Overall, I read fewer books this month and it was probably due to our family vacation and the start of my new job. However, of the books I did read, my favorites were The Water Dancer, Louder Than Words, and Trust.

August was a really busy month and it just flew by. The month started with Emi’s summer vacation and our annual Airstream trip. I also got a new job!

I didn’t read as many books this month but I think it’s a good thing. I have a bit more of a book-life balance now (though my screen time did go up this month as well). Also instead of taking pictures of every book I read, I decided to pull them from my Insta story polls or showcase only my favorites. My two favorite reads this month were An American Marriage and On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. I think I’m so used to reading White American authors that when I finally pick up a book written by a BIPOC author it feels refreshing.

July was my third and last month of a No Buy Challenge (No Buy July). Take a read to see how I did.

Thanks to Elizabeth on prompting me to write this post by asking my thoughts on being an influencer during this age of capitalism. Whew, what a thought-provoking question! Mind you, I hadn’t really considered myself an influencer, just a blogger that loves to write about things I like. But yes I agree to own this title of “influencer” since I’ve been known to influence a purchase or two.

In celebration of July 4th I wanted to write this essay that has been percolating in my mind for awhile.

I didn’t think I could top the number of books I read last month, but I did. I guess that’s what happens when you’re trying not to shop during a No-Buy month (and no browsing), plus you don’t go out as much because you’re trying to save gas. Well I have no complaints, and I’m perfectly content to sit around reading library books.

In June we did a short family trip to Bodega Bay, and it was “No-Buy” month for me.

After reading Andrea’s top 5 best sellers and top 5 blog posts of this year, I decided to take a look at what were my top 5’s. And I decided to do it for the first half of 2022 since, well that’s the data that I have (plus I feel like month to month, some of the same posts are always in the top anyway so this won’t be a monthly thing). So without further ado, here’s my top 5:

My first dress from April Meets October, this small BIPOC female-owned La-made brand, was the Ogden dress. Since then I had seen the May dress everywhere and wanted to try it out. I was a bit hesitant at first since the long length and long bodice of the dress doesn’t usually favor my petite height and long torso. But when I found it on eBay for a bit less than retail, I decided to give it a try. And overall, I’m quite happy with my new-to-me summer dress!