Just finished the final book (of five) of the George R.R.Martin series 'A Song Of Ice & Fire' - it's been a marathon, but (mostly) enjoyable, task; as a huge Game of Thrones fan I was quite shocked at how different a lot of the characters are in the books as compared to the TV show. Any fans of the TV series who fancy reading these need to totally dismiss the TV series from their minds. The fifth book ends with so many loose ends I fear the sixth book may not actually be the last one - I do hope GRRM gets his finger out and puts the sixth book to print as I would like to finish the series before I shuffle from this mortal coil!
I read these almost at the perfect time, think it was between seasons 4 and 5 of the TV show so I knew a lot of what was going on as I read, but then got 'beyond' the show and had a spoiler free read of book five, then got to see it translated on screen. It's a shame but I doubt he's ever going to finish it.
Read the acclaimed James by Percival Everett on holiday. Picks up from Mark Twain with the story of Jim the runaway slave and it was as good as i thought it would be.
A Drinking Life by Pete Hamill. A memoir. Probably one of the best descriptive books I have read. Hamill was born to an Irish immigrant in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1930's. His father was an invalid having had a leg amputated after a football accident. His father was also a drunk. A path Hamill followed. He lived through the Depression and WW2 and learned early that drinking was an essential part of being a man, inseparable, from the rituals of celebration, mourning, friendship, romance, and religion. The description of life in Brooklyn, the bars, the streets and his upbringing are quite remarkable. Hamill is a fabulous author, a writer, a story teller, and a top journalist. This book is magnificent and highly recommended if you like a good, honest and truthful read. At times like looking into a mirror.
