vague and short. It felt a little slower than the first but I was definitely more invested in reading this one. The next book comes out in September and I'm looking forward to reading it.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - This is one of those books where I wasn't initially going to read it because it seamed like it could be a little too cheesy, but I actually was surprised by it. This book was so well written and I fell in love with the characters. There is a love triangle in this book, but this is one of the few books where it actually works. I thought the love triangle was so well written and fit the story well. I'm so happy that the next book is coming out this month so I don't have to wait too long to see what happens next.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - This book really shocked me, I was not expecting the ending at all and I'm still processing everything that happened. Overall it was extremely well written and I really enjoyed trying to piece together the story.

I've already got a stack of books I want to read for May, and I'm extremely excited for the sequel of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and the new book in The Selection Series to come out. To see any other reviews and ratings for these books make sure to follow me on Goodreads! - Jessica