Madeleine

I do wonder what happened to Daario though, the mercenary who was one of Dany's lovers/advisers? Last seen left behind in Meereen, I'd have thought he'd have come with the Unsullied to help at Winterfell and then Kings Landing. And the strange young man who turned up with the Starks turned out to be Robin, the son of Lisa Arryn - I was wondering what happened to him as well!

Nearly finished number 18.

Same here, although still a bit cool in the shade, meant to be a bit unsettled over the weekend though, naturally! I'm actually wearing a Tshirt today.

Same here, I've been obsessed by shows before (the original X Files was probably the last one) and normally I wouldn't watch anything this graphic either, but it somehow got me, the characters I think, and the epic sweep, and the fact that a few years ago nothing like this would have been possible on TV.

Roastie for me too, also egg and chips, and as a child, creamy (mashed) potatoes with peas - bliss!

Correct! The 3rd part of the trilogy will be out on 5th March next year - had a newsletter from Waterstone's this morning.

None of the original cast are in the prequel, except for the Night King, as apparently they will cover his back story, also the building of The Wall and Winterfell, and the start of the feud between the Starks and Lannisters. Confirmed so far according to IMDB are Miranda Richardson, Naomi Watts, John Simm and Jamie Campbell Bower (from the Mortal Instruments film), no named roles so far although they have started filming, presumably with the same crew. Yes it will be interesting to see how the books differ, although the writers have said that they followed GRRM's "vision".

Just been reading about the prequel, it will tell the story of how the Night King became the Night King, and how Winterfell and the Wall were built, and the background of the family who would eventually become the Lannisters. It's already being filmed, no title as yet, possibly screening round about this time next year.

I thought it ended pretty well too, most of the characters got an ending (whether they lived or died!) and I did find it quite touching, sort of coming full circle I alsoI thought that the Dothraki accepted and wondered if there might have been one final skirmish - there seemed to be a big gap between that scene and the next, where the Starks and co suddenly turned up at Kings Landing for Tyrion's trial - I thought I'd accidentally hit the fast forward button at first, until Tyrion said something about thinking about things for a few weeks, but apart from that it felt like there was a scene missing. Muggle Not got it right about who would be Queen, though I'm not sure about the choice for King. And I liked the scene at Winterfell, with the new "team" already squabbling, and the scene with Brienne and the book was nicely done too. It was touching without being too mawkish, and yes I think everyone got what they deserved. I'm so glad that I will miss those fabulous opening titles and gorgeous music, one thing it never did was let the music crash the dialogue (like most series do these days), in fact sometimes there was hardly any music at all in big scenes. I also thought it was a nice touch having

Have you ever seen the rain? - Tom Petty

Thanks Athena!

I hope they get rid of Dany, especially after last week, looks like she is her father's daughter after all (and is doing the Cersei thing of killing everyone who's in her way). who knows who will sit on the Throne (if they can find it under all the rubble!), as of course there are still a few Starks left.

Our House by Louise Candlish - following their marriage break-up, Bram and Fi Larson have separated and are co-parenting, taking turns to spend time at their lovely house, or the small flat they're renting. Then one weekend Fi goes away with her new lover, only to return early and find someone else moving into her house. It seems that Bram has sold the house without telling her, even attending the open house viewing and meeting the new buyers. The story is then told from both of their perspectives, some in the present as both parties try to come to terms with what's happened, and also the background, and what led to Bram doing such a monumentally outrageous act. Some of Fi's story is told via a podcast, with the accompanying comments from the Greek chorus of Twitter, which I found a bit irritating, but thankfully wasn't used too much. Most of my sympathy was with Fi, as Bram seems to be so full of self pity that he became quite tiresome, and I couldn't help but think that he got what he deserved. The bad guys, as it were, are also totally unlikeable, and although there were some good twists along the way, and it's certainly a page-turner, I felt that the ending let it down a bit, it felt rushed and a bit too simple. So it loses a point for that, otherwise it would have been 9/10! 8/10

The Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskine - this is another hugely enjoyable time-slip novel, this time set in Scotland (mainly Edinburgh) and features one of the author's own ancestors, her 5(I think) x great grandfather Thomas Erskine, who rose to prominence in UK politics and dined with the likes of the Prince of Wales. But his beginnings were humble, and he started as a midshipman on a merchant ship sailing the West Indies, where he made several acquaintances which were to dominate his life, some good and one in particular which literally continued to haunt him and his family through the centuries, as his own descendant, Ruth Dunbar, discovers when she goes to her father's house to clear it out following his death. She'd been estranged from him for years, especially since her mother died, and has been working down in London, but she has a nasty shock when she moves back in to her father's house, for his lodger and supposed carer, Timothy, claims to be his long-lost son, and that the old man left him the house. Ruth's solicitor promises to investigate and to try to obtain proof, meanwhile she can live in the house, but after a campaign of harassment from Timothy she goes to stay with a friend of hers at his house in the Borders. Meanwhile she's found some of her mother's property (valuables are missing, presumably sold by the odious Timothy) including letters and diaries written by Thomas and, later, one of his daughters (he had about 8 children, I lost count after a while!), and as Ruth reads the old memoirs, the past literally starts to come alive for her. But Thomas isn't the only ghost who visits her, and the other spirit isn't so benign. Worse, Timothy and his sister April are still planning to get the house from Ruth, but Timothy too finds himself haunted. I enjoyed this, it did get more bizarre as it went on, but some of it, especially at the start, is genuinely creepy. The setting, moving between Edinburgh and the Borders is great, and there's lashings of the author's usual atmosphere. And an interesting story too, as her ancestor's history and rise in society and politics is gradually revealed, although I also liked reading about his childhood in Scotland too. 8/10

Hi and welcome!

Yes they're gorgeous aren't they?

At first I thought Jaime returning to Cersei was a bit of a copout, but then I don't think a happy ever after was ever on the cards for him, either way! and I've long suspected that Jaime and Cersei would die together. I think the only way Cersei has lasted so long is because she had anyone who disagreed with her killed, or terrified them into submission! Dany seems to be going the same way, getting Drogon to fry anyone who won't swear for her ( eg the Tarlys in series 7).

Good Wives by Louise May Alcott

Been quite nice over the last few days, warm in the sun, but still chilly in the shade and at night, meant to get cooler and wetter later today - just in time for the weekend of course!

Welcome to the forum, I think there are a few fans here! There is probably a separate thread somewhere, but glad you like it.

Funny that A Level English put me off Austen for years! I didn't like Northanger Abbey either, nor Mansfield Park, which I read somewhere was her own favourite of her books.

the others are Mistress of Mellyn (which reminded me a bit of a lighter version of Jane Eyre, similar sort of story) and Time of the Hunter's Moon, all set in Victorian times.

I have Frances Brody's books too, a nice cosy read does no harm once in a while!

wow I wasn't expecting that either, what an episode, puts the battle of Winterfell in a corner that's for sure. I agree about Dany, she's as bad as Cersei, and keeps doing what she's always done which is ignore all her advisers' advice! Which is the main reason why I've never liked her.

This Ole House - Rosemary Clooney (or Shakin stevens!)