Books From The Backlog-Going Home

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf.  You might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. Go to Carole's blog and add your blog post link in to join in the fun! Hosted by Carole at https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.co.uk/

This seems like a fun feature and I have been planning to take part since Carole launched this so at last, here we go! I have a TON of unread books to choose from in various genres and I'm looking forward to sharing some of them with everybody. 

Imagine you’re driving down the interstate, it’s Friday and all you can think about is getting your weekend started. Then to begin the ruination of your much anticipated weekend the grating tone of the Emergency Alert System flashes over the radio, then promptly dies.

This is the beginning of a 250 mile odyssey for Morgan Carter. Morgan works on the road and finds himself far from home when his car dies, as well as his Blackberry and every other piece of electronics he has. With no idea what has occurred he reluctantly finds himself on shanks’ mare carrying that ridiculous pack that everyone made fun of him for keeping in the car. Morgan has to find his way across the state of Florida, from Tallahassee to the heart of the state in Lake County.

Along his way he has to seek out food, water and shelter where he can, not to mention keeping himself from being killed by any number of now scared and desperate people. During his travels he will try and help where he can, but that can turn out to be a costly mistake. We live in a wonderfully modern society where anything we want is a mouse click away. The lights come on with the flip of a switch and even a child can turn on the faucet at the sink and water always comes out. But what if it all went away?

Could you face what Morgan faces, could you make the decisions he has to make? Life and sometimes death in the blink of an eye, could you do it?

This was one of the first prepper apocalypse series that I heard about, and I do have the complete set. I added this to my bookshelves in January 2016 as I was just getting into the genre and it just sounds so good! 

Game of Thrones Gossip #69 Varys

Welcome to my Game of Thrones Gossip, where us fanatics get the chance to discuss everything we love about this amazing TV series. I decided to do a whole series of these discussion posts that let us say everything we want and enjoy every second of it! Please feel free to comment fully and without restriction!

I have to warn you that it is important that you have seen all six seasons before reading any of these posts because these posts and blogger comments will be exploding spoilers all over the place. If you haven't watched the series and plan to, be warned that it's a bad idea to be here right now! I take no responsibility if you read on and things are spoiled for you.

Now I'm looking at the main characters introduced in season three, what our season two characters were doing and looking at all the bests bits. Enjoy the season three posts! 

Tywin calls his first meeting of the Small Council in a new room beside his own chambers with Pycelle, Littlefinger and Varys in attendance. He makes it clear that he is unhappy that none of them has information on where Jaime is and it is Varys who admits that there is no word of him at all. The talk changes to the war and Varys is able to report that Robb has taken his army to Riverrun for Hoster's funeral, joining up with the Tully army while Roose Bolton has been left in charge at Harrenhal. Varys cannot resist a dig that Roose Bolton is now master of Littlefinger's castle.

Tyrion visits Varys to try and find out if it was Cersei who gave the order to have him killed during the Battle of the Blackwater. Varys can give him rumours but not proof. He tells Tyrion the story of how as a child he was a slave in a troupe in the Free Cities but was sold to a sorcerer, who castrated him to use his genitals in a spell. Varys admits to the pain but was more scared and haunted by the voice that came out of the smoke to answer his attacker. Thrown out on the street to die, Varys was determined to survive whatever it took so he could get his revenge, working the streets begging, stealing and selling himself until discovering that secrets were the most valuable thing to have. Now he has used his influence to find that sorcerer and has him in the box that he shows Tyrion, ready to get his revenge. He tells Tyrion to be patient and he too can have revenge on those who wronged him.

Ros tells a bemused Varys about the exploits of Pod and the prostitutes before delivering the news that she believes Littlefinger is planning to take Sansa out of King's Landing with him when he leaves to visit Lysa Arryn. She shows him a copy of the ship's manifest and the order of two beds for the journey. Knowing this plan, Varys is determined to stop him and pays a visit to Olenna Tyrell, sharing his concerns about the ruthless ambitions of Littlefinger and pointing out that if Robb dies, Sansa becomes heir to Winterfell. Olenna decides on a new plot to marry Sansa to Loras, but this falls through when Loras talks about it and word gets back to Littlefinger who informs the Lannisters. Sansa is safe from Littlefinger as she is now to marry Tyrion but is still at Joffrey's mercy in King's Landing. Varys is horrified when Littlefinger says he knows Varys was plotting with Ros but that he decided to give her to Joffrey to torture and kill for his entertainment.

Varys is disgusted by the way Joffrey humiliates Tyrion at his wedding, a feeling shared by Olenna who is also present. He is at the meeting where Joffrey gleefully tells of the Red Wedding and is horrified to realise that Joffrey is serious about presenting Sansa with her brother's head at the Royal Wedding. He watches on as Joffrey decides to challenge the authority of Tywin by calling him a coward for hiding at Casterly Rock while Robert Baratheon was fighting the Targaryens on the battlefield and winning a Kingdom. Varys is convinced that Tyrion is the only hope for King's Landing but knows that having Shae around will leave him vulnerable. He takes matters into his own hands and tries to bribe her into starting a new life and leaving Tyrion behind.

Can't Wait Wednesday-Brace for Impact

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at http://www.wishfulendings.com/ to spotlight and discuss books we're excited about but haven't read, which may not even be released yet. 

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. 

With a credible threat to the United States and a plane stuck on the tarmac, Grant Walton is thirty seconds from full-blown panic mode. He’s the only one in the airport who knows the truth. When the power goes out, he can’t waste another second. It’s the beginning of the end and every man for himself.

A nuclear attack will rip the country apart.

Leah Walton is wrapping up a twelve-hour shift as a nurse in the heart of the city. When the power goes out, the hospital operates on crisis mode. She can’t stop to to breathe, let alone check her messages. When she finally listens to her husband’s frantic calls, she’s faced with an impossible choice: leave or die trying.

Could you drop everything to save yourself?

Grant and Leah race the clock to find each other before the United States is plunged into chaos. When the bombs fall, their worst fears come true. Can Grant make it home in time to find his wife? Will Leah escape the brunt of the blast?

The EMP is only the beginning. 

Anyone who knows me will see that this book has me quite excited. EMPs and nuclear attacks are my favourite apocalypse scenarios. This was released in March and I just grabbed it today!

Top Ten Tuesday Don't Join The Expedition!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. 

This week...Don't Join The Expedition! Going into deep jungles or exploring places of interest always lead to trouble... 

1) Jonah Buck-Carrion Safari
A group of big game hunters are on an island to catch a legendary mutant bat but nobody tells them that when the moon comes up, all the island creatures turn into deadly were-animals. Add in a killer in the group and nobody may make it off the island alive.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30636489-carrion-safari 

2) Hunter Shea-Savage Jungle
A team are going into the jungle to kill the humanoid monkey tribe that killed Henrik's manager but they are not expecting to find how smart these creatures are or the other nasty monsters lurking in the jungle.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34822490-savage-jungle 

3) Matthew Dennion-Polar Yeti and the Beasts of Prehistory
A team searching for a lost tribe in Antarctica are told by a local man about the Yeti creature that takes their women. What they find is a full lost world full of extinct creatures. ?This was a decent read if not the best of its kind but I still liked it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28054137-polar-yeti-and-the-beasts-of-prehistory 

4) Dave Jeffery-Frostbite
A former special forces team are recruited to find a rich man's son who has vanished on an expedition to find the Yeti. With hostile locals gunning for them for invading a sacred mountain, the team don't belive the myth until they find a tribe of Yetis...Wasn't quite what I was expecting but a decent snow disaster expedition.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35392888-frostbite 

5) Donald G Firesmith-What Lurks Below
A team are sent to investigate huge holes that have appeared across Alaska. It turns out that a demonic invasion from Hell is occuring and demons are determined to take over the earth. I went into the book expecting giant worms so was a bit startled that it was demons! 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37849107-what-lurks-below 

6) Russell James-Monsters in the Clouds
A photo of a dinosaur in a jungle prompts an expedition to explore but the team are going to get a few surprises when they find mutated animals, and the secret that the company have kept about why they are really there.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38254086-monsters-in-the-clouds 

7) Lou Cadle-Saber Tooth
A park ranger is part of an expedition for teenagers to look at fossils when they accidently go through a portal and back to a period of history with saber tooth tigers on the loose. The group must use all their survival knowledge and find a way home. Decent less violent creature feature.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29534268-saber-tooth

8) PK Hawkins-Titanoboa
Scientists on a boat looking for tree frogs in the Amazon are instead confronted by an extinct monster snake, huge piranha and other large jungle nasties, released by a respected genetic scientist gone bad.   
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36138185-titanoboa

9) Rick Chesler-Yeti
When his wife dies, Zack decides to take her ashes to Everest where she was due to climb but finds himself not only battling the mountain conditions but a vicious Yeti who is stalking the group. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28054137-polar-yeti-and-the-beasts-of-prehistory 

10) Rick Chesler-Luna
Two rival companies are planning to start moon tours and safety is an afterthought when they take a group of experts to endorse the tour. Pity the tour owner forgot to mention a hostile and dangerous life form that has already killed...I really liked the tension in this book and who doesn't love this kind of plot!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26174596-luna 

Chuckles Chat #67 Scenarios We Love And Hate About SF/Dystopia

Welcome to Chuckles Chat where great blogging minds unite to discuss the topics of the day mainly in the book and blogging world. I'll be sharing my thoughts on a topic and then inviting you all to share your thoughts. It's ok to disagree but PLEASE be respectful of each other's views! All of the comments on my blog are moderated and offensive posts ie racist, bigoted will not be published! 

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.   

Over the coming weeks I'm looking at our book buying life. By this what I mean is, what are the scenarios in a book blurb that make us really want to pick up that book and start reading? What do we love about the genre and what puts us off?

Last week I looked at apocalypses and this week I expand the theme with science fiction and dystopia looking at future worlds and other planets. Now if you know me at all, I'm not the greatest fan of the SF genre in books which is a bit weird as I love watching SF films and TV  series. I was a huge fan of Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, Blake's Seven, the original Star Wars trilogy, the Alien trilogy, Total Recall, and things like that but when it comes to space wars, aliens and other planets, I generally have little interest in reading books about them. I don't really understand that at all! I have read novels based on these films like Doom, Aliens, Independence Day, Stargate etc which were decent enough but never been greatly interested in branching out to more of them.

When it comes to books set on other planets, I'm pretty much a no show unless dinosaurs or Sasquatches or something similar are involved. I didn't like older reads like 'Starship Troopers' despite enjoying the film, so I tend to stick to modern writings. Many years back I read Dinosaur Planet by Anne McCaffrey but I don't remember much about it so I've downloaded it and the sequel to read again at some point. I've read a few more recent books like Phillip Tomasso's 'Extinction' and 'Domus' by DS Lillico. If anyone has any recs for good modern dinosaur planet adventures that aren't dead slow, please tell me as I need more of them! Or dinosaurs and monsters loose on a big spaceshift. That would be fun too!

I have branched out recently by picking up a couple of SF books like 'Six Wakes' though I'm concerned that with the cloning stuff it might get too slow, info dumpy and technical for me, kind of like the trouble I had with Michael Crichton's 'Prey'. All that nano stuff was too much for my tiny brain! I do like the idea of a killer or monster hunting people down on a spaceship or other transport so recs for that kind of thing are welcome!

Moving on to dystopia. I used to read a ton of this about corrupt and evil governments of the future, harsh environments and the aftermaths of apocalypse events. A lot of this was YA in the beginning but I basically moved more into enjoying the apocalypse side of things and going towards more of an adult version of these books. But back in dystopia SF I very much like things like The Testing, The Hunger Games and Extinction Trials where there is the element of deadly competition and dangerous environments to deal with. I like the sound of navigating places with traps, monsters and evil people hunting you down, depending on plot of course. I like the idea of breaking in and breaking out of places, teams of people working together for a purpose without dumb angst, slow starts and tons of romance. I've enjoyed things like Future Shock, Branded, The Moon Dwellers but I am more picky about the YA I read now.

What kind of SF and dystopia do you like and dislike?

Around The Blogs With Chuckles

We all enjoy snooping and lurking on other people's blogs right? Why not share those entertaining things you found with other readers and bloggers too! Welcome to Around the Blogs with Chuckles, where I take time out to show you some of my favourite blog posts from the previous seven days and link you up so you can check them out. 

This Week! 

1) Young Adult Book Endings That I Hate
Elle looks at those endings that make you want to tear your hair out!
http://elleinked.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/young-adult-book-endings-that-i-hate.html 

2) Book Review-The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Katherine takes a look at some mystery.
http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/the-lying-game-mystery-review.html 

3) Book Review-Soulless by Gail Carriger
Ruff Day Reviews looks at steampunk.
http://www.ruffdayreviews.com/book-review-soulless-by-gail-carriger/ 

4) GDPR Four Steps To Take
Daniela looks at how to get get your blog ready for the new law.
https://www.danielaark.com/4-steps-to-take-when-you-panic-about-gdpr/

5) Book Review-Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
Carole takes a look at something quirky and original.
https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/review-undead-girl-gang-by-lily.html 

6) Book Review-Kill Creek by Scott Thomas 
Bark looks at horror.
http://barksbooknonsense.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/audio-review-kill-creek-by-scott-thomas.html 

7) Book Review-The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist 
Sounds similar in content to Never Let Me Go.
http://litflits.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/the-unit-by-ninni-holmqvist.html 

8) Book Review-Obscura by Joe Hart 
Mogsy goes SF thriller.
https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/05/27/book-review-obscura-by-joe-hart/ 

GDPR Update

A new law in the EU known as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has gone into effect this week, regarding privacy policies and data management. I have been made aware that blog owners should be taking action to ensure that anyone coming to the blog is aware of how their data is used.

• Tell the user who you are, why you collect the data, and how long it will be stored.
• Get clear consent before collecting any data
• Let users access/delete their data
• Let users know if data breaches occur

Here's the thing. I have a small book blog with less than 150 followers. I know very little about computers, being completely self taught, and I'm pretty clueless on the technical aspects of my blog. I just post stuff, answer comments and visit other blogs. I've never really thought about data collection going on or that kind of thing so this new change has me a bit baffled and confused over what I should be doing or what my blog host is or might be doing.

I personally don't do anything with anyone's personal data. I don't physically collect it, share it with anyone or do anything with it. I don't have a big data collecting server in my home, just my desktop computer and I don't use that to store lists of info about you. I don't have personal access to the email addresses you have other than one or two of you who asked me to email them personally about something and have provided it. I don't have a list of everyone's email addresses to use to send out mass info emails as I don't send out mass mailings of any kind. I do not ask my blog host for access to any data that they have about those following me.

I am aware that my blog host and a couple of third parties I use may collect and use data so I am trying to construct a privacy policy as best I can. It has not been easy!
My web address is  https://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/

I have an option on the blog where you can follow my posts by email. I set this up to give people choice in how they want to follow and if you use this option, you'll be alerted to new posts on my blog. I am assuming that on each email sent there is an option to unsubcribe at any time and I urge you to use it at any time if you don't want constant emails coming in. When I leave a comment on your blogs, I'm aware that I have to provide a name, email address that is not published and my blog address. I do this willingly so I can comment. If you also have to do this to use my blog, please only provide this information if you are happy to do so.

I give people the option to follow me through Bloglovin'. Here is their privacy and data collection policy. Please only follow me through Bloglovin' if you are happy with the terms of this policy.
https://www.bloglovin.com/privacy 

My blog host is Blogger and everything I have on the blog has been set up using their templates and add on things. Blogger has a fun stats section which shows the number of page views and where these pages have been viewed from around the world. This information shown to me is completely anonymous and I cannot identify any user from it. Obviously, this information is created from the identities of those visiting my blog. I honestly do not know if Blogger do anything with any data you provide while leaving a comment but I do expect that as a blog hosting company, they will be taking steps to comply with this new law and ensuring full consent is obtained. Here is their policy for you to look at.

European Union (EU) laws require you to give EU visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent. As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to help meet these regulations. The notice lets visitors know about Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies on your blog, including Google Analytics and AdSense cookies. Learn about Google’s privacy practices and how Google uses data on partner sites.

I've put most of this post on my sidebar but it may need to be altered in the future.

Chuckles Cover Love #77 EC Blake

If there is one thing that makes a great book even better, it is when it has a cover that we love! The cover design is what catches the eye as we browse through a bookstore shelf or check out the Amazon or Goodreads recommendations. The right cover makes me look closer at a book, to read the blurb and maybe make a purchase. A poor cover might mean I never look at the blurb at all.

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.   

This week...EC Blake

I like the styles for all the books but think it would have been better to stick with either what was used on books 1 and 2, or book 3. The third book could have looked good with a wolf mask hovering above a snow scene...

Chuckles Weekend Roundup

Welcome to my feature Chuckles Weekend Roundup where I will be looking at what books I've received, anything interesting I've done or bought or watched and other random stuff. I'll be taking a look back at what happened in my blogging world too, sort of like The Sunday Post that some of you do! 

Please note that I'll be visiting your STS/SP as normal, but I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow DISQUS to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I am the only one who does that on my social media! I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. Sometimes, I have problems leaving messages on blogs hosted by Wordpress-they try to block me because I deleted my account with them but I will persevere as it only happens the odd time!

****************

It has been a long and tiring week! If you have been following my blog you'll know that my dad and I have been working on reorganising and deep cleaning the entire house over the last few weeks. Basically we have neglected the house for too many years and it's taking a lot of effort to get things back into a tidy and user friendly condition! We stopped yesterday to have a rest over the weekend but good progress has been made. We still need a new carpet for the living room but that might have to wait until next year as we have more to do in the house and garden. Over the next two weeks we'll be doing more in the house so my blogging may be affected, though all my regular posts will go up as usual. I had little time online this week so today I'm getting caught up with blog visits. 

 

I haven't done any buying or downloading this week but I do have more from the last few weeks that I haven't shared with you yet. Reading has been a bit sporadic but at the start of the week I did read a pile of short story and serial novel parts for new authors I'd discovered and I read the whole of the Yeti novel which I've really enjoyed. Overall I'm happy enough with my week as I did a lot of flopping on my bed and tv watching!

 

DOWNLOADS

 

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22548186-hell-hole

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32199844-the-grid-goes-black

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37538106-primordia 

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33013328-voyage-to-hell

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13242515-dark-grid

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33024.Underworld

Chuckles Blogging World

I've been playing catch up because I was offline at the start of the week to get my house into order so I'm still a bit behind but hope to catch up today.

 

Book Reviews 

none this week

 

Regular Posts 

Time was short so no sample post this week. Cover Love was all about Stephanie Burgis, Top Ten Tuesday was about the apocalypse, Can't Wait Wednesday was They Feed, Books From The Backlog was DMZ and I went Around The Blogs as usual.

Chuckles Cover Love

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/chuckles-cover-love-76-stephanie-burgis.html

Around The Blog With Chuckles

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/around-blogs-with-chuckles_21.html

Top Ten Tuesday

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/top-ten-tuesday-apocalypse.html

Can't Wait Wednesday

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/cant-wait-wedneday-they-feed.html

Books From The Backlog

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/books-from-backlog-dmz.html

 

 Discussion Posts

Chuckles Chat was Scenarios we love and hate about apocalypses and Game of Thrones Gossip looked at The Tullys.

 

Chuckles Chat

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/chuckles-chat-66-scenarios-we-love-and.html 

 

Game of Thrones Gossip

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/game-of-thrones-gossip-68-tullys.html 

Film Reviews

none this week

 

Special Posts 

I did two posts about our moving the furniture nightmare.

 

The Great Chuckles Moving Day

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/the-great-chuckles-moving-day.html 

The Great Chuckles Moving day part 2 and 3

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/the-great-chuckles-moving-day-part-2.html

Book Tags/Blog Awards

 none this week

Currently Reading/Up Next

I've finished and enjoyed Rick Chesler's The Yeti. I think I might continue with his books and read DMZ, along with Hunter Shea's Fury of the Orcas. Still want to maybe fit in Behemoth.

 

 

Next week on the blog 

It'll be just my usual weekly posts as I continue with the house clearing! 

 

FOLLOW ME:

https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/chuckles-book-cave-9910183 
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3426724-chucklesthescot 
https://twitter.com/chucklesthescot 
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/chucklesthescot/

 

Books From The Backlog-DMZ

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf.  You might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. Go to Carole's blog and add your blog post link in to join in the fun! Hosted by Carole at https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.co.uk/

This seems like a fun feature and I have been planning to take part since Carole launched this so at last, here we go! I have a TON of unread books to choose from in various genres and I'm looking forward to sharing some of them with everybody. 

Six friends on a tourist trip to the Korean DMZ have their lives changed forever when they decide to step into a no-man's land. But they soon discover that a border is not the only line they've crossed. A revealed secret between them causes bad blood to spill over, preventing the friends from cooperating. With the specter of capture by a totalitarian regime awaiting them should they stray too far off course, and with a pack of primordial predators roaming the woods, the wayward travelers must find a way to set aside their differences if they are to avoid becoming either political prisoners... or prey.

North Korea, bloodshed and dinosaurs...just my kind of read! I've enjoyed most of what I've read by the author so getting this one was a no brainer really. It is newer to my shelves, having only been purchased in October 2017 and my dad has already snagged it to read!

The Great Chuckles Moving Day part 2 and 3

Well it didn't go exactly to plan! (does it ever???) and at the end of day one we had only managed to put the stuff back into one of the dvd units. We just had so much to move to get into each piece of furniture plus dusting and hoovering along the way. Yesterday we had to move piles of 'stuff' to the back of the room to let me get my computer desk into its new position while my dad moved his entire cd collection to the hall-he still hasn't decided what to do with that lot! 

We then spent the entire afternoon sorting my dad's dvds into categories. Martial arts/korean films, foreign horror, western, war, gangland/mafia and the western version of martial arts films that the likes of Van Damme, Chuck Norris etc appear in. Then we had to put each lot into alphabetical which was a nightmare with so many. I particularly hate titles that start with an actual number as my brain can't work out where that fits in with those starting with letters! My dad decided that it made more sense to have the martial arts and korean in one bookcase, so we did that, then put all the other categories into the second bookcase together, so I had to get all of those categories into one alphabetical pile. Groan!

This is our third full day of removals, trying to get a few bits and pieces sorted in the hall. It'll get half done today. We still have my dad's cds to sort out which will take a day or two as well but at least progress is being made. I'm dog tired though! Hope to catch up with comments and blog visits today and tomorrow. 

Game of Thrones Gossip #68 The Tullys

Welcome to my Game of Thrones Gossip, where us fanatics get the chance to discuss everything we love about this amazing TV series. I decided to do a whole series of these discussion posts that let us say everything we want and enjoy every second of it! Please feel free to comment fully and without restriction!

I have to warn you that it is important that you have seen all six seasons before reading any of these posts because these posts and blogger comments will be exploding spoilers all over the place. If you haven't watched the series and plan to, be warned that it's a bad idea to be here right now! I take no responsibility if you read on and things are spoiled for you.

Now I'm looking at the main characters introduced in season three, what our season two characters were doing and looking at all the bests bits. Enjoy the season three posts! Today I look at Edmure and Brynden Tully.

Edmure is the youngest of the Tully children, behind Catelyn and Lysa and was responsible for naming Petyr Baelish 'Littlefinger' when he lived with the Tully's as a child. On the death of his father Hoster, he became the Lord of Riverrun and was living there with his uncle Brynden and the Tully bannermen when Robb brought his forces to them for the family to attend the funeral. Edmure's duty was to send the flaming arrow out across the water to set fire to the funeral boat of Hoster but after a few failed attempts, Brynden impatiently takes over, feeling that his nephew is messing everything up. Brynden tries to bring comfort to Catelyn and she is pleased to hear that he and Hoster made peace with each other before his death.

Brynden and Edmure clash afterwards over the decision of Edmure to use his troops to attack a mill owned by the Lannisters, instead of following Robb's instructions. Edmure defends himself by saying that his decision sent Gregor Clegane fleeing from the Riverlands, that wars can't be one with only one person winning battles and that there was plenty war glory to go around for all of them. Robb furiously tells him that he had set out a plan to lure Clegane deeper into the Riverlands so he could be surrounded and killed and that Edmure's actions allowed him to escape. The Stark-Tully army lost more men than the Lannisters in the battle, something that Robb can ill afford after upsetting the Freys with his wedding. Edmure says sorry but notes that he would have acted differently had he been in on the plan. The attack on the mill does secure two Lannister hostages, Martyn and Willem, Kevan Lannister's younger sons, who are then murdered by Rickard Karstark and his men. Brynden and his men capture Karstark  and take the killers to Robb.

Edmure tells Robb that Tywin will seek revenge if he finds out their fate and suggests a quiet burial that is not mentioned to anyone but Robb refuses to ignore the situation. He is determined to give the boys justice. When Catelyn says that Karstark should be kept alive as a hostage, Edmure reminds Robb that he has value as a prisoner and his men should be told that no harm will come to him if his men remain loyal to their King, which will stop them from abandoning the cause. Brynden and Talisa also agree with this plan which Robb decides to ignore. Robb soon regrets his decision to execute Karstark when his family are proven right and the Karstark army desert overnight.

An alliance with the Freys could save the situation but the terms are that Edmure must marry Roslin Frey. He is unhappy about having to marry a woman he has never seen and his uncle tries to threaten him into doing it. Edmure wants the right to pick his own wife and thinks stalling might gain him that right from Walder Frey, which Catelyn is critical of, suggesting he is willing to risk losing a war to get a prettier wife. In the end, he reluctantly agrees to do this service to Robb and grumbles about it all the way to The Twins. His mood soon changes at the wedding when he sees how beautiful Roslin is. He is in jovial mood when the women manhandle him out of the hall to the bedding ceremony, thus he and his bride are not present when the carnage begins.

Brynden is at the wedding, sitting with Catelyn and Roose Bolton. He is amused by the recent wedding of Roose to Fat Walda Frey when Roose admits he was offered his bride's weight in coin to marry one of them so he chose the fattest. Catelyn is less than impressed by the story. Brynden is somewhat worried by the way several Frey women are eyeing him up as husband potential! Brynden has drunk too much during the feast and has to go on a toilet visit just before the bedding ceremony begins. He is outside when the hall doors are locked and is thus spared by the carnage of the Red Wedding. The day after, Roose confides his worries about Brynden escaping the massacre and is concerned that he may make it back to Riverrun before he can be caught, though Walder Frey is less concerned about it with Edmure as his hostage in the dungeons.

Can't Wait Wednesday-They Feed

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at http://www.wishfulendings.com/ to spotlight and discuss books we're excited about but haven't read, which may not even be released yet. 

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. 

The night uncovers all we wish not to see.

A troubled man enters a dusky park before sunset. A young woman follows, hidden in shadow. Both have returned to the park to take back something the past has stolen from them, to make right six long years of suffering, and to find justice or perhaps redemption—or maybe they'll settle for some old-fashioned revenge.

But something evil is alive and awake in those woods, creatures that care nothing for human motivations. They’re driven by their own insatiable need: a ravenous, bottomless hunger.

The campgrounds are full tonight, and the creatures are starving. Before the night is over, they will feed. 

I've been watching for a chance to grab this book and I'm surprised I haven't featured it by now. Hopefully I'll have it by the time I post this as it came out in April!