Back when the first book of GoT came out, I purchased it, and actually got to meet the author at WorldCon, which was in Toronto that year.
I read it, then bought the next one, and struggled my way through it. Too dark, too many deaths, and the Others REALLY seriously creeped me out!
With the coming of the T.V. series, I started to get interested again. When WalMart put a package of all 5 books on sale in a boxed set for $35 last Christmas, I mulled it over, and after getting a WalMart gift card for Christmas, decided to bite.
I left them sitting in my bedroom for months, before finally picking up the second one in the series to give it another go. I quickly found I had forgotten too much of this VERY complex series, and went right back to the beginning and started with the first novel.
It took me awhile to get through. They are MASSIVE books!
I then started on #2. It was even slower going. I finally finished it in a determined late-night reading session last week, then tried to keep the momentum going by plunging into #3. I was REALLY determined to get caught up to where the series is currently at on T.V., so I can go ahead and watch it. (I currently have the DVDs for Season 1 and 2, and am thinking of buying Season 3).
Last night, I finally gave up. It is just TOO MUCH! (Avoiding spoilers here!) A favourite character is killed, one I hadn't expected to die. I already knew others who died around the same time were doomed (the Red Wedding, which I've heard about, but not seen yet.) I asked myself, "Are you enjoying this?" The answer was "HELL, NO!" Then why keep on reading it?
When I REALLY enjoy a book, I finish it in a couple of days, or a week at the most. I LOVE reading, and though I don't read nearly as much as I used to, I am still capable of devouring a book from a favourite author very quickly, staying up to the wee hours of the morning if it is really good.

So, sorry, GRRM. Your bloated, violence-filled tomes are just not for me...
I was surprised to find Sansa is forced to marry Tyrion. Does this happen in the TV series, too, or is that one of the things they changed?