Excuse me if I don't find pointless explicit sexual torture as a good read.
...which is why I put away Terry G. and George R.R.M. before too long into those series. I'm sorry, fans of these authors, this is not good writing and often offensive/derivative.
I appreciate traditional fantasy done well and cannot recommend Carol Berg highly enough for superbly imaginative stories with unexpected plot twists and succinct writing. And she wrapped up her latest in two books! Carol does not shy from action and violence, but it is never unresolved/pointless/ just-for-shock-value like so much in modern fantasy. Start with her Transformation or Song of the Beast and be ready for a wild ride that ends well.
Also enjoyed discovering Patrick Carman's books this year.
Other great reads: Jill Paton Walsh's The Green Book (healthy appetizer), Ralph Moody's Little Britches (salad course), Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (main course), anything by Terry Pratchett, but especially the new Tiffany Aching series (dessert, of course).
Please, everyone, read To Kill a Mockingbird just for fun sometime. I think this book is ruined by being required in school, but it is worth reading again.