Friday Mood Recs: What to read if you're all the way back in on House of the Dragon
The fantastical, the historical, and all the court intrigue
This might be surprising given my typical taste in books but I am a huge Game of Thrones fan. I first started reading the books about 15 years ago. I distinctly remember purchasing the CD audiobook compilation of the first book for a road trip after hearing about these epic fantasy novels on an NPR segment. Due to a truly inexplicable user error, I began my listening adventure by meeting a character named Tyrion who was on trial in some place called the Eyrie for a crime I couldn’t quite grasp. I remember thinking that the NPR critics were right: Martin really drops readers right into his world and lets them figure their way into it.
It took about an hour to realize that I’d started with the wrong disc but after correcting that false start, I was all in. I read all the available books and greatly enjoyed being the friend who knew what was coming when the TV series started.
While the new House of the Dragon spinoff isn’t doing enough to dispense with my bitterness about the end of the GoT series, I was surprised and delighted to find myself all the way back in as season two of HotD approached. I listened to a preview from my favorite absolutely ridiculous and unnecessarily lengthy podcast and all the lore and theories came flooding back. It sometimes feels silly to be so invested in the fictitious history of a fantasy realm, but it also feels like a wonderful luxury to use my brain for something completely and utterly frivolous.
If you too have found yourself all the way back in on this season’s Westerosi adventure or if you’re simply looking for something to sweep you up in some magic and intrigue, this list is for you.
