Welcome back to Hayley Lately. Each month, this is where I chat about my life and what I’ve been up to in Melbourne. Keep reading to discover the book I couldn’t put down, my new favourite show and the best Melbourne eats.

LIFE LATELY

I spent the beginning of May in Melbourne, which was pretty uneventful besides working. I then headed home to Queensland for 12 days. It was so jam-packed that I feel like I need another more relaxing holiday to recover! Fortunately, May is the perfect time to visit Townsville, as the weather is warm but not too hot. We did some winter shopping, as there is so much stock in Townsville because no one wears sweaters. My dad and I also went to see our rugby league teams compete against each other, with his team winning by one point :(

Then we went on a road trip to regional Queensland. We visited both sides of the family and it was really nice to see everyone after two to three years. I also met both my cousins’ children for the first time. On the way home we stopped in Airlie Beach, which is looking good. It’s a total tourist town, but you should definitely visit and see the Whitsundays when in Australia.

Airlie Beach

EATING LATELY

During the first week of May, my friend and I visited a Food Truck Festival at Birrarung Marr after work. As it had rained earlier in the afternoon, the event was surprisingly quiet when we arrived. I had some delicious barbecue nachos from Smokin’ Barrys, which came with so much slow-cooked beef on top for the price. But other than that, I didn’t dine out anywhere else in Melbourne before coming to Queensland, where I’ve eaten a lot of delicious home-cooked meals.

The best food truck festival entrance

BLOGGING LATELY

In case you missed this month’s posts, I wrote about the best things to do in Singapore (so excited to return in August). I also did a recap of my trip around the UK and Europe last year and blogged about my Bratislava day trip.  I’ll continue to update my recap post as I publish more stories on my Euro adventure, so it becomes a one-stop resource. Finally, I shared my first collaboration last week, on how to make friends in new cities. I hope to do more posts in the future that feature other bloggers.

My hometown

READING LATELY

I’ve been listening to the Young Adulting Pod recently, which focuses on YA books. Thanks to the podcast, I’ve read One of Us is Lying and The Royal We. I hadn’t heard of One of Us is Lying before, but it is kind of a cross between The Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars. I really enjoyed it and read it very quickly. It definitely kept me guessing and I liked that the characters were multi-dimensional.

The Royal We is a take on the Kate and Wills romance and I loved it. Although it’s a long book (like it could have easily been two), I devoured it. If you like chick lit, check it out immediately. I also read Crazy Rich Asians in record time and I loved it as well. The characters, the setting, the story line ♥ My final read of the month was Little Fires Everywhere, another popular book. It wasn’t my usual read, but I did like the various intertwined storylines. I also found myself feeling empathetic towards different characters at various times. I had heard the ending was abrupt, but it wasn’t as underwhelming as I expected.

So many good reads in May. Speaking of, find me on Goodreads!

May’s book stack

WATCHING LATELY

May is unfortunately the month of season finales. I was so excited to hear that Blindspot has been renewed. It’s still one of my favourite TV shows. I’m also impatiently waiting to see if Timeless will be renewed. The season finale was SO good and I’d love to see how the cliffhanger story line plays out. But I am devastated that Designated Survivor was cancelled after its cliffhanger finale. I really hope Netflix saves it.

Home sweet home

WRITING LATELY

Finally, I wrote a few posts about Townsville and Magnetic Island for The Culture Trip this month as well. There’s how to spend 24 hours on Magnetic Island and how to spend 48 hours in Townsville. I also wrote about the best indoor activities in Melbourne, for those incoming rainy and cold days.

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