A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

The fantasy world of Martin is far more interesting than Tolkien' s , at least for me. What can I say? I am guilty of loving these books as much as the TV series. It is this year's guilty pleasure....

Ambitions, love, lust, warfare and a lot, a lot of blood in these pages that will keep your interest up to the last page. Even if you have seen the TV series, the books serve as juicy extras and peeks into the characters.

Buy it and bury yourself in a comfortable sofa with a cup of coffee to devour it!

“So many books, so little time.” ― Frank Zappa

Books are a  passion for me. I cannot claim to be a scholar, but still, isn't it more important to read just for pleasure?

And that is exactly why in this list you will find all sorts of books- best sellers along with classics.
My fiance' always makes fun of me for what he calls craziness/moodiness. "How can you watch Casablanca and the next day Spiderman?", "How can you read Herman Hesse and the next day Game of Thrones?", "How can you listen to black metal and then switch to Bach?" Well, I guess, either I am kind of crazy, or I just like to take bites of all the fruits offered. Why bother with labels? Humans have limitless potential and countless sides of character. Why limit ourselves? Yam, I'll grab a bite now.

Βιος και Λογοι του Γεροντος Πορφυριου Καυσοκαλλυβιτου / The life and words of Father Porphyrios

Although this book is in Greek, I have to put it first because it is my rock. This book is always by my side and soothes my fear, my anxiety, my pain. Written by one of the three Saints of our era, Father Porphyrios, is a collection of his words, his legacy. When our Saint Porphyrios left this world, he had his thought on all those who are in pain, all those that would seek for his counsel and he allowed some of his children in spirit to put his words in paper. And thus, the Grace that God bestowed upon him, reaches us and  helps us in our time of need.

Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami, is considered one of the most prestigious contemporary writers and his works are considered to reflect the spirit of Mono no aware. 

Norwegian Wood is one of his most-sold novels and I admit, it made a huge impression to me when I read it. It is difficult to capture the feelings it conjures but one thing is for certain: it cannot pass unnoticed! Rumour has it that it was banned from summer reading in some New Jersey schools because of parents' complaints - they found that it contained explicit scenes and deemed it inappropriate for teenagers. 

Well, personally I condemn any form of censorship and find it plainly stupid to accuse literature for corruption since the birth of TV and Internet,so I keep being a fan and...

...here is a list of his novels and I intend to read as many as possible, so can have a more spherical opinion of his work...

• Hear the Wind Sing (1971)

• Pinball, 1973 (1980)

• Wild Sheep Chase, a (1982)

• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (1985)

• Norwegian Wood (1987)

• Dance Dance Dance (1988)

• South of the Border, West of the Sun (1992)

• Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the (1994)

• Sputnik Sweetheart, the (1999)

• Kafka on the Shore (2002)

• After Dark (2004)