July Favorites

There are only a couple of days left in August. The past few weeks of the month saw me return to university life with a semester full of new opportunities to learn and explore the field of human behavior. While I am hopeful that August will end on a high note, I can't help but look back at the month that came before.

Thanks to my best friends, July was filled with finds that turned into favorites that I am excited to share with all of you! Every single one of these favorites I still use and would without a doubt add to the favorites post for August because I absolutely love all of them. Whether you're looking for a new TV show to watch or just hoping to find something new to try out, I hope this month's favorites will pique your interests!

Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

This summer, I challenged myself to rebuild that habit of reading books and after weeks of searching, one of my best friends recommended I read Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. I absolutely loved the movie adaptation Love, Simon and thought that I would give reading a chance again with this book. The book is a coming-of-age story about a closeted teenager who has to face the struggles of coming out and being outed. This was the first novel centered around a queer character that I have read and I am over the moon with how the topics on the queer experience were tackled. The struggle of hiding who you are, the internal conflict of wanting to open up to the people around, the risk and reality of being hurt physically, emotionally, and mentally by those you open up to, and the journey of loving and being loved in return -- Albertalli progressively tackles all these topics so beautifully without compromising the weight of these relevant narratives by simply telling a story about the reality of being young and queer.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda is a beautiful book that I absolutely recommend especially to those who want to understand the queer experience. While the book tackles one of many narratives within the LGBTQ+ community, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda is a great place to start for young people like me who want to do more for the community.

Queer Eye

These past few months, while scrolling through my Twitter feed, I've been noticing the people I follow tweet about this new show on Netflix called Queer Eye. Not knowing anything about it, I wasn't too keen to check it out. But last month, my best friend persuaded me to check out the show, saying that I would absolutely love it. I took a chance and found myself obsessed with the show! 

Queer Eye is a reality makeover show hosted by five queer men called the Fab 5 who help people bring out the best versions of themselves. Each member of the Fab 5 are responsible for different aspects of the makeover; Karamo Brown is the resident life and culture guru who makes sure your life is in check. Food connoisseur Antoni Porowski takes charge in teaching the ins and outs of cooking, food selection, and diet. The grooming and hygiene needs are taken care of by hairstylist Jonathan Van Ness. Bobby Berk transforms the house into a home within days with his knowledge and experience in interior design. To elevate your sense of fashion, Tan France recommends the "french tuck" and a catalogue of tips and tricks for your daily fashion needs.

The show is light-hearted and encouraging redefining what reality makeover shows do by highlighting the best qualities of the person and improving where they can rather than changing the person completely. But their makeovers are not without the emotional moments where the transformation brings reconciliation between parent and child or the rediscovery of one's self hidden beneath layers of doubt. Queer Eye shows that though people are more than just their sexuality, a person's sexuality is important and should not be overlooked. What Queer Eye brings to the table is more than just light-hearted makeovers, but a change in the way we view queer people. Much can be learned from just one episode of this Netflix series, so if you are looking for a new show to watch, I would recommend Queer Eye!

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

My best friend has been recommending anime for me to watch. He’s been recommending Fullmetal Alchemist to me for awhile now and I have been putting it off because growing up, anime wasn’t really my thing. But after I enjoyed Food Wars, I decided to give this one a schance. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is about two boys, who have the capability of transmuting matter, on a mission to discover the secrets of the Philosopher’s Stone after committing a taboo transmutation that costs them their bodies. Tackling topics like guilt, death, responsibility, and politics, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood reflects the reality of life without breaking the youthful atmosphere of the show by balancing the action sequences and emotional scenes with light-hearted and comical characters and dialogue.

What I like about Fullmetal Alchemist is that each episode is around 20 minutes, which is just enough time to enjoy the episodes without getting overwhelmed with the plot. Each season has around 12 episodes and I’m excited to be getting into the second season. I usually watch two to three episodes a day, but I think I’ll be saving them for days when I need a quick break from all the school work. If there’s an anime you need to catch up on, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is what I recommend!

Youngblood (Deluxe) by 5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer released their third studio album a few months ago and I have been completely obsessed with it! Back in high school, I remember enjoying their music but I easily grew out of it. This time around their music showcases a different kind of 5 Seconds of Summer. Youngblood brings a mature 5 Seconds of Summer into the scene. With this album, 5 Seconds of Summer brings music that is fresh and dynamic that you can easily get hooked into without having to worry about them being repetitive and exhausting.

Youngblood reminds me of the work of other artists like Imagine Dragons, Harry Styles, and even Arctic Monkeys who I all love and listen to. Whenever I'm driving or working in a coffee shop, Youngblood is one of my go-to albums! The range of the album makes you dance and stomp your feet on the ground one second then enter that sweet state of chill where you're just vibing and softly bopping to each song. If you're looking for something new to listen to, Youngblood is my music recommendation for this month!

Reese's Spreads Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread

Last month, I had some of my friends over at my place for an afternoon catch up over sandwiches. One of them tried the Reese's spread my family must have bought on one of their trips to the grocery. Growing up, I remember choosing any kind of spread for my sandwich over chocolate. For me, chocolate spreads were too sweet. That's why I wasn't too keen to try the Reese's Spread out. But boy, was I missing out!

Reese's Spreads Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread is the perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate spread on your sandwich. The spread is rich and the texture smooth, but in spite of the peanut butter component, the spread doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth. In my opinion, the spread is not overwhelmingly sweet, which is great for me! The spread is a pricey, but a small jar should be enough to satisfy your cravings for something sweet!