Yearly Archives: 2013
Cover of the Week: Diabolus by David St. John
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Gothic Novel Cover Art: The Secret of the Chateau & House of Valhalla
Are you looking for dark, mysterious, suspenseful romances? If yes, gothic novels are perfect for you. These books usually feature an attractive and inquisitive heroine, a suave hero, gloomy mansions, supernatural presence, romantic intrigues, and twists that keep you guessing till the end.
Is it a dark, stormy night? Try House of Valhalla or The Secret of the Chateau. Caroline Farr wishes you long and eerie nights.
The Rains of Castamere: A Game of Thrones
Some of us might have skipped reading George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones had David Benioff and D. B. Weiss not created the TV series for HBO. The blood soaked tale of deceit and betrayal in the medievalish landscape of Westeros has captivated readers and viewers alike. Game of Thrones follows the book to perfection and has proven actors delivering compelling performances. But more importantly, it manages to re-create the exotic world portrayed in A Song of Ice and Fire. The amazing sets and brilliant background score wouldn’t let you out of Westeros even when you are done watching it.
If you follow A Song of Ice and Fire closely, you would notice that the song The Rains of Castamere has been featured a number of times. It’s a song that celebrates Tywin Lannister’s famous victory over rebellious House Reyne of Castamere. At the end of the war, House Reyne was completely destroyed by their liege lords — the Lannisters. The song reminds people of the fate that awaits them if they cross the Lannisters.
The Song refers to the fact that the sigil of House Reyne, like the Lannisters, was a lion. However, it was a red lion, not a golden one like their liege lords. The war between House Reyne and the Lannisters has often been described as clash of the lions.
The Rains of Castamere has become famous as the Lannister song.
Here is a great version of the song by Peter Hollens and Taylor Davis. Feels like we are back in Westeros.
Happy Birthday Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“God save thee, ancient Mariner,
From the fiends that plague thee thus! –
Why look’st thou so?’ -“With my crossbow
I shot the Albatross.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge — one of the major figures of the Romantic Movement, a friend of William Wordsworth, and lifelong opium addict — was born on the 21st of October, 1772. His most acclaimed works include The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. The prose work Biographia Literaria and study of Shakespeare are also critically acclaimed. He coined the phrase “willing suspension of disbelief”, which has found way to popular culture. Coleridge, like a lot of other gifted souls, was cursed with depression and ill health. Death seized him on 25th July 1834 and the dreamy spirit was not of this world anymore.
Carlyle wrote:
“Coleridge sat on the brow of Highgate Hill, in those years, looking down on London and its smoke-tumult, like a sage escaped from the inanity of life’s battle…”.
Happy Birthday Mr. Coleridge. We miss you.
Download The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by Samuel Taylor Coleridge ebook:
The Book Haven 