"A Game of Thrones" by GRRM Part 2: HBO Series

Let winter commence! There's been a bit of snow in my area lately, and every time it starts up again, either my roommate or I point out the window, look at each other and whisper: "Winter...has come!" I thought I would include with my book review of "A Game of Thrones" (check it out here:http://ajsrantsnreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/game-of-thrones-by-george-rr-martin.html).

I actually saw the series before I read the book, which scared me; I was filled with this terrible fear that I would read the books and it would just reveal the show as a horrible farcical shell of a shit hole (excuse my language!) masquerading as the book. Not so.

Let's start with casting: amazing! I mean, really phenomenal. I was disappointed, reading the books, that Daenerys didn't have violet eyes! It's just wrong! Not quite what I pictured as I was reading. The other thing I can think of to complain about is that they sort of obscure the children's ages: Daenerys is 13 in the books! 13! In the series, I don't believe they mention her age at all, but she could be anywhere between 16-19. The same with Sansa. Also 13! In the series, this is sort of believable...but I happen to know that in future books, it just sort of makes things gross. That's all I'll say about that.

But really, the casting of Tyrion, especially is spot on. The Lannisters, the Starks--they were just as I pictured them (it had been awhile since seeing the series when I read the books, which was nice because I could block out the images from the show).

Plot: Deliciously on point. For almost the entire series, the ENTIRE series, you could literally sit with your book and watch the show at the same time and follow along word for word, action for action. I like this. I'm so happy that GRRM decided to do a mini-series/show instead of a movie--that would simply have ruined it.So if you're avoiding the series because you're afraid it will butcher the book, think again and go watch it. You will love it!

Removed from the book, I think this is definitely a show anyone can enjoy! It's full of a little something for everything: action, adventure, fantasy, romance, drama, fighting, squabbling, mystery--I mean, really, you name it, "A Game of Thrones" probably has it. But go ahead and try me!

Rating: 5/5 stars! I swear, I am a judgmental person--I don't just go giving things 5 stars every five seconds to anything I look at. I'm rather selective as to what I read/watch...and they've all been good lately!

Anyway, happy watching! And happy reading!
AJ

"A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin Part 1

Winter is coming! Okay, I'll admit, I'm coming a little late to the George R.R. Martin fan club. I've been hearing about this amazing series for years on Melanie Rawn's website forums from her fans, so I've known for awhile that I should be reading this, but it wasn't until I saw the show on HBO that I really got a kick in the pants to go out and buy the series. My roommate and I discovered the first four books in a paperback set for twenty dollars around Christmas time, so we picked it up as a bit of a Christmas gift to ourselves.

This will be a two part review: Part 1, the book; Part 2, the series.

Image courtesy of George R.R. Martin's website:http://www.georgerrmartin.com/ . This is a Bantam edition from 1997. 


"A Game of Thrones" is a masterpiece following the story lines of many different characters of the Seven Kingdoms. The first main story line follows Eddard Stark and his family as they strive to survive in a land filled with betrayal, trickery, and other families with only their own interests at heart. A parallel story line follows Daenerys Targaryen, living a bit away from the land of the Seven Kingdoms (Stark's home country). Dany is a former princess from the Seven Kingdoms, sent to exile after her father, the King, was executed and his throne ursurped by the current ruler King Robert. Dany hopes to regain her proper place on the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms as the rightful ruler and last Targaryen.

The great thing about this novel is that every chapter is designated with a character's name, telling you which story line you're following, and since the story bounces back and forth between character perspectives in very different places, I found that really helpful. The development and details that is put into these characters has been done very carefully. They're all very intricate beings, which really wraps you up in the story. I have to say, for a 800-something page book, it's actually a rather quick read. The book devours you and you lose yourself in it. Only the best books do that. No wonder "A Game of Thrones" has become so popular!

Bad points? In this book? Not really, per say. I will only say that there were a few deaths that disappointed me and a few that I thought came a little too soon. That's also the magic behind these characters as well, that you get so attached to them all, good and bad, that you hate to let them go (as in the case of the morally good characters) or you can't wait till they get shanked (as in the morally unjust).

Overall rating: 5/5 stars! You will not regret reading this book. You'll enjoy yourself, you'll pass it on, you'll read it faster than you imagined you could. Here's my recommendation: go get your wallet, hit a bookstore, go to the library--find this book, read it, pass it on.

Happy reading! Look out for part 2 of this review within the next couple of days!
AJ

"Down and Out in Paris and London" by George Orwell

So, for Christmas, I got a couple of George Orwell books from my mother: "Down and Out in Paris and London"--today's review--and "Why I Write."

My first experience with Orwell was in 7th grade, when we read "Animal Farm." I felt scarred. I vowed as a thirteen-year old that I would never lay eyes on a George Orwell work ever again. Ever. So as I sat on the couch, holding the paperbacks in my hands, dread filled me. I had known for awhile that I would have to read Orwell again--"1984" is my roommate's favorite book, and I'd promised him I'd read it. Eventually. Someday. If I have to.

I'm happy to say that George Orwell and I are better friends than I had originally thought.

Image courtesy of: http://coverspy.tumblr.com/post/457227973

My mother knows me pretty well. I just adore portraits of European life from about 1900-1945. "Down and Out" is more a report of the times than an actual novel, but it was Orwell's first publication. He describes his experiences working in a hotel restaurant in Paris and as a homeless man in London. I found this extremely interesting, because--while I read a lot of books like this about this time period--the authors of books like this aren't usually quite so poor--so it was a change from the expatriate life of Americans in Europe (from authors such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald) to how people managed to scrape by when they barely had enough money to pay for dinner that night.

I won't give upsides or downsides for this book--it's kind of a book you're either interested in or you aren't. There is no definite plot, per say. If you're like me--very interested in this time period--it's a rather interesting, accurate picture of what those cities were like if you had no money. Orwell also includes some of his philosophy in discussions about, for example, why homeless people are homeless and the purpose of life for a plongeur (a menial-task oriented restaurant worker).

I will give a warning: do not eat while reading about his time as a plongeur in Paris. It will disgust you. It scares me to think of eating at a restaurant still after the descriptions of how dirty and unhygienic the workers purposefully were. On the other hand, you'll save money by eating at home more often!

My overall rating: 5/5 stars. The book definitely gives you what it promises on the back cover (which I've summarized above) and is a great read! I sat in Starbucks reading this, feeling guiltier and guiltier about having money as I went on and ended up ordering an Americano, just because I thought that any drink about $2.50 would be extravagant. "Down and Out" really makes you think about what life could be like living on the streets and definitely made me a lot more grateful for what I have. I would recommend it!

On another note--you should go check out the website I found the image of the Orwell cover at: http://coverspy.tumblr.com/. I'm so happy I happened to stumble upon it this way! Basically, people go into the New York subways and take note of what people are currently reading down there! I found it super interesting!

My next review: "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin. That's right, two George's in a row! I'm just about finished with it--I'm really devouring it!--so you should expect another review within the next week or so!

Happy reading! And if it is also snowing where you are--be safe and have fun!
AJ

PS. Any lessons learned here? Don't let 13-year olds read "Animal Farm." It's just wrong. It's just about as wrong as "A Tale of Two Cities" being your first Dickens novel.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Diane Setterfield's first and only book--published 2006

Image courtesy of Diane Setterfield's author profile on the Simon and Schuster website: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Diane-Setterfield/38679211

I got my hands on "the Thirteenth Tale" this Christmas--a present from my best friend, Shy. She'd read it over the summer, decided I simply must read it and purchased it for my Christmas present. In August. I hope someday I can be that on top of my Christmas shopping; I usually end up doing mine the day before Christmas.

Here's a brief summary in my own words: A novice biographer, Margaret Lea is called upon by a famous novelist Vida Winter to take down the story of Winter's life--the true story. Lea is reluctant at first, but finds herself wrapped up in Winter's tale. Lea finds herself exploring Winter's home town and childhood residence and meets new characters there that seem to fit into Winter's story.

Upsides: A "I-can't-put-it-down" kind of page turner, two carefully crafted stories (of Winter's life and of Lea's), lovely gothic elements, Setterfield folds in parallels to "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights." One of my favorite features of this novel is the discussion of books--this is definitely a book lover's book. Lea works with her father in his collector's book shop. The dust cover of the hard back edition promises "a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children." This promise is fully fulfilled in this book. Setterfield included this discussion of books very well--entwining it into the plot so that it isn't a distraction slowing the pace down.

Downsides: I'll have to be nitpicking here! There isn't really anything I truly disliked about the book. I will say that the ending is surprising in that the reader expects it to be a lot more dramatic than it is; there is a lot of build-up to the end and then the author shocks you with a bit of a quiet, anti-climactic ending. In many ways, this is an upside simply because Setterfield wraps up some loose ends very nicely, it just isn't what was expected. I had to go back and reread the ending a couple of times to figure out what had happened--to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I have to say, I wish there'd been a touch more information at the end as well, a little more detail. But once again, this is nitpicking.

Overall rating: 5 stars!!!
Are you a fan of Gothic? Romance? Tragedy? Books? Honestly, if you like books, you'll like this one. It's easy to get on with. I think you'll find yourself literally lost in this novel. There were moments of it, as a book lover, I wanted to highlight because they literally represented how I felt about the written word. This book will really get you thinking about your own story as well as the stories contained within the pages. Very thought-provoking. You'll relish every word, I swear. Go out and buy a copy. Or check it out from the library. I'm serious. Go grab your wallet, hit a local bookstore and buy one--it is totally worth it to get it in hardback if you're a collector like myself (cut pages!!!).

Let me know if you've read this in the comments below or if my review has inspired you to go buy/check out a copy!

As always, I'm an amateur review sharing the books I've read and what I thought about them with people.

Happy New Year everybody!
AJ

Ps...next up on the review board will be "Down and Out in London and Paris" by George Orwell--another Christmas present of mine!