Thursday, March 2, 2017

February Wrap-Up


February Overview


1. Sorcery! We had some insane weather in February. Snowstorms and record-breaking heat. I loved being able to walk the dogs in a t-shirt in winter. The warm weather helped with my diet and exercise because I was able to get outside more often. I wanted to show you proof of me being healthy, but I scrolled through my camera and realized that I didn’t take any photos in February. You’ll have to make do with your imagination and this image of some healthy alternative kale. 





2. You can’t get rid of me that easily. You probably haven’t noticed that I’ve been a tiny bit absent from social media lately. In February, I didn’t post on the blog as often as usual. I didn’t spend as much time commenting. I barely looked at Twitter. I had to back off the Internet stuff for my own sanity, but I promise I’m not going anywhere. I’ve just been busy with other nefarious deeds.





3. Incompetent tycoon. Did anyone else play the original Rollercoaster Tycoon in the late 90s? I was obsessed with that game as a kid. I recently found my Rollercoaster Tycoon game and got it to work on my laptop. I remember the scenarios being really difficult to beat. My theme parks always went bankrupt, and I always killed a bunch of guests. I played through three scenarios in February and beat them all easily. Adult-me rocks at Rollercoaster Tycoon. I’ve come to the conclusion that child-me was a sociopath who didn’t understand how money works and had no impulse control when it came to buying shoddy rollercoasters.





Books I read


In February, I reread 1 old book, read 10 new books, and DNFed 1 book.



This Savage Song – Victoria Schwab
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling (Reread)
Make Good Art – Neil Gaiman
The Wave – Morton Rhue
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys – April Genevieve Tucholke
Round Ireland with a Fridge – Tony Hawks
American Housewife: Stories – Helen Ellis
The Sound of Gravel – Ruth Wariner
Between Shades of Gray – Ruta Sepetys
The Book of Strange New Things – Michel Faber
James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl
Pygmy – Chuck Palahniuk (DNF)




Best Books Of February



1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling
2. The Book of Strange New Things – Michel Faber
3. The Sound of Gravel – Ruth Wariner




Most-Viewed February Reviews







Most-Viewed February Non-Reviews






All The Things!


All the Things (AKA number of unread books on my TBR shelf) = 25 books.

I’m currently reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.

















22 comments:

  1. Re-reading harry potter books is always a good idea. I'm just never disappointed no matter how many times I read them! I think I'm actually going to re-read them very soon, it's been a while! Great wrap up <3

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    1. Yeah, I’m really glad I’m rereading Harry Potter. I love them so much that they’re distracting me from the rest of the world.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  2. Have you played the new Roller Coaster Tycoon (err..newer? I think it's 3). Those are some hard scenarios! I played the iphone game, but it's just not the same.

    February was the weirdest when it came to weather. Random snow, thunderstorms, hail, and we also had record heat. I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy it.

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    1. I haven’t played the newer Rollercoaster Tycoons. I had a pretty good gaming computer as a kid, but as an adult, all of my computers are crap for gaming. RCT 2 and 3 are pretty old, but I’m not sure if they’d work on my computer.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  3. Your alternative kale bears a strong resemblance to bacon. Ha.

    You DNFed a Palahniuk? Yikes.

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    1. Yeah, I felt bad about DNFing the Palahniuk because I’ve loved some of his books in the past. I gave up on it because it’s written in dialect. Dialect is too distracting for me.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  4. Looks like a great reading month!! I am up to book 5 in HP. I am loving them! I remember playing some roller coaster game but I am not sure what it was. My people always threw up it was really gross!

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    1. That might have been Rollercoaster Tycoon. My people throw up everywhere, too. My rollercoasters are too intense for them.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  5. *giggles* I love that squirrel picture! It's so cute and funny! I never played Rollercoaster Tycoon but it sounds like my kind of fun! Killing the guests or making them puke sounds like the twisted thing I'd enjoy...And I'm just ready to munch on your alternative kale!

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    1. For a game from the 90s, Rollercoaster Tycoon is awesome. One of my park guests accidentally drowned in the ocean when I was playing yesterday. Oops. Luckily, it happened at the very beginning of the scenario, so it didn’t hurt my park rating too much.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  6. I've been on a mission to re-read the Harry Potter series since last year! Slowly getting there. Between Shades of Grey and This Savage Song have been on my TBR for a while so, I really need to read them soon! Plus, The Book of Strange New Things looks amazing! Feel free to check out my wrap-up here: http://bookladysreviews.blogspot.gr/2017/03/monthly-wrap-up-february-2017.html

    Elena @ Book Lady's Reviews

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    1. I hope you get a chance to reread Harry Potter. It’s totally worth it. The books are just as good as I remember.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  7. You got a lot of books read this month. We have been having some crazy weather around here and I am loving the warmer days. I think it is really good to slow down on internet stuff every once in a while. Have a great March!

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    1. Yeah, I had to back off the Internet because it was stressing me out. My Twitter feed is full of politics, and I was struggling to keep up with blogging. I decided to just step back from all of it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  8. I have a vague remembrance of Rollercoaster Tycoon. I think some of my friends played it and I tried it a few times. I was older than you in the late 90s, though, so I should have been able to keep people alive. I don't think I did.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I played Rollercoaster Tycoon yesterday and killed 7 people, so even as an adult, it’s hard to keep them alive.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  9. AJ, you always read such an interesting mix of books! I'll be curious to see what you think about Witch of Blackbird Pond. I loved it as a kid, but never revisited it as an adult. And I've never heard of the game, but it's pretty funny that you found it surprisingly straight-forward as an adult. My daughter's class is currently doing the Oregon Trail game, and she informed me recently that she forgot to pack pots and pans and silverware, but she was still doing better than the kids who hadn't though to pack any clothes.

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    1. Lol, it would be hard to travel the Oregon Trail naked. I wouldn’t want to do it.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

      Delete
  10. The Witch of Blackbird Pond! I have that book on my TBR. I can't wait to read it-- somehow, I never read it as a child. Weird.

    I loved Rollercoaster Tychoon. I also loved Sim Tower. Games of the same era, I believe. The hours I wasted...

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  11. Yumm alternative kale. That's my kind of kale, haha. I totally understand what you mean when you say you needed a break from social media. It gets overwhelming sometimes and you just need to recharge.

    Hope you are enjoying The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I've read that several times over the years.

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  12. Awesome month you had! I need to read James and the Giant Peach again!

    Here’s my February Monthly Wrap Up!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  13. You had an excellent reading month for February. I also enjoyed our warm February here. We went into the record books with the second warmest February since they've been keeping track. Loved wearing shorts to run on a few days.

    ReplyDelete