I present to you another instalment of Weltenwanderers and Schlunzenbüchers „Gemeinsam Lesen“ (Reading Together).
Each Tuesday one of them asks four questions, with the first three always being the same about the book one is currently reading and the fourth a new one by either of them. All questions below are obviously translated from today’s German post.
1. Which Book are you currently reading and which page are you on?
Last Thursday I finally finished The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King (see these four for more information: #8, #9, #10 and #11). But before I started my current read I also finished part three of the Vampire Diaries series (Part 1, Part 2), just to have an easy read before I started into a new endeavour.
On Saturday I finally was able to pick up A Clash of Kings again, after I couldn’t help myself but reading the prologue after picking it up from the library.
I’m currently on page 318, which is nearly half way through.
2. What is the first sentence on your current page?
Meera moved in a wary circle, her net dangling loose in her left hand, the slender three-pronged frog spear poised in her right.
or in German:
Meera bewegte sich in einem wachsamen Kreis, ihr herabhängendes Netz hing lose in ihrer linken Hand, der schlanke, drei zackige Frosch Speer selbstsicher in ihrer Rechten.
3. What do you desperately need to tell about your current book? (Thoughts, Feelings, a Quote, whatever you want!)
Just like with A Game of Thrones is this one really captivating. Luckily there is no Advent Calendar this time to stop me from reading (Though there is a bit of writing I have to do for Your Picture – A Story and The Extremis Review).
New POV (Point of Views) were added and everyone is conspiring and plotting for their turn on the Iron – or any other – Throne.
I still don’t know what I should make of Tyrion as a character, but his schemes are brilliant and quite interesting to follow.
Davos (new) look into the planning of Stannis Baratheon, on the other hand, leaves me as bewildered as Theon’s does appal me in regards to the Greyjoy’s way of living. So much stupidity and arrogance is just beyond me. Sure, their tactics make sense as well, but the way they are pursuing them could be more, well, efficient I’d say. With all their plunder this, conquer that or do this to gain that, it looks very much like they’re wasting their resources. The Lannister’s aren’t better in this, with all the raids their bannerman enforce unto the land – especially if they are attacking neutral parties – I somehow doubt there will be many subjects left to rule when someone finally settles on either Throne for good. In my opinion it’s not really a clever way to ensure someone’s victory. Here I prefer the peace approach Catelyn Stark suggests to her son, though it seems that the majority of those on the receiving end of these offer are too stubborn and bloodthirsty to even consider a treaty and even the stags are more interested in bashing their heads together than teaming up against a common foe.
In short: A bunch of thick-headed royals are slaughtering their way to be allowed and acknowledged to sit on a fancy chair.
I’m not entirely sure why this is still so damn captivating…
Maybe it’s the way those plans are foiled or have turns and twists you don’t expect in the beginning.
Maybe it’s the writing style, that is easy to understand, even for a non-native speaker.
Maybe it’s just some kind of weird voyeurism that makes you want to see how imaginary people cope with certain situations.
Probably a bit of all of those.
And apart from all that there is Jarman/Jarmen Buckwell, where I’m curious how Martin came to name one of his characters like my hometown.
4. Is there a person in your current book that you don’t like at all? If so, why? And if you could tell that person anything, what would it be?
There are several in a way. Though mostly not because I don’t like them, but because I think they’re idiots. There is Sansa that still has to learn a lot to no longer be just a pretty bird. Then there are Theon, who is just an arrogant prat and Stannis, who doesn’t really listen to reason. And probably some more I can’t name right now.
What I would tell them if I could? Good question…
I probably wouldn’t say anything, but instead shake my head and role my eyes in annoyance/disapproval.
Imagining for a moment there wouldn’t be any consequences for giving them a piece of my mind, I guess I’d tell Sansa to get her head out of the clouds and be realistic; I’d probably slap or hit Theon and rant about his treatment of others, especially women – though it is satisfying to see how his sister Asha does a nice job of humiliating him 😀 – and I’m not entirely sure what I’d tell Stannis, but I guess it would be along the lines of questioning his sanity…
Additional thoughts
Don’t forget to check out my raffle for posting two hundred posts on this Blog!
You can obviously participate in these questions by either using my translated or the original German version.
PoiSonPaiNter
© For the cover, the quote and the banner belong to their rightful owners.
