Teaser Tuesday: A Feast For Crows

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from A Feast For Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4) by George R. R. Martin:

The stench of death was growing stronger, despite the scented candles.  The smell reminded Jaime Lannister of the pass below the Golden Tooth, where he had won a glorious victory in the first days of the war.  On the morning after the battle, the crows had feasted on victors and vanquished alike, as once they had feasted on Rhaegar Targaryen after the Trident.  How much can a crown be worth, when a crow can dine upon a king? (p. 174)

In honor of Season 5 of Game of Thrones ending, I wanted to share this particular passage.  It really struck me when I read it, especially the last line.  And after seeing some of the craziness this season, it seems to resonate even more.  What's a crown or riches or power when each individual will eventually reach the same end?  Crows will dine on anything and anyone, regardless of their status or wealth.  Definitely puts things into perspective!

Have a teaser to share?

Leave me a link below and have a great week!

Teaser Tuesday: A Storm of Swords continued

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R. R. Martin.  If you haven't read the first two books or seen the HBO series then this passage might be a tad spoilery where Bran's physical condition is concerned:
Bran shook his head.  The day was growing old by then, and long shadows were creeping down the mountainsides to send black fingers through the pines.  If the little crannogman could visit the Isle of Faces, maybe I could too.  All the tales agreed that the green men had strange magic powers.  Maybe they could help him walk again, even turn him into a knight.  They turned the little crannogman into a knight, even if it was only for a day, he thought.  A day would be enough. (p. 343)


Bran Stark is such an amazing character.  I know this particular snippet is much longer than the two sentence rule, but the entire passage resonates so well that I had to share.  I just felt that this passage summed up Bran beautifully.  It shows the predicament he's in, the desires he has, and the maturity that came to him much earlier than it would have if he hadn't been permanently injured.  After everything he's been through, he still clings to his childhood dream of becoming a knight one day and for him, in his early gained wisdom, one day would be enough.

What's your teaser this week?

Leave me a link below and have a great Tuesday!

 

Teaser Tuesday: A Storm of Swords

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R. R. Martin:

My hirelings betray me, my friends are scourged and shamed, and I lie here rotting, Tyrion thought.  I thought I won the bloody battle.  Is this what triumph tastes like? (p.56)

So, I have now made it to the third book in this amazing series and it just keeps getting better and better.  I still love Tyrion and ache so badly for him for not getting the respect and love and appreciation he truly deserves.  The author has created such a complex character that makes you invest your emotions into him even though he's only fictional.  The mark of a truly gifted writer!  I can't wait to see how this book and this particular character evolves!

Have a teaser for me?

Leave me a link below and have a great Tuesday!

 

Road Trip!!

Happy 4th of July everyone!  I hope you all are enjoying beautiful weather, great cookouts, and maybe even some awesome fireworks displays this evening!  And I hope all of this is taking place with family and/or friends.

We're actually having a cookout today (some beautiful hunks of steak are going on our grill....yuuuummm).  But, no fireworks for us this year.  That's okay, though.  We have to get up around 4am tomorrow because we are going on a ROAD TRIP!!!!

Yep, we're heading to Madison, Wisconsin where the hubby and Muse will be in meetings and attending a conference.  Once we're done there, we'll be heading to Iowa to meet one of our authors and then to Indiana to meet another author and then back home again!  A whirlwind trip, but it should be a lot of fun. :)

What will I be doing while he's locked up in meetings?  Well, I will be feverishly writing on the second book in the Galactic Dynasty series!  With Starward (book one) finally available for purchase - you can check out Cressen Books' website for purchase links - and the celebration of that release out of the way, I have come up with all sorts of ideas for the next book.  And after having spoken with my co-author and Muse about story flow, plot line, and general direction, I am now ready to pound out at least the first several chapters!  I'm very excited to begin this novel and will keep everyone informed of the progress.

And when I'm not writing, I intend to get a lot of reading done.  I've just started the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, A Storm of Swords, and hope to have lots of time to read that.  Of course, when the Muse is not in meetings, I fully intend to drag him around the city to see the sights....we will, after all, be tourists!  So, I'll be taking pictures and will try and post some of the better ones once we get back home.

So, there you have my excitement!  Have a safe and wonderful Independence Day and I'll be back on when I get the chance to give updates and share pictures!

Teaser Tuesday: A Clash of Kings final

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This weeks' teaser comes from A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R. R. Martin:

He knelt beside her, so they were face-to-face. “A girl whispers if she fears to speak aloud. Whisper it now. Is it Joffrey?”
Arya put her lips to his ear. “It’s Jaqen H’ghar.” (p. 685)

This will be the last teaser from A Clash of Kings as I should hopefully be finished reading it by the end of this week.  Arya Stark continues to be one of my absolute favorite characters and I loved this particular exchange between her and Jaqen H'ghar.  She had realized that the two names she'd whispered to the assassin before had been meaningless in the grand scheme of things and she wanted her last to truly mean something.  This was a bold move by her and in a lot of ways changes the direction of her path yet again.

Anyway, this has been an amazing book to read (really no surprise there) and I can't wait to get to the end of it so I can continue on to the next book in this incredible series!

What's your teaser this week?

Leave me a link below and have a great Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesday: A Clash of Kings continued...

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R. R. Martin:
Across the tent, Rhaegal unfolded green wings to flap and flutter a half foot before thumping to the carpet.  When he landed, his tail lashed back and forth in a fury, and he raised his head and screamed.  If I had wings, I would want to fly too, Dany thought. (p.195)

Daenerys is such an amazing character!  I love watching her story unfold and the strength, wisdom, and perseverance she possesses.  I've read a lot of novels over the years, and I believe she is probably the first character that has impressed me this much.  Many kudos to George R. R. Martin for creating her!

What's your teaser this week?

Leave me a link below!

 

 

Teaser Tuesday: A Clash of Kings

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R. R. Martin:

When Bran repeated that to Osha, she laughed aloud. "Your wolves have more wit than your maester," the wildling woman said. "They know truths the grey man has forgotten." The way she said it made him shiver, and when he asked what the comet meant, she answered, "Blood and fire, boy, and nothing sweet." (p. 71)

I finally finished A Game of Thrones and loved it so much, that I immediately started reading A Clash of Kings.  This is just such an amazing, epic fantasy read that I can't believe I went this long before reading it.  Sigh.  Anyway, the passage above is one I really liked in that it shows the developing relationship between Bran and the wildling woman, Osha.  Outside of Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and Arya Stark, Bran Stark is probably my next favorite character in this series.  And Osha intrigues me since I have yet to figure out how she's going to play out in this series.  I guess I'll just have to keep reading! lol

Have a teaser for me?

Leave me a link or comment below!

 

 

Teaser Tuesday: Game of Thrones final

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin:

 



"Take his horse," Dany commanded Ser Jorah. Viserys gaped at her. He could not believe what he was hearing; nor could Dany quite believe what she was saying. Yet the words came. "Let my brother walk behind us back to the khalasar." Among the Dothraki, the man who does not ride was no man at all, the lowest of the low, without honor or pride. "Let everyone see him as he is." (p. 231)

 

For anyone who has visited my last couple of teasers, you'll know that I've been working my way through A Game of Thrones.  It's been a slow progress as I don't have as much time as I would like to devote to reading, but I've been enjoying the book so far and seeing how well the HBO series mirrors it. 

 

For this last teaser from this book (I'm determined to have a different book to tease from next week), I wanted to quote Daenerys Stormborn, a character that I have truly fallen in love with and admire.  She has probably impressed me the most out of all the amazing characters George R. R. Martin has created in this epic world.  And I love this particular passage because it's the first time that she willingly and openly defies her brother, discovering that there truly is nothing to fear of him.  And this, I feel, is the turning point for her becoming the strong woman she grows into.

 

Have a teaser for me? 

Leave a link below and have a wonderful Tuesday!

 

Booking Through Thursday #3

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme about (mostly) books and reading.

 

This weeks' BTT is: My brother-in-law turns 50 this weekend. So, in his honor, please pick up your nearest book or whatever book you’re currently reading, and turn to page 50 and then share the first 50 words with the rest of us.   (Do feel free to round this off, to stop and start with complete sentences, though.)

I'm currently reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.  Here's the excerpt of 50 words from page 50:

Down here on the benches, there was no one to stop Jon drinking as much as he had a thirst for.  And he was finding that he had a man's thirst, to the raucous delight of the youths around him, who urged him on every time he drained a glass.

lol...I couldn't have planned a better passage to celebrate someone's birthday with and it's exactly 50 words!  So cheers and happy birthday to BTT's brother-in-law!

Monthly TBR Pile Update: April 2013

I have a ton of books on my reading pile and this feature showcases the ones I've managed to knock off that pile during the month.  Or it shows books I've read period.  However you want to look at it.

This past month I ended up reading only one book on the pile and the rest I purchased and read straight away. 

Nearly Departed in Deadwood is the first book in the Deadwood mystery series by Ann Charles.  I've had this book on my Kindle for way longer than I'd like to admit.  So, at the beginning of April, I was in the mood for a light mystery and decided to give it a try. 

This 'try' resulted in me purchasing every single book in the series, including the first short story she released, and devouring every one of these books within a two week timeframe.  I am absolutely in LURVE with this series and would recommend it to anyone who loves murder mysteries with humor, ghosts, and spicy romance mixed in.  This series had it all and then some and the character development and world-building are phenomenal!!  Unfortunately, I will now have to suffer and wait for at least another six months or longer before the next book in this series comes out.  But I can guarantee that I will be downloading it the minute it becomes available!

As for other books, I've started reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.  But I can safely say that I will not have that book finished by the end of April, so I won't include that in the books completed pile for this month.

What books did you read this month that you really enjoyed? 

Leave me a comment below as I'm always looking for new books to check out!

 

Teaser Tuesday: A Game of Thrones

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin:

"My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind...and a mind needs a book like a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." Tyrion tapped the leather cover of the book. "That is why I read so much, Jon Snow." - pp.123-124

I started watching the HBO series a couple of months ago and it put me in the mood to read the books.  So far everything seems to be similar which is a huge relief to know that Hollywood didn't deviate too much from the storyline.  I love Tyrion Lannister, both in the TV series and in the book, so it was only appropriate to quote him this time.

Have any of you read this series or watched the HBO version?  Let me know what you think of it and who your favorite character or characters are!

If you have a teaser, leave me a link below and I'll be sure to check it out!



 

Insatiable Reading Trend

I love to read!  It's the next best thing to writing.  Well, that and chocolate and other things I won't mention here. lol

Anyway, as much as I love to read, I sometimes go through dry spells where I won't touch a book for months.  And it just so happens that I was going through one of those dry spells towards the end of last year, beginning of this year.  But then one day, I picked up Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles and suddenly my reading passion is back with a vengeance!  Yay!!

Since picking up that book, I've read every book in the series up through book 4 (actually I'm about 30 pages from the end of that book which I should finish today, but I'm counting it as having read all the books) and that includes the short story she released not long ago to compliment the series.  This woman has astounded me...seriously!  Sure, it's your basic murder-mystery, but she's thrown in ghosts, a middle-aged single mother of twins, a crotchety old man that has sex on the brain constantly, a Dirty Harry style detective, and a smokin' hot alpha male for the heroine to lust after.  Add in all the humor that mixes so well with the story and it's no wonder I have devoured this entire series within two weeks!  Ann Charles, you are a goddess of humorous, ghostly murder mysteries!

As I mentioned during that ramble, I'm about 30 pages away from finishing the last book in the series (please, please, please let there be more books in this series) and I realize that my reading frenzy is just getting started.  So, I was pondering what to read next.  Enter George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.  Game of Thrones anyone?

Yeah, I got hooked on the HBO series and decided I needed to read the actual books.  I was curious as to whether HBO kept fairly close to the plot line or if they went their own direction with it.  From what I've heard, they stay pretty close with the storyline, but I recognize that there's so much going on behind the scenes that you can't fit it all into an hour episode.  So, with my sudden craving for all things Game of Thrones, I ordered a box set of the first four books which arrived in the mail yesterday...woot! 

So, to answer the question of what I'll be reading next....A Game of Thrones....hopefully starting tonight!  I plan to envision Peter Dinklage every time Tyrion Lannister makes an appearance in the book.  I'm completely in love with this character and feel that Peter Dinklage does an astounding job in the HBO series!

Anyway, I guess we'll see how long this latest insatiable reading trend lasts and I'll be sure to share my thoughts on books that I find worthy of expounding on!