Please forgive me, I’m a little late with this month’s Best Thing Post!

The Best Thing I Read:

Lock In by John Scalzi

After a virus dubbed Haden’s Syndrome sweeps the globe, 1% of the world’s population suffers from lock-in, a condition which renders its victims mentally awake but completely unable to move.  Within the survivors of Haden’s syndrome are a handful of individuals who become intergrators – people who are able to open their minds to a person suffering lock-in, allowing them the use of their body.  At its core, Lock In is a detective novel, however, the futuristic twist makes it a refreshing read.

The Best Thing I Played (video game):

Bloodborne by From Software

I feel kind of like a fraud saying that this is the best thing I played for the month of May.  It’s true that I have played Bloodborne.  It is also true that I have yet to make it to the first boss.  Even still, Bloodborne contains such a rich, fully imagined world that it is difficult not to be completely drawn to it.

The Best Thing I Played (tabletop):

Red Dragon Inn

Winner by default, but still a fun game to play with the right group of people.

The Best Thing I Watched:

Mad Max: Fury Road

Crazy fun and Charlize Theron is such a badass.  Mad Max: Fury Road is equal parts WTF and OMG making it hard not to enjoy this action flick.

The Theory of Everything

I tried to stick to only one movie for my Best of May post, but The Theory of Everything was such a moving movie and Eddie Redmayne completely blew me away – I simply had to include it.

The Best Thing I Read:

World War Z by Max Brooks
Told via interviews with survivors of World War Z, Max Brooks’ second book covering the Zombie apocalypse is a very successful retelling of a fictitious war.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  In my opinion, the book does suffer slightly in that many of the interviewees speak in a similar voice.  With contributors such as Simon Pegg, Martin Scorsese and Nathan Fillion, this is one instance where I think that the audio book version might be more successful.

Honorable Mention: The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
I technically gave this a higher rating than World War Z, but I tend to be more lenient with YA Fiction reviews.  Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Naturals is the first installment in a series in which gifted teenagers use their skills (profiling, statistics, lying, reading emotions) to solve cold cases.  It’s a little corny, but a fun read.

The Best Thing I Played (video game):

Story of Seasons by Marvelous
Technically this game wins by default.  I didn’t get a chance to play much during the month of April – I was still trying to finish up Assassin’s Creed II and I didn’t give Bloodborne enough attention for it to qualify for my Best Thing list.  Don’t misread the disclaimer, though.  I find Story of Seasons to be quite delightful!

The Best Thing I Played (tabletop):

Sheriff of Nottingham
If you haven’t had a chance to play Sheriff of Nottingham, I would highly recommend doing so.  This game is fun to play and is such a successful mix of both strategy and bluffing.  The rules are simple:  players must smuggle goods through inspection and earn points.  The catch is that you can only declare legal goods and you can only declare one type of good per round (apples, cheese, chickens, etc.).  Since you want to try to get as many goods through as possible per round, this poses a problem.  What I enjoy most about Sheriff of Nottingham is that there are several different strategies you can employ.  For example, you can attempt to score big by sneaking through as many illegal goods as possible.  Contraband items are worth big points, but they are a risk.  If you are caught trying to smuggle illegal goods through, your items will be confiscated and you will have to pay a penalty.  On the other hand, if you are falsely accused of any wrongdoing, then the player acting as the sheriff for the round must pay up.  Apparently, I must always appear as if I’m up to no good.  Last time I played, I was completely honest throughout and won the game due to the number false accusations I received.

The Best Thing I Watched:

Big Hero 6
I missed out on seeing Big Hero 6 at the theater.  I finally got around to watching it in April and it was everything that I hoped it would be.  This movie is so funny and endearing and Baymax is just downright adorable.