February Recap 2020

It feels like ages ago that we were on our (what has come to be) annual trek to warmer climates during the winter. And I miss it so much, I mean look at that water and that blue sky, it was wonderful and even worth the sunburn!

We did the same cruise we did last year, which allowed me to read four full books and get a good chunk of the way through a fifth, all while lounging by a pool or on a beach. Isn’t that the life?

I won’t brag too much about the luxurious week I spent as a man of leisure, while Tim had class (for some of the days), but let’s just say I felt relaxed for a few days even AFTER we got back and work got even more stressful! I just mentally put myself back in San Juan (Puerto Rico), Saint Martin, and the British Virgin Islands.

Books and Bookish Things
As I said above, I got A LOT of reading done on the cruise. It’s amazing how much you can read when you’ve got 8-10 hours to read and you’re relaxed. A Couple of these I pretty much finished in a day and others I luxuriated over. I read three galleys (*), three library books (Connelly, Ori and King), and re-read one book (Persuasion) this month. The start of the month was a little rocky with Hill and Connelly’s works, they were good but meh, the last five, however, were all wonderful reads and made me feel and think and engaged me on so many different levels! Our Dining Table probably takes the book of the month award because Tane (see photo) is so stinking adorable throughout.

674. Am I Ugly? – Siobhan Hill*
675. Mr. Darcy Forever (Austen Addicts #3) – Victoria Connelly
676. Sense of Wonder – Bill Schelly*
677. Persuasion – Jane Austen
678. Blowout – Rachel Maddow*
679. Our Dining Table – Mita Ori
680. The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower #7) – Stephen King

I also picked up a few books this month, two galleys (*) and a copy of Check, Please!, which I’ve previously reviewed here, when I pre-ordered two graphic novels coming out in April and May.

• The Names We Take – Trace Kerr*
• The Last Day – Andrew Hunter Murray*
• #Hockey (Check, Please! #1) – Ngozi Ukazu (2020 Response)

This was the only real bookish thing that caught my attention this month, mostly because it was creepy AF. Go see the link to get the full experience.

What’s Next?
We’re starting to think about summer vacations (and Tim’s birthday) and things to tide us over until our big trip to Alaska with one of the roommates this fall. We attended PAX East on March 1st which, as usual, was an overwhelming delight. It was somewhat less rambunctious than usual but still felt pretty crowded. We demoed a few games, spent too much money, and generally had a good time.

I’m hoping to continue making a dent in my galley list and then to really make an effort on the books already on my shelves over the coming months! I think the next real decision is if I jump into a new epic series or give it a break having finally wrapped up Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series over the last two years (minus the two novellas/short stories and dozens of other works by King that connect to it).