1. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Counting this as the first book I read this year is a bit like cheating; it would be more appropriate to call it the first book I finished this year, since I started it in August, read some in October, and read most of it before the year turned. But whatever — it's still the first of the year.

Anyway, this post will likely contain spoilers from the two seasons of Game of Thrones that have aired on HBO, but nothing beyond that (since obviously I haven't read those books yet). So if you haven't watched/read yet, stop and do that, because it's really quite good.

One of the things that most impressed me when I was reading the book is how close the TV series sticks to the novel. There are some changes that people like to complain about — and maybe I would too, if I'd read the books first — but nothing that was a game changer, for me. Though I was kind of annoyed that when I bought the paperback at Target, they only had the HBO cover (I hate movie/tv show covers, on principle). As far as book covers with TV art on them go, it's actually kind of cool, so I'll live.

But of all the complicated humans in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, I'd like to look at just one — the often misunderstood Sansa Stark.

The most common criticism of Sansa is that she's obsessed with herself (and her future position as queen), is immature and disloyal to her family. That all, frankly, is crap. Sansa Stark is a young girl who her whole life has been taught to be a lady and rule the house of whoever she should marry. She's told stories of love and knights and magic. She's told to marry the prince and that he's the greatest guy ever. Her annoying sister — who's the opposite of everything she wants to be — tries to ruin her fairytale come true. Really, she's just naïve.

When things hit the fan, she tries to save her family. She doesn't know not to trust Cersei, she thinks she's saved her father's life. Like I said, naïve. It's about putting things back the way they were, trying to keep her family from destruction. She still doesn't realize what a horrible human Joffrey is.

And then, well, she does. And she becomes the Lannister's hostage, Joffrey's plaything.

So yeah, Sansa isn't her sister, Arya. She doesn't like sword fights or running or being dirty. She believes the patriarchy she's been fed all her life, and then she realizes it's all a lie. I don't fault her for that.