15 of 70: Feast for Crows

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.

I can’t. I took forever to finish this book because it was kind of slow, but then goddammit. ALL OF THE SHIT WAS AT THE END!

And now I have to go back in time and start Dance of Dragons. I HAVE TO WAIT LIKE 600 MORE PAGES TO GET ANY KIND OF ADVANCEMENT ON THESE CLIFFHANGERS!

Also the semester just started. And I have a lot of reading intensive classes and so it’s probably not the best time to be starting another 1000 page book for fun.

But dammit I have to!

14 of 70 Storm of Swords by George RR Martin.

SHIT. WENT. DOWN.

I just can’t even. The amount of crap that took place in this book is ridiculous. So many moments of complete disbelief and so many moments of fist pumping while reading in bed. 

Definitely the best book of the series so far.

2 more in the series to go!

13 of 70

Oh hey, I finished Clash of Kings.

It was pretty damn good. This series is really excellent and I can’t wait to finish storm of swords already, so much is happening and i’m only 300 pages in.

Why is the word “only” placed before 300 pages when i’m talking about these books? It’s such a trivialization of just how much i’m reading. 300 pages is a normal sized book. By reading these books i’ve basically read 7 or 8 normal sized books.

That would up my count if I wasn’t reading gargantuan books all the time, but meh, quality over quantity nah mean?

Anyways, i’m going to stop blathering on about things that are kind of related to the books but not exactly about  the books.

So instead i’m going to go read one of the books.

12 out of 70

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I guess I should update this blog and tell you all that I finished an 800 page book last weekend. Oh yeah. That one.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT I LOVED THIS BOOK. I’m currently only like 100 or so pages into Clash of Kings right now but I am so stoked about this series.

I’m trying not to spoil anything but you learn very quickly in this series that there is no fucking justice in the world of this book, there are so many things where you’re just like “BUT THEY WERE SO GOOD!”

I started this book because my friend from work lent it to me and now all we do is fangirl about the series. I had my roommate download the show that’s currently airing on HBO but i’ve only watched the first episode. And so far my only opinion is that Joffrey is really ugly, why would they do that?

I’m really quite surprised how much i’m enjoying this series as it’s usually actually pretty hard for me to get into Adult Fantasty series as they’re usually just too fucking absurd for me to handle and focus more on how fantastical shit can be than actual character development. Which granted, young adult is also guilty of this but for some reason I just think characters tend to be more fleshed out in YA.

Anyways, if you like Fantasy, read this. If you like good books, read this. If you like a bajillion overlapping story lines and tons of characters, all with really good plots and backstories, read this. Yes it’s long, but any fantasy series worth a damn generally takes it’s time.

So yeah. Read this and read it now.

9, 10, and 11 of 70:
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins 

SCHOOL IS OVER! I am done with all academically mandated reading until the 24th of August and damn it feels good. I’ve read three books already, yes you guessed right, I read the Hunger Games Trilogy. Shocked I know.

I thought i’d lump these into one big post because that’s basically how I read them, without even stopping to catch a breath in between picking up the next one.

I loved them a lot. They were easy as hell to read but I am not going to hold that against them. I was really surprised at how much I actually liked this series just because it’s so popular with the kids these days and it’s getting a lot of twilight comparisons, so I was apprehensive. but then all my friends read them and couldn’t stop talking about it, so I went ahead and gave them a chance, and i’m glad I did.

First off I loved the characters, because they for the most part were actually realistic in how people would act. And the whole love triangle thing, like we haven’t seen this before, except SHOCK this time the girl wasn’t falling all over herself because she wanted each one sooooo bad and HAD TO have them. Bitch was like “I like you and all and we’re great friends buuuttt….” and I liked that a whole lot.

I don’t want to get spoiler alerty up in here so i’ll stop commenting on the actual books and just leave it here with, it was really enjoyable and I had fun reading them and actually found myself semi attached to the characters. Awesome job Suzanne Collins.

You should be my friend.

8 out of 70: The Iroquois Ceremonial of Midwinter by Elisabeth Tooker

I end up having to read a lot for my classes but rarely do I have to read entire books. It just so happens that I had to read this whole book so i’m including it, because anytime I have to read 160 pages of anthropological reporting on native american ritual, well i’m putting it on this list.

It was an anthropology field report. A very extensive one. One that compared many different instances to each other and showed impressive cases of change over time.

Would I read it for fun? Dear god no. Was it interesting, kind of. In context with what we were learning in class was it useful and illuminated key points? Yes. 

So overall not a complete unnecessary waste of time. 

fuckyeahgaiman:

Neil Gaiman has revealed that a film adaptation of his book American Gods is in the works.

The novel, first published in 2001, takes place in a world in which gods and mythological creatures exist.

In a recent interview, Gaiman exclusively revealed to DS that a director “who has many, many Oscars” is already on board the project.

“I’m going to be having a meeting in LA with the people that the film rights have been sold to,” he confirmed. “I’m going to be… talking to them, find out where they’re going and if there’s any way that I can help.”

He also described the unnamed director attached to the film as “a genius”.

“He fell in love with this [novel] about six or seven years ago and has not given up,” explained the writer.

Watch Neil Gaiman discuss the upcoming American Gods film in full below.

[or by clicking the link]

EVERYBODY PANIC

Not a book post but a supremely awesome thing post. Related to book #7!

So excited!

Book 7 of 70: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

(Look ma! I’m 10% done!)

Another re-read. I haven’t read this book since highschool and my mother got it for me for Christmas, and i’ve been dying to read it again, seeing as how I forgot pretty much everything, which is the point at which I like to read books again, so I only spoil about 50% of it. Sometimes a terrible memory comes in handy.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone I know. In fact I have. It’s so detailed and perfect I can’t believe it, there are these subtle references and illusions to gods and religions throughout this whole book and sometimes, if you’re a big enough religion nerd like I am, you will get them and sit there laughing like an idiot over a pun Gaiman made about the Hindu Pantheon. Nerd lyfe.

This book keeps you on your toes, and forces you to pay attention, there are so many fine details that you have to pull together in order to really grasp some of the conclusions it almost reads like a detective novel in some ways. The cast of characters is of course fantastic, with every god, minor, major, almost every culture, and all brilliantly researched.

Being an avid reader of Gaiman’s works, it’s nice seeing similarities in American Gods to his other works, namely Sandman and his short stories. They way he talks about the hurts you inflict on other people and the judgement of your soul, when Shadow is being Judged by Anubis, is very similar to his short story Other People and I loved that. I love Gaiman’s rhetoric, how you can tell what he likes to write the most by how often it appears in his works, his personal reoccuring themes. 

Overall, read this book. Read it again. And then read it a third time with your computer open and wikipedia up, and follow the characters histories, and research the places, and try to recognize just how brilliant of a human Mr. Gaiman must be in order to write such stunningly detailed works such as this.

6 or 70: Proof by David Auburn

I was obsessed with this play in Highschool. My senior year I directed one of the scenes for our night of Student directed scenes. This is my absolute favorite play.

I was going through my shelves looking for Siddhartha by Herman Hesse so I could start that, when I stumbled across this play again. So I of course veered from that path and read this instead. Some of it out loud with Mando reading the boy parts. Like dorks.

If you haven’t read Proof, I highly recommend it. It’s one of the most emotional plays i’ve ever read, it’s an emotion driven play. It’s careful dialogue which reveals very strained relationships and questions the lines between sanity and insanity. It’s also beautiful.