The Good Stuff from June

It’s a week into July at this point and I’m just now remembering that this post exists and I should have shared it when June ended. I also should have probably sent a RAD Recap email out by now. And recorded last week’s podcast, which I didn’t do and just skipped entirely. The enneagram 1 in me is horribly ashamed to admit all of these balls I’ve dropped but also the world is a dumpster fire and I’m moving in a month and also housesitting for 11 days and everything is a MESS so I’m just trying to do the best I can. It will never be easy for me but HERE WE ARE. Learning how to let things go and skip podcast weeks and publish June posts in July. Don’t ever tell me I can’t do hard things!!! (she says with sarcasm because these are admittedly not very hard things)

Anyway. Let’s go.

Here’s the good stuff from June:

ps— affiliate links are included in this post!

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five-star books:

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (review here)

• A Sojourner's Truth: Choosing Freedom and Courage in a Divided World by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson (review here)

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (5 stars // review here)

• Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (review here)

• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (review here)

• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (review here)

• Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade

shows + movies:

• Finally started the new season of Queer Eye. (I was saving it? I don’t know why.) Episode 1 had me bawling.

• Station 19

podcasts:

• The Popcast (Knox + Jamie)

• Annie and Eddie Keep Talking

• The Stacks

the RAD podcast:

• episode 15: books that have helped me be a better ally + marches + a powerful post from my dad

•  episode 16: a sojourner's truth + truth/beauty/goodness + echo chambers

• episode 17: young adult books by black authors + poetry + apologies

•  episode 18: faith and lgbtqia books + baskets + authentic over aesthetic

music:

• Still can’t quit Donovan Woods

• This Songs for a Summer Storm playlist came in CLUTCH during many an evening thunderstorm

• Very, very, very into this album

everything else:

• Black Lives Matter signs + art + activism everywhere

• #blackouttuesday

• Marching + peacefully protesting in Richmond with thousands of other humans

• Prayer + worship by the monuments with other faith leaders from around the city

• Becoming friends with my neighbors and having happy hours on the porch

• New books by Black authors

• Getting a super cool BLM shirt from a local art studio

• Finding my new apartment and officially signing the lease!

• Eating out at a restaurant for the first time since quarantine — yay for porches + social distance + frozen margaritas!

• Sunny hike/walks around the city + river

• Reading in my hammock

• Finally getting my meds back after a rough few days off of them

• Handfuls of tomatoes from my backyard garden

• Trying dalgona coffee + matcha for the first time

• Discovering how potatoes grow (without roots?! i’m still baffled) in my Mom’s garden

• My first two homegrown strawberries

• Rereading a cute + squeal-worthy fave

• Finally meeting my best friend’s baby!!!

• Family reunions (complete with masks + social distance on the back deck)

• Fun first dates

• News that the Confederate statues in RVA are coming down

• Juneteenth is an official holiday in VA now

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ps— if you’re curious, here’s everything I read this month:

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (5 stars // review here)

• Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Wen (2 stars // review here)

• A Sojourner's Truth: Choosing Freedom and Courage in a Divided World by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson (5 stars // review here)

• The Resolutions by Brady Hammes (1 star // review here)

• Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud (3 stars // review here)

• SLAY by Brittney Morris (4 stars // review here)

• This Side of Home by Renée Watson (4 stars // review here)

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (5 stars // review here)

• If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson (4 stars // review here)

• If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha (3 stars // review here)

• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (4 stars // review here)

• Pride by Ibi Zoboi (3 stars // review here)

• Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (5 stars // review here)

• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (5 stars // review here)

• The Last Flight by Julie Clark (4 stars // review here)

• A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandson (4 stars // review here)

• The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams (2 stars)

• Dear Martin by Nic Stone (4 stars // review here)

• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (3 stars // review here)

• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (5 stars // review here)

• Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey (3 stars // review here)

• Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade (5 stars)

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