** spoiler alert ** 
 Finished just in the nick of time, literally a few hours before HBO's Season 3, episode 1! I think this was the perfect way to read it so that the ending is fresh in my mind and here comes the show to pick up right where the book leaves off! Since there is such a long wait between seasons of the show, I had forgotten parts of the story so the book was a refresher for me. From being familiar with now the first two books and the first two seasons of the show, clearly there are many characters juggled around to keep track of. I find you really have to pay attention, almost with a "scorecard" to keep track of all the "sers" and "lords" etc. As many characters as there are to follow, a few obviously stand out and are well loved among fans. For me after having come this far in the story, I can say with confidence that Tyrion Lannister is one of my most favorites. He is smart, sharp as a tack, witty as hell, and as he proves in battle, quite brave. A very long but highly rewarding story!