February in Review

Books Acquired:
None.

Books Read:
Saga, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
A Brief History of the Celts by Peter Berresford Ellis
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
Skin Deep by Brandon Sanderson

This was a decent reading month, full of mostly short but quality reads. Also I finally, finally, finished A Brief History of the Celts, which if you follow me on Goodreads you may have noticed had been marked as Currently Reading since last November. Every time I nearly dropped it, something interesting would pop up and keep me reading.

No books purchased! How’s that for self-control? I did try to go to a bookstore last week after having a few drinks at dinner, and it was closed, so I possibly dodged a bullet there. I’m trying to avoid buying books right now that I’m not planning on reading within the month. There’s also the annual giant book sale coming in a couple of months for which I’m preserving shelf space.

Movies watched:
21 Jump Street (2012) – This was better than I’d expected. Predictable and a bit forgettable, but it wasn’t bad.

The Interview (2014) – This felt like a waste. Big budget but the writing was mostly terrible. It had a few really funny moments, and was a lot better once the story got to North Korea, but it could have been so much more.

Much Ado About Nothing (1993) – I hadn’t watched this since high school, and it was so much better than I remembered. Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh were particularly fantastic in it, and Branagh’s soliloquies were performed hilariously.

A Long Way Down (2014) – I love this book, and I thought the casting choices were great, but the screenplay really lost a lot. It felt too rushed, so everyone came off flippant about suicide, and that really screwed with the tone of the movie. I didn’t hate it, but it was a shame.

The Untouchables (1987) – I hadn’t seen this before and thought I should. I don’t think some of the scenes stood the test of time, unless they were ridiculous for ’87 as well, and Sean Connery’s accent was hilarious (I still love him), but overall it was a fun movie.

TV watched:
No television series finished.

Games played:
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (2014) (PC) – My friend and I finished everything in the game without going back to play it in a harder mode. I had a lot more fun than I thought I would, and wasn’t sick of it at all by the end, which I assumed I would be. We’ll likely go back and play some DLC later in the year.

Insurgency (2014) (PC) – After we were done with Borderlands, we were looking for another cooperative game to play and thought we’d give this another try. So far it’s been a blast. It’s a slow, tactical shooter – no mini maps or killstreaks or anything, just sneaking through some buildings and trying not to die.

Rayman Legends (2013) (PS4) – Apparently I don’t play solo games anymore. My girlfriend and I have been playing though Rayman Legends cooperatively, and it’s been great. We’ve finished the main game and are now going through bonus content. It’s a really well-designed platformer.