Kidsmum Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Thanks Ben, i shall certainly let you know what i think of it when i finally get round to reading it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 Thanks Ben, i shall certainly let you know what i think of it when i finally get round to reading it I look forward to it, hope you enjoy the novel. Sorry if my comments made little sense, I see they're a bit wayward.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 I look forward to it, hope you enjoy the novel. Sorry if my comments made little sense, I see they're a bit wayward.. Not at all they were very helpful. I picked the book up in a charity shop just because it was a World Book Night choice, didn't really know anything about it & was a bit worried it might be a bit overly sentimental; i suppose because of the title but your comments tell me it's not so i wont leave it languishing on the shelf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 Not at all they were very helpful. I picked the book up in a charity shop just because it was a World Book Night choice, didn't really know anything about it & was a bit worried it might be a bit overly sentimental; i suppose because of the title but your comments tell me it's not so i wont leave it languishing on the shelf Well, I mean I'd say it was more raw and real than sentimental, and I'm glad to be of help. Ah, I didn't know anything about her either until I spotted her book on my reading list, but definitely a very interesting character. Anyway, I cracked on a little with A Storm of Swords II: Blood and Gold today, and I'm finding it fantastic. The narrative definitely seems to have quickened in what is essentially the second half of the book, with a fair few things happening within a few chapters that I wasn't expecting - and I'm glad to see it doing so. The Kindle says that I'm just 28% through though, so I'm sure Martin's not done with the twists and turns just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I'm glad to hear you're enjoying A Storm of Swords II: Blood and Gold. The Song of Fire and Ice series is on my TBR, though I'm a little bit reluctant to start a series that isn't finished yet (but then again, it could take some more time so..). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I finished this last night and it is simply amazing! Just keeps getting better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 I'm glad to hear you're enjoying A Storm of Swords II: Blood and Gold. The Song of Fire and Ice series is on my TBR, though I'm a little bit reluctant to start a series that isn't finished yet (but then again, it could take some more time so..). I was the same, but I also reasoned that it would take me a while to get through them all due to their size. Plus, I've been reading other books in-between and pacing these out somewhat. Saying that, I might not be able to resist powering through, and Martin's track record doesn't give me much hope that it'll be finished before I get near the end. I finished this last night and it is simply amazing! Just keeps getting better. It does doesn't it? I really enjoyed the first two and I thought my interest might peter out because of the length of the series, but they really are gripping. A Storm of Swords might even be my favourite at this rate, there seems to be a twist on every page. Excellent stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 It's easily the best book in the series so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 It's easily the best book in the series so far How would you rank the others in the series? I'm worried that they'll eventually start to disappoint.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 How would you rank the others in the series? I'm worried that they'll eventually start to disappoint.. Well, in my opinion only, I'd rank them in this order: A Storm of Swords A Game of Thrones A Clash of Kings A Feast for Crows A Dance with Dragons I wanted to throw A Dance with Dragons across the room on many occasions as I read it. But I read it on Kindle, so I restrained myself To be fair, it'd be hard for anyone to top A Storm of Swords, it's that good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Well, in my opinion only, I'd rank them in this order: A Storm of Swords A Game of Thrones A Clash of Kings A Feast for Crows A Dance with Dragons Well that doesn't bode well for the rest of the series after this. Particularly being that frustrated with A Dance of Dragons - although I think it's probably a good idea that you restrained from launching your Kindle across the room. I'm loving A Storm of Swords and I'm absolutely flying through it. His ability to make something fascinating happen in every chapter but yet still leave me with a whole host of unanswered questions is unparalleled. I think even if the series falters in the later books I'll still have to keep reading just to see where it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Finished A Storm of Swords II: Blood and Gold (5/5) not long ago, and I have to say it was definitely the best in the series so far, although I'm yet to read those that follow it. I'm not going to write a review, because for those that haven't started the series yet it would be impossible to avoid spoilers. I'll simply say that it's a gripping, sprawling fantasy epic that had me gasping aloud up until the very end. I'd definitely recommend the series to anyone that hasn't read it yet (probably not many of you). It seems long, and with him not having finished it yet it's always tempting to not start an unfinished series, but it's well worth starting A Game of Thrones and seeing what you make of it. Martin's style is effortless, witty and engaging with every sentence. I'm interested now I've finished to see how they're going to adapt Season 3 to television, which arrives on our screens very soon. As for the books, I'm going to take a short break to start something else for now, but I'm sure I'll be back to tackle A Feast For Crows soon enough and search for answers to some of these pesky, unanswered questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Decided to go with The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger as my next read. Synopsis: This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable. This one's been on TBR for a long time with no good reason. Will see how I get on.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I have A Game of Thrones on my TBR but I haven't managed to get around to it yet. Will bump it up a bit after your positive comments! I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife, but loathed the film adaptation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 I have A Game of Thrones on my TBR but I haven't managed to get around to it yet. Will bump it up a bit after your positive comments! I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife, but loathed the film adaptation! That's what I like to hear, do let me know your thoughts when you finally get around to it. As for The Time Traveler's Wife it's good so far. Reminds me a bit of David Nicholl's One Day but I'm finding this much more interesting.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I love The Time Traveler's Wife, it's such a great book in my opinion. Have fun . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Thanks, Athena, really enjoying it so far. For some reason I'm quite invested in the characters, both Clare and Henry are very likeable. I also love how clever Niffenegger is with playing with chronology (which she obviously has to do because of time-travel). I get the impression I'd have been so confused trying to write something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I have all the A Game of Thrones books (so far) on my shelf, I should really get to reading them after your review Ben. I have been watching the series though, and I wonder how much of an affect it will have on reading the books. Hmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 I have all the A Game of Thrones books (so far) on my shelf, I should really get to reading them after your review Ben. I have been watching the series though, and I wonder how much of an affect it will have on reading the books. Hmm. I'm not sure about that, really. I've read the book that corresponds to the series before it's made it on to television so far. I would say that reading this I could imagine the characters more distinctly because I've got faces from the adaptation to put to them. I'm still not sure if that's a good thing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 About halfway through The Time Traveler's Wife and hoping to crack on with it tonight. Very enjoyable so far, glad I decided to stop putting it off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 (edited) Finished The Time Traveler's Wife in the early hours of this morning. I kept telling myself I'd go to bed but I was too gripped to do anything else but keep reading. Overall, then, I thought it was a very enjoyable book. Very cleverly written (I'd never be able to write something like that, the chronology would be far too confusing), funny, but also particularly poignant at times. I enjoyed seeing how Clare's and Henry's lives came together in present time, whilst they still had to deal with the difficulties that Henry's disease puts upon them. I particularly enjoyed the latter part of the book where.. ..they had Alba, and she time travelled too. I thought it was really neat that they could keep meeting and Clare had the relief that Alba could still see her father, and that Henry would still watch his daughter grow up. It was also quite sad that Clare couldn't be a part of this, but I loved the final pages where she finally got to see him again when she was older. So, I'm sure most of you have already read this but those who have it on TBR just sat there waiting, like I did for so long, pick it up and give it a go. It's a beautiful yet tragic story of love, longing, and I have never read anything quite like it before. Niffenegger writes effortlessly; often about difficult subjects but she has the ability to make the reader laugh aloud too. Definitely worth a read. 4/5. Edited March 27, 2013 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Great review, Ben. I loved TTTW too, and remember reading it in a single day - partly sat at the cafe in my avatar piccie, and the rest curled up on the sofa! I'm glad you picked up on the humour in it, as often people forget about it due to the emotional, moving overarching story, but there are some definite moments of light relief in there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Great review, Ben. I loved TTTW too, and remember reading it in a single day - partly sat at the cafe in my avatar piccie, and the rest curled up on the sofa! I'm glad you picked up on the humour in it, as often people forget about it due to the emotional, moving overarching story, but there are some definite moments of light relief in there too. Thanks Claire. It was a strange one to review actually. I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to say about it, but I'm glad my thoughts came across properly. Ah, I imagine that was one delightful day of reading. The humour was interesting, as I definitely didn't expect to be laughing much from what I'd heard before I started reading it. I thought it was smartly done though, even the little things like losing his clothes when transporting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 I read TTTW back in 2005 and thought it was an excellent read. It took me a while to get my head around the time travelling aspect but what a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 I read TTTW back in 2005 and thought it was an excellent read. It took me a while to get my head around the time travelling aspect but what a good read. Oh I was definitely the same, it's a strange thing to wrap your head around but once you've got it it's such a clever and interesting novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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