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Discussion: Books into TV Series
I may be in the minority for book readers, but I almost like the Game of Thrones show more than the books in some ways. I like how the show took out some of the more rambling storylines that happen in the fourth and fifth books; they did a really good job paring it down for a TV audience. At the same time, I really didn’t like the timeline shift that led to Jaime raping Cersei in the show and I didn’t like the entire Dorne storyline, which felt like it was going nowhere. But I’d still say that the Game of Thrones TV show has stayed true to the spirit of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.
One of the TV adaptations I was really impressed with was the adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen. I officially finished the first four episodes in a huge binge-watching session last night and was really happy with the way the books translated onto the screen. The actors and actresses are all very talented and the TV show stayed very true not only to the feel of Gregory’s series on the War of the Roses but also to a lot of the main plot events. You have Jacquetta working her magic, Elizabeth growing more and more ruthless toward Edward’s enemies and the poor Neville girls admiring the queen and yet being forced to become her rivals for power. It’s actually a very satisfying adaptation and on the whole I like it more overall than the Game of Thrones adaptation because it stays very true to the source material and the writing is consistently excellent.
So what I want to know now is this: Do you have any particular books that you’d like to see adapted into a TV series? Or, how has your experience been with seeing your favourite books adapted into TV shows? Was it good or bad? Why?
Lazy Sundays: Mother’s Mercy (Game of Thrones Episode 5.10)
Okay, wow, let’s get into this, shall we?
1. Yay Sansa and Theon for probably escaping! Theon finally stood up to Ramsay’s authority and Sansa was working on a plan to get out anyway. Now that the two are together on the run I really hope they’ll make it to safety.
2. The Meryn Trant scene was very, very disturbing I must admit. There’s something about a teenage girl killing a man slowly (and clearly enjoying it) that is disturbing, no matter how horrible a person the man in question was. I think Arya will never truly be a Faceless Man because she’s so attached to her identity as a Stark but she could be a pretty fearsome assassin one day.
3. And Stannis is dead! I never really liked Stannis in the books and I really, really didn’t like him in the show. After killing Shireen I had no doubt he’d die but I didn’t think it would be that soon. With Selyse and Shireen dead and Melisandre abandoning the cause, Stannis had nothing to live for.
4. Hmm…Brienne choosing revenge over duty to Sansa? I wonder what consequences that could have in the future…
5. That was quite the pity party with Daario, Jorah and Tyrion. I think it’s awesome that Daario and Jorah are going on a road trip despite the bad blood between them (“She’s in a good mood”, anyone?).
6. Two eunuchs, a dwarf and a woman ruling a city like Meereen that’s not known to be all that progressive? That will be very, very interesting next season. I really can’t wait to see Tyrion back in power.
7. And Daenerys got captured by a khalasar just like in the books. It does not bode well for her but at least she had the sense to drop her ring in case anyone is tracking her.
8. I can’t believe Myrcella died! Well, actually I was sort of wary after that moment between her and Jaime but I just didn’t expect the Sand Snakes to kill her. In the books they wanted to crown her, not kill her.
9. Cersei’s walk of shame was just as brutal as it was in the books and I think Lena Headey did such an amazing job with it. She didn’t overdo the emotion but you could clearly see her degrading mental status as the brutality of the mob got to her. I was so relieved when she finally made it to the Red Keep. At the same time, after she gets out of the streets there’s almost a look of determination in her face. Will she go completely soft like in the books or go on a murder spree and make sure she keeps her promise to that awful septa.
10. Ah, so we finally see Zombie Mountain. I wonder what role he’ll play in the future?
11. Poor Jon Snow; I think we all saw that coming (except for some people on Twitter, who were just totally shocked). But is he really dead? Sure, he was bleeding out and sure Kit Harington has said he’s truly dead but there has to be a reason for Melisandre coming back to Castle Black. Could she revive him in true Thoros of Myr style, believing him to be the new saviour instead of Stannis?
So what did you guys think of the finale? Are you as anxious as me for season 6?
How to Survive Book Expo America
Even though for 2016 Book Expo America is moving to Chicago (then apparently back to New York for 2017), there are still some pretty universal tips for surviving a massive convention like it. That’s why I’d like to share some nuggets of common sense and experience so that if you decide to attend the convention, you’ll have some idea of what to expect.
1. The convention is massive, so wear practical shoes!
You are going to be doing a lot of walking and standing at Book Expo America. The Javits Center in New York is massive and I imagine the Chicago venue will be similarly sized. But you would not believe the number of women mincing around in three or four inch high heels! Are you kidding me? I was wearing very comfortable sneakers with special gel inserts and my feet still wanted to kill me by the end of the day. So for goodness sakes, wear some practical shoes! Even with your dress clothes! Looking a little odd is a good trade off for still being able to walk at the end of the day and laughing at all the women (and occasionally men) sitting, applying bandages to their blisters because they wore good looking but uncomfortable shoes.
2. Bring your own food and water.
In New York food is insanely expensive period but within the convention centre the vendors have rather a captive audience and they know it. They’ll charge you $3 for a bottle of water, sometimes more. Your best bet is to go and buy a bottle of water from a pharmacy or corner store and bring it into the convention, along with some snack food and a main meal. If you don’t want to lug your food around all day, then your second best bet is just to go outside the convention centre and find a street vendor. Their food is just as good as the stuff in the main convention hall and it’s usually half the price. I’m not sure how things are in Chicago in terms of finding reasonably priced food, but if you go to the New York convention in 2017 you need to make plans to either bring food or bring a little money for street vendor food.
3. Bring business cards!
I can’t stress this one enough in part because so many people don’t do it and really, really regret it later. Even if you’re a blogger and don’t go to the BEA Bloggers Convention, you’ll still end up networking with dozens of people. And most of those people will have business cards they want to exchange. Business cards are really cheap to design online and get printed. I got 500 cards for just under $25 through VistaPrint and that’s including shipping to my remote little community. If you’re spending all this money and all this effort to go to Book Expo America, you might as well get something extra out of it and having business cards for when you network is really important.
Bonus tip: remember to pack your business cards. There’s no point in making business cards if you left them in your hotel room or in your house halfway across the country.
4. Talk to people; they don’t usually bite.
One of the things I noticed while waiting in line for various autographs is that very few people actually strike up conversations. I’m not a natural extrovert but then again, most people at BEA are also bookish introverted people. So go on, strike up a conversation with the person ahead or behind you in line! Who knows? You might get an interesting business opportunity or make a new friend. Or you might meet an author you admired but didn’t know what they looked like. One time while I was waiting for a Scott Westerfeld book I struck up a conversation with the short redhead behind me. She turned out to be Kellie Sheridan, author of Mortality and co-founder of Patchwork Press, an independent collective that I request a lot of books from on NetGalley.
Seriously, just talk to other people. You’re all here because you share similar interests anyway, so why not? Even in New York or other big cities, people don’t usually bite when you talk to them.
5. Only take galleys of books you’re actually going to read and review.
Don’t be that person that always takes books they’re not interested in just because they’re free. Or because they’re free and they want to use them in a giveaway on their blog. You’re going to get a ton of books marketed to you so I know it’s hard to say no, but you really do have to learn to say it. Otherwise you’ll end up with 50+ books and no practical, cost-effective way to bring them home. Besides, it’s not fair if you take books you have no intention of reading or reviewing and someone who actually is a fan of the author doesn’t get one because of that. I know it’s awesome to brag about how many books you got (I know I received quite a few books) but you really do need to just take ones you’ll actually read. It’s only fair.
6. Have fun!
Book Expo America is by its very nature, fun for book lovers. But some people take it way too seriously and think it’s a life-or-death struggle to get the most coveted ARC or talk to the most popular author. Spoiler alert: it’s not. You can have a plan for when you want to get in line for your favourite author signings, galley drops or panels but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t make some of these events. Just take a laissez faire attitude to the whole thing and life will be so much better for you. You have enough stress in your daily life! Don’t stress out over something that’s supposed to be fun.
Lazy Sundays: The Dance of Dragons (Game of Thrones Episode 5.09)
I wasn’t sure how the writers would top episode 8, ‘Hardhome’ but I think they did with this one so let’s get to it:
1. I knew Shireen was going to die from the minute Stannis started actually showing more affection toward her. After Ramsay’s night raid on their camp, I think Stannis is pushed to desperation with not enough food to go forward or back. In his mind he only has one choice.
2. I wonder how poor Ser Davos is going to react to his de facto little girl being burned alive by her own father?
3. Plus, I think the fact that Selyse wanted to stop the burning once it happened really shows that she’s a complicated character. She thinks she hates Shireen but I think she fears her because of the greyscale and sees her as a failure. I mean, out of all the children she had, only Shireen, the ‘deformed’ one survived to term?
4. For a second there I thought Ser Alliser wasn’t going to let Jon Snow and the wildlings through the gate. But since he did I think he’s angling to take over Jon’s job, forcibly if necessary. Showing the Night’s Watch their Lord Commander’s ‘greatest sin’ is just one way to really turn sentiment against him.
5. I knew Arya was going to see Ser Meryn in Braavos from the time Cersei sent him to escort Lord Tyrell. And after that disturbing brothel scene I think Ser Meryn’s days are numbered just the same as Arya’s time at the House of Black and White is numbered.
6. I’m glad Bronn and Jaime are making it out of Dorne with Myrcella and Trystane. But what is Ellaria playing at? I doubt she’s given up her dream of getting revenge for Oberyn’s death, no matter what she swears to Doran.
7. Wow, the look on Daenerys’ face when Ser Jorah appeared in the pit again was just perfect. As was her look when she thought he tried to kill Hizdahr but really just killed a Harpy.
8. On that note, I was kind of surprised they killed of Hizdahr even before their marriage. What was the purpose of that particular change from the books?
9. Also, the choreography in the fighting pit was just beautiful. Someone must have been drunk or high during that really awful Sand Snake fight scene because this was classic Game of Thrones.
10. Yay, Dany finally got to ride Drogon. But I wonder where Drogon will take her? Will she end up where she does in the books or will the show’s writers change that slightly?
So what did you guys think of this super-intense episode? I’m very, very excited for the finale this year!
Your Open Promotion Thread
Have something interesting you’re wanting to talk about? Something that needs a little more attention maybe? Be it a book, blog post or other blogging or book-related topic, come on down and talk about it in the comments! Feel free to interact with other readers as well. It’s nice to share what we’re all passionate about so I’ll start:
One of my blog posts that needs a little more attention is my Forgotten Figures: Aurelian post. It’s about Aurelian, one of the best Roman emperors ever but one of the ones very few people ever talk about. He did such amazing things in only five years and had he not been such a great man, the history of Rome and the world would be very, very different today.
Have fun!