Fridaze 070

Happy Fridaze! I'm pretty proud to be getting this to you on my "normal" schedule. I say this, but I haven't kept to a schedule very well for the past two months.

Libby

I'm surprised to see that I've never really spoke about Libby. I saw a Youtube video about it, and one of my friends suggested I get on Libby and was shocked! There are so many Audiobooks and Ebooks that you can borrow.

For those of you that don't know, Libby is an app that you connect with your local library (even though there are libraries that allow you to join them even if you don't live close to them), and from there you can borrow audiobooks and ebooks. The best part? You can connect it to your kindle, so you can read the ebooks through there.

I've started using Libby in February, and it's been game changing. I borrow lots of audiobooks, and get to listen to a lot of books. I listen on my car ride to and from work, if I'm not busy at work and am doing some paperwork I also listen.

While there are certain genres I don't like to listen to, I like to listen to literary fiction, YA and thrillers. I don't like listening to romance (cringe) or fantasy (difficult to absorb all the facts of the world). If you haven't checked out Libby, I highly recommend it! It's a great way to support libraries and save money.

May Book Club

As always, my book club met for our monthly thriller book club. The book for the month was The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. I always enjoy our monthly zoom meet ups. We've been having our book club since last September, which is pretty cool. If anyone is ever interested in joining us, we read a Thriller and meet up once a month. We tend to meet up the first Monday or Tuesday of every month around 6:30 EST through video calls. We welcome anyone who wants to join us, and there's no pressure if you can't make it on a certain month! Just comment down below or send me a message on Instagram.

Physical TBRs

I'm pretty proud to say that I've been prioritizing my physical TBRS! Just this month, I've finished 2 physical books from my TBR. Then last month I finished 3. It may not sound like a lot, but I was reading so many books from my kindle, that I haven't been focusing on my physical books. I hope to read one more next week!

Phone Calls

I didn't really spend much time with my friends this week, but I did have a few really good phone calls. I don't know what it is, but I feel like the moment you get into your late 20s, phone calls are the best thing in the world. A text is not enough, and to be honest? I don't really text much compared to when I was younger.

Family Catch Up

Over the weekend, my cousin and his wife came to visit my family! I went to my parent's house to spend time with them. We went out for Ramen. It was nice catching up and chatting with them. They don't live particularly far, in NYC, but we all live busy lives and don't see each other enough.

Later in the week, J's mom came to have dinner with us. We ordered some sandwiches from the local Jewish deli, and had a nice time catching up. She stayed til late and it was good to see her and hear what she was up to!

Cleaning

I thought about whether I wanted to share this with you guys or not, but decided to do so. I wanted to normalize getting help if you need it! So I have a dog who sheds a lot. And even though I clean 1-2 a week, it was getting to be a lot of work. I've been getting home from work late, and didn't want to spend hours of my limited free time deep cleaning.

I got a lady to come and deep clean my apartment, and let me tell you...it was life changing. I didn't realize I was a slow cleaner until she deep cleaned my whole apartment in 4 hours! And she did so many loads of laundry for me as well.

While this isn't a luxury I'm going to be doing all the time, I'm going to schedule her to come once a month to do all the major deep cleans (the stove, inside the fridge, the bathroom), and whatever else there is to clean that day!

I never thought I'd be the person to hire a cleaning lady, and that I could do it all. But I honestly feel a load off my shoulder to get this help.

Eras Tour 2.0

Yesterday was the first Eras Tour day since she released TTPD, and she changed the set list! While I'm sad to lose so many Folklore songs, I'm excited to hear that we will be getting some songs from the new album. I'm going to see her in November, so it's pretty exciting! Plus the new Eras Tour merch just got released as well. I will for sure be getting something soon!

lil things:

  • our central air not working properly, so we bought a portable ac which works pretty well.
  • getting further in my current Stardew Valley profile than I ever have. (plus it's aesthetic)
  • putting myself on a no-buy ban. Saving up for something right now, so unless it's for food or a restock of something necessary, no unnecessary purchases!

games I’ve played:

  • Stardew Valley [PC]
  • Fallout 4 [PC]

Shows/Movies I’ve Watched:

  • Brooklyn 99 [Netflix]
  • One Piece - Thriller Bark arc [Hulu]

Books I’ve Been Reading (Let’s be Goodreads Friends!) (Let’s be StoryGraph Friends!) :

  • Iris Zero 7 by Takana Hotaru
  • The Emperor (Darkverse #3) by RuNyx
  • Heartstopper #4 by Alice Oseman
  • Manacled Volume 1 by SenLinYu
  • Pageboy by Elliot Page
  • Tower of Dawn by SJM
  • Empire of Storms by SJM
  • Legendary by Stephanie Garber
  • Game Plan by Viola Herman
  • The Love Algorithm by Camilla Isley
  • The Truth About Us by Claudia Burgoa
  • The Lies About Forever by Claudia Burgoa
  • The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
  • The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
  • Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan
  • The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

There's not much going on, but this was my Fridaze! How was your week? Anything fun or eventful going on? Something new to share? I'd love to hear all about it. Have a great weekend! Chat soon xx

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10 comments

  • Hannah says:

    It sounds like you've had such a great week, it's always nice when family come over and you can have a good catch up. Life really does get in the way sometimes, but it's nice when you can get that time in together. I have never heard of Libby, but what a great idea. I've been meaning to visit my local library for a long time, but that sounds great xx

    Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/

    Reply
    • Melina Elisa says:

      I hope they have it in the UK, because it is a game changer 10000%

      Reply
  • Michelle says:

    Libby completely changed my life! Pretty much all the reading I do is off my Kindle with Libby! haha ♥

    http://www.mooeyandfriends.com

    Reply
    • Melina Elisa says:

      Libby has completely changed the way I read! I can't believe it's taken me so many years to start using it

      Reply
  • Michelle Chai says:

    I keep forgetting to connect Libby to my Kindle – I’ll be doing that as soon as I’ve caught up on this week’s blog posts. I’ve been prioritising my owned TBR all year, and keeping to a book-buying ban. It feels so satisfying to pick from my shelves and slowly mark them all as ‘read’!

    Reply
    • Melina Elisa says:

      You should definitely do so, it’s a game changer! Omgg yes 100%! I love moving my unread book from my unread shelf to one of my read shelves!

      Reply
  • Lenne says:

    Loved reading about your week – sounds like you had some lovely family time! Also, super jealous you're going to the Eras Tour!! T.T As for me, I'm just doing my best to deal with this heatwave while also wrapping up an article I'm writing for a health and wellness company. It's due next week, so gotta stay focused. Have a lovely weekend! <3

    Lenne | lennezulkiflly.com

    Reply
    • Melina Elisa says:

      oh no! I hope you can stay cool. Heat waves are honestly the worst, we don't usually get them til late June, July or August. Good luck on finishing your article! You got this : ) xxx

      Reply
  • Erin says:

    It's ok to get help in cleaning! It can be a tedious process, and getting someone to deep clean the house once in a while is not wrong at all. Besides, you're essentially helping someone's business, right?

    And ooohhh I watched the Paris tour and she sang I Can Do It With A Broken Heart! AMAZING!!!

    https://www.herlittleplans.com

    Reply
    • Melina Elisa says:

      You're definitely correct about all of those things! I don't feel bad about actually hiring one, but it also makes me a little embarrassed to admit to people?

      I haven't watched any actual footage of the new leg of the Eras tour, but I read an article talking about some of the changes. It gets me so excited!

      Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂 x

      Reply