August in Review

Books Acquired:
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore

Books Read:
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-Fiction by Terry Pratchett
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

How are we over a week into the month already? Time just slips away these days. We spent last weekend camping in Tofino, which was a little whirlwind of a trip that didn’t offer much downtime, so I didn’t get any reading in during that. It wasn’t a complete waste, as far as bookish concerns go, because I did get to pick up a copy of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories at Mermaid Tales Bookshop, a cool little store that has a fantastic selection for its size.

This is supposed to be about August, I suppose, but I was sick for a lot of the month and would rather just forget it. We were able to spend a weekend in Vancouver before the plague hit, to visit friends (and Ikea), so there was some fun. I also turned 33, but we can just forget about that as well, thank you.

Christopher Moore released a new novel this month, Secondhand Souls, which is a sequel to the hilarious A Dirty Job. I’m excited to read it, and my local bookstore gets signed copies of his books sent in when they’re released, so I picked up a copy. The cool bit of getting a book signed is meeting the author, so picking up a pre-signed book seems rather silly, but I might as well if I’m going to buy it anyway.

Movies watched:
Snitch (2013) – An incredibly dull movie. We almost stopped watching but decided to wait it out. I’d like to add that this wasn’t my choice…

Much Ado About Nothing (2012) – This was really good, but Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof just didn’t shine the way Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh did in the 1993 adaptation.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) – We didn’t know what this was going in, but we loved it – bizarre and brilliant. Aubrey Plaza was fantastic.

My Week with Marilyn (2011) – I’ve never been particularly interested in Marilyn Monroe, but this was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. Amazing performances all around and a captivating story. Kenneth Branagh (I’m starting to sound like a fanboy now) was particularly great in this.

TV watched:
The Mind of a Chef: Season 3 (2015) – I’ve loved this whole series, and this might be my favourite season so far. It just keeps getting better.

Orange is the New Black: Season 3 (2015) – Really enjoyed this season. I think this show works a lot better when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which it really started to last season. I enjoyed this one a lot more. Also, Jason Biggs was gone from the show, which was a relief.

Games played:
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) (PC) – Yup, still playing this.

Rocket League (2015) (PS4) – Also still playing this. I got the platinum trophy earlier this month and haven’t been playing as much since. Still a brilliant game, though.

Dreamfall Chapters: Book Two (2015) (PC) – This one really picked up after the last book. Still not amazing, but at least the story is interesting again.

Heroes of the Storm (2015) (PC) – I briefly got sucked into a MOBA for a week, but I think I’ve managed to escape. It’s a fun game, though, so I could see myself jumping back in now and again, but in a very casual way.

What have you been reading/watching/playing this month?