Thyroid

I haven't. Thanks. And yeah, I never look at the map. Your map nerdiness should prove helpful during A Clash of Kings.

What thl said. Also, there isn't one, big site. I had to do lots of Googling and my friend, a fellow ASOIAF enthusiast, shared loads of links with me.

Yeah, one my of my favourite characters gets their POV chapters in Feast: the lovely . ADWD is a slow burn, initially, but it gets going once a certain POV comes into play and then runs at the halfway point. It seems that, as soon as Martin figured-out (book 5 spoiler) , things smoothed-out and it becomes quite exciting.

That Minecraft one is incredible. Also, I never realized Braavos and White Harbor were so close to Winterfell. That's got some heavy implications... I love characters. There isn't a crapload of plot in A Feast for Crows, but there's a lot of insight into the characters and backstory. There's also that second layer of things which I love so much. I think the book gets a bad rap for being a follow-up to A Storm of Swords. After that particular entry, expectations must have been insanely high. To follow the book up with only half the characters, lots of character fleshing-out and development, more set-up than pay-off, and then to take five years to write it and six years to follow-up on it must have turned people against the book. Again, though, I think it fits really well with the rest of the series, and people should, in time - if and when the series is finished - learn to appreciate it. What irks me is that so many people seem to love it on a re-read. I just wish they reflected that in their reviews online.

Thunderpeel2001, you enjoy it! SpeedyDesiato, You know, I do love A Feast for Crows a whole lot. There's loads of insights into the characters and it had this pleasant interlude feeling seeping throughout. It's not flawless, but it's my second favourite in the series. Admittedly, it's a bit slower early on, but ultimately it pays-off nicely.

So, any progress from anyone on this thing? I got hit by the shakes again this week, but I'm losing myself in other good books to forget about it.

Also, Ben, I can try and meet and say hi, but I'm not sure if that's possible. I think I get a few hours for myself, and it'll be on the evening just before I leave (Friday, the 28th). (Also could someone tell me the average book price for a mass market paperback in London? Used, I mean. 5 pounds?) FINAL ALSO: also, sorry I posted 3 times.

There's lots of books I'm dying to get my grubby hands on and that I can no way, no how find in Jordan, so.

So it seems I won't get much time in London; just the one day and night. Could anyone tell me the name/location of the best, most amazing, enormous used bookshop there? There has to be quite a lot.

I read The Book Thief. That was a good, engrossing book, albeit one filled with odd prose. What are "swamp-filled eyes"?

Do autobiographies count? Memoirs of Napoleon, The Education of Henry Adams and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin are all great reads. You can get all three off of Project Gutenberg. Will in the World is OK for what it is. It's mostly speculation, you know? And Shakespeare by Another Name is an interesting read if you're wondering about the validity of the Oxfordian Theory on Shakespeare's authorship. I'm happily reading through Steven Englund's Napoleon: A Political Life, just for the hell of it. It's interesting. Biographies to avoid would be The Lives of John Lennon, which is this bitter, angry hate letter to Lennon, and Heavier Than Heaven, which is Kurt Cobain doused in a goo of Courtney Love-authorized tidbits and casting her as this poor victim. It also has these scenes where Cobain is alone and but where we get glimpses into what the fuck he was doing. Like walking home sniffing his fingers after having sex, or what he did up to and including the moment he stuck a shotgun beneath his chin.

Miffy, I'd roll with it, but after making it super-clear how you feel about both your girlfriend and your relationship with her. Re:you sleeping with someone, I don't know. There's this douche frat boy in me saying, "Do it!" And someone in me who knows that, I, personally, would get jealous later, and having sex with someone else would help ease that, so he's also yelling "Do it!". But some obscure part is saying don't.

Is there anything more upsetting than pouring your heart out over something that's been gnawing at you for ages, and getting a cold, sarcastic reaction? No, there is not. At least I've learned I have a hell of a poker face.

I'm quitting The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal, because Gaenor, who can go shit in his own mouth.

The Old Man and the Sea, anyone? I read that over ten years ago and still think about it every day.

Yeah, I do, especially when I realize that a theme is being explored and I can't seem to grasp it. I sometimes do it while stirring a cup of coffee, or, more recently, while talking to my girlfriend, who claps her hands when I get the answer and even skips. That having been said, sometimes I can't be bothered, and just find the story itself enjoyable.

Thunderpeel, you'll know soon enough, I promise. It has some hefty spoilers for the first three books. Set your scope on A Storm of Swords.

Same here. I love that the more time passes, the better you know these characters, even the ones who seem one dimensional at first. Sometimes, development is left for later volumes. Regarding , it's actually GRRM knowing his characters pretty well. You'll understand that line of reasoning better later. Regarding everything else you said, keep reading! It's all explained in due time.

I can read both, probably. I'm a fast yet attentive reader.

Check your inbox! How good was that, eh? . I wish I could link you to all the trivia that shows you how much you absolutely missed.

(book 3 spoiler)

Ben, when you finish book three, tell me. I'll link you to an essay that explains it. Also, it's inevitable that you'll miss a lot. Like I keep saying, there's a second layer of work happening that most people will inevitably miss on a first read-through. That having been said, you have a good number of clues. Don't worry about that yet, though, since you've got some really serious shit coming-up.

The best thing about this series is that you go back later (or read online) and see this other, subtle layer that makes you appreciate the work on an entirely different level. All those small things that don't quite make sense on a first read-through. It's awe-inducing.

Now they're passing laws that say you can't talk about Jordan on the internet without proper licensing (meaning you say what they want you to say; oh glorious Jordan, best country of all time, past, present and future, if you had an ass I'd kiss it). I'm not sure if I'm depressed or angry.