A Game of Thrones is the first book in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series and, thanks to the worldwide success of the HBO television show, you’ve probably already heard of it. This first novel – and indeed the series itself – is epic in every sense of the word. Martin is a masterful world-builder; with its own mythology, religions, languages, locations and a colorful and dauntingly large cast of characters, it’s difficult not to compare Martin’s Westeros to J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle Earth. But Martin’s novel is original and with layers upon layers of intrigue and shifting truths and alliances, only Martin knows what the final end-game will be.

Martin employs the use of multiple “point of view” characters in A Game of Thrones. The story weaves back and forth between these several characters, the plot of the novel unraveling with each chapter. I can’t recall ever reading another book that juggled with many limited omniscient third-person narrators and it does take some getting used to. There were clearly some characters whose voices I preferred to the rest and it could be frustrating to have a POV chapter end, just when you wanted it to continue. There were occasions when I really wished I could “see” the events of a certain chapter from another’s perspective and sometimes, the novel returns to a POV character several chapters after his or her last chapter and it takes a moment to remember where the character was last left.

The point of view chapters work, however and that is because Martin is deliberate in his choices of who tells the story. There’s a reason why we don’t get Robert or Cersei’s point of view, just as there’s a reason for having nearly every member of the Stark family as a POV character. The pace of the novel is slow at the beginning, most likely because it’s the first book in the series and a lot of groundwork and history has to be established in order to set up storylines and payoffs for several books later (there are five books currently published and plans for at least two more). Eventually, Martin finds his rhythm and in the second half of the book, the story races towards its conclusion with alacrity.

Given the massive success of the HBO television show based on the series, it would be silly not to mention it at least briefly. I actually watched the first season of the show before reading the book and while reading, I’ve noticed that lines, dialogue and scenes from the book were taken almost word-for-word when adapting the novels for television. The writers and producers of the show have really treated the source material carefully and the result is a truly engaging television show because it started with a truly engaging novel. Though I’m usually a fan of “books first,” I actually think it helps to read and watch in tandem. The novels can feel overwhelming at first, especially in terms of keeping characters and relationships straight, and in the back-and-forth of the POV chapters. I’ve found that watching the show, being able to put actors’ faces with characters’ names, is helpful.

(And let’s be honest – as wonderful and visual a writer as Martin is, there are just some things – like sword fights – that are really more exciting on screen.)

I strongly urge any fantasy fan and certainly any fan of the television show to pick up George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. Don’t be put off by the length, the detailed map of Westeros or even the ever-expanding cast of characters. A Game of Thrones is the kind of book that demands your time and attention, but it is also the kind of book that is worth every minute you put into it.

[Photo Credit: Goodreads]

Implacable (“im-plak-uh-buhl”)

Adjective; from Dictionary.com:

1. Not to be appeased, mollified or pacified; immovable
2. Incapable of being placated; inflexible

All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him, something cold and implacable that loved him not. (A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin)

The first use of implacable comes from an early 15th century Old French word with a similar spelling and pronunciation as implacable. Further back, implacable is a Latin word, combining the prefix in (meaning the “opposite of”) and placabilis (meaning “easily appeased”). Someone who is implacable will not rest easy or quietly. He or she is incapable of being reassured or soothed. In some cases, this is because of fear or anger; in other cases, a person is just a disagreeable person who can find nothing to be happy about.

Your turn, bookworms – has an author’s plot device or a character’s decisions ever left you feeling implacable? I remember feeling that way at the end of One Day.

[Photo Credit: Google Images]

A few weeks ago, Lil’ Will and Miss Jane were introduced to Declan, the one-year-old son of a close, dear friend of the Librarian Next Door. Like many young toddlers, Declan enjoys learning about the world around him and seemed a bit intrigued by these tiny people. At first, he wasn’t quite sure what to make of them and was a bit wary.

Amusingly, Declan took to Lil’ Will right away, perhaps recognizing a kindred spirit in our delightfully devious little playwright. He clutched Lil’ Will tightly in his little hand and seemed to really enjoy banging Lil’ Will against the couch. (Alas, it was not as enjoyable for Lil’ Will.) When it came to Miss Jane, however, Declan was a bit more cautious. I’m not sure if it was the bonnet or the air of superiority, but Declan was less enamored of her.

Though their time together was brief, it seems that Lil’ Will and Declan (and Miss Jane, to a lesser extent) have had a bright start to their new friendship. Unfortunately, as it happens with many one-year-olds, Declan’s attention quickly wandered and nothing, not even a world-renowned Elizabethan playwright and a beloved Regency novelist can compare the the tasty goodness of a television remote control.

* Please note: no children, Lil’ Wills or Miss Janes were harmed in the making of this blog post.

This post was inspired by Austenacious’ Jane Austen Action Figure posts. All the credit for the idea goes to them. The Lil’ Will and Miss Jane figures used in this post (and the pictures) are mine.

• The wild rumpus roars no more. The children’s book world lost a giant this week, when Maurice Sendak died at the age of 84. Sendak is, of course, best known as the author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are, but his career as a children’s author and illustrator spanned more than 60 years and he was once referred to as “the Picasso of children’s books” (minus the whole ear thing, I presume). Sendak was so popular in part because of his clear-eyed, unsentimental look at childhood, with characters who were often not at all well-behaved and an embrace of the scarier things.
• I bet all those folks who said publishing was dying are feeling pretty dumb right about now. According to the Association of American Publishers, sales of children’s and young adult hardcovers are up 72% over the same time last year. Paperback sales are up as well, almost 63% over last year. That’s right – good, old-fashioned actual books are selling. Though there’s no absolute indication for this jump, most publishers believe the increase can be attributed to the success of several popular series, including that one about those games where, apparently, people are hungry.
• Speaking of those hungry games, The Hunger Games is now on the top of the Amazon Kindle’s Most Highlighted Passages list. Amazon tracks what passages readers are highlighting when reading on their Kindles (side note: anyone else find that a little creepy?) and The Hunger Games series dominates the list, taking eight of the 10 spots. The only non-Hunger Games book on the list is Pride and Prejudice, which does make me feel a bit better (though the passage for that book is the famous first line – “it is a truth universally acknowledged…” – and really, should everyone have that memorized by now?)
• That’s one way to experience literature. 24 brave individuals took the time in April complete a full-scale re-enactment of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, which included acting out the eponymous tales while walking (on foot walking!) from London to Canterbury. The adventure raised money for the UK’s National Literacy Trust. Pictures and even audio can be found on The Guardian’s website.
• First the Greeks, then the Romans, now the Norse. Children’s author Rick Riordan announced plans to write a series based on Norse mythology. Riordan is best known for his Percy Jackson series and the follow-up, The Heroes of Olympus, as well as an Egyptian inspired series, The Kane Chronicles. With a few more books in the Heroes series to complete, Riordan plans to work on his Norse series slowly; it will be at least a year before the book is written and probably longer before it’s published.
• It pays to live – and work – in the Northeast. Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom, I came across this map of library distribution in the United States. The map overlays metro statistical areas (basically, where the cities are) with locations of public libraries. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the density of population in the Northeast, that region features the most libraries. And while it does seem like every state has at least one public library, I feel bad for all those poor folks out west. (Is it just me or does it look like Utah and Nevada have the least?)
• I simply adore this poster.I want one of my own. That is all.

As always, happy reading.

Querulous (“kwer-uh-luss”)

Adjective; from Dictionary.com:

1. Full of complaints; peevish
2. Petulant, testy; discontent

“You mean the Others,” Bran said querulously. “The Others, ” Old Nan agreed. (A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin)

Querulous and it’s adverb form, querulously, is synonymous with words such as “cantankerous,” “whiny,” and even “bitchy.” Someone who is querulous is generally unhappy with just about everything and finds cause for complaint in every circumstance. Many a child has been querulous at some point in his or her life. Querulous comes from the Latin word querulus, meaning “full of complaints” which in turn comes from the word queri, meaning “to complain.” It shares a root with the verb quarrel.

Your turn, bookworms – Has a particular book or series ever made you querulous? People have said plenty querulously about the Twilight series.

[Photo Credit: Google Images]

“Ma’am… step away from the book. You have blog posts to write. Ma’am, I repeat: Step. Away. From. The. Book.”

The Librarian Next Door finally glances up, with a wild and feral look in her eye. She’s prepared for a fight and she’s prepared to win. (She has read The Hunger Games at least three times, after all.)

A tug-of-war ensues. Punches fly. Swear words are uttered. Legs are kicking and the Librarian Next Door’s grip on her book increases with every attempt to take it away. After what seems like an eternity…

“Okay, well…um, I guess you’re going to keep reading. I’m going to just pop over to the local emergency room and fix this open head wound. But I’ll be back! You can’t avoid your blogging duties forever, you know. I’ll give you this one more week, but then, I’m coming back for the book!”

The Librarian Next Door merely smiles devilishly. No one takes her books from her. NO ONE.

• Does this make me supremely uncool? The L.A. Times Book Prize winners were recently announced and while I’m sure all the winners are deserving, I haven’t actually read – or even heard of – any of them. (Okay, well I had heard about Stephen King’s novel, but that’s because he sometimes writes a column for Entertainment Weekly.) The L.A. Times handed out awards in categories including Fiction, Biography, Graphic Novel, Young Adult and Science & Technology. The awards were announced as part of the L.A. Times Festival of Books.
• Shame, shame, shame! Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, is being sued for fabricating that memoir and for allegedly making up many of the stories found in the book. When the book was originally published, it soared in popularity and many people gave money to Mortenson’s nonprofit organization, founded in conjunction with the book. But last April (in 2011), CBS News, 60 Minutes and journalist Jon Krakauer started looking into Mortenson’s claims and found many inconsistencies, as well as possible mismanagement of his nonprofit’s funds. The lawsuit names Mortenson, his co-author, his publisher and his nonprofit as defendants.
• Hanks and Colbert, the dynamic duo. After a two-part interview with Maurice Sendak spurred him to write his first children’s book, Stephen Colbert is now turning to another friend in a high place. Actor Tom Hanks will narrate the audiobook version of Colbert’s I Am A Pole (And So Can You!), with plenty of “interruptions” by Colbert himself. The book is “an inspirational tale of a pole trying to find its place in the world.” Both Hanks and Colbert plan to donate their proceeds from the audiobook to charity.
• If the television show and the five novels aren’t enough, here’s some more George R.R. Martin to make you happy. Amazon’s Omnivoracious blog has a nice long video (more than 20 minutes!) with Martin as he answers questions submitted via Facebook. Even if you haven’t read all the books or even if you only know Martin and his world via HBO, the video is still worth a watch. Martin is thoughtful in his answers (I was particularly intrigued by his response to whether he thought any of his characters were “wholly good or wholly evil”) and, of course, he gives credit to “the best fans in the world.”
• What do Carlisle Cullen, Lisbeth Salander and Tywin Lannister all have in common? They are literary characters who made it onto Forbes Magazine’s “Fictional 15″ list, a list of the 15 richest fictional characters. While Carlisle has the benefit of being undead and having a daughter with a knack for seeing the future, Lisbeth gained her riches from hacking and Tywin Lannister, as everyone in Westeros knows, always pays his debts. Interestingly, the number one spot was also secured by a literary character – Smaug, the dragon from Tolkien’s The Hobbit, who is worth an estimated $62 billion. Not bad for a dragon who hordes his wealth in a mountain cave.

As always, happy reading.

Vicky Dreiling’s How to Ravish a Rake is the third story in a group of novels connected by shared characters, though I don’t know that it’s a formal series. Amy Hardwick, who first appeared in Dreiling’s How to Marry a Duke as one of the young women vying for Tristan’s hand, finally gets to step out of the shadows of others and have her moment to shine. Like Dreiling’s other novels, How to Ravish a Rake is partly sweet, partly dramatic and, of course, mostly sensual. And while I did enjoy Amy and Will’s story, I just didn’t like it as much as the others.

There is plenty in How to Ravish a Rake that’s good. Having encountered Amy in Dreiling’s previous two novels, I really loved seeing her finally build up her confidence and have her chance to be the center of attention. I especially liked the fact that Amy’s hidden talent for fashion is part of what helps her stand out. While she is as accomplished as any of her other friends, she hasn’t always felt special. In this book, however, she finally realizes that her sketching ability is something to take pride in. Though Amy does end up rushed into marriage, I appreciated that Dreiling has Amy and Will’s relationship move a bit more slowly. She gives them the chance to develop a real understanding and friendship, which helps build a stronger foundation for the love that eventually comes (and who DOESN’T love a rake reformed by love?).

But there were other parts of the book that I didn’t like. There wasn’t enough development of Will’s character. I never quite understood or bought into his issues with his family. I often found myself frustrated with his immaturity and the decisions he made, which in turn made it harder to find reasons to like him. This translated to a feeling that Amy and Will were horribly mismatched, as if Dreiling herself hadn’t noticed that perhaps they weren’t supposed to be together. I didn’t really believe Amy and Will as a couple, which took away from my enjoyment of the novel.

Additionally, while I was glad that Dreiling included familiar characters from the previous books, the inclusion of Georgette’s story was mostly distracting. As much as I wanted her to have a happy ending as well, the parts of the novel that cut away to her story felt rather abrupt and those sections were too short to really make me care about her romance. I would have preferred that Dreiling either make the book longer and more in-depth to include a secondary story or give Georgina a novel of her own.

Though I did not like How to Ravish a Rake as much as I had liked Vicky Dreiling’s previous two books, I was still happy to see Amy get her happy ending. There’s something quite satisfying about former wallflowers who finally blossom into the heroines we all knew them to be. While not perfect, How to Ravish a Rake is still enjoyable and perhaps you’ll like it more than I did. Read it for yourself and come to your own conclusion.

[Photo Credit: Goodreads]

Convivial (“kuhn-viv-ee-uhl”)

Adjective; from Dictionary.com:

1. Friendly, agreeable; genial
2. Fond of feasting, drinking and merry company; jovial

Blake couldn’t remember ever passing a convivial evening there, and he expected tonight to be no exception. (Confessions of An Arranged Marriage)

Convivial is one of those sorts of words that simply sounds like it’s fun, which is why its definition is appropriate. The word convivial comes into English from a Latin word, convivium, which means “a feast,” and that word is itself a combination of the words con (“together”) and vivo (“to live”). Therefore, convivial implies joining together for the purpose of enjoying life and having fun. What could be better?

Your turn, bookworms – what sorts of convivial things do you like to do?

[Photo Credit: Google Images]