A Dance of Dragons - who else is reading this atm?

[KaraStarbuckThrace]

And how bloody long have we waited for it!
I must admit I am relatively new to the series, as a friend bought me A Game of Thrones 2 years ago and then I bought the other books not long after.

I am now wondering how long we will have to wait for the last two!

I am one of the original waiters Have already told DH that despite the parlous state of our finances, I will be buying a copy asap. Baby due in a couple of weeks, I'll need something to read while breastfeeding, right?

There was a fairly lengthy wait between A Storm Of Swords and A Feast For Crows, meaning I had to go back and reread the first three before I really caught up on what was happening with the fourth. God help us all if I have to do the same again.

I am actually worried that Martin will die before finishing them all.

Astar - yep a few people are!

Amazon are selling the hardback for £12.50. The paperback isn't out until next summer.

Only problem with the hard back it is very big and unwieldy to read when breastfeeding believe me I've tried

good point (congrats btw - i saw your labour thread but never posted :)). presumably it lies flat though?

i've got all the previous books in hardback. proper wristbreakers they are

Yes it will lie flat, DD is very wriggly though so I need both hands to feed her at times. Plus she is a minx - as soon as I turn my attention to my book, she'll pull off and then I have to relatch her again, grrrr!

Is this a crazy theory but could Coldhands be Benjen Stark?

oh god, I do need to reread AFFC. I can't remember anything except Arya going blind, Cersei coming unstuck via her band of religious nutters and Danaerys being really sexually frustrated.

DP has been waiting forever for this to come out and we have the he is going to die conversation too.

Re your theory, DP says yes, because he's got the blood of the first men.

I have read and enjoyed them but I find so much happens and do many characters that I promptly forget most of it all.

I know I'll have to go back and read them all from the start again before i tackle the latest but it just feels like such a big commitment of time!

I started reading them all again just before I had DD. Finished AFFC a few days ago.

I think you have summed things up there Astar!

Oh and Brienne and Pod come to a sticky end

I regularly used to stay up till the small hours reading previous books, then fall asleep with my thumb in the book and wake up with a flat thumb Or occasionally a completely numb hand.

I've got it but it's slow going work and children getting in the way of reading time.

Yes to the unwieldiness of the books! I got a kindle which I find fab for reading and breastfeeding so I'm tempted to get it on there but I like having all of the books on our special George bookshelf

Yes, unwieldy, the first thing I did was drop it on my foot. Weighty words!

Owww!!!

I must admit I am now eyeing up Kindles... have hinted heavily to DH about getting me one for Christmas

I've just finished it, I've got it on Kindle, so not so unweildy, haven't slept much in the last few nights!

Its sooo good, but my god, he does kill too many characters!

It'll be a killer waiting for the next one too, there are just so many cliffhanger endings.

I thought this was the last one!

There is definitely another one planned (The Winds of Winter IIRC), have heard rumours of another one to come after that!

I do worry about how on earth he's going to wrap things up - there are just so many characters and storylines now that I can't help feeling the whole thing's got a bit out of control! Really looking forward to the next one though, hope he doesn't keep us waiting too long this time...

I had assumed Coldhands is Benjen Stark too - but not sure why Bran at least doesn't recognise him, surely he'd know his own uncle (even in somewhat zombie-fied form)?

Because he always has his face covered. So Bran never sees his face.

We ordered it from waterstones to get that free book but dh hasnt been into town to fetch it. Argh

I've got it, only about 200 pages in so far. I've read the previous ones twice, but that was about 3 years ago, so I'm a bit confused at times.

Has anyone noticed in the authors note at the back GRRM says "The last one was a bitch. This one was three bitches and a bastard." That made me :o when the lady in Waterstones pointed it out to me :)

I got it and could not wait to start... But the release date fell on week9 of my pregnancy and I have just slept! It's still sitting there!

Did contemplate naming baby Arya lol

Kayana My DD is Aria! We changed the spelling so she wouldn't get called "Are ya." Had nothing but positive comments about it.

Just finished the last book, Im gutted because I thought it was the last one and was hoping everything would be neatly tied up now. Not happy at the thought of waiting for years to see what happens to everyone. Benjen Stark never occurred to me - d'oh! And why didn't Jon keep the firewood with him, idiot!

I have just finished too. I am stunned at who has been killed off and hoping that it turns out that they are not really dead...

BTW I had a dream last night that I was Arya and ended up marrying Stannis!!