The Weekly Write-Up #34
Favorites Revisited, Favorites Paraphrased, Favorites Predicted, Favorites Listed
In this newsletter…
Books you MUST read this summer!
A remake of my favorite book series...I have mixed thoughts!
What are my WWDC23 predictions for this weekend?
My 5 FAVORITE Board Games!
Literary Picks
SUMMER READING LIST (FOR TEENS AND ADULTS)
For many people, summer is the perfect time to start a new book series or read a bunch of books that have been on their booklist. Last week, I talked about seven devotion books that you should read, but this week I want to broaden the search and talk about seven books/book series you should read. Actively choosing to read something can be hard, but even harder is choosing what to read. So, while I can’t help you make the decision to read, I can help you find a book to read. I looked through Hyperlink Index to find all of the books I have talked about and picked out my favorites and ones that I thought would be great reads for this summer, so enjoy this compilation! These aren’t exactly “light reads” but they are some great books you need to read! (Also, feel free to click the links to see my full review on each of these books!)
FICTION
Harry Potter: Harry Potter is probably my favorite book series of all time! It is a seven-book series, and while the books are very long, the series is very captivating, which “shortens” the read time! This is great for adults and children (12+) alike!
Conspiracy 365: This was one of my favorite book series because it is so full of action. It is very well-written and a great read since it isn’t a super deep read! This 12 book series is great for teens 12-16!
The Codebearers Series: I read this series very recently and really enjoyed it! It is one of my new favorite book series, and one that wasn’t featured on my original favorite book list.
To Kill a Mockingbird: In one of my first newsletters, I claimed that this was “my favorite book I’ve ever read for school” and I still hold to that claim! To Kill a Mockingbird is an amazing book!
Uncle Tom’s Cabin: I read Uncle Tom’s Cabin over a year ago, but I still remember how great this book was. It is certainly a thick and rough read, but it tells an amazing and unforgettable story!
NON-FICTION
Living Hope: This book is written by my aunt, and I would highly recommend it (not just because my aunt wrote it though)! It is a heavy read since the story is really sad at times, but I would definitely recommend reading this! Read my full review to find out why I recommend it!
The Universe Next Door: This is another heavy read. The Universe Next Door is a worldview catalog that talks about over 10 different worldviews that we find in our world today. It is a fascinating book and one that taught me a lot!
Watchlist Wonders
HARRY POTTER HBO MAX ORIGINAL SERIES
Yep, you heard that right! HBO Max is remaking one of the most iconic movie series of all time! Why you ask? Great question! Well, it is the same reason that most of the movies/shows these days are sequels, spin-offs, or remakes: money. Creators know it will sell because people already love the characters, plot, etc. Honestly, though, I’m not super excited for this new TV series. I mean, I’ve already seen Harry Potter, why watch it again? Let’s talk about it....
About a month ago, HBO Max announced they were going to remake the Harry Potter movies into a TV series that would stream on HBO Max. My first thought was that I couldn’t wait to watch this series. As I’ve thought about it more though, I realized that I’m really not all that excited for this series. The original movies were great! Okay, not as great as the books, but still amazing! The actors were amazing and played their parts really well, yet all of the characters are being recasted (although I am excited to see Tom Felton play Lucius Malfoy)! In my mind, Harry Potter is Daniel Radcliffe, Hermione Granger is Emma Watson, and Ron Weasley is Rupert Grint. You can’t just remake these characters, yet...that is exactly what they are doing. If there is anything good to be said about this series, it is that the creators claim it will be a more accurate depiction of the books. If they hold true to this, that is great since the original movies often strayed from the books. Otherwise, this series may turn out to be a huge disappointment!
Don’t get me wrong, I love Harry Potter and would be interested in this series; I’ve just already seen it. I watched the whole Harry Potter movie series 2 years ago. Why should I watch it again in show form? Yet, that is how most movies/shows are these days! Nobody seems to have any original plot ideas, so we just keep recycling ones we have used hundreds of times. I would just like some original content for once! Will I watch this series? Maybe. We will see how I feel about it in 2025, when it is set to stream. In the meantime, I will continue to watch the original Harry Potter movies and read the books that started it all.
Tech Thoughts
WWCD23 PREDICTIONS
This week is my favorite event of the year: WWDC23!!! Some of you know what I’m talking about, but a big majority of you probably don’t. WWDC23 stands for World-Wide Developers Conference, and it is a week-long event held at Apple Park for developers and media. My dream is to be invited by Apple someday (though highly unlikely unless my newsletter goes big). For now, though, I love watching the event that takes place on Monday. At the event, Apple announces a lot of new software updates as well as new devices. I will talk about everything they announce next week, but this week, I want to give my predictions for what I expect to be announced. Apple says this will be the biggest and most exciting event, so let’s see what they are going to announce!
Software
IOS 17: IOS 17 is what most people care about as it is the update that comes to the iPhone. Since Apple is focusing most of its efforts on the new AR/VR headset (talked about below), this is expected to be a tune-up update with highly requested features. There will probably be improvement to the Lock Screen interface, the dynamic island, control center, as well as makeovers to the Health and Wallet apps. We could also see active widgets, allowing you to use certain parts of your apps right from the Home Screen. Apple is expected to announce a new journaling app, similar to Day One, but it will be able to integrate across IOS and access your health, workouts, etc. Finally, IOS 17 is said to include numerous accessibility updates. IOS 17 will most likely be released in late September with iPhone X and newer being able to download it.
iPadOS 17: As always, iPadOS 17 is the update that I’m most excited about since I frequently use my iPad. Again, like IOS 17, this is expected to be a smaller update. With the release of IOS 16, users could add widgets to their Lock Screen on the iPhone, and this will most likely come to the iPad with iPadOS 17. Other updates to the iPad could include a control center remake, active widgets, multi-user support, and (finally) the Health app. The new journaling app will also come to iPadOS 17. iPadOS 17 will come out around the same time as IOS 17.
WatchOS 10: It has been a while before we have had a big WatchOS update, but this year is the year. WatchOS 10 is said to be the biggest Apple Watch update since the making of the Apple Watch, with Apple basically doing a full makeover of the Apple Watch. Apple is said to be adding a whole new interface with widgets, folders, and a completely new way to navigate the Apple Watch! I’m very excited to hear about this update!
MacOS 14: Unlike the other updates, next to nothing has been leaked about MacOS 14! This is most likely a smaller update since Apple is releasing a lot of Mac hardware this year, so they may have been focusing on that. We will probably see minor improvements to apps and features that already exist, like stage manager and widgets.
Hardware
AR/VR Headset: This is the main thing that will be announced at WWDC23. Apple is said to announce their own mixed-reality headset (similar to the Oculus and Meta Quest). This is said to be the best mixed reality headset out there! Along with this, Apple will release the first xrOS (the software for the headset). Some say this could be priced at much over $1000 (some are even saying $3000), which is a HUGE price!
15-inch Macbook Air: A 15-inch MacBook Air has been requested for years, and this may be the year that Apple makes this a reality. This will probably feature the M2 chip and be very similar to its 13.6-inch counterpart with some performance upgrades.
Mac Studio: This will most likely be a refreshed Mac Studio model featuring the Max or M2 Ultra. It will include performance updates to get it back up to speed as one of the most powerful Macs.
Additional Macs: Apple is said to be working on many other Mac models, but it is unsure when these will be announced (some may be announced at WWDC23, but the rest will probably be announced in September). This may include a new MacBook Pro, a Mac Pro with Apple Silicon, as well as other Macs.
So there you have it! That is everything that will most likely be announced at WWDC23! I will be watching the event live tomorrow and write in the next newsletter everything that actually was announced (we will see how similar it really is). If you would like, you can watch the event live tomorrow at 1pm (eastern time) by going here!
Wild Card
MY 5 FAVORITE BOARD GAMES (PART 1)
I have talked about a few board games in this newsletter, but which are my favorites? Well, me being me, I went to my Notion table of all 115 games my family owns, and started scrolling through, picking out my favorites. This was very hard, so I’m sure there will be more lists coming soon! After narrowing the list down even more, I came out with 5 of my favorite board games. Let’s take a look!
Terraforming Mars: This is quite possibly my favorite game of all time, though it can vary! I talked about this game before and how much I love the gameplay, the cards, and everything else! I really like the concept of this game and the gameplay. It certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but for those who are willing to put in the effort and time, it is a great game!
Wingspan: It might seem weird, but my second favorite game on this list is a game about birds! Wingspan is easily the most beautiful game on this list! Not only is the design of the game amazing, but also the gameplay. Each player attempts to attain the most points by playing bird cards and using their effects. You can play new birds, collect food, have your birds lay eggs, draw cards, and complete goals. It is a fantastic game!
Through the Ages: There is a reason I haven’t talked about this game before even though it is in my top 3: it is very complex! It is probably the most complex game my family owns, and while it took us a while to learn, it has quickly become one of my favorites! In Through the Ages, you are put in charge of a civilization that you must manage. You must deal with choosing leaders, modifying government, building wonders, providing food, keeping your people happy, gaining resources, creating the best culture, winning wars, defending your civilization, and so much more! It is truly a great game!
Agricola: While I haven’t talked about this board game yet, I intend to do so soon because it is a fantastic game! In Agricola, you are in charge of a farm, and you must feed your people, gain resources, buy animals, and continue to expand your farm. My family has enjoyed playing this game for years, and I can’t wait to review it soon!
Root: “A game of woodland might and right!” is the quote on the game box! Yep, it certainly is! In Root, you are in charge of a civilization of animals who is trying to conquer the forest and take over all other animals. Read my full review to learn more!
You should totally check out some of these if you enjoy board games! While many of these are complex board games, I have talked about some easier ones in the past in my newsletter (and I will talk about more soon)!