Saturday Spotlight: Week 1 Of May 2023

I have been rereading my older posts lately and it made me realize just how much I used to love doing weekly wrap up posts as well. There’s something about looking back on the week that feels inspiring and motivating. And so I’ve decided to start these weekly wrap ups again, with a not-so-original spin: welcome to my first Saturday Spotlight: Week 1 of May 2023!

For those who are new, in this weekly wrap up, I simply share things I have been up to in the past week, including personal, non-bookish life updates, fun stuff I picked up on the internet, favorite blog posts I read from other bloggers, updates on my current reads and much more!

Surviving The Hottest Summer We Ever Had

This past week has been a bit more exhausting than most, if only because we’re having the hottest summer ever here in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Most days the temperature is at 35 degrees Celsius, but it honestly feels like 41 degrees. It’s humid, the air feels like it’s burning my skin, and I wish I could take an ice bath every 5 minutes.

Blogs Published Week 1 Of May 2023

Despite the heat making me feel super lazy, I have had a good week of writing. I finally returned to the blog after a much-needed hiatus and scheduled two whole weeks of blog posts ahead of time! 

In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap of the blogs published in week 1 of May 2023:

Book Review: Song Of The Mango And Other New Myths by Vida Cruz-Borja

A captivating collection of beautifully written fantasy short stories rooted in Filipino folklore, I absolutely loved Song Of The Mango and Other New Myths by Vida Cruz Borja. 

The First Five Books I Ever Reviewed

This was a fun throwback-in-time post where I re-read some of the very first books I reviewed for this blog. More than a little cringe, but certainly entertaining.

Book Review: I Love You So Mochi By Sarah Kuhn

I was supposed to schedule this for May, but messed up the dates and accidentally published it waaayyy earlier. I am an idiot, I know. Still, I am going to count it for my week 1 of May 2023 wrap up. 

I love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn is hands down one of the cutest love stories I have ever read where the main character not only finds romance, but comes to terms with what she wants out of life, mends a lot of broken bridges in her family, and discovers her roots. It’s a must-read for anyone who is a fan of coming-of-age, diverse stories!

What To Do When You Feel Overwhelmed

I write a lot about my bad days on this blog, but very rarely do I write about how I cope with my bad days.

I have decided to start writing more on this topic, because I do have a habit of rereading my old content and I hope my future self will find some comfort in these words.

Books I Recommend to Others the Most

This was a prompt from last week’s Top Ten Tuesday and I absolutely loved it!

I always find it difficult to recommend books to random strangers, but I think the books I mentioned in this round up are stories that need to be heard and read by young adults and adults alike, regardless of what genre they prefer.

Vote For NEW Sims 4 Kits This May 2023

My first Sims 4 post on this blog, but definitely not the last! I am super excited to start sharing my love for the Sims 4 games here, and this post is the first of many to come.

Also, if you have read this far, and you are a fan of Sims 4, make sure to check out my post and add in your votes too!

Books Read In Week 1 Of May 2023

I finished reading The Epic Of Helenthia which I received as an ARC from the author and publisher. I’ll be posting the review for this one sometime in the next two weeks. Currently, I am reading The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann, which is another ARC I got from Netgalley.

Spotify Spotlight: My Favorite New Tracks I Play On Repeat

Ever since Taylor Swift announced that her version of Speak Now is coming next, I have been listening to that album on repeat! 

I have also recently discovered a few songs I haven’t heard before, like Easy by Facing Waves and Mermaids by Florence + The Machine. But the ones that really hit the most this week would be:

• Little Runaway by Benson Boone
• Mercury by Sleeping At Last
• Curtains by Ed Sheeran

I added most of these songs in my These Songs Will Save Your Life playlist, which, excuse the dramatic name, has all the tracks that I have been able to relate to in one way or another my whole life.

Across The Blogosphere: Favorite Blog Posts Read In Week 1 Of May 2023

Now for the fun part of my Week 1 of May 2023 wrap up!

It’s not a Saturday Spotlight if you don’t highlight posts from your friends around the blogosphere, this week I have read tons of amazing blog posts that I’d love to feature here in my wrap up of week 1 of May 2023.

• Marie from Drizzle And Hurricane Books shared an incredibly inclusive list of 28 Excellent YA Mental Health Books 
• Jorie from Jorie Loves A Story made a really fun WWWWednesday Post where she recommended some great books.
• The Orang-utan Librarian wrote a wonderfully detailed review of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn; I loved it even more because of the way they played with words in the review (I mean just look at the title of their post, you’ll get what I mean!)
• Sophie from Beware Of The Reader wrote a lovely review of Happy Place by Emily Henry and she has me hooked! I am definitely reading this book soon!
• Maddie from Inking & Thinking shared a must-read list of New Book Releases by Asian and Pacific Islander Authors.
• Flavia the Bibliophile wrote a review of Two For the Road by Chantel Guertin and I think it’s right up my alley!
• Ahaqir from Books of Brilliance shared an interesting piece on how Taylor Swift fans helped an untitled book top the charts! What’s even more bizarre…we don’t even know who the author is, but Swifties are convinced it’s Taylor herself.

Netflix Recap: What I Watched In Week 1 Of May 2023

For my Netflix recap of week 1 of May 2023, I have been rewatching the first season of The 100 and I am absolutely amazed by how amazing the writing is! That being said, now that I am rewatching the show from the beginning after many years, I am also picking up on some…disturbing treatment of the BIPOC characters in the show. More on that on my official of review of The 100 Season One when I post it soon.

That’s A Wrap!

And that ends up my wrap up of Week 1 of May 2023! I hope this month has been good to you friends; tell me about your week in the comments below. <3