I read the books, up until a Dance with Dragons. Actually, I read them when they were first coming out and was really bummed when Feast For Crows didn't feature major characters and then Dance with Dragons took so long that I basically forgot all the details.

They're very good, but I think they got worse as they went along. The first two are the best, I think. I feel like they get more predictable as you get a feel for who Martin's favorites are. Haven't seen the show, really don't want to. No Hollywood actor is bad enough to play the Hound or the Mountain that Moves. Or even a proper King Rob, IMO. I don't know how King Rob looked in the tv show, but he was probably just a fat guy rather than a formerly ripped guy who gained weight in the wrong places, like an ex-bodybuilder, football player, etc.