Game of Thrones

When T and I went camping the weekend before last, I picked up the first book the the Game of Thrones series.  We've been watching the show on HBO for the past few seasons, and I have been meaning to pick up the source of the TV show.

I love comparing books to the movies or shows that are developed from them, but unlike some people, I prefer to read the book after I see the movie.  If I've just read (or re-read) the book, I spend the entire movie comparing notes, focusing on what they got right and what they got wrong, instead of enjoying the interpretation of the story.  But if I watch the story first, then the book provides all kinds of extra details and insights that you just can't cram into a movie or TV show, and I tend to appreciate what the writers have done to turn a book into a visual story.

I actually just finally got around to watching the movie version of Eat, Pray, Love.  I thought that they had drastically rewritten the plotline for the sake of the movie, but it had been years since I read the book.  When I dusted it off and read it again, I realized that it was my memory that was faulty, not the interpretation. It was also fun seeing how they turned the author's introspective musings into dialogue, and I definitely enjoyed rediscovering a good story.

I have really enjoyed the Game of Thrones show, and was looking forward to getting a deeper insight into the story, but so far it's not really happening.  The show follows the book very closely, and there aren't many extra plots twists or character developments that I didn't already know about.  It's still a  good story, and I'm enjoying it, but it hasen't had as many new insights as I expected.  I'm hoping there are still a few surprises in store, if not in this book, then maybe in the rest of the series.  Fingers crossed!