Reading roundup – June 11th 2016

June 11, 2016

Good morning and first in non reading related news, this week LEGO Dimensions released the trailer for their 2016/2017 expansion packs.  it’s worth checking out that trailer if only to watch MI’s Ethan Hunt rappel down a rope simply to scratch Scooby Doo’s belly or to see Wyldstyle run over Lord Voldemort on a motorcycle.  For those of you unfamiliar with LEGO Dimensions, it’s a toys-to-life video game.  I wrote a whole blog post on it.  The joy of this game is that you can mix and match your fandoms – so, for example, I took great pleasure in having Doctor Who drive the Batmobile through the streets of Minas Tirith.  Now, given that you have to fork out hard cash for new characters in this game, it can be very expensive.  Many of the new packs announced in the trailer are completely uninteresting to me.  A few more (A-Team, Mission Impossible, E.T.) were yeah I’d play this if you gave it to me for free and only two are ones that had me reaching for my wallet.  One of these is the Harry Potter team pack containing Harry and Lord Voldemort.  I have it on good authority – Pottermore – that Harry can expecto a really adorable LEGO Patronus.  As well as the minifigs of Harry and Lord Voldemort, you get the bricks to build a mini Hogwarts Express and the Weasleys’ Ford Anglia. You also gain access to the Harry Potter Adventure World with new puzzles to solve.  I look forward to having Doctor Who check out Hogwarts and Harry explore Middle Earth.  I believe Harry is released to the public on September 27th.

The second pack I will definitely purchase is the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  I understand this is a story pack which will come with a Newt Scamander minifig, a vehicle and bricks to customise the LEGO Dimensions gateway as well as six new levels of story gameplay and a Fantastic Beasts Adventure World.  I know little more about it than this, but already I’m champing at the bit.  

Game of Thrones this week was a solid, episode if a lot of setup for the chaos to come in the final three episodes of this season.  I especially enjoyed the quiet moments with Ian McShane’s character’s community.

Onto more book-related updates.  This week I did something I don’t very often do.  I marathoned a book series.  I finished the remaining two books in Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle, Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King.  I will write a full blog post on the series, so I won’t say too much here.  I did very much enjoy them though, especially the wonderful characters and their relationships.

Julian Fellowes’ Belgravia has been hanging around on my currently reading/TBR list for a while now.  This is perhaps not surprising in that it’s being released in serial format with one episode being released each week.  There are currently 10 of 11 episodes available. I’ve subscribed to it in audiobook format so each Thursday a new episode hits my Audible download queue.  It’s being narrated by Juliet Stevenson who is doing an awesome job. While I liked the first episode it took me another two or three to really get into the story of the Trenchards the Bellasis and their myriad connections.  It is very soapy, but enjoyable soap nonetheless.  I have currently listened to five out of the 10 available episodes.  If you enjoyed Downton Abbey, you will likely enjoy Belgravia.  Fellowes has released an app for this where you can download the episodes (they’re also available in Audible as mentioned and other eBook retailers) and it also includes additional background information such as a map of Belgravia and a family tree which is updated as the story progresses.  The only annoying thing for me is because I’m picking up the episodes on Audible, the app doesn’t update for me.  I checked the website and the information given was pretty much too bad, so sad if you want the bonus features but didn’t purchase through the app.  Pity.

The Wheel of Osheim, the final book in Mark Lawrence’s Red Queen’s War is the other book I’m reading this week.  I’m enjoying it, but the problem is I’m listening to it in audiobook as I fall asleep in bed at night and I keep missing chunks!  Should be good, though.

That’s all for this week.  Catch you soon!

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