Reading Writes {Chapter One} What have I been reading lately? // Reading

September 02, 2014

Reading Writes {Chapter One} What have I been reading lately? // Reading

Hey every one and welcome to the very first instalment of Reading Writes, a new monthly link-up for book nerds and other readerly types. Reading Writes will be happening on the first Tuesday of every month and I would love it if you would join me and link-up your reading or book-related posts. You can read more about Reading Writes here.

For the very first Reading Writes I thought I'd give you a quick run-down on what I've been reading this year and what I have sitting on my shelf waiting to be read the rest of the year...

I mentioned in my introductory post that I've spent the first 7-8 months of this year reading the books in the A Song of Ice and Fire (or Game of Thrones) series. There are 5 books (6 when you consider that the third is actually split in to 2 books) in the series so far, with no release date for the next one, Winds of Winter, as of yet.

While hard-going and loooong (think 800-1000 pages each!) I really, really enjoyed the series. Despite the reputation the TV show has given them, it's not all sex, sex, violence and sex. Yes, there is a lot of sex and violence, without a doubt, but somehow it doesn't seem as in your face as the TV show makes it out to be.

If you're a fan of history at all then these books will appeal to you. It's an epic political story, full of twists and turns, intrigue, and more characters than you can poke a stick at. My favourite character is most definitely Tyrion Lannister. He's a dwarf, born in to one of Westeros' most powerful families and because he lacks certain physical attributes he has had to make up for this with wit and intelect.

I can sense that the myriad storylines and themes that George R. R. Martin is weaving will come together in an epic battle for the survival of mankind against the White Walkers. Yep, along with sex and violence, this series has what are essentially zombies. These are no The Walking Dead-style zombies however, and I find myself hanging to find out how the Black Brothers will defend the massive Ice Wall that separates Westeros from the frozen wastelands of the north, the only thing standing between mankind and the pale bringers of death.

Despite enjoying these books, I was kinda relieved to be finished with the series so far, as 7-8 months is a very long time to be reading about one place and the same characters.

Since finishing A Song of Ice and Fire I've started a new trilogy by Hugh Howey.

The first book in the series is called Wool, and it's set a couple of hundred years after an even that wipes out all but a small contingent of chosen survivors. The survivors live in a massive silo underground, so as to protect themselves from the ruined atmosphere above, bought about by the nuclear weapons that have wiped life from the earth.

The front cover has it billed as the next The Hunger Games, and while it's not as fast-paced and page-turningly action-packed as The Hunger Games was from the first page, it's been a great read so far. It's kinda easy to see from the very start that life is not what it seems in the silo and that there are many deadly secrets that the inhabitants are completely aware of.

I found myself reading as fast as I could from about halfway through, impatient to see if the hunches i was forming would be correct. I'm about a third of the way through the second book now, Shift, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Shift takes us back to before the nuclear holocaust, to the making of the Silo, and this is where it really starts to get interesting, as we learn about the events that led to the survivors living underground.

If you enjoy dystopian fiction skewed for what seems like a young adult audience, then you will definitely want to give these books a go.

I sincerely hope that the ending of both A Song of Ice and Fire and the Wool trilogy live up to their first few books and resolve with a satisfying ending. There is nothing worse than investing your time in a series of books, only to be let down by a weak or poor ending.

But that my friends will be my topic for next month; disappointing endings.

So tell me, what have you been reading lately? Anything you think I should read next? Are you a fan of dystopian fiction, or do you prefer something a little more modern or current?

--------------------