I hope no one ruins what's coming....!

I don't know where to begin when it comes to talking about the first book in the GAME OF THRONES series.  I don't even know what the title officially for the first book; I'm pretty sure it's not GAME OF THRONES.....

I listened to this book on CD in my car rather than reading the book myself.  It was an interesting experience.  I found that I had to concentrate a lot more carefully when it came to listening.  I typically think about what I need to do once I get to my destination while I'm driving, but while listening to GAME OF THRONES, I had to stay focused on what I was listening to.  Whenever my mind would wander, I had to rewind the CD back to where I remember the last thing I'd heard.  In a way, I liked that because instead of worrying about certain things, I just concentrated on the story I was listening to.  It was relaxing, to a large degree.

I started reading this series after I heard all the hoopla in the Spring about "The Red Wedding" episode for the HBO series.  I still don't know what all the hoopla is--nor do I want to know until I actually read that part, but at least it was enough to get me started on the series.  I can't say why I decided to listen to it rather than read it.  I just wanted to try something a little different.

Anyway....There are a TON of characters to keep up with, but it was very easy for me to have a favorite:  Dani.  (Since I'm listening to it, I am not sure how to spell her full name.  I went looking for background information on her as well as how to spell her name, but ended up reading too much information.  So I'm going to avoid websites about the books until I've finished reading the whole series.)  Dani is incredible.  From the very beginning, I liked her as a character.  She starts the series as a little wuss of a girl, afraid of everything and everyone, easily controlled, and nothing more than someone easily manipulated.  She was forgettable, really, but yet there was something about her--even way back at the beginning--that made me perk up a little more whenever we came to a section about her.  She is definitely the character I will be looking forward to hearing more of in future books in the series.

Dragons?  While I didn't expect them when I started the series, there came a point when I realized they were inevitably going to show up.  I can't wait to see/hear what happens with the dragons!  The best part is that there isn't just one--there are THREE dragons!!!!!

BTW:  if you don't like stories where one person after another dies and typically in horrific ways, then this is NOT the series for you.  I have to admit that I did a little happy dance in my car when Dani's brother got what was coming to him!  (It's only a book!  Don't worry; I wouldn't want something like to happen for real!!!)