Meg, it's definitely worth reading the other books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I finished the four books earlier this year and it gets better and better. I you loved the first one, then I'm pretty sure you will like book two and three as well. The fourth book, A Feast For Crows, is a bit weird because it seems that a lot of characters were missing. It's still pretty good though. But the author decided to split the book in two, with one book focusing on the events in King's Landing and the second book focusing on the events in the North and the situation with Daenerys. The second book isn't out yet and there is still no release date.

I'm currently reading the first book of the Malazan series. I had a hard time getting through it at first. The book was a bit disorientating in the beginning but after a while I got a better grip on the world and I'm enjoying it more now.