June Favourites



Hello again everyone. I hope you’re all having a wonderful day and are keeping positive!

June is over which means we are now HALFWAY through 2017 already! It is time for me to share some of the things I’ve been enjoying this month in my latest list of favourites.

HARRY POTTER IS 20!

Last week, Potterheads from around the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of the first book, The Philosopher’s Stone. This book and film series has had a huge impact on people’s lives over the last 20 years, including me.

The Harry Potter novels were the first books I ever read and the Philosopher’s Stone was one of the first films I remember buying. It sparked my interest in reading, and my love of stories and writing would probably not exist if I hadn’t been introduced to Harry Potter at a young age. So, I have a lot to thank JK Rowling for.

Even now, when I reread the books and watch the films again, the magic is still alive. They have not diminished over time, it is still as exciting to delve into this world as it has always been and I think JK Rowling should be praised for that.

She has not only created a world of magic and some memorable characters. She has also brought together millions of people around the world, and the Potterverse continues to grow even after all this time. New characters and secrets are being unveiled by the great woman all the time, and her brilliant creation is the gift that keeps on giving, with the likes of The Cursed Child and the Fantastic Beasts movies allowing this incredible story to carry on and develop further, opening it up to future generations so that they can enjoy it too.

It may have only been around for 20 years, but the appeal of the world of Harry Potter means it will live on for generations to come.

PRIDE MONTH

June is Pride month, a glorious month-long celebration of all LGBT+ identities. I for one have found it incredible to see the amount of different and diverse people we have in this community and it has been fascinating to learn about some identities I didn’t previously know much about.

With it being Pride month, I feel it is important to talk about two LGBT+ series which I have been watching in June which I want to recommend.

The first of these is BBC3 series Queer Britain. It is a really educational documentary series about many of the different sides to LGBT+ life in 21st century Britain. Irish YouTuber Riyadh Khalaf explores all of these areas and meets some truly incredible and inspirational people along the way. I found this series informative, fascinating, and eye-opening to some of the issues that LGBT+ people can face, even in Britain in 2017.

The second is Tyler Oakley’s YouTube series Chosen Family. Tyler explores some of the key areas of LGBT+ life, and goes into the history of our fight for equal rights.

Over the course of the journey, he explores topics from Coming Out to what it’s like to be an LGBT+ refugee fleeing persecution. He visits The Stonewall Inn, where the fight for equal rights for LGBT people began in 1969, as well as the Pulse memorial in Orlando where 49 people were killed (many Latinx) in a nightclub in June last year.

What I love about both of these series is that they are educational, informative, and balanced. They not only celebrate the best parts of LGBT culture, but are also poignant in the way that they deal with the darker days in our history, and acknowledge the problems we still face as a community in 2017 in spite of how far we’ve come.

If you have access to these series, I thoroughly recommend that you take the time to watch them.

MUSIC

I have three songs that I have been listening to lately which I want to share with you.

The first is the latest offering from Troye Sivan, who features on Martin Garrix’s song There For You. Cannot stop listening to this song!

Martin Garrix ft Troye Sivan

There For You



I only discovered this second song recently, having heard it on a TV show. Since then, it has been on repeat constantly because it is such a beautiful track. This is Oasis with Champagne Supernova.

Oasis

Champagne Supernova





Whilst we are talking about Oasis, I am adding this other song of theirs as my third.

After the horrific events in Manchester in May, people have come together to show their love and support for the city. In the days after the attacks, crowds began singing this song as their anthem of hope. It was also performed by Ariana Grande (who I think is incredible for coming back and arranging the concert after what happened so I am so proud of her) and Chris Martin at the One Love concert at the start of June. I’ll link to that performance as well as the spontaneous outbursts of the song so you can understand how powerful this song has become in recent weeks.

Oasis

Don’t Look Back In Anger



After the minute’s silence in St Ann’s Square Manchester


At the England vs France football match


Ariana Grande and Chris Martin performance at One Love Manchester concert






And there you have it. Those are some of the things I have been enjoying this month.

What have you been enjoying this month? You can let me know in the comments section or any of my social media (links are in the sidebar) and I can’t wait to hear from you.

Until next time, remember to keep positive, keep smiling, and above all, keep believing!



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