Post-GAME OF THRONES diet

Obviously, I’m really excited about the return of GAME OF THRONES this Sunday. In anticipation, I’ve been trying to remember all the fun things to do after watching the show. I should have made this list last year, but when Season 3 ended, I re-read the books and forget.

Here are the things I enjoy after an episode of GAME OF THRONES:

Shortly after airing

• The AV CLUB “for newbies” review.
• The AV CLUB “for experts” review.
• Alan Sepinwall’s review on HITFIX.
• Sean T. Collins’s post-show interviews / reviews on ROLLING STONE.

The following day

• Andy Greenwald’s thoughtful review on GRANTLAND.
• WIRED’s double-bylined recaps.
• Thomas Fichtenmayer (aka stannisisthefury) over on ESQUIRE.

Later in the week

• GRANTLAND’s Hollywood Prospectus podcast
• Boiled Leather Audio Hour
• GAY OF THRONES on FUNNY OR DIE. (I hope they do this again as it was one of my favorite things last year.)
• SOUND ON SIGHT’s GOT coverage, including dedicated episodes of the Televerse podcast.

Adding to the mix this year

• Lawyers, Guns & Money podcast
• UNspoiled podcast

Podcasts I don’t listen to

WiC’s Game of Owns. I find their lack of critical-thinking (one co-host “didn’t see” any sign of SanSan or other romantic pairings / foils in the text) and nerd rages (“But in the book, his hair is LONG!”) unpleasant. Other opinions are available, but that’s mine.

And then Tumblr. I spend a lot of time on Tumblr during the GoT season, even though it’s frequently just re-blogs of the same GIF-sets.

What am I missing? Where do you like to go after an episode of GoT?

A great ASOIAF day

Honestly, this has been one of the best days in a long time which is concerning.¹ Before going to bed last night, I was updating my podcasts and excitedly noted an episode of BLAH auto-downloading titled “The New The Winds of Winter Sample Chapter.” What? I had to quickly update the World of Ice and Fire app to read Tyrion’s chapter. There were dragons burning things and eating people. That made me happy.

Today, I logged onto to many of my usual sites to read more reactions to the chapter and instead came across a bunch of stuff about a character called Mercy. I quickly got that chapter and immediately knew it was an Arya chapter and that my life had gotten awesome because I am all about Arya. I will easily be sustaining myself with these meager pages until GOT returns in a couple weeks, after which there will be lots and lots of ASOIAF-themed things to get me through the next few months.

And then, I’l probably have to re-re-read the series again because I basically need to constantly replenish my ASOIAF cup until it runneth over.

¹ It is super scary to me that in the years since I started reading these books, they are genuinely something I think about on a conscious level ALL THE TIME. Last summer after completing a re-read, I started in on all the non-AU, canon-compliant fanfic because I needed more ASOIAF things in my brain. I had family visiting and could barely maintain conversations with them because I was puzzling out theories and character motivations and possible arcs and I need a new hobby.

I’m so happy, I’m not even going to complain about this story in WIRED where the writer, a book-reader, says that the Wall “bisects” Westeros. (“Bisect” is to divide in two, usually equal, parts. “Transect” is to cut across.) New ASOIAF makes me magnanimous!