Five thick volumes and 4273 pages later, I have finally finished A Song of Ice and Fire which I began a little more than a year ago.
Trying to remember the whole saga and history is impossible, and I could easily reread the whole thing all over again to refresh my memory. I am also sure that a second or even a third reading would reveal many secrets and interesting new twists that were hidden.
A constant reference companion for me was A Wiki of Ice and Fire which is a complete cross reference, including history, maps, chapter summaries and indexed character references.
Now that I've read it all, I can watch the videos series and enjoy it all much more.