Lifestyle: June 2025 Wrap Up 

What Happened This Month

Join me as I recap what happened in June with my hair, blog, health, reading, travel and fitness.

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

Welcome to my June 2025 wrap up. 

Those of you who read last month's wrap up will already know that my youngest had his Invalsi exams in May. Well, June was time for his final exams. Days of written tests and then his oral exam. I'm happy to say he passed with flying colours and is now officially done with middle school! Proud mummy moment 💖

A lot has been happening regarding my numerous health problems but I'll go into more detail about that later in the post. 

I did manage to fit in some fun stuff too though. 

Wrapping Up June: What Happened

Hair

Health

After being hospitalised twice in the intensive ward in May for multiple blockages in my intestine. I've been on a very strict diet for the past month. I have an extra long colon and diverticulitis which causes a whole bunch of problems.  It is also the reason I have chronic gastritis and suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease. 

I finally got the results of the biopsies they did during my gastroscopy and basically just confirmed stuff we already knew so no nasty surprises.

I've had numerous control visits and more tests done during June. At one point I risked having to go back to the emergency room again but luckily it calmed down again with home treatment. Blood tests showed I still have some inflammation though so I'll be doing another round of tests next week to make sure that's under control.

I've now got a new diet too. Whilst I'm very happy to be able to eat a slightly wider variety of foods it also scares me. It's a huge on-going experiment to see which foods are going to trigger my condition. It also doesn't help that I have a lot of food intolerance issues. 

They've also now scheduled my colonoscopy for September so I need to make sure I don't relapse again before then.

During my last control visit they told me they think I might have celiac disease after all (I've been gluten free since 2005 as they thought I had it, but then decided I was just intolerant as blood test was negative). Now they think I got a false negative and so need to investigate further but only once I've got my diverticular disease under control and have done the biopsies from my intestines. 

I'm glad we're finally putting all the pieces together and working out exactly what is wrong but chronic illness is so frustrating. It's that constant feeling of one step forwards, two steps back. 

You might also like: Monthly Goal Ideas for Better Health

Blogging

Traffic for June: 93,220 page-views

Number of blog posts published in June: 16

Current DA score: 28

Reading challenges

The Clock Reading Challenge 2025

The Net Galley TBR Reading Challenge 2025

Currently reading:

Shadow in the Ward by Ari Gray - currently on page 116/345 - Amazon - Goodreads

Travel

2nd June is national holiday here in Italy and so we had a beach day at Lavinio with family and friends. Our first beach trip of the year. It was great fun and a lovely time was had by all. I even managed to have my first swim in the sea of the year. Unfortunately I struggled with my health (particularly towards to end of the day) and then it took me about 3 days to recover. Still worth it! 

I also went with my sons to the TIM Summer Hits Music Concert at Piazza del Popolo in the centre of Rome. We'd been planning it for ages and I'm not one to give up easily. Again a bit of a struggle but we all ended up having a fantastic night, singing and dancing. This also took a few days to recover from. Again, it was worth it. 

I've basically decided to try and do stuff when I can. Life is for living and I want as many happy memories as possible.

Fitness

I've slowly been trying to increase my number of daily steps again and doing some light workouts. Not always easy, especially in this heatwave (we're about 40° with the humidity here in Rome at the moment and on red alert). 

I've been mainly doing arms exercises as my stomach area is still too delicate to do much. With all abdominal exercises and even leg work like squats out of the picture (squats actually work your lower abs quite a lot), I've been trying to do arm exercises most days and I'm already seeing a small improvement. I'll put together some blog posts soon with all the exercises I've been doing. All are suitable for complete beginners. 

You might also like: 30 Day Fitness Challenges for Beginners and Tips to Start Working Out: A Friendly Guide for Women Over 40 (or Anyone Just Getting Started)

How did you do with your Challenges in June? What challenges are you doing for 2025? Join the conversation in the comments section. 

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June 2025 Book Blogger Posts Round Up

A collection of blog posts by book bloggers

Welcome to another Book Bloggers Round Up post! Let's see what book bloggers posted about during June.

I introduced this feature here on the blog in May 2021 to showcase blog posts by other book bloggers and as it continues to be a popular series I've decided to continue again this year too. 

Each month I'll include a wide variety of content so there's something for everyone. You'll find book reviews, interviews, discussion pieces and more...

So if you're looking for new bookish content to read and/or want to discover some new book bloggers to follow, look no further!

Why I do this feature: 

Scanning through various social media feeds to find suitable content can take up valuable time and so I figured I'd make it easier and put together a collection here on the blog.

It's also a way for me to highlight some of the other great book bloggers out there and help promote books and reading at the same time. 

How it works:

Each month I do a post via my Twitter, where I offer the opportunity for book bloggers to submit posts published during that month for inclusion in this round up. I do this every month.

Want to be included in future round ups? Follow my Twitter profile and keep an eye out for the submission tweet.

June 2025 Book Blogger Round Up

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out the May Round Up for even more great bookish posts by different book bloggers. 

Books: First Lines Fridays 27th June 2025

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? 

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page 
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first 
• Finally… reveal the book!

My Pick For This Week

The first lines of the book:

And the book is...

• 
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DK6B6LTR
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nichols Canyon Press
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 24, 2024
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 372 pages
• 
  

Book synopsis for Remember Me by Nelle L'Amour

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Family Guest and The Night Nanny, comes a gripping, ripped from the headlines suspense that will have you racing through the pages until the jaw-dropping end.

Investigative reporter, Skye Collins, is determined to expose the story that will blow Hollywood apart. But when she digs too deep, she literally digs her own grave. Her car careens off a cliff and explodes. Skye is killed instantly, and her sensational, tell-all story is buried with her.

Was it an accident… or murder? Did someone want Skye dead?

Skye’s husband Finn, a struggling artist, tops the list of suspects. But Finn goes free, and his wife’s tragic death remains a mystery.

Five years later, Finn, now a successful painter, hires a live-in governess to homeschool his young daughter, Maddie. Scarlet is perfect —caring, a brilliant teacher, and Maddie adores her. Finn finds himself drawn to his attractive employee even as she keeps her distance.

Because Scarlet is hiding a deadly secret. She knows the shocking truth about what happened to Finn’s late wife
.
And this truth may cost Scarlet her life too.

A ticking clock, a sinister predator, and a forbidden romance combine in this unputdownable page-turner, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Liv Constantine, and Lisa Jewell.

Where to find Remember Me by Nelle L'Amour online: 

 

 Remember Me Amazon affiliate link

Remember Me on Goodreads

Book Spotlight: Silverbirds by Rocky Magana

Today I'm part of a virtual book tour organised by The Write Reads for Silverbirds by Rocky Magana. The tour for ‘Silverbirds' will run from 25th June - 1st July 2025. 

Book your own Book Spotlight post to showcase your book now!

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers

Genre: Literary Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Age Category: Adult 

Number of Pages: 356 pages

Publication Date: January 29, 2025

New to virtual book tours? Check out my book Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.

Book synopsis for Silverbirds by Rocky Magana

In a land ravaged by war and haunted by fire-breathing silverbirds, Kosha is the last thread in a bloodline unraveled by violence. His father was a man who believed in wisdom over weapons, his mother a woman who fought for a future that would never come, and his brother a boy who disappeared into the mountains, chasing a cause that would devour him whole. Now, Kosha walks alone, armed with nothing but a bow and the impossible weight of revenge pressing against his ribs.

As Kosha crosses the wasteland toward the land of the silverbirds, he carries more than his grief—he carries the ghosts of his father's wisdom, his mother's defiance, and his brother's sins. He carries the weight of every choice that led him to this moment. And with each step, he must Is he the last survivor of his family's story, or its final casualty?

A harrowing, lyrical journey through war, loss, and the brutal choices that shape a legacy, this novel asks what it means to inherit a fight—and whether a boy with nothing left to lose can change the course of his own history.

Where to find Silverbirds by Rocky Magana online: 

 

Silverbirds Amazon affiliate link

Silverbirds on Goodreads

About the author, 

Rocky Magaña is an accomplished novelist known for his lyrical style and emotionally evocative storytelling. His works frequently blend literary depth with speculative elements, exploring complex themes of identity, survival, and the human condition. Magaña's prose has been praised for its directness, intensity, and artistic clarity.

Author Website: rockymagana.com

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