Journey Through Books

Location: KingsLanding Characters: Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark, Littlefinger Ned Stark reaches KingsLanding ahead of the King's party and attends the first meeting of the small council.  Members of the council included Varys, Littlefinger, Maester Pycelle, Renly, Stannis and Barristen Selmy. The councillor Ned liked least was Varys the eunuch. He smell as foul and sweet as flowers on a grave. Why? Lord Renly was always dressed immaculately, its said that he spends more on clothing than half the ladies of the court. Lord Stannis had left for Dragonstone after king went north. Why? Robert once mentioned to Ned that he was surrounded by flatterers and fools. Ned wondered who was what. In the council meeting, it is announced that the king has asked to stage a great tournament in honour of Ned being appointed the Hand of the King. Littlefinger estimates the cost of the tournament at more than ninety thousand gold pieces. Also, crown was already in debt, owing Lord Tywi

Location: Castle Black Characters: Jon, Alliser Thorne, Tyrion The Watch had built nineteen great strongholds along the wall, but only three were still occupied. The Eastwatch, the Shadow Tower and between them Castle Black. Jon was training with swords at Castle Black under the supervision of master of arms, Ser Alliser Thorne. Alliser Thorne was a compact man of fifty years, spare and hard, with grey in his black hair and eyes like chips of onyx. He called Jon as Lord Snow as a mockery which everyone picked up. Jon had defeated everyone at practice yet Thorne served him only derision and hated him. He hated the other boys even worse. Jon trained with a group of twenty boys and none he could call a friend. The more time Jon spent with them , more Jon despised them. No one had told him the hard truth about the Night's Watch except Tyrion Lannister. Jon wondered if his father had known what it was like and it hurt it even more. Even Benjen Stark had left for a rang

Location: KingsLanding Characters: Catelyn, Littlefinger, Varys Catelyn arrives in KingsLanding on the ship named Storm Dancer which belonged to Captain Moreo Tumitis. He spoke the common tongue fluently, with only the slightest hint of a Tyroshi accent. He had been plying the narrow sea for thirty years. He had a forked green beard. The Tyroshi loved bright colours even in their facial hair. This reminds us of another Tyroshi, Majister Illyrio, who had yellow forked beard. Catelyn plans to see Ser Aron Santagar, the King's master of arms who is a vain man but an honest one. Catelyn fears that now that she is in KingsLanding, she can be easily recognised by Littlefinger or Lord Baelish as he was known now. Catelyn's brother Edmure had given him that name long ago at Riverrun. His family's modest holdings were on the smallest of the Fingers and Petyr had been slight and short for his age. He was Cetelyn's father's ward and they grew up together in River

Location: Bran's Dream Characters: Bran, Three Eyed Crow Bran is dreaming that he is falling. He hears a voice asking him to fly. He sees flashbacks from the past. The voice is from a crow which is circling Bran as he falls. Bran says he doesn't have wings to which the crow says that he has different kinds of wings. What does this imply? Bran sees the flashback of Jaime Lannister but the crow asks him to forget it. Why? Is it not important?  The crow says to Bran that he is teaching him to fly. Suddenly Bran realises he is flying. He could see everything so clearly - the whole realm and everyone in it. He saw Maester Luwin and his brother Robb in Winterfell. He saw his mother with Ser Rodrick Cassel in a ship. A storm was gathering ahead of them but somehow they could not see it. He saw his father and sisters at the Trident. He saw them surrounded by shadows - one shadow was dark with terrible face of a hound ( is this Sandor Clegane or an actual hound? ) and anothe

Location:  King's Road on the way to KingsLanding Characters: Eddard Stark, Arya, Sansa, Joffrey, Cersie, Robert Baratheon Arya was presented before the King for allegations of attack on Joffrey. The queen alleged that Arya and the butcher's boy attacked Joffrey and Arya's wolf tried to tear his arm off. Arya defends herself by saying that the wold only bit him a little because he was hurting Mycah - the butcher's boy. Since Jofferey said something and Arya said something else, Sansa was brought to narrate what exactly happened. But Sansa says that she doesn't remember anything as everything happened so fast. This escalates the tension between the sisters. Cersie wants Arya punished but Robert dismisses the matter by saying that both parties must discipline their children. But Cersie isn't satisfied and insists that the wolf be punished. Arya set of Nymeria free earlier and the wolf was not found. So Cersie insists on Sansa's wolf being slaughtered.

Location: Waters of the Trident Characters: Arya, Sansa, Joffrey, Mycah Sansa, along with a huge party, are on their way to the Kings Landing. Today, she and her sister Arya were invited to ride with the queen and princess Myrcella in the royal wheelhouse. Sansa looked her best. Price Joffrey might be there. Just thinking about him made her feel a strange fluttering inside. Sansa did not really know Joffrey yet, but she was already in love with him. He was all she ever dreamt of, tall, handsome and strong, with hair like gold. But Sansa was worried that Arya may ruin the day.  The two sisters were poles apart. Sansa was dressed up in beautiful delicate silks but Arya was wearing the same riding leathers she had worn yesterday and the day before. Sansa was looking forward to riding with the queen but Arya just didn't care. Sansa preferred travelling in the wheelhouse whereas Arya did not because it had no windows to see outside. But Sansa cared the least about th

Location: Winterfell Characters: Catelyn, Robb, Bran Catelyn had not left Bran's room since his fall. Bran's wolf hadn't stopped howling since his fall too. The howling was full of melancholy and despair. Today, the howling grew louder. Suddenly Catelyn found a man in Bran's room. He was a small, dirty man in filthy brown clothing, and he stank of horses. Catelyn knew all men who worked in the stables, and he was none of them. He was gaunt, with limp blonde hair and pale eyes deep sunk in a bony face and there was a dagger in his hand. He kept saying that Catelyn was not supposed to be there. But Bran's wolf attacked him in time killing him. The next day, it was found that he was no man of Winterfell but some had seen him here and about the castle these past few weeks. He could be one of the King's men or one of the Lannisters. He could have waited behind when the others left. He was hiding and sleeping in the stables. He had ninety silver stag

Location: On the road to the Wall Characters: Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister Benjen Stark, along with Jon and Tyrion left Winterfell the same day as the King. Jon Sbow's albino direwolf, Ghost, was also with them but it never made any sound. There was something settling about the wolf. They also had some fresh mounts for the Night's Watch. Another Black brother, Yoren, joined them. Yoren was stooped and sinister, with a black beard, but he seemed as tough as an old root and as hard as stone. He had a twisted shoulder, and a sour smell, his hair and beard were matted and greasy and full of lice, his clothing old , patched and seldom washed. He was accompanied by two young recruits who smelled even worse and seemed as stupid as they were cruel. Tyrion saw Jon watching them in uncomfortable dismay. Jon had made the mistake of thinking that the Night's Watch was made up of men like his uncle. Yoren and his companions were a rude awakening. Tyrion felt sorry for Jon,

Location: Kingsroad on the way to King's Landing Characters: Eddard Stark, Robert Baratheon Ned and Robert were talking, reminiscing old times. Robert asked Ned about his bastard son's mother, to which Ned told, her name as Wylla and requested to not ask anything about her. He was ashamed he dishonoured himself and his wife.  Who was this Wylla? Robert told Ned that he received a message from Varys (Master of whisperers) in Kings Landing. Varys served Aerys Targaryan before Robert. The source of information mentioned in the message was Jorah Mormont. Jorah had sold poachers to a Tyroshi slaver which was a crime and Ned Stark wanted to bring him to justice but Jorah escaped and went in exile. He offered to be a spy for Robert in exchange for a Royal pardon so that he could return from exile. The message said that Daenerys had wed some Dothraki horselord. Robert wanted to send killers to kill Dany as he did not want her children to be threat to his kingdom. Ro

Location: Outskirts of Pentos Characters: Dany, Khal Drogo, Viserys, Jorah Mormont, Magister Illyrio This chapter is about Dany's wedding from her point of view where she learns about Dothraki. Ser Jorah Mormont had offered Viserys his sword the night Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo. The Khal had promised Viserys a crown but Viserys was impatient. Illyrio explained to Viserys that the Khal will have Dany first and after they are wed, he will make a procession across the plains to present her to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak. After that, if the omens favor war. The Dothraki are true to their word but they do things in their own time. Viserys thinks of himself as the dragon. But Dany thinks that there are no more dragons. She however had dreams where Viserys was a dragon and attacked her. During the ceremony, Viserys was seated below the Khal and Dany and felt insulted. Dany and Khal had no common language. Dany did not understand Dothraki and Khal did not

Location: Winterfell Characters: Jon, Catelyn Stark, Bran Stark, Robb Stark, Arya Stark Jon was about to leave for the Night's Watch with Uncle Benjen. He was out saying his goodbyes to his brothers and sisters. Jon is most close to Bran and Arya. Their equations looked like real brothers and sisters full of affection. Its more formal with Robb and Sansa. Arya is really wild and packed her clothes shabbily until the Septa asked her to repack everything. Jon gifts Arya a small sword which they name Needle. Its ironic because Arya hates needlework but loves swords.

Location: Winterfell Characters: Cersie Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon Tyrion had been up all night in the Winterfell library reading some books. He was not one a much for sleeping. Outside, he saw his nephew Joffrey with Sandor Clegane - the hound. He had a visor shaped like a black hound to cover his burnt face and has a bit of a temper. Joffrey and the Hound mocked Tyrion for being a dwarf. On being asked if Joffrey had offered comfort to the Starks, Joffrey responded that Bran means nothing to him and he hates the wailing of women. This shows that Joffrey lacks compassion and empathy. Tyrion slaps him hard for this and Clegane says that the prince will not forget the slap. Will Joffrey hold a grudge against Tyrion? Tyrion proceeds to breakfast where the Queen, Jaime and the children are also breaking fast. Cersie looked at Tyrion with distaste. She hates Tyrion since the day he was born. During all the terrible long years o

Location:  Winterfell Characters: Bran Stark The King's party was supposed to depart from Winterfell the next day, so today the King went for a hunt. Prince Joffrey, Robb Stark, Benjen Stark, Jory Cassel, Theon Greyjoy, Rodrick Cassel and Queen's funny little brother ( Tyrion Lannister ) accompanied the King on the hunt. Bran thought that Jon was angry at everyone these days. Why? Bran wanted to be a Knight in the Kingsguard. Kingsguard were the finest swords in all of the realm. There were only seven of them, they wore white armour and had no wives or children, but lived only to serve the King. Two of the Kingsguard who came with King Robert were : Ser Boros, who was a bald man with a jowly face, and Ser Meryn, who had droopy eyes and beard the colour of rust. Ser Jaime looked like the Knights in the stories but he killed the old mad king ( who? ). Thats why he is called the Kingslayer. Since Bran was leaving the next day, he started to say his farewells

Willpower is the single most important keystone habit for individual success. And the best way to strengthen willpower is to make it into a habit. Sometimes it looks like people with great self control aren't working hard - but that's because they have made it automatic.  By the 1980's, a theory emerged that became generally accepted: Willpower is a learnable skill, something that can be taught the same way everything else. But there were still unanswered questions. A skill is something that remains constant from day-to-day. If you have the skill to make an omelet on Wednesday, you still know how to make it on Friday. But that is not the case with willpower. Some evenings you may come home from work and have no problem going to the gym. Other days, you can't do anything beside lie on the couch and watch television. If willpower is a skill, then why doesn't it remain constant from day to day?  Later studies found that willpower isn't just a skill. Its a m

Some habits have the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits as they move through an organisation. These are keystone habits. Keystone habits start a process that , over time, transforms everything. Take, for instance, studies from the past decade examining the impacts of exercise on daily routines. When people start habitually exercising, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically, people who exercise, start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and feel less stressed. Its not completely clear why. But for many people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change. Exercise spills over. There is something about it that makes other good habits easier. Studies have documented that families who habitually eat dinner together seem to raise children with better homework skills, higher grades, greater emotional control and more confidence. Making your bed every mor

You can never truly extinguish bad habits. Rather, to change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine. Almost any behaviour can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same. For some habits, however, there is one other ingredient that's necessary: belief . Alcoholics who practiced the techniques of habit replacement could often stay sober until there was a stressful event in their lives - at which point, a certain number started drinking again, no matter how many new routines they had embraced. However, those alcoholics who believed that some higher power had entered their lives were more likely to make it through the stressful periods with their sobriety intact. Researchers found that habit replacement worked pretty well for many people until the stresses of life got too high. When things get tense, people go back to their comfort zones and old habits.  The question is - if habit replacement is so effective, why

Two basic rules - simple and obvious cue and clearly defined rewards Once the cue occurs and the habit kicks in and the reward is received, the pleasure centres in the brain light up. As the habit becomes stronger and stronger, our brains begin anticipating the reward as soon as the cue appears. The cue triggers not only the routine but the pleasure centre in the brain as well. If the reward is not received at the end of the routine or it is delayed, a neurological pattern associated with desire and frustration erupts. The reward becomes a craving and if unsatisfied, leads to anger or depression. Once a habit is developed - the brain starts anticipating the reward which becomes a craving. Thats why habits are so powerful. They create neurological cravings. Most of the time, these cravings emerge so gradually that we are not really aware they exist, so we are often blind to their influence. But as we associate cues with certain rewards, a subconscious craving emerges in our

Most of the choices we make each day may feel like the products of well considered decision making, but they are not. They are habits. According to a study, 40% of actions people performed each day weren't actual decisions, but habits. If you want to fall asleep fast and wake up feeling good, pay attention to your night time patterns and what you automatically do when you get up. If you picture the human brain as an onion, composed of layer upon layer of cells, then the outside layers are generally the most recent additions from an evolutionary perspective. This is where the most complex thinking occurs. Deeper inside the brain, are older, more primitive structures. They control our automatic behaviours such as breathing, swallowing or the startle response we feel when someone leaps out from behind a bush. Towards the centre of the skull is a golf ball sized lump of tissue called basal ganglia. Scientists noticed that animals with injured basal ganglia suddenly deve