[Wrap-Up] November 2017

Monthly Musings:

• Watching: 
• Stranger Things Season 2 
• Another amazing season! I can’t wait for the next one.
• Captain Phillips
• The camera work was super shaky and jerky. Unfortunately, this made me a bit sick. Overall, I thought it was a great movie! SO intense! Tom Hanks did a wonderful job! 4/5, though this definitely isn’t a movie I would re-watch.
• The Infiltrator
• I love Bryan Cranston, but this movie was not for me. I didn’t finish it.
• The Brothers Grimm
• I had to watch this one twice. On the first watch, I just wasn’t into it. The second time, I liked it better, but it was still just “meh” for me. Great cast though!
• The Punisher
• I’m really enjoying this one! Though I think some episodes drag a bit. I personally prefer shorter shows, so I find that I drift in and out a bit with my focus.
• Shut In
• The description on the Netflix sleeve reads, “In the midst of a ferocious winter gale, a child psychologist and her son are snowbound in their isolated New England home when a gang of men break in, seeking much more than shelter from the storm.” Wow, that description is VERY off. So I was a bit confused while watching as I kept waiting for the men to break in… But I really enjoyed this movie! It was very suspenseful and the plot twist totally caught me off guard. I LOVED Charlie Heaton and Jacob Tremblay’s roles! Charlie Heaton is an amazing spooky character. I hope to see him in more horror movies soon! 

• Playing: 
• D&D, simple version

• I had SO much fun playing my very first D&D game! This was a very simplified version, as many people in our group had never played before. The location was local, so we all knew what it was, and the theme was Stranger Things. The campaign began with our group slowly going missing. We had each ended up in the upside down! When I fell through the portal, I hit my head really badly. I was bleeding, but I also unlocked my powers, which were very similar to Eleven! Suddenly a member of our group disappeared! The goal was then to go find her. But, because I was bleeding, the first step was to go find first aid kits to heal me so we didn’t attract more creatures with the blood! The whole thing was so wonderfully organized!
• Episode: Choose Your Own Adventure (Free)
• This game really wasn’t up my alley, but it was fun to check out. I tried the Mean Girls version. I thought it was okay until you were forced to pay to make one decision or use the free one… then I bailed. I would recommend this for teens though!
• Choices: Stories You Play (Free): The Haunting of Braidwood Manor
• This one was really fun! I enjoyed the overall storyline, but it was pretty predictable. Similarly to Episode, you were forced to use gems/pay to make one decision or use the ONE free option, which was bothersome, but didn’t totally ruin my enjoyment. The music here was wonderful and I really enjoyed all of the characters!
• Choices: Stories You Play (Free): It Lives In The Woods
• From this start this one was SUPER creepy! Unfortunately it was mainly about high school drama and bullying, which was just boring to me. In this game, you were also forced to use gems/pay to make one decision or use the ONE free option. In this case, it really took away from the story because it negatively affected things. For example, I could have gotten a weapon at one point, but had to pay to do so. So rather than getting at least a less exciting item, I didn’t get anything at all. One feature that could have been cool here was the artifact collection feature. However, because I refused to pay, I only got two of them. The one redeeming factor for this game was the music.
• Animal Crossing Pocket Camp
• I held out for awhile on this game… but one afternoon I decided to give it a go. I was HOOKED. It is such an addictive game! However, I can’t say that I actually enjoyed it. It’s a game where your just farm to collect resources to give to animals, over and over and over and over... I enjoyed seeing the new characters as I unlocked them, and I liked decorating my van and campsite. But it definitely wasn’t a game that I was going to stick with for long.

• Drinking:
• This month Alex and I tried three of the limited release Polar seltzer water flavors. We really enjoyed Dragon Whispers and Yeti Mischief, but didn’t care for Unicorn Kisses. Unfortunately we couldn’t find Mermaid Songs, but from the negative public reviews I’ve seen, I think that was a good thing.  
• I also went to The Lone Wolfe Brewing Co. with my friend Calie, and had a flight of beers. I really enjoyed one, liked a second, didn’t care for the third but drank it, and didn’t like the fourth at all. So as a VERY picky beer drinker, that wasn’t too bad! I wish I could remember the name of the one I liked… It was a sour beer that began with the letter O…

• Listening to:
• In The Dark (Podcast)- An investigative podcast about the abduction of Jacob Wetterling, an eleven-year-old boy from Minnesota. I subscribed to this one a while back. When I started listening, I couldn’t stop. I listened to all of the released episodes over the course of two days. It’s similar to Serial, so if you liked that podcast, I would definitely recommend this one! 
• Books in the Freezer (Podcast)- This podcast is right up my alley! It’s all about horror books. If this is one of your favorite genres, you gotta check it out!
• Lore (Podcast)– I started from the beginning and I am LOVING it!
• In the bookish community: 
• Kati of Kati’s Bookaholic Rambling Reviews participated in The Blogger Recognition Award that I nominated her for. Check out her post here!
• Lonna of FLYLeF sent me a lovely custom bookmark that I just love! 

• Looking forward to: 
• Christmas Cookies- Every year, my Grammie puts together an amazing cookie baking day. It’s literally a full day of baking and decorating cookies. There’s even a contest for the top three best cookies! It’s so much fun to go and visit with all the cousins while we bake away. 
• Our book club swap! I’m usually not a fan of Yankee Swaps, but for this one, we’re all bringing in a book! 
• The holidays, of course! 

In Case You Missed It:

• [Wrap-Up] October 2017
• The Graphic Novel Tag
• My Horror PageHabit Unboxing
• Interview with Tony Moyle
• [Top 10 Tuesday] Ten Books I Want My Future Teen To Read
• Holiday Book Drives!
• [Top 5 Wednesday] Five Books I Am Thankful For
• 3 Bookish Trees At The Festival Of Trees
• [Top 10 Tuesday] Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR
• What is Altrusa Portland Gives Books?

Thanks for reading!
How was your month? Have any special plans for December and the holidays? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!