Life According to Nobody

At this point, everyone and their dog knows about Game of Thrones. If they haven't read the books or watched the TV show, they've at least had to listen to their friends and family droning on about the Red Wedding and Jon Snow and blah blah blah...

I feel like I'm flogging a dead horse, talking about it on here, but I promised I would review the books I have read, so review it I shall. In case you had any doubt, it's incredible. I'm not what you'd call an avid reader and the though of 780 pages of battles, rape and murder isn't really my literature of choice. I loved the TV show, and I mean loved it. The first few seasons (which are made up of the plot from Book 1) sucked me in to this fantasy world.

George R.R. Martin has this amazing talent of switching between the narrative of the characters to make to story flow seamlessly along. The world of Game of Thrones is vast with so many different families, houses, kingdoms, tribes and races, but Martin breaks it up into manageable chunks by switching between the perspectives of 7 of the main characters. Catelyn, Eddard, Arya, Jon, Tyrion and Daenerys are all of different ages, houses, histories and opinions and, by exploring each character's plot line, the author is able to describe the world in such depth without burying us in endless dull details.

We learn of the history of the Seven Kingdoms, of the Old Gods and the New, what lies beyond the wall and the feuds between great houses whilst falling in love with so many characters. Good old Georgey manages to slaughter almost every character you grow attached to within seconds of them finding a place in your heart. Even though I already knew what was going to happen, I still felt the wave of emotion sweeping over me as Ilyn Payne unsheathed Ice on the step of the Sept of Baelor. The way  George R.R. Martin writes makes the characters come alive.

Now, we all know how complicated the plot is and I can admit, I'm a little lost when it comes to who is claiming what in the show. But having it in words in front of you with a handy dandy map at the start of the book really helps you understand who the seven thousand different knights are and who their allegiances are to. Eve if you've seen the show, I'd still recommend reading the books. There's so many tiny little important details that are glossed over in the TV show that are emphasised in the books. READ THEM!!

I READ A BOOK

Now, as a future English Literature major, this shouldn't be as remarkable as it is. I've talked on here before about my lack of drive to read as I went through high school. But I did it. I got back in to reading and my eyes have been opened to the absolute joy that is escaping from my dull, mundane life into the exploits of characters and other people.

Now, if you're planning on getting back in to treading after taking what feels like a life-long break, may I strongly suggest you don't start it with non-fiction. Non-fiction is renowned for being dull and boring and factual and an absolute drag and why, when trying to convince yourself to read again, would you start with that? In saying this, the first book I read when I started reading again was non-fiction. I know, I know, I read the previous sentence too. Bear with me.


Let me introduce you to Dr. Henry Marsh. He is the 'leading British neurosurgeon, and a pioneer of neurosurgical advances in Ukraine' and, in my opinion, a little bit of a hero. He wrote a book called Do No Harm about his life, his career and, most interestingly, the human brain.

Now, as a little kid, I'd always dreamed of being a doctor. I think most of us do at some point, but as I grew up I began to realised that dream was little more than and idle fantasy. The human body has always fascinated me but I just didn't have the brains or the dedication to pursue a career in medicine. Also the blood *shiver*.

But Mr. Marsh really managed to grasp my attention. He describes complex neurological phenomena with ease and slips in endearing anecdotes about his family and his patients at the same time. The doctor opens our eyes to the political struggle between management and medical staff in hospitals, the painful experiences bot patients and consultants must go through in their medical lifetimes and simultaneously leaves us in awe of the work him and his colleagues do, working on the most fragile, complicated organ in our body.