Other Pursuits | Life Beyond the Books (July 2026)

🌿 Life Lately

Welcome to Other pursuits! July was a slooow month for me, it’s actually a relief that it’s over. I’ve spent most of it job hunting which has been tedious to say the least and I’m still looking – the job market is brutal and I do not recommend searching for a job over summer. Still keeping my fingers crossed that something turns up soon though.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, the sun has been out and it’s been warm almost every single day, the summer vibes are high and I’m very much here for it. I’ve got to week 6 of C25K and I’m pleased with myself that I stuck with it again.

📚 Bookish Highlights

I read surprisingly little this month. I’ve been in such a bad slump which I’m thankfully done with now.

My favourite read – Main Character Energy by Kendell Ryan
The book that surprised me – My Favourite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren

The book everyone needs to know about this month – Cash by Jessica Peterson. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I know it won’t be the last, I’ll be reading her entire back catalogue. The romance is just perfection!

🎧 Beyond the Books

Clues Podcast – I really enjoy how Kaelyn and Morgan break down the cases, they deep dive into the clues of the case, what went right and what was totally botched. They also tell the stories in a really respectful way.

Smosh Reads Reddit – Some of the stories read out here are crazy but the cast are hilarious. I highly recommend it if you are looking for something a bit lighter to listen to.

TV wise I’ve been rewatching some old favourites. Starting with Sex in the City, god Carrie is annoying but I just love coming back to that show, it’s so entertaining and it takes me back to a time when life felt simpler. I’ve also been rewatching Stranger Things, it’s my first time watching start to finish since s5 dropped and I can see all the plot holes now… I still love it though. To round things off I also binged The Hawk on Netflix – which was absolutely hilarious.

I’ve not been watching any movies recently, I don’t know what it is but I just don’t have the concentration for them at the moment.

✨ Small Joys

We’ve popped a little bird feeder in the garden and it’s so lovely to see all the birds flocking to it, plus it provides endless entertainment for Milo.

I’ve discovered that I love Iced strawberry Matcha – yes I’m one of those people now. I wrote 3 blog articles that I’m proud of this month.

And last but not least, I may or may not have pre-ordered all 4 of the Off Campus Funkos… yes my bank account is judging me.