Harry Potter Turns 20

It's a big deal today, all over social media and the blogosphere.  Harry Potter turns 20.

I've never been a Harry Potter fan.  I made it part way through book 3, I think, and that was that.  And while I have also watched most of the movies - I think - I'd be hard pressed to tell you much about them aside from who played who in them.

That being said, I give HUGE kudos and congratulations to J. K. Rowling and her books of Potterdom.  They inspired a massive amount of children, and adults, to pick up a book and start to read.  So many kids that never wanted to read before, read that first Harry Potter tale and were hooked.  And remained hooked!

That is worth everything.  :)

Well done!

Musing on A Song of Ice and Fire vs Game of Thrones

I stopped watching Game of Thrones back in the beginning of Season 2.  I don't rightly know why, I just did.  I am up to date on A Song of Ice and Fire, having read through A Dance of Dragons, however.  Last night was the premiere of Season 6 of GoT on HBO and it was all over my Twitter timeline and Facebook, so much so that I actually dreamt about it, the TV return, that is - Jon Snow hadn't died, he'd gone off to be a pirate and returned to Westeros at the head of a pirate fleet.

So as I lay in bed this morning, I ended up wondering if George R.R. Martin ever regrets selling the series to HBO when he did.  Now that the show has apparently caught up with the books, and it's been officially announced and reiterated that what is seen in the show will not be following the books in many cases - many more cases than it already has - it sets me to wondering.

I know that GRRM has shared his vision of the story with the producers of the show, but God knows if they're all going to end up in the same place now.  I wonder how that feels, to have one's arguably best piece of work taken from your hands and reformed before you even get the chance to do it your way.  The first time.  The original.   I think he must at some point, no?  Have regrets?  In the wee small hours?  Do all the $$ and recognition he's received thanks to the TV show make up for it?  Again, when he's all alone in the wee small hours, I wonder....

I also wonder if A Song of Ice and Fire, his story,  will be tainted by Game of Thrones and what the TV producers come up with as their story.  Does the original vision of Westeros become something shared between GRRM, David Benioff and DB Weiss instead of GRRM's alone?

That was all some heavy thinking before my first cup of coffee!

(x-posted to Dreamwidth)

My July Reads

I lucked out again this month.  Lots of good reads and I even stretched myself a time or two reading something that I wouldn't normally pick up.  I swear, there are so many good books out there just waiting to be read.  

So, as always, if you click on the link below the picture of the book, it'll take you to my thoughts on the book at my book blog over on Booklikes.

Hammer and Bone
by
Kirby Crow

 

The Mercenary
by
Cornelia Grey

 

Two Serpents Rise
by
Max Gladstone

 

Dirty Secret
by
Rhys Ford
(Cole McGinnis #2)

 

The Wolf's Hour
by
Robert R. McCammon

 

Dirty Laundry
by
Rhys Ford
(Cole McGinnis #3)

 

Vicious
by
V.E. Schwab

My June Reads

Oh boy there are a lot!  Okay, so two of them are really more short stories/novellas and the first book I finished on the first of June, but still!  There are some really good ones this month, including the best book I've read so far this year - Farthing by Jo Walton.  I'm posting a day early because I'm pretty damned sure I won't finish the book I just started at suppertime by tomorrow night.  I have too much to do!

So, without further ado, my reads for June.  Click on the title beneath the cover and it will take you to My Thoughts over on my book blog at BookLikes.

The Name of the Wind
by
Patrick Rothfuss

 

Lord of the White Hell - Book 2
by
Ginn Hale

 

Farthing
 by
Jo Walton

 

Master of Ghouls
by
Jordan L. Hawk

 

The Circus of the Damned
by
Cornelia Grey

 

Butterflies
by
K.J. Charles

 

The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key #1)
by
Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

 

Remnant
by
K.J. Charles and Jordan L. Hawk

 

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal
by
K.J. Charles

 

Gasp!
by
Z.A. Maxfield

 

The Rook
by
Daniel O'Malley

My May Reads

I spent some of the month reading The City Stained Red, but I'm having the most difficult time with it.  I haven't figured out the point of it yet, so it's failing to hold my attention for very long.  But that being said,  I did read other things.  :)  Most of the last week and a half of May was spent on the book I just finished today.  It being the 1st, it'll go for next month.  These are the books I finished in May.  Click on the links beneath the cover pictures to take you to my thoughts on Booklikes.

The Gravedigger's Brawl
by
Abigail Roux

Hunter of Demons
by
Jordan L. Hawk

Dragon's Eye
by
James A. Hetley
The Stonefort Series #1

My April Reads

The first half of April, I sped along reading.  The latter half?  Not so much.  I've been working on my current read for a couple of weeks now.  And not because it's bad, it's just that I'm able to set it aside and do some other things.  So that being said, here are my April reads and, like before, if you click on the link beneath the covers, it'll take you to my thoughts over on BookLikes.

Libromancer
by
Jim C. Hines

The Iron Wyrm Affair
(Bannon & Clare #1)
by
Lilith Saintcrow

Hell on Wheels
by
Z.A. Maxfield

My March Reads

This month, 3 of my 4 books were big thick epic reads - which I love, I am NOT complaining!   So while it doesn't seem as if I was as reading-active as previous months, I really was!  I had one problem though, one of those 3 was a SLOG.   If you're interested in what I thought about my reads, just click the links beneath the covers to take you to my book blog on Booklikes.  :)

Touchstone
by
Melanie Rawn

Emperor of Thorns
by
Mark Lawrence

Curious
by
R. G. Alexander

Crash & Burn
by
Abigail Roux

My February Reads

I read some really good ones in February.  I think my fave of the month was Jackdaw - and I have to say, the characters stuck with me even once I was on into the next book.   And I've been very good and not added too much to the TBR pile.   As always, click on the titles to take you to my thoughts on my book blog at Booklikes.  :)

King of Thorns
by
Mark Lawrence

The Hell You Say
by
Josh Lanyon

Dogfighters: Under the Hill
by
Alex Beecroft

Acrobat
by
Mary Calmes

Bound with Love
by
Megan Mulry
(Thoughts to come)

The Alchemist of Souls
by
Anne Lyle

Jackdaw
by
KJ Charles

Death of a Pirate King
by
Josh Lanyon

My January Reads

So I spent a lot of time reading in January.   My thoughts on all these books are, as always, over on my book blog at BookLikes (Click the title to take you to the entry).  It was a good month, I have to admit.  I enjoyed every book I read!

According to Hoyle
 by Abigail Roux

The Emperor's Blades
 by Brian Staveley

Home the Hard Way
 by Z.A. Maxfield

Lord of the White Hell
 (Part One)
by Ginn Hale

A Dangerous Thing
 by Josh Lanyon

Among the Living
(PsyCop #1)
 by Jordan Castillo Price

Dark Witch
 (The Cousins O'Dwyer #1)
 by Nora Roberts

Shadow Spell
 (The Cousins O'Dwyer #2)
 by Nora Roberts

Blood Magick
 (The Cousins O'Dwyer #3)
 by Nora Robert

Prince of Thorns
(The Broken Empire #1)
 by Mark Lawrenc

A King Undone by Cooper Davis - My Thoughts

Bought because KJ Charles had good things to say about it, A King Undone didn't disappoint.  This is the first time I've read anything by Cooper Davis and again, not disappointed at all.  Another author I will definitely read again.

Interested in my thoughts on A King Undone?  They're available on my book blog over at BookLikes, as always.

Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft - My Thoughts

Here we are with another of my Christmas time reads.  Sydney Croft is the pen name of the author duo, Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler (who also writes as SE Jakes) and they have written this novella set in their ACRO World for the Riptide Share the Love holiday charity bundle.

To find out what I thought of Three the Hard Way, skip on over to my book blog on BookLikes.

I must add that I really like the cover (by L. C. Chase) on this one.


And then I read this quick Christmas freebie from one of my favourite authors and I totally loved it!