I know ADWD had problems. Like most of its predecessors, instead of focusing on moving the story forward (or even focusing at all) it branched out, and out, and out even further. New characters, new points of view, and many "Family Guy" style flash backs: "The sun was shining brightly, just like that day thirty years ago when Ser Flashback learned his first lesson in humility..." You get the idea.

But here's the thing. I still really enjoyed the book. Unlike AFFC (its immediate predecessor), the flashbacks didn't bother me. Martin's actual, paragraph-by-paragraph writing skills here are top-notch. I care about the characters. I care about the story. I can taste the salty sea air, and hear the crackling wood of the night fire, and the bone-aching cold of the Wall in autumn. Martin's world is heavy, and wet, and breathing. It's real.

I was looking forward to finishing ADWD and being ALL CAUGHT UP. There exist no ASOIAF spoilers for me as I write this. I can read message boards and blog posts full of speculation and reminiscing and not have anything spoiled. But now I have to deal with the fact that there aren't any more for me to read right now. Sure, I'm eyeball deep in a new book by a different author now, but I miss Westeros.