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For April, our theme idea was quite simple; what would one of your favorite characters read? We put the suggestions to a vote, and Katie's suggestion - for "What Would Loki Read?"- won. So this month we will be reading A Game of Thrones, which I'm sure most everyone has heard of, since the TV show is everywhere. Here's a synopsis of the plot for those who haven't:

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

I hope everyone enjoys it! When you're done, or if you've already read it, post your review, thoughts, complaints, questions, etc. on this discussion! Also, I have to ask: which house do you think you would be in?
Also, since this is such a huge book, I'll allot a longer time to read it. I'm thinking a month and a half? We'll still pick a new read for May. Post your time suggestions!

Oh I'm so glad we're reading this! I loved it so much and can't wait to hear what people think about it. My allegiance is Daenerys, but in truth I'd probably be a Stark. :)

I'm so excited! Ned Stark for President.

All I can say so far is that I'm glad I watched the show first, or else I would have no idea who all these people are, and this book is incredibly hard to put down...

When I read the book, just like Katie, I was happy I looked the show first.
I don't think watching the show ruins anything : there is so much more in the books, so many more characters and subplot... The show only shows the tip of the iceberg.

I agree with Katie and Clemence, if I had read this without watching the show, I would have been completely lost. It was nice to have the character's faces in my head as I was reading the chapters.
I also enjoyed how the book was set up; having 10-15 page chapters of different perspectives helped to move the book along, especially since it's 800 pages long. I also found myself most interested in Daenerys' and Jon's stories the most, so I guess not much changes. :)
I was most impressed that I was still entertained by Martin's plot, since I've already seen the whole show. He has fine writing skill, and I can't wait to meet him in May.

Meeting George Martin ? Lucky you ! I must say I'm not always that interested by Jon Snow's POV. He sounds so whiny to me... And his plot is so slow ! I've read the first four books and it seems like the White Walker will never get there.

His POV can be a bit whiny, now that you mention it....I hope so! I want to see the White Walkers storyline unfold soon. Hopefully Daenerys will also reach Westoros soon.

I've been meaning to get started on this seris for a while now. Great pick!

I love this book so far! I especially love Daenerys and Eddards chapters, and I can't get over how young everyone is compared to the show! Jon's only 14, but in the show I would have easily pegged him for 21 or older...

I have in turn enjoyed and hated this book. Something compelled me to keep going (even though I've seen the show so I know what is going to come next). I found the battle descriptions tedious, and the endless talk of banners that I can barely remember who they belong to.

Most of the characters don't have any redeeming qualities... Killing characters off seems to be a firm favourite way to end an arc, instead of working out any issues. But the Dany, Arya and Tyrion chapters seemed to keep my interest up enough to forgive anybody else being killed off.
Really not sure if I want to read any more in this series.

I also think I might be the only person I know that didn't enjoy this book. All the people I talked to about it seemed to think I was bonkers for finding it so tedious.

I can totally see where you're coming from, Claire. If I hadn't watched the show, I'd probably find it boring, but I like seeing the differences/expoundings from the show.

The thing I like best is that the story plays out like real life. The"hero"doesn't necessarily win, and the bad guy gets his way sometimes. It's truly unpredictable, and that's rare in books now. ;D

On reflection, I do sort of like that there's no hero. The book pushed me, and if I really didn't like it, then I for sure wouldn't have finished it. But I did. So I imagine I will read the whole series and be seriously annoyed by the whole thing... Making me want to find out what happened.

Claire- I can definitely understand why you had problems with it....without the tv show I would have been completely lost. I agree with Katie- it helps seeing the show, it kindle gives faces to names. The battle descriptions were tedious to me, too- but battle scenes are much more fun to watch than to read, IMO. I feel like lots of people loooove this book- and while I do too, I can see why it appeals to certain people. The length wore me a bit thin, but I still enjoyed it overall.
I do also really enjoy the unpredictability- even though it sometimes gives me lots of feels.

That is such a great quote and completely true! One of the things I love most about the books is how none of the characters are stereotypes both the female and male. There is not one type of hero and one villain, 'good' characters do bad things and vice versa.

I think the exact quote was "You know, I always had this weird idea that women were people..." ^^

Chachi wrote: "I have actually not seen the show, though I see images from it everywhere. Now that I've started reading it, it's been incredibly hard to make sure I avoid spoilers, but I'm persevering.

I liked h..."
Props to you for avoiding spoilers! In my experience, GoT spoilers are the hardest to avoid. I definitely agree- I love Tolkien, but his stories are always very black and white. I think that's the core of why GoT has done so well- the characters do act like real life people, with quirks and bad habits and general unpleasantries.
Also, that quote is one of my favorites.