You've GOT to reread them. Put off starting the new one, but definately reread them. I started rereading them specifically so I could be caught up and refreshed in time for November. (I might have started a bit early since I'm about to start Storm of Swords.) I'm finding a new appreciation for how intricately the book is written. It's kind of hard to keep all the characters straight the first read through, since there are so damn many of them, but the second time through you really pick it up and start to get into what is truly going on in the story. BTW, if you haven't already check out this FAQ discussion about some of the major events in ASOIF. It's pretty well done and will get you thinking about a few things that might not have ocurred to you.