Not a Book Review: A Song of Ice and Fire

I am happy to report that I finished reading "A Dance with Dragons" the other day. It is the fifth book in the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by George RR Martin. Perhaps you know the story better by its television name, "Game of Thrones," which is the title of the first book in the series. I did not hear of the saga until it began to be televised, and then I wasn’t much interested – dragons? Warriors? Sagas? Meh. Not to mention that we don’t have cable anymore.
 
Reading is a major enjoyment for me, however, and I go through a lot of books. A couple of years ago I was given a kindle. I didn’t expect to like it. After a lifelong romance with books, I didn’t think an electric tablet had anything to show me.
 
I was hooked from the first book. The tablet was light, I could stick it in my purse and take it anywhere more easily than a book, I could adjust the size of the font so it was easy for me to read, and I could take a book out of the library any time of the day or night by downloading it online.
 
At first I only read library books, and promised myself I wouldn’t buy any books. Ha ha. I stuck to that rule for a few months, but of course part of having a kindle is getting ads for books right on the kindle, as well as getting emails offering special deals on books – today only! – and low priced books, and books I didn’t want to wait for months to read because the hold line at the library was that long. So pretty soon I was getting books from the Amazon store at every price from free to, usually, ten to fifteen dollars. I loved it. Talk about instant gratification – I wanted to read a book, and zip! There it was on my kindle!
 
My love affair with the kindle continued unabated for a couple of years, but you know how love affairs are. Eventually you meet someone more attractive. Amazon came out with the Kindle Fire, and I lusted in my heart for a tablet that would allow me to watch movies and television shows as well as read books. I told my sons that I wanted one for last Mother’s Day and – WOW – they got me one! My sons rock!
 
However. The son who actually ordered the tablet also ordered a download of a sample reading from "Game of Thrones," the first book. He is a fan of the books and the television series. I thought, oh, fine, I’ll take a look at it.
 
I read it, and immediately got on the waiting list at the library for the kindle version. Then I read "A Clash of Kings," "A Storm of Swords," "A Feast for Crows," and, finally, "A Dance with Dragons," which I bought, because after finishing "A Feast for Crows" I didn’t want to wait for the library edition.
 
Now all I have to do is wait for the publication of the next book, "The Winds of Winter," which will be out whenever Martin gets around to finishing it. That book and an eighth and at this time allegedly final book in the series, "A Dream of Spring," are supposed to wrap up all the story lines. Unless of course the story morphs into nine or ten or a dozen volumes. We’re all hoping George RR Martin lives long enough to get to the end. He’s younger than I am, so we have hope.
 
Martin says that Tolkien and "The Lord of the Rings" series were his greatest inspirations. I have to say, and some of you will think it is heresy, that when I read the Ring trilogy I only finished it in hopes that I would gain some understanding of the people who had raved to me about how great it was. One guy told me the Ring trilogy changed his life. I was happy for him and I wish I’d had that experience, but I simply did not grok the Ring. (reference to another popular book of the 1970s)
 
Reading can change you, though. My husband read out loud to me a story in the newspaper the other day of some man who had sinned grievously, and I found myself thinking, "Eh. Send him to the Wall." Then I realized, oh, wait…
 
Maybe it’s a good thing that I’m living back in this world for a while. Take your time, George RR Martin.