As long as people keep writing there will never be a shortage of books to read, which in some ways is great and in other ways is just a bit overwhelming. Overall though, it is wonderful to have so many books to choose from and read. I absolutely love book stores and can spend hours just reading back covers, inside flaps, and beginning chapters. Every time I walk through a bookstore or the library I get excited by all the possibilities and want to just start reading everything. When I’m in that place I want to read all the time and then something weird happens when I leave. The excitement wears off. Other things in my life take precedence. I hate to admit it but TV usually takes place of time when I could be reading.
When I was younger I used to read way more often, and I found series and books I loved. Then school started changing my idea on reading. I had to start reading what books they assigned and it became homework. Therefore in my free time I didn’t want to read. Now that I’m home for the summer I can finally read what I want. However, the real trick is to find books that are enthralling. While there are a ton of great books out there, there are also a lot of mediocre ones. I try to ask around and get suggestions from other people so I can read a good book because when I read a good book I lose myself in it. It is an escape from the real world.
There has been quite a bit of hype about Game of Thrones recently mostly because of the HBO series based off the series a Song of Fire and Ice. I’m guessing that more people know about or watch the TV series a Game of Thrones than those who read the series because I hardly hear any references to the series a Song of Fire and Ice. Anyway I decided I would get in on pop culture and read the book series and then watch the TV show. I always like to read the book and then watch the movie. I started reading a Game of Thrones about a month ago and just finished tonight.
Here’s my current opinion about it. I can understand why a lot of people are into it. One: it has a complex story line and quite a bit of action. Two: the writing is fairly simple so it’s easy to read. Three: who doesn’t love to read about knights, royalty, murder, betrayal, and honor? While I enjoyed moments of the book, and eventually I will get around to the four other books that have been written thus far in the series, there are just too many story lines to follow. I figure it was around eight. I didn’t necessarily like this set up because it didn’t give me a chance to really read in depth about one of the characters. Right now I don’t feel particularly tied emotionally to any of them. I’ve talked to my friends about it though and they say that it picks up so I suppose I will press on. I don’t know if this is my kind of book or not. I’ve read long fantasy series and have loved them. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind has to be my favorite so far. My main issue with the book was that George R. R. Martin introduced so many characters and a lot of the them seem unnecessary (although I hear a lot get killed off). Because he introduced so many characters it didn’t feel like a lot happened. The book just felt slow.
Now I think I will read a novel alongside the second book in the Song of Fire and Ice series. That way when I get tired of following all these story lines I can just read a book that takes less investment. I really would like to read a funny book or a book that I just can’t put down. Any suggestions? Happy reading!
one year one lifetime 