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February in Review

Books Acquired:
Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot
I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You by David Chariandy
Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules by Tony Cliff
At My Table by Nigella Lawson
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson

Books Read:
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Made In Scotland by Billy Connolly
We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai
Masters of Doom by David Kushner
Noir by Christopher Moore

February is always a bit of a lame month. I didn’t get a lot of physical reading in, but I did get through quite a few audiobooks. I started the month with Kidnapped, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Possibly my favourite Robert Louis Stevenson novel so far. After that, I was really in the mood for some non-fiction.

Billy Connolly has been someone I’ve admired since I was a child, so it was great to get a short memoir from him. Malala Yousafzai is amazing, and her new collection of stories from kids who have been forced from their homes is excellent. I also found David Kushner’s account of the rise of id Software in the 90s in Masters of Doom riveting. I’d love to pick up more books on the history of video games if anyone has any suggestions.

I did buy a few books this month. A couple of Canadian novels and a couple of graphic novels. Nigella Lawson’s At My Table was a prize from Vanessa at Food in Books for her 400 blog followers milestone giveaway, so I’m excited to start cooking from that this month!

Movies watched:
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) – This was fun, about what you’d expect going in. Not top-tier Marvel, but still a good movie. Love the lip-sync scene.

John Wick (2014) – The action in this was great, but I was expecting a bit more after all of the hype I’ve heard since it came out. The acting and story were about what I had expected when it first came out, just there to move along to the next action scene. Still good fun, though, so I’ll probably check out the sequel.

TV watched:
Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia (2018) – I like Trevor Noah quite a bit, but I think I like him more as a story-teller than a comedian. This was good, but I think his early special where he covered some of the same stories as his memoir was more interesting to me.

Games played:
Apex Legends (PC)(2019) – They really nailed this one. For a game that came out of nowhere, it feels very polished and smartly designed. I had a lot of fun with it for the first week or so, and while I don’t think I’ll be a regular player, I’m sure I’ll hop on now and then to weigh down a random team.

Slay the Spire (PC)(2019) – I have really been hooked on this game. I was in the mood for a deck building game, and this really scratches that itch. I’ve beaten it with each character now but haven’t been able to finish the heart yet. I’ve slowed down quite a bit on it now, so I’m not sure that will happen.

Come say hello:

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

11 Comments

  • Bookstooge

    I found Masters of Doom extremely nostalgic when I read it back in ’14. It get to do some youtube investigation into what the 2 John’s were currently up to. That lasted for a week before I realized they’re still the egomaniacs as shown in the book 🙂

    If John Wick didn’t blow you away, I’d definitely lower your expectations for 2. I bought the first one on bluray immediately after watching it. After watching 2 I decided I’d have to see how 3 turns out to decide if I’ll be buying any more in the franchise. I can always pretend the first one is a standalone. Kind of like the Matrix, really 😀

    • Rob

      Hah, yeah I’ve had a look on YouTube too out of curiosity. Interesting guys who achieved some cool things, but they sounds like a nightmare to be around…

      Shame about John Wick 2. I did like the first one quite a bit, but I think my expectations were too high going in. Maybe 2 will work out better now that I’ve brushed away the hype.

  • nikki @bookpunks

    I will be curious to hear your thoughts on NIgella. There are a ton of her cookbooks at this one used book store I go to, and I have been contemplating trying one. Not sure if her style fits my cooking style yet though.

    • Rob

      I’m thinking I’ll make an effort to review this in a month or two after trying some of the recipes (I keep meaning to review cookbooks and it’s never happened, so we’ll see).

      I have cooked a few dishes from her previous books and television series and each one turned out delicious, though.

  • Lashaan Balasingam @ Bookidote

    I think a lot of the hype around John Wick is in the action scenes and if it was fun, I think you’ll have similar levels of fun for the second. Also glad to hear you acquired some cool reads. Hopefully, March will be a great month for you, sir. 🙂

    • Rob

      The action scenes were definitely impressive, really loved those bits. Overall I enjoyed it enough to keep watching the next one eventually.

      Thanks, March has been pretty good so far! Hope yours is going well.

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