Glory is A BellaNaijarian Reading George R. R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’

This is A BellaNaijarian Reading, where folks come to discuss the books their reading—why they’re reading it, what they love about it, and why you should read it, too. You can read other entries here.

Glory, who started reading in primary school and considers herself a book lover, has a goal to read 400 books this year. She’s downed 53 so far.

Glory’s Reading Habits

I usually read historical and contemporary romance, and whenever I get bored I switch to thrillers and epics. I love eBooks as they’re so convenient, and I get them from online eBook vendors. Other times I exchange books with my book loving friends. I also use apps where I can read for free.

I love reading in bed. That is my go-to reading position. I can spend days in bed, standing up only to shower, clean and eat. I also love reading and eating. It’s how I use the time in between spoons. However, since I read everywhere and every time I possibly can, you can find me reading during conversations, during lunch break or standing on a queue. I have now started learning to read in a moving vehicle. It used to make me dizzy, but I think I am finally finding my sea legs.

I read one book at a time. I prefer this because incomplete stories in my head just jumble me up. However, I may read two or more books at a time if the owner needs it back urgently.

I have read only romance books since January, so in March, I decided to challenge myself to read A Game of Thrones. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I felt it would be fun, especially with the hype over the final season coming in April.

Glory and A Song of Ice and Fire

I started reading the series in March, and I am currently reading the third book, A Storm of Swords. Only five out of seven books have been released, and yes, the final season is culled from the yet-to-be-released sixth and seventh book, so I don’t know how it all ends, for those who are wondering.

Well, reading A Song of Ice and Fire is like swimming in a dark river: the waters are rushing at you, the tide is high, and every now and then, seaweed and other slimy objects brush against your legs and you are wondering if it’s a crocodile, a water snake, or just weed.

Sure, I have watched the series, but reading it is a whole new ball game. The book is 11,000+ pages, and that is huge, even for me.

George R. R. Martin paid so much attention, even to the tiniest detail, that if they wanted to include everything written in the book into the TV series, it would take hours to document one episode. But I am loving the experience. I am currently reading the third book, A Storm of Swords, and I have gone from disinterested, to mildly interested, to wildly interested, to the point where I cannot put down the book.

Reading Theon Greyjoy’s POV is boring as hell. Plus, he is such a weakling with visions of grandeur, that it is painful being in his head, seeing things from his perspective.

Reading Sansa’s POV is like reading a child’s mind. At first, I was sympathetic. She really is a bunny of a girl, living in a world where everything is rose gold. It was not her fault, the things that happened to her, but in book three, I realized how foolish she actually is, still dreaming of rubbish instead of standing up for herself, fighting, or even avenging her family’s death.

The most enjoyable POVs are Tyrion Lannister, Jamie Lannister, Arya Stark and Daenerys Stormborn.

The saddest POVs are Catelyn Stark and Eddard Stark. They went through so much pain, especially Catelyn, who endured her husband’s death, her daughters’ captivity, and the supposed death of her two sons Bran and Rickon before being killed together with her first son Robb, his wife and unborn child.

I noticed with annoyance that there was no POV on Cersei Lannister. In fact, Jamie’s POV does not appear until Book 3.

I really want to get into Cersei’s head, I want to know how she thinks, why she acts the way she does, how she justifies her ruthlessness.

I didn’t read any reviews before choosing to read the series. I thought it would be like reading Harry Potter, which was a simple, very-easy-to-understand book. Maybe because it was initially written for kids.

Glory and other books

Before A Song of Ice and Fire, I read The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton. After this series, I will go on a romance binge. I will start with Space by Penny Reid and all the Julia Quinn novels I have not yet read.

In 2018, I discovered new authors, not just books. So I will recommend authors. I enjoyed Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series: I loved this series because it had me laughing until the very end. The author has so much humor and the story just flowed seamlessly. It was a great feel-good series.

Another author I would recommend is Susan Elizabeth Phillips who is my all time fave because I love all her books. It’s hard to love every book written by a particular author, but S.E.P was that one magical author.

Lastly, I enjoyed reading The Boy series by Meg Cabot; I don’t really like all of her books, but this series blew my mind. Be warned, its written in texts, emails and other online message formats.

In my opinion, everyone should read the Harry Potter series. It’s the book that changed the world, and it would be a deficit if not read.

I love love love Darcy Bennet in The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Darcy is a tough, straightforward person who is feared for her quick tongue and sarcastic remarks, but underneath all that, she is a softie.