50. A Game of Thrones

50. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (3/19/2012 - 4/3/2012)

In a year and a day, I read 50 books, and I have to say that this was the perfect book to end that year on.  This book starts the nearly-legendary series A Song of Ice and Fire, which now totals five enormous books and is the foundation for the HBO series "Game of Thrones."

I don't even know where to begin to describe this book (or this series, for that matter).  There is so much to it! There are so many characters, so many backstories, and so, SO much conflict.  This is a series where, and I don't think I'm really giving anything away but nonetheless, SpoilerAlert!, characters are constantly being moved in an out of the narrative, usually due to a sudden and only barely expected death.  But despite this, A Game of Thrones is a fascinating and totally compelling book.  It's a long read, but it is so worth it.

I won't even try to describe it -- I'm not sure I could accurately summarize it anyway -- but I will say this: read this book. And then read the next book, and the rest of the series, and give yourself about three months to devote your life to this task, because these books will take over your life. They sure took over mine.

It is a testament to how amazing this book is that, upon finishing its 807 pages, I briefly paused to grab some nourishment and then immediately opened A Clash of Kings to keep reading the series.