The Iron Rider concludes A Dance of Dragons as it is the final companion novella to the main series. While these stories don't add too much to the main series, if you liked Princess Leena, you will want to pick this up. It's not too long, and can easily be read in a single sitting. It's decent, although the main events in this story go a bit too smooth I think.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've seen several people do a weekly update of what they've read during the previous week and I'm going to attempt to do the same. I've been feeling really unmotivated over the last couple of months, I've walked past the same Netflix disc sitting next to our front door for two weeks straight and I just now managed to walk the extra five feet to the mailbox, so I'm hoping if I stick to a weekly update it'll keep me on track.
Books Read: 4
A Dance with Dragons: This is the only book I completed for my first Reading Challenge of the year, which I'm not counting towards my goal, since I didn't actually participate. I wish I had taken my time to finish this book. I enjoyed it, as I have the other books in the series, but now I have to wait for the next one, if it is ever finished. 4 1/2 stars
Oranges are Not the Only Fruit: This was just okay, in fact I enjoyed the introduction by the author more than I did the book. The story jumped around way too much for me and I think going into this I was expecting too much. I had several people recommend this to me, the fact that none of them had a copy to lend to me should have giving me something of a heads up. 2 1/2 stars
Guards! Guards!: Not much to say about this, out of all the Discworld books I've read so far this is my favorite. 4 stars
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane: Ugh! I saw the movie first and liked it, so I read the book. I should have just stuck to the film. This is probably one of the few films that stay true to the book, unfortunately what kind of works in the movie, falls flat in the book. The book actually ends with "Rynn sat very still." On top of that, the ebook had clearly been created from a scanned copy that had been updated without anybody even taking a glance at it. 1 1/2 stars
January 2nd – 8th
TBR
1. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
2. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
3. Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt
My list is short for my first readathon of 2017. This is partly due to me trying to get back into really reading again after the last two months and partly due to one of the books on my list being almost 1000 pages. I'm hoping to finish at least two of the three listed, but it would be great if I could finish all three.
I've watched all episodes of the show through the end of season 6 so much of what is happening in this book is fairly recent on the show also. Maybe because of that, I noticed more of the differences between the show and book this go around or maybe the show just went in different directions from the book more recently. 
Would you believe that if you type the phrase "a dwarf is not an imp"--just like that, with quotation marks around it (to look for the exact phrase), that Google gives you no results? For that phrase? "A dwarf is not an imp"? I find this a bit astonishing, because I seem to mumble this every time a character refers to or addresses Tyrion as "imp." So I am hoping to change that fact by writing this entry. Have I mentioned that a dwarf is not an imp?
Anyway, I finished my re-listen a couple of days ago. Who knows how much longer it will be before George R. R. Martin releases The Winds of Winter? So I want to jot down various threads I am thinking of while they are still fresh in my mind. Spoilers follow (so will hide accordingly).
Starting with the end: Varys. Such an interesting character. I'd actually forgotten about the cliff-hanger that the epilogue closes on. "It's not personal." Everything he does is for the good of the realm, and he thinks that the best thing for the realm would be to have Aegon Targaryen sit the iron throne. Varys comments to the soon-to-be-dead Ser Kevan Lannister that "Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them." Throughout the books, the good of the realm has been a consistent motivation for Varys's actions.
Danaerys: Her section also ends with a cliff-hanger. She stands by her dragon as Khal Jhago finds her and 50 mounted warriors arrive. But is Dany is in any danger? What chance do 51 human beings, however fierce, have against Drogon?
Jon Snow! You know nothing Jon Snow, but neither do I. I believe I've been spoiled that he survives, though I'm not sure how. Maybe his skinchanger abilities kick in and his spirit jumps into Ghost at just the right moment. (No season-six spoilers, please--I don't have cable and haven't seen it yet!) Although I'd remembered the awful scene where his Night's Watch "brothers" attack him "for the Watch," I'd forgotten that this happens just after the Wildlings rally around him and prepare to ride off to Winterfell with him, to take on Ramsay Bolton. Big sigh. I really want Jon Snow to survive. (I also really hope all of Eddard Stark's surviving children continue to survive and are reunited---with one another and the surviving Direwolves!)
Cersei. I recall in one of the books, someone asks Tyrion if his "sweet sister" has any virtues, and he replies that she loves her children. This really is a central motivation for her; many of her bad decisions come from a place of loving her children. And of course, with Joffrey she managed to raise a monster. During one of her chapters in this book, it struck me that she really believes Tyrion was responsible for killing Joffrey. I can't help thinking that if she'd ever gotten to know him better, she'd realize he wouldn't have done that. Even though he was fairly aware that Joffrey was a monster. And why, oh why did Cersei never give Tyrion credit for the military victory against Stannis? Which one was that--Clash of Kings? I do remember Tywin swooping in at the end and grabbing credit, but did no one recognize Tyrion's accomplishments?
Arya: I just love her. Her adventures in Braavos are some of my favorite parts of this book. Her growing powers are fascinating. And there's evidence that she's a Warg! She could see through a cat's eyes when she was Blind Beth.
Theon Greyjoy. Turncloak. Oh, the awful things he did to impress his awful father. Balon Greyjoy arguably placed his son into an impossible situation. Of course, I hated Theon for his betrayal of the Starks, but what Ramsay Snow/Bolton does to him is beyond the pale. At lease he makes the decision to help Jeyne Poole/Fake Arya escape. Pulling for his badass sister Asha Greyjoy to sort this mess out.
Does anyone think Tyrion will someday find Tysha? Her story is so disturbing. Tywin was well and truly a monster. If Tyrion ever does find her, I hope he discovers she has found a way to live that doesn't involve prostitution, despite Tywin and Jaime's lies and Tywin's final brush-off, "wherever whores go."
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