Game of Thrones Book Club - #2

I’ve really been trying to make more time lately to read as I am falling way behind. Taking on the Game of Thrones series has taken up more time than I had expected. The books are long and fairly wordy. It’s been a very long time since there was a book that I had a difficult time reading so this series has caught me a bit off guard. They are not easy reads, but totally worth the effort in my opinion.

I finally made it through the second book – A Clash of Kings. It’s been interesting because I’ve already watched the TV series which is incredibly backwards from how I normally do things. Even though I knew what was going to happen, it didn’t ruin anything for me. Probably because it’s been a long time since Season 2 was on TV.

A Clash of Kings takes you into the kingdom where chaos currently reigns. Joffrey is king in King’s Landing, Robb Stark calls himself King of the North, Stannis Baratheon makes his claim for the throne along with his brother Renley Baratheon. When there are this many kings, there’s bound to be trouble. 

Arya disguises herself as a boy and flees Kings Landing while Jon continues his journey north of the Wall as they learn more about the dead who rise. Bran remains lord over Winterfell while Theon plots his next moves to take his rightful place as the Ironborn King. All the while, Daenerys marches on building her army and watching her dragons grow. The action all comes to a head with the battle of Blackwater Bay where there can only be one King who remains standing.

Martin’s second book is full of suspense and action as all of these different plot lines grow. It’s in this book where you really come to know these characters deeply and begin to form theories on where the series may end up. It’s no secret that Martin doesn’t necessarily like to keep all of his main characters alive so be careful who you get attached to in the book. You never know how long they will be around!

Game of Thrones Book 2 - Pair this with

Stella Rosa Red

This is a fun red wine to sip on while reading A Clash of Kings. It has a crown on the label so that makes it perfect, right? Stella Red is semi-sweet with lots of berry flavor like raspberry and strawberry. The best part? It is even a little bit bubbly!!

Game of Thrones Book Club - #1

I don’t know about you guys but, I am a HUGE fan of Game of Thrones. Now, since I am an avid reader (obviously) I almost always read the book before I watch the movie or TV show. This has been the one exception. I started to read the books back during Season 2. Then, my husband asked me to stop reading so that we could watch the show together and be surprised. He was so adamant that I just couldn’t say no. So, here we are like 5 years later and it’s now safe to pick up the series and start reading.

Since this is a really sad time of year when GOT isn’t on TV, I figured it would be the perfect time to get through the books. A couple friends of mine at work wanted to re-read them too so we decided to do a little Game of Thrones book club!

It’s nothing really super official, but it is just the excuse I needed to get reading. The books are long and not easy reads (think Tolkein-esque) so I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to get through them. We are tackling one book each month then getting together for lunch once a week to discuss (or talk football…that happens a lot.)

It’s an interesting experience reading the books now that I already know what happens. I will admit that it’s made some of the “oh my god did they really just kill that character” moments a bit easier to handle. Also, knowing who the characters all are ahead of time and how they all line up with each other has really helped too. When I started reading the first book way back in the day, I was overwhelmed by the number of characters and trying to keep up with them was difficult.

I’m just about done with the first book and am so excited to be reading this series. I can’t wait to start book number 2! My goal is to share a bit with you about each book and of course, give you a good wine to pair with it. Happy reading friends!

Game of Thrones Book 1 – Pair This With:

Wolf Blass Shiraz/Cabernet

Since Book 1 is really all about the Starks and their sigil is the Direwolf, I figured this was the perfect wine to get you into the GOT spirits. Wolf Blass wines are really great, inexpensive wines from Australia. This blend of Shiraz and Cabernet is super smooth but balanced in flavor with bright berries and a slight spiciness. Sip on this and get in touch with your inner wolf!