A Game of Thrones

Well 22 days after starting this behemoth I am finally finished.  I heeded all the warnings and tried not to get too attached to any one character because I heard that George Martin would kill a character in a heartbeat. With that being said, sometimes I did find myself thinking "What's the point of the back story if the person is dead three pages later?"  I just let it go and let the story take me away.  You have to suspend a little bit of disbelief. For instance, apparently in this world siblings can procreate with one another and their kids have no genetic defects.  *shrug* I do love these pseudo-historical, political, adventure stories, though, so I just filed my medical knowledge in the back of my brain and kept on reading. I don't know if I will finish the entire series because it will definitely take a substantial time commitment. I may just have to read one book from the series per year because I'm not sure if I'm ready to invest that kind of time in 2013.

I'm late reading this book so I think most people already know the synopsis, but basically the title tells you what it's about.  A fight for who is the right and just king of the realm. Who should rule from the Iron Throne?  Within the battle for the throne there are a million subplots and side stories.  This story truly has it all.  Love, betrayal, war, murder, sex, child abuse, castles, mystical animals, knights, incest, kings, queens, and even zombies (although they aren't called zombies in this context). I can't even begin to discuss the intricacies in the book, but if you have some time to dedicate to the series I would recommend it.

EDIT:  Okay I just read the synopsis for the rest of the books on Wikipedia.  I just don't see myself dedicating the time needed to the seven book series.  I couldn't even get through all of the Kushiel books so who am I kidding?  The only seven book series I read in its entirety was Harry Potter. Let's keep it real.

Kushiel's Scion

I feel the need to give a short back-story before I say why I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it.  This author has written nine books based in the fictional world of Terre D'Ange, which is a parallel world similar to Europe.  I absolutely LOVED the first three (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar). That trilogy had everything a fantasy novel could have, political intrigue, espionage, betrayal, war, forbidden love, unrequited love, murder, sex, swords, daggers...you get the picture.  I devoured that first series over ten years ago.  

Then I bought Kushiel's Scion probably about six years ago. I decided I would pick up where I left off.  What I didn't know at the time was that it wasn't really a continuation (i.e. it was not "Book Four" of a series), but a new trilogy where a character who was only a child at the end of Kushiel's Avatar was now older and he was the narrator.  It was a character I didn't really even care about, but I decided to give it a chance because maybe it would be as exciting as the first three books.  Well that was six years ago and I tried to start the book several times over the past few years.  Finally, I dove in and decided to read it.  It is 900 pages and it took me about 300 pages before I was well vested into the story. The story was interesting, just not put-everything-down-and-read-this-book absorbing.  So I plugged along and completed three other books along the way.  

The story is way too detailed to discuss here, but basically the first trilogy is known as "Phèdre's Trilogy" because it's mainly about Phèdre and her adventures as a spy/courtesan.  In the end of the trilogy she rescues a little boy named Imriel from a death camp.  That's not a spoiler alert because there is so much more to the story.  So the second trilogy is "Imriel's Trilogy" because he's not a little boy anymore and now he is having his own adventures, which mostly consist of him trying to avoid assassination because he is actually a prince that nobody wants to see on the throne.  See, even this review is going on too long because of all the intricacies of the story.  

And that brings me to my main problem with the book.  It went on way too long. I confess I skimmed the last 200 pages and read mostly for dialogue, opting out of the lengthy descriptions about the rocky cobblestones or the shining vambraces.  Also, the action did not interest me.  There were battles and sieges and riots and I was like 'meh' through most of it.  The redeeming quality that, in the end, kept me moderately interested was that the author rounds the characters out so well that you do want to know what happens to them eventually.  I was legitimately sad for one of the characters when he died.  I thought in my head "Aww man, poor ____ why him!?" So the book gets some kudos for tugging at my heartstrings.   Otherwise, I've decided that I'm not interested enough to finish this second trilogy or begin the third.  I do, however, highly recommend the first trilogy (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar).

Wild

Having read A Walk in the Woods last year, I was hesitant to pick up Wild.  I enjoyed Bill Bryson's book but also at times the historical facts would have my eyes crossing. I was worried that Wild would be more of the same, but maybe not as good.  I had no reason to worry. Wild is only similar to Bryson's book in that there is a long hike involved, nature is appreciated and the author manages to insert some humor into the story. The similarities pretty much end there.  Strayed's impetus for hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is her mother's death. The death is just the beginning of a downward spiral that she can't seem to escape.  By her own admission, her spiral includes a fair amount of extramarital sex and heroin.  She is hovering over rock bottom when a book about the PCT catches her attention and she decides to hike it and deal with her personal problems.  This is the first book of 2013 that I loved. I highly recommend it and I plan on re-reading it in the future. The story is so well written that I felt like I was hiking with her. I felt like I her demons were my demons.  I wanted so much for her to succeed and become whole again after being shattered. This book reminds us once again that it's not about the destination. It truly is about the journey. I know that's cliché but clichés are usually cliché because they are true so I'm not afraid to use one when applicable.  Get this book and fast-track it to the top of your reading list. 

Unholy Night

I am the first to admit that I go to church on a regular basis.  I am also the first to admit that I am not a zealot so I can completely appreciate a story that depicts the three wise men as petty criminals.  This story was entertaining, enjoyable, adventurous and just plain FUN.  If you are easily offended by creative re-telling of religious stories then pass this book up because you will just get worked up and hypertensive.  If, however, you can appreciate someone using the imagination to create an action-packed adventure, go for it.  I enjoyed this book so much that I would put it in my top ten for 2012.  This is by the same author who wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as well as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (which I also enjoyed but it was early days for my blog so I didn't go into much detail).  Knowing that this is what Seth Grahame-Smith does, takes history and spins it, the reader should not be surprised that he tackled a religious story.  He does a fantastic job of doing it and if you have a creative and open mind, I highly recommend it.

                                    

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry

I am feeling that old tug of "ditch desire".  Ditch desire is when I deeply desire ditching my life and following my passion.  Of course that would probably mean I have to actually whittle down all my interests into my one true passion, but I digress.  Whenever I feel ditch desire settling in, I grab a book about a person who does actually ditch their life as they know it and go for the gold.  So I was drawn to this book about Kathleen Flinn who was fired from a corporate, rat-race job and decided she was going to attend Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris.  The book tackles several of my favorite themes:  travel, adventure, following your dreams, food, and love.  The book reads quickly and the story has the requisite ups and downs that come along with the uncertainty of a new life.  I enjoyed it as a nice, easy summer read.  I enjoyed Paris, My Sweet more, but this book has just the right amount of inspiration to make me believe that one day I will be able to leave it all behind and pursue whatever dreams may come my way.

A Walk in the Woods

Admittedly, I haven't been on a hike since summer camp circa 1989.  So I don't really count myself as an avid hiker or nature enthusiast, although I do enjoy lazy days in a park or a short bike ride on a trail. A friend of mine is getting married in Wyoming in about two weeks and the upcoming trip has me thinking a lot about wilderness and wide-open spaces.  So I picked this book up because it came highly recommended as a great book about reconnecting with nature.  The author decides to hike the entire Appalachian Trail (some 2,000+ miles!).  The book isn't so much about hiking the trail as much as it is about awe-inspiring nature and our capability to both revere nature, yet foolishly destroy it. What I enjoyed most about the book was the plethora of historical facts woven into the story that gave you food for thought intertwined with lots of laugh out loud moments that gave the story momentum.  Only a great writer could master that skill.  I don't think I would have been able to read a completely dry fact-based documentary about the trail.  This book is a great introduction to nature writing because the story remains interesting until the very end. I highly recommend enjoying it while outside on a beautiful day.

Born to Run

Hands down, one of the best books I've read this year!!  As I was reading it, I felt genuine awe and inspiration.  You don't have to be a runner or a sports fanatic to appreciate the book.  I only run around my block every once in a while and I could still glean life lessons from just about every chapter. I highly recommend this book.