Geekin’ Out: Stark Swag

Don’t you love it when you get into a new book (new-to-you or brand-new, it doesn’t matter) and the rest of the world just kind of falls away? It’s not something you can really do as a parent like you could when you only had to worry about yourself, but even a stolen half-hour here or there is bliss. Right now I’m devouring George R.R. Martin’s second volume, A Clash of Kings, in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I want to hurry up and read it so I can watch the second season from the library; my husband and I just plowed through the first.

I’m not surprised at how much I love it—though it could really use a feminist touch; Martin used to write for Beauty and the Beast and The Twilight Zone. But now I’m also building Christmas wish lists (mostly for Indy) around the series. He could use some direwolf t-shirts and a new sword; I don’t think he’s had a new sword in a year or two. I’ve made him a whole list for the holidays—don’t tell!

A decade ago, I never would have really thought about fan merchandise when it comes to the books (and other media) that I love; now it seems like it’s the first thing I look up when I finish a book. What is your most prized possession from your favorite fandom? I think ours might be our Arwen sword replica; I tossed my Harry Potter bookends when I found out they had lead in their paint as a worried new mom, not realizing that I probably could have just kept them high on a shelf and been okay.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia