Read A Song Of Ice And Fire 2016 discussion

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What's your favorite book(s)? Is this your first time reading ASOIAF or are you a veteran? Who's your fave characters? Do you watch the show?

This is a great idea! I've been wanting to re-read these to prepare for the next release (here's to hoping Martin will actually finish it, lol), and it will be really cool to discuss them as we go. Also, I must admit that after a couple of years many details have become a blur.

So, I'm Anna, and my husband introduced me to this series, and I've read up to a Dance with Dragons. I don't watch the show for a couple of reasons. First, I like to experience a book completely on it's own before being influenced by TV/Movies. Even though I've stayed away, my reading has still been influenced by the show because of it's popularity, which is kind of a bummer. Second, the show is just a bit too rough for me. I can distance myself emotionally when reading, but not when watching something. I just can't handle the gore and rape and whatnot on the big screen. I'm a wuss, yes, but an empathetic one. :3

I'm not sure how much I should say about my favorite characters, because I don't want to spoil anything if new readers join! I'll just say that Arya, Tyrion, Daenerys, and Sam are definitely on the list, and I found Varys fascinating.

I'm definitely re-reading these because of how much I've forgotten. The series was so entertaining and gripping that I whizzed through all 5 books way too fast. I'm also hoping to gain some more insight on clues and details that I missed the first time. Plus, I can reflect more on character and plot analysis when I'm not reading something for the first time, so I'm looking forward to doing some of that here. Yay!

Thanks for introducing yourself Anna! I just realized that even though I started this thread, I forgot to post an intro myself. I'm gonna have to correct that.

Yeah, I enjoy the series but around Season 3 it starts to stray more and more from the books, so I don't think you're really missing too much. And it is very graphic to say the least.

I thought I'd go ahead and introduce myself. My name is Amy. I'm not 100% sure who turned me on to the series because literally all of my friends had read it and talked about it all the time. When I first started reading, I devoured the first two books in a matter of days. Then I got halfway through the third and had to put it down because of school. Naturally, the combination of speed reading and taking too long of a break left me forgetting a lot of things. So I'm looking forward to diving in again from the beginning. This time at a more manageable pace.

Daenerys, Tyrion, and Arya are tied for the top spot in my favorite characters list. They are like my babies. I'm very emotionally attached.

I've enjoyed the series in the past but we currently don't have cable or HBO Now so that makes it a little difficult to (legally) keep up with the show without buying the DVDs. I'll catch up one day.

Hi, I'm Lorrie. I've read all of the books currently in the series twice now. I remember when I first read them it was slow because it took a while for the next book to come out. I read them a second time to brush up before A Dance with Dragons came out and it was fun reading them again. I would have to say Arya, Tyrion, Daenerys, Jon, and Davos are my favorites characters. I've been enjoying the TV show, but I do notice which things they've changed but it's pretty well done and the changes are minor. I like all the books, but I think my favorite is A Clash of Kings.

Hello! I'm Amy II (since there's already one in the group).
I started reading the series a little more than year ago, but didn't get very far. I tend to like character-driven books where you can really get invested and relate to a few characters and almost live their journey through the story. This series, from the little I read, is very plot-driven, and I've heard you don't want to get too attached to any one character anyway. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the book didn't draw me in right off the bat, and because I wasn't super committed to sticking to them, I kind of just stopped reading without realizing it. But, I'm sick of seeing all the references and feeling like I'm missing out on all of the fun, so I want to actually commit to giving the books another go. :)

Hi all! My name is Brianna.
I have read the first three books and made it halfway through the fourth. I love the show and I really want to read them all! I just need a buddy type system to get through that fourth one so I joined the group! I actually am excited to re-read the books as well. :) I have watched the entire series and love it as well.
My favorite characters are Tyrion and Daenerys.

Hey, everyone! My name's Maria, or Ria.
I first read the series two years ago. I remember one day during the summer holiday I was bored and decided to dedicate some time to A Song of Ice and Fire. My initial plan was to both read the books and watch the show, but wasn't sure how to go about it, so I just looked it up online. And, of course, when I read "It's easier to start with the show, at least the first season.", my brain understood "Don't do that. Why make it easier when it can be hard?", so I grabbed "A Game of Thrones" and ended up not going to bed until four in the morning. On the next day I woke up at around two in the afternoon and the first thing I did was to open the book - didn't stop reading until my eyes were about to bleed at around 5am. With this healthy regime I managed to read the first two books in about a week (I'm a slow reader.), but then school started and I had to slow down for the third one. The fourth book was a drag, it took me ages to complete, but the fifth one was better.

So, anyway, after finishing the series, I was sure that I don't want to watch the TV show, because I had these images built in my head about what the characters were like and the scenery and everything, and I'm 100% sure that no matter how brilliant the show is, it'll ruin that for me. It already has, in a way, because of how popular it is. You'd have to almost literally live under a rock to avoid being exposed to it.

I want to reread the books because: one, I read them in Bulgarian the first time and a lot is lost in the translation; two, ASoIaF is the kind of series you need to read at least twice to fully enjoy and understand; and three, I'm a bit rusty on the details and want to be prepared for the sixth book.

I'm not sure I have a favourite character, though I do have a weakness for Theon - started with his first appearance in the beginning of 'A Game of Thrones', don't really know why. I particuarly enjoy the Greyjoy storyline (*spoiler maybe?*)- I hear that one's been removed from the show, I hope they squeeze it in next season, it would be a shame not to. (*end of spoiler*). Tyrion is fun also. However, there are more characters that I resent - for example, Sansa, Geoffrey, Cersei, Ramsay...

PS. Sorry for the long post, I should really lay off the details.

I'm Alex :). Iv only read the first one so far. I absolutely love to read but it's hard to because of work :(. Game of thrones is one of my all time favorite shows lol. Everyone told me that since I loved the show and love to read that I would fall in love with the books. I can honestly say they were right!

It's hard to choose my favorite characters. But I'll list my top 3. 1. Daenerys
2. Jon Snow
3. Tyrion

I really look forward to re reading the first book and starting the rest. I'm also looking forward to what everyone has to say and their views on them :)

So the new year is coming up next week and I was wondering how we will be discussing these books! Will it be by chapter or simply by book or... idk a third option lol

Brianna wrote: "So the new year is coming up next week and I was wondering how we will be discussing these books! Will it be by chapter or simply by book or... idk a third option lol"

Well, we want to avoid seeing spoilers. Maybe at the top of each of our posts, we can just put what chapter we're on, so that if others haven't gotten to that chapter, they can just skip over the message and the subsequent replies.

Hello! My name is Hannah and I've read the series once before. I only got into the series recently, so luckily this has been my only waiting period. My favourite books in the series would have to be the first one and the last one I think. I'm sure there are parts in the other books I absolutely adored but I can't remember any at the moment. My favourite characters are in abundance; Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Jaime. I also have a soft spot for Cersei. I have seen the first season of the show and a bit of the second, and various scenes here and there from the other seasons but I can't stand it because of how much they changed it.

Will there be separate topics created for each book that way as we read, it will be easier to find the discussion for each particular book?

Hi. My name is Gayle. I'm a grad student. This is my second go around attempting to read ASOIAF. I got to the 400s in 2013 before I put it GoT down. Not that I didn't like it, but life stuff happened and I lost interest. Needless to say, I'm a noob at the series. I have not watched the tv show because I wanted to read the books first; I'm kind of a purist.

So far from what I have read, my favorite characters are Tyrion, Arya, and Daenerys.

I'm currently rereading GoT, but I think I'll be on track with everyone by February. :)

My name is Gil. I read pretty much anything as long as it holds my interest. This is going to be my third time reading the first book of the series, and I look forward to completing the entire series this year. On a different note am I the only male in this group? Not like it matters, I am just curious.

Also, how will this be organized?

Hey guys, I've started re-reading the first book, and in my E-Book every chapter simply goes by character name. Not 1, 2, 3 ... So, I'm not sure how we should organize it. Maybe we should only discuss after the entire first book is read, and have various discussions on different events? I would just hate to spoil things for new readers. Any ideas?

The chapters have always been organized by name, online I've seen them organized by name and the number. E.g. Tyrion IV to indicate the fourth Tyrion chapter.

But, that might be awkward so we could say Chapter: Tyrion page (whatever page it started on) so we know exactly which Tyrion chapter were discussing. Perhaps there could be discussion threads for each chapter? This would prevent spoilers.

Hi I am Basesloaded (AKA Leslie) and I have been gearing up to read this book (and if I like it hopefully the whole series) for a while now. I am currently reading another Chunkster : The Stand. Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. But when I saw this group I thought a read -along- type- thing would be perfect. I won't start for a few days till I finish a few I am in the middle of but definitely will get at it soon.

I love the show and am caught up to what has aired. I am watching season one again and can't believe how much I missed my first watch.

Cheers from Canada!

Hannah wrote: "The chapters have always been organized by name, online I've seen them organized by name and the number. E.g. Tyrion IV to indicate the fourth Tyrion chapter.

But, that might be awkward so we cou..."

^^ I like the sound of this.

Anna wrote: "Hannah wrote: "The chapters have always been organized by name, online I've seen them organized by name and the number. E.g. Tyrion IV to indicate the fourth Tyrion chapter.

But, that might be aw..."

I like the sound of it too.

Hopefully the group owner comes in here soon and creates a new category to put the topics in. Otherwise I might just start my own for chapter 1!

Hannah wrote: "Hopefully the group owner comes in here soon and creates a new category to put the topics in. Otherwise I might just start my own for chapter 1!"

Hannah, if you have things to write about the first chapter and want to start a thread then I say go for it. The mod can always move/rename/etc if she had something else in mind.

Just my 2 cents.

On the application it shows there is a Game of Thrones folder so if you start a new topic you may be able to add it to that folder.

I hope we can get this discussion rolling. The mod can move, change, etc if need be.

-here are the chapters: I will enter the first two (prologue and #1) as discussion threds. Can someone else please continue as I have a full day ahead of me.? Thanks.

0 Prologue
1 Bran I
2 Catelyn I
3 Daenerys I
4 Eddard I
5 Jon I
6 Catelyn II
7 Arya I
8 Bran II
9 Tyrion I
10 Jon II
11 Daenerys II
12 Eddard II
13 Tyrion II
14 Catelyn III
15 Sansa I
16 Eddard III
17 Bran III
18 Catelyn IV
19 Jon III
20 Eddard IV
21 Tyrion III
22 Arya II
23 Daenerys III
24 Bran IV
25 Eddard V
26 Jon IV
27 Eddard VI
28 Catelyn V
29 Sansa II
30 Eddard VII
31 Tyrion IV
32 Arya III
33 Eddard VIII
34 Catelyn VI
35 Eddard IX
36 Daenerys IV
37 Bran V
38 Tyrion V
39 Eddard X
40 Catelyn VII
41 Jon V
42 Tyrion VI
43 Eddard XI
44 Sansa III
45 Eddard XII
46 Daenerys V
47 Eddard XIII
48 Jon VI
49 Eddard XIV
50 Arya IV
51 Sansa IV
52 Jon VII
53 Bran VI
54 Daenerys VI
55 Catelyn VIII
56 Tyrion VII
57 Sansa V
58 Eddard XV
59 Catelyn IX
60 Jon VIII
61 Daenerys VII
62 Tyrion VIII
63 Catelyn X
64 Daenerys VIII
65 Arya V
66 Bran VII
67 Sansa VI
68 Daenerys IX
69 Tyrion IX
70 Jon IX
71 Catelyn XI
72 Daenerys X
73 Appendix

I'll be starting my re-read of this one in a few days! I'm pretty excited to discuss this with everyone. :)

I started reading the prologue on the bus today, and I'll definitely be writing my thoughts down as soon as I've written a good chunk of an essay for one of my classes. I'm excited to see what everyone else posts! c:

Hello Everyone, I am Savanna. I'm 25. My favorite book/series is Darken the Stars by Amy Bartol. I was encouraged to read GOT by my best friend who is obsessed with it. She made me move GOT up on my to be read list by shipping me her book set 1-4 just before Christmas. I'm glad she did though I really like it so far. She also bought me Season 1 on DVD.... I watched most of it already except for the last 2 episodes. I am excited to talk about it with other people besides her. ha

Whoops, I realized that I forgot to post my favorite characters.
Bran stark, Jon Snow and I hate to admit but Jaimie Lannister too.

Hi. I'm Roseanne and I have read the first three books. The first two I read as a buddy read but everyone else stopped reading after the second book. So I read the third one by myself and there is where I stalled a year ago. When I found out about this group I just couldn't resist. So hard to choose a favorite character. I guess it would have to be Jon and Arya. I have never even seen a single episode of the show.

Roseanne wrote: "Hi. I'm Roseanne and I have read the first three books. The first two I read as a buddy read but everyone else stopped reading after the second book. So I read the third one by myself and there is ..."

Hey Roseanne! Welcome aboard the G.O.T. train!

Thanks Leslie. I'm so excited. I have been putting the next book off because I didn't want to read it alone. When I read the first book I had a family tree for all the families that I printed out. It really helped me in the beginning. It was just so overwhelming. Would anyone be interested in that? If so were should I put it?

Roseanne wrote: "Thanks Leslie. I'm so excited. I have been putting the next book off because I didn't want to read it alone. When I read the first book I had a family tree for all the families that I printed out. ..."

That would be super helpful. Hmm.. Maybe we should create a new topic called Resources? We could include family trees and maps, as long as they didn't include any deaths and anyone could read them then I don't see why we couldn't post it.

Hannah wrote: "Roseanne wrote: "Thanks Leslie. I'm so excited. I have been putting the next book off because I didn't want to read it alone. When I read the first book I had a family tree for all the families tha..."

sounds good - I will go create it now

Hannah wrote: "Roseanne wrote: "Thanks Leslie. I'm so excited. I have been putting the next book off because I didn't want to read it alone. When I read the first book I had a family tree for all the families tha..."

So they do have death years for some characters but the years really don't make sense but there are marriages on it that I would consider spoilers so I wont post what I have. I know there were other charts I saw when I was reading the first one. Let me see if I can find any of them.

Hi Leslie (aka bases loaded) and Roseanne!
No, I'm not stalking you - yes, I love Game of Thrones!!

I have read up to Book 5, but never had anyone to discuss the series with that wasn't already ahead of me / and who answered any question I might have with "Wait and see, you won't believe what happens -"

Another newbie jumping in. I've got a bit of catch-up to do, but I think I'm up to it. This is my first time reading the books, so I'm looking forward to this read-along.

Excellent Erin. Welcome!

Hey! I've been reading ASOIAF since roughly 2004 (when a former partner introduced me to it). I have read all of the books and seen all of the episodes. The one I am really am looking forward to digging into again is A Storm Of Swords. Arya Stark is my favorite character. And Melisandre. I really enjoy epic fantasy as a genre though nothing else comes close to being as heartfelt or comprehensive as ASOIAF. The show is wonderful and has sparked a lot of interest for fantasy in people that otherwise never would have (which is amazing). I really like GRRM's vampire novel Fevre Dream as well. It's very well written and original and worth checking out (even if you're less of a horror fan)... I write flash fiction, fantasy and horror myself. Only been published once thus far. Anyhow, I look forward to getting to meet more fans! This group is cool!

Welcome Dani and Jeremy.

Bit late to the party but hoping to be catch up!
Watched most of the first series of the TV show but it wasn't for me, so I kind of assumed the books wouldn't be either. Turns out I was wrong :)

Lisa wrote: "Bit late to the party but hoping to be catch up!
Watched most of the first series of the TV show but it wasn't for me, so I kind of assumed the books wouldn't be either. Turns out I was wrong :)"

Welcome aboard!

Hi everyone. I am Ritika. I completed reading Book 3 quite a while ago, but now I seem to have jumbled up quite a bit of the story in my mind. I'd love to re-read the books and discuss as I go along. Let's get it on!

Ritwik wrote: "Hi everyone. I am Ritika. I completed reading Book 3 quite a while ago, but now I seem to have jumbled up quite a bit of the story in my mind. I'd love to re-read the books and discuss as I go alon..."

Excellent. Welcome.
Are you starting right back from book 1?

Hey, guys.
I feel like I'm a bit late joining this but I'll introduce myself anyway.

My name is Hazel, nice to meet you. :)
I've read and re-read this book series countless times and I could not pass up an opportunity to do so with others!
My favourite book so far in the series is A Feast for Crows because of the introduction to one of my favourite characters.
Speaking of, my favourite characters are (you'll never make me choose only one!):
Tywin Lannister
Cersei Lannister
Jaime Lannister
Genna Lannister
Euron Greyjoy
Roose Bolton and
Lyanna Stark ... Do you see the pattern here? :')

I only know two other people who have read the books and it makes me so sad because I love to discuss. :(
Hopefully I'll make new friends here. :)

Hazel wrote: "Hey, guys.
I feel like I'm a bit late joining this but I'll introduce myself anyway.

My name is Hazel, nice to meet you. :)
I've read and re-read this book series countless times and I could not ..."

Welcome, Hazel! It's never too late to join.
Which character do you mean? (view spoiler)[Is it Euron? If I remember correctly, the Greyjoy plotline starts around that time? (hide spoiler)] And who's Genna Lannister? I really don't remember. Maybe we should have this discussion under the spoiler tag, though.

Hazel wrote: "Hey, guys.
I feel like I'm a bit late joining this but I'll introduce myself anyway.

My name is Hazel, nice to meet you. :)
I've read and re-read this book series countless times and I could not ..."

Welcome Hazel. Plenty of people to talk about the books here. Have fun!

Ria wrote: "Hazel wrote: "Hey, guys.
I feel like I'm a bit late joining this but I'll introduce myself anyway.

My name is Hazel, nice to meet you. :)
I've read and re-read this book series countless times an..."

Ack! I did not think about spoilers, sorry!
(view spoiler)[I was indeed talking about Euron Greyjoy. I can't explain why I love him though. Genna Lannister is Tywin's sister, the one who is married to the Frey. (hide spoiler)]

Thank you for the warm welcome, guys. :)

Hi everyone.

I am Brendan and yes, like all of you, I am a fan of the series and the books. I just joined this group the other day. I am five chapters away from finishing the first book in the series (A Game of Thrones). As far as favorite characters go I would have to say Tyrion, Arya, and Daenerys. Least favorite character so far is Bran. I feel like the plot line just drags with his chapters. Also, at first I couldn't stand Sansa, but with the last Sansa chapter in the book I feel sorry for her. Just out of curiosity, when will you all be starting book two (Clash of Kings)? Looking forward to reading and analyzing the series with everyone!!!

Brendan

Brendan your timing is great.

Amy has set the books up as two months of reading and discussing per book.

Book one is Jan. and Feb. Book two is March and April. Etc. It has seemed to work very well for GOT.

Welcome to the group.