The Story So Far

So here's the story: Lea finally convinced me to start reading George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series earlier this summer. I started the first book in mid-July. By early August I had read all four of the books currently available (Martin is taking his sweet ol' time finishing the fifth book.... it's been almost FIVE YEARS and he's still not done).

Lea started reading the books months ago (a year ago even?) and she's been talking them up ever since. But --

She's still not finished with the fourth book! I started reading the first book in mid-July and she was already reading the fourth book "A Feast for Crows" at that time. In about a month I was able to read all four books and as of this date, September 8, 2009, she's STILL reading Book Four. Still! She's the one who got me started on these books in the first place and SHE'S still not done with the fourth book.

After I finished the third book, she joked with me that I might finish the fourth book before her. We made jokes about the student supplanting the master, about Frankenstein and his monster (with me as the monster, of course), about how I needed to get a life and stop reading these books with every spare minute of my time. It was all in good fun, mostly because I figured Lea would still finish the book before me. I mean, pride was at stake: Lea couldn't let me finish a book series before her when she was the one who had gotten me into the books in the first place.

Well.

I finished the book before her. I sent her the triumphant text: I'M DONE! It was all quite hilarious. At first. Then I asked her how much more she had to go and I was met with an answer that stunned me:

She was only about 100 pages into the book. She hadn't even gotten to the first "Sansa" chapter. She hadn't been reading very much at all.

I was flabbergasted. I thought for sure she'd at least be half-way done, considering she had STARTED the book months before I did. But no. Lea hadn't been reading much at all. The book series she had made me read, the one she had let me borrow and pushed on me with feverish passion -- she couldn't even bring herself to finish the fourth book before me.

I was frustrated too. In the earlier part of my reading experience, Lea had known all the spoilers, she had been the one who couldn't wait for me to finish parts of the book so we could talk about them together. She was the one giddy with excitement that she finally had someone to share her love of the books with. But now the tables had turned. Now I was the one who wanted to talk about the books but couldn't because of spoilers. Now I was the one waiting nervous and impatient for her to finish so we could talk about the books together.

And so it's been since early August. I finished "A Feast for Crows" in the early part of that month and I've been waiting for Lea to finish reading it ever since. It's now the second week of September. And every other day I find myself asking Lea if she's read any of the book and most times the answer is a sheepish: "Err, um, not really." And my frustration grows.

I want to do a podcast about the books with her, but how can I when she's not finished yet? I want her to help me write this blog about the books, but how can I when I'm afraid of spoiling her? I want her to read this fan fiction I'm writing from the books, but how can she if she hasn't even gotten to the part in the fourth book where my fan fiction starts? Gah!

It's all very upsetting.

So, I started this blog as both an outlet for my "Song of Ice and Fire" musings and also as a daily reminder to Lea that she needs to FINISH THE BOOK ALREADY!!!!

I stole the name and the idea from the guys at "Finish the book, George", who have started their blog as a way to let George R.R. Martin know they are kinda upset that it's been almost five years and he hasn't finished writing the fifth book of the series yet. So, while the boys at FtBG are on Martin's case about writing the books, I'm on Lea's case for reading the books.

Finish the book, Lea! What else are you doing that you can't take an hour or two a day to read? Finish the book!

And that's the story of this blog.