Only a short blog!

It’s been a while since I thought about these books. Only short reviews, I just need to have a couple of thoughts down 

The Winter King and Enemy of Gods

 Daring books to start the year, it is also the first time reading  Bardad Cornwall. And reading these books was a conflicting journey! 

A wild, difficult ride! At the same time, I was really enjoying these books. 

I have never been so confused while reading a book. 

I think Cornwall’s writing style, on one hand, is brilliantly written, and I can read through the story effortlessly. The war and battle screens were the best I’ve read in a long time! 

            On the other hand, I’m stuck on a page or two because I’m reading something in TOO MUCH detail. I’m thinking that this detail would come up later in the story, but NOPE, nothing.

I’m pretty sure there’s a ¾-page description of an old lady knitting a coat or jumper or something. 

The other thing that surprised me was Arthur himself. This is different, Arthur, than I was used to. This is not the noble King of the Round Table. This one is a much more emotional, angry, resentment of his duties.  He already has Excalibur sword, but he reluctantly uses it. 

 Umm, is that right….. 

Everyone has a myth about the sword with all sorts of crazy stories, but Arthur himself doesn’t really care and is just a “normal” sword. And when Marin asks to “return” the sword, he just gives it away. 

Marin was a surprised, Marin, the classic old wise wizard archetype! And he’s a JERK in this story.  

He doesn’t show up too late into book 1, he’s more of a story/myth. Himself with different characters, has only whispers of the great wizard! 

When he finally showed up he was described as an old hatchback or a monk. I can’t remember. 

I really thought this was historical fiction ( and it might be.) but until Marin pulls out a Christian cross, throws it, and green fire 🔥 touches the enemy!  Now, my history is a bit fuzzy, but I can’t recall a historical tale, based on evidence, of green flame. 

(Right now, I can only think of fictional green fire. I think it is called Wild Fire from Game of Thrones.) 

Please let me know if there’s historical evidence of Green Wildfire, or only in  fiction

In the 2 book, Marin is on his own journey collecting the “12 treasures of Britain”. (This includes Excalibur.) That was interesting to learn. The long forgotten history of British

I really need to read book 3. And finish the series!

All Quiet on the Western Front

After watching the movie, I realised that there was a book. 

This was a different change of pace for me, reading a World War book.  Recently, modern compared to playing normal reads. ( mainly fantasy or sci-fi)

This was an interesting read.  

Reading a war true story but from the German side.  I always find it interesting to hear a super about the war from an enemy’s POV.  

I must admit that most of my war stories come from Hollywood, and tend to tell the stories that glorifies us as the mighty heroes.  Even if we had to fudge tiny details to do so.  I can’t think of a movie that is 100% fact correct.

The biggest surprise was,  I wasn’t expecting to read a graphic description of trench warfare.  And I do mean EVERY grim detail!  There was a part of the book where we read the death of a ‘fellow friend’, and it describes in detail the stages right before the death.  

I needed a strong stomach to read some parts. 

As an introduction to war stories, I struggle a little bit keeping up with ‘real’ names and real details, as said before, the details about the realism of warfare were a little tough to go through.  I did enjoy this book. 

To continue reading war stories, I bought a copy of Band of Brothers to add to my endless TBR.

Anyone got any good recommendations for historical fiction/no fiction?? 

Project Hail Mary 

I wrote a whole review on this site. 

 He’s the link.

Game Of Thrones 

Whoa, it’s been a while since I returned to Westeros!

This is a reread for me, the last time I read this was 2016!!! :O 

Especially, I forgot most of the story from the TV show. 

Because I can’t remember the story. This is a wonderful return to read, despite the book’s size.  

    All these years, it was so GREAT to revisit this story. 

The Starks, dire wolf pups, Robert Baratheon, and The Lannisters, Little Finger and the Spider…

A brief history,  

“
Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

”

(an interesting (back of the book) description)

  Im not sure what else to say, haha. I guess spoilers (I thought everyone knew the story.)

The only thing I can think of is to tell the things that surprise me, reading the story again, that I didn’t catch the first time. 

(This would sound REALLY confusing if you haven’t read the book!)

Rereading the books this time round, I realise that the Baratheons and Lannisters were on….. Confusing terms even before the story starts.   You hear when Robert wins the war on the fields. You hear different accounts that there was a ‘sea’ of red and gold lion banners clearing out the city (with a tiny force of the Stag banners), with Tywin clearing out Red Keep, and Jamie clearing out King’s Landing. 

Then you got that famous story of Jaime being a member of the king’s guard, stabbing the Mad King in the back, and briefly sitting on the throne himself…… Ned finds out and tells Jamie to get off the throne because it’s Roberts……..

And yet,  the throne goes to Robert.  Even tho it sounds like the Lannisters were in SO MUCH STRONGER politically to forcefully take the Thorne for themselves. 

But that doesn’t happen……

Even later in the story, there’s a chapter from Ned’s POV where he’s talking to Robert and Robert complains that his wife refuses to *cough cough* ‘do the deed’ and that’s frustrating because his getting old and he needs a legitimate heir to the throne.  Ummm, I guess he believes that  Cersei’s children are his??? But does he ever question why they all have golden blond hair???

Ooo, also, do Little figure and the Spider all know?  Don’t they have a duty to tell the King?  Or is this the whole “playing the Game of Thrones” politics thing?  ‘You play the game of thrones, or you die’  

I don’t know, as of writing this review, it’s been a while since I read the book! 

I guess that it is for this year.

This year has been a tough one for me, mentally, so far. Not fun times, and struggling to battle my ‘demons’ on my own. :’(. 

  So not much production is happening.  

We got past halfway into 2026, and so far my favourite book is Project Hail Mary!!!!  Trying to find another book, but I’m having a little trouble due to the heatwave!! 

I tried reading Clash of Kings (GoT book 2), I made it to 125 pages, and I’m slowing down to a sloooowwwww crawl.