Vanessa wrote:

I heard Nancy Pearl, a librarian who recommends books on NPR, say recently that you should give a book 100 pages"

I love Nancy Pearl. She has an action figure! This summer I read her first book Book Lust. (She's since written More Book Lust, but I haven't read that.) Anways, it's a bit more nuanced than give up on a book in 50 or 100 pages. She ties it to the reader's age. So if you're 75, you only have to read 25 pages of a book you hate, if you're 50, you read 50 pages. Maybe it is 100 pages if you're 20 years old.Book Lust Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and ReasonMore Book Lust Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason

I've liked all the Rachel Morgan books.

If I can't stand to continue a book, I always quickly skim though it, read the last chapter and toss it in irritation. Then it's goes to Half Price Books.

Melodie wrote: I did read them all and over the past few years I've become one of those who usually puts a book down if it hasn't grabbed me within 50 to 75 pages.

I heard Nancy Pearl, a librarian who does recommends on NPR, say recently that you should give a book 100 pages. If you don't like it, you should put it down and not feel guilty as there is way too much to read in this world. Since I adopted that rule, it's been very freeing. I used to be OCD about finishing books and thus read thru (and hated) books like "The Prince of Tides" and "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues."

Julia wrote: "Isn't Dead Witch Walking the name of the first book? I read that (or whatever that first book is called) and an anthology with a Rachel story in it. I did not keep reading. That was enough.

Now ..."

I did read them all and over the past few years I've become one of those who usually puts a book down if it hasn't grabbed me within 50 to 75 pages. That's another reason I don't understand while I kept reading this series!

Isn't Dead Witch Walking the name of the first book? I read that (or whatever that first book is called) and an anthology with a Rachel story in it. I did not keep reading. That was enough.

Now I'm trying to read ~50 or so pages before I give up on a book.

There are so many series out there now that I no longer feel I have to read everything anymore.

Theresa wrote: "Julia wrote: "I also didn't care for Dead Witch Walking. I read all of it then read an anthology with her characters and didn't care for that either. I don't have to like everything."

Julia, you..."

I'm impressed that you read the whole series and an anthology when you didn't particularly like them. I've given up on a number of books lately after just a couple chapters. And most of these books are ones that everyone else seems to be raving about.

Not every series works for every reader. And this one definately isn't on my 'must read immediately' list or anything. But I do enjoy them enough to keep reading.

Julia wrote: "I also didn't care for Dead Witch Walking. I read all of it then read an anthology with her characters and didn't care for that either. I don't have to like everything."

Julia, you gave the series more chances that I have with books I didn't care for. There have been several series that are very popular that I just didn't care for or strongly disliked. :)

Oops! For some reason I always have trouble when I post on Goodreads.

ok Simcha... 3rd time is the charm? LOL

I enjoyed the first Rachel Morgan book but the next two felt like they were just repeating the same scenes over and over again. I got tired of reading about Ivy losing control and attacking Rachel. I though it was really idiotic of Rachel to stay in an obviously life-threatening situation.

Laura,

I also didn't care for Dead Witch Walking. I read all of it then read an anthology with her characters and didn't care for that either. I don't have to like everything.

Also Holidays Are Hell provides background for the last book.

Vanessa wrote: "I think the collection is Dates From Hell"
yeap, that's the one. And it's true that it provides a nice background for the last book.

interesting. I'll have to find that.

Christine wrote: Ivy's an interesting character and I'd love to see something written for her - just to learn more than what you already read. it would be a great series for her.

Actually, I do recall there was a short story that features Ivy right before she met Rachel that I really liked. I liked it because Ivy is allowed to be unapologetically misanthropic and badass. It also introduces another character that figures prominently in the last book. I think the collection is Dates From Hell.

I've read them all too.

She's not my favorite character thats for sure but I ADORE Jenks. he's a great counterpart to her inexperience and whatever you call it (the word escapes me right now).

Ivy's an interesting character and I'd love to see something written for her - just to learn more than what you already read. it would be a great series for her.

Laura wrote: I see this is an old post, but maybe someone is still watching. LOL

Look at that, a few people were watching : )

For my 2 cents, I have followed the Rachel Morgan books almost from the beginning. She is kind of silly and slapsticky at first (but I liked her so it was ok) but her character evolves and grows more powerful and the books definitely get much more serious. I kind of miss the light-hearted Rachel from the beginning.

I do agree Melodie I would follow a series about Ivy. I didn't like the last book (White Witch, Black Curse) as well but I'm still following the series. It felt like a transition piece for the characters rather than a story in its own right.

Starling, I agree with you now. From the second book onward, that's my perception of Rachel as well. But in the first book she was able to overcome most obstacles by sheer luck--or at least that's what it looked like to me at the moment.

Chichipio, there is a lot of stuff Rachel is good at. In fact she is extremely good at a lot of stuff. What is missing is training. At the beginning you keep wondering why she isn't going to school for the stuff she needs to learn. Later in the series you find out why.

In the early books especially, Rachel is self teaching stuff that she needs to survive. I don't find her annoying at all. Don't know why.

The first book is the weakest by far. Rachel comes across as completely annoying and, in more than one occasion, had me asking "why would she do that?" or "is there anything that she's good at?"

Luckily, Harrison is excellent at developing characters. With some series, if you compare two versions of the same character from different books, you feel like they're completely different. Here, you feel like the characters have actually grown up.

I find Rachel fairly annoying. But I find the stories really good, and the other characters entertaining.

Darcy wrote: "Melodie if you are only reading the series for Jenks, make sure to read Unbound, the story focuses on Jenks with Biz as his side kick. This way you can get a Jenks fix before you gi..."

I read that. It was a pretty good story, too!

Laura, in the first book she is this kid who is way over her head. The joy of the first book is that she finds ways to survive, grow, and begin to build a new life. All with lots of paranormal stuff happening all around her.

This is a series where for a long time you don't know if Rachel is going to make it, because she has never gotten the training she should have gotten and she has to make it up as she goes.

You aren't going to get a kick-ass heroine here. Think Anita in the very first books, who also was feeling her way.

Melodie if you are only reading the series for Jenks, make sure to read Unbound, the story focuses on Jenks with Biz as his side kick. This way you can get a Jenks fix before you give up the series.

Laura wrote: "I see this is an old post, but maybe someone is still watching. LOL

I just started the first Rachel Morgan book, Dead Witch Walking, and so far it is not drawing me in. I have read all Anita Bla..."

I have never gotten the appeal of the Rachel Morgan books. I have actually read all of them, but have done so out of habit because the only character I have an feeling for is Jenks. I don't like Rachel. Ivy could be interesting, I think. Maybe she needs her own series. I finally decided I won't read any more of them after the one that came out this year, which I can't even remember the name of.

It definately gets better. And like a lot of series, the first is weaker than future installments. Stick with it. there is a lot of good stuff.

I see this is an old post, but maybe someone is still watching. LOL

I just started the first Rachel Morgan book, Dead Witch Walking, and so far it is not drawing me in. I have read all Anita Blake, Alpha Omega, Night Huntress books as well as the first Black Dagger Brotherhood books.

Somehow I expected her to be tougher. So far she has a low level job dealing with extremely boring cases.

Like I said, I just started, so this is very premature.

I guess I'm asking, should I sludge me way through it and it's going to get better?

I didn't mind the cliffhanger and I think her tension level is so high in each story that if they were one very long book I'd be burnt out before long. I thought she chose the right place to end the last, although I was groaning and already planning the next purchase when it released.

And what Moning has done similar to Harrison is make a fairly complex three dimensional female character who you really want to understand and know better. She's not fallen into stereotypes even when the heroine becomes tough, kick-ass and warrior-like.

My only complaint about Darkfever, was it was a major cliffhanger type ending. It was like the story wasn't meant to be 3 books, and the author just arbitrarily split it up. "*boom* that's all for now folks" I was somewhat annoyed.

Karen Marie Moning's "Fever" series is amazing. Never actually thought I'd enjoy reading about the Fae that much but it's almost got me obsessed with the damn books!
Just to make it a wee bit better you can download the first book "Darkfever" for free from her website.
Decent 300 or so page book for free?
Yes please!

Thanks for the suggestions Theresa :D

I, too, love the world and characters that Kim Harrison has created. Here are the series that I found after hers that are similiar in world-building and character-building from story-to-story:

Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Other World series
Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series (YA)
Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series and spin-off series, Dorina Basarab
Ilona Andrews's Kate Daniels series
Eileen Wilks's World of the Lupi series
Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series

I am not too worried about Harrison's series, as so far the books keep getting better.. Of course, since we all view what is *good and bad* differently the interpretation of her series will vary quite a bit.

But at this moment in time and having read all but White Witch, Black Curse (only because I am waiting on the paperback), I can't get enough of Rachel Morgan and her world.

In my opinion this author has created something so interesting and so action filled and just so wonderful to read that other books pale in comparison. Which is why I made the post, as I am having trouble finding other things to read that live up to what Harrison has created in this series.

No, I don't need exactly the same characters or species in a book.. but I DO need what she has created.. which is the excitement, the wonderful characters, the awesome character building (and changing), the awesome world building (and changing) and the non-stop action.

These things, all together, I find very hard to come by in a book.
Maybe I am not looking in the right places - and I hope that is the case hehe.
But either way, as mentioned above, these are the reasons I made this post :) So that you fine people can educate me on whats out there that meet the criteria.

I don't see the difference between a series and a serial. Case in point is PD James' mystery series (at one point she had two different ones going). In the end she decided to tie up the threads of her main character's lives before she died, but there was no real reason she had to do that. Which of your two terms would you put on that set of books?

The real difference between an open ended series and one with a major arc plot that is driving the whole thing is that if the author dies, or refuses to write the next book, in the major arc plot series he leaves his readers with a lot of anger and bad feelings. With an open ended series you might really, really want that next book, but you can wait to enjoy it until next year or the year after without being angry at the author.

Hi Everyone,

I realized that there is a difference between a series (like Saberhagen's Dracula) and a serial (Like The Morganville Vampires). The difference is that a serial is like one story that never ends. Different people and situations can come in, but the story keeps going on.

There a two problems with this, either the author dies before the serial ends (as already mentioned) or the author is unable to maintain the quality of the serial and the reader looses interest.

As far as genres, I have no boundaries except for things like math theory or pure science. But as freakonomics proved to me, never say never.

Thank you for the suggestions :)

I am open to any genre, though I used to be a lot more picker but lately I have been reading outside of my normal comfort zone and I have been loving it! :D

Thanks for this thread. I absolutely love this series. My second favorite series ever. I really do not know anything about book genres, I just read. So, I am going to throw out some book series and will try and keep them somewhere close to the fantasy realm. Also, this is my first post on Goodreads, so hopefully these are new recommendations and I am not just an idiot. If you want to help out my genre knowledge, just let me know where they go...

My favorite series ever: The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
The Dracula Series by Fred Saberhagen
Savannah Vampire Chronicles by Raven Hart
Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson

Also, though entirely unrelated, any book by Christopher Moore. I really like A Dirty Job and The Stupidest Angel.

Yeah.. though ya know I am really not giving up on that relationship :P

I want them to get together.. and I think perhaps something can be written to make it work. Hell no one knew any of them existed.. and look there are what? 4 or 5 that I can think of.

Imagine finding more in the future later on.. then they would be better off to start a relationship.

Though who knows what she will write in the future.. any outcome really I am open for, I love all of the characters that much.

I love Trent too. And at one point I wanted Trent and Rachel to get together, but both the witches and the elves have reproduction issues, so I doubt if that will happen. Trent needs someone who is strong enough to deal with his "I'm the king of the world" attitude. And Rachel is so not impressed with that part of him.

I agree Starling, Al and Rachel's relationship has grown and become something very interesting to read.

I am super impressed with her character and world building and that she has incorporated so many people into Rachel's world but it isn't confusing.

There are authors who try to put so much crap in their books that the readers get lost and then uninterested, and Harrison does a splendid job with this series about that.

It's one of the reasons I am in love with it. And call me crazy but I ADORE Trent lol. I know he is a bit on the evil side but I just like him a lot.

Trying to find another series to even remotely live up to what Harrison has created has been hard indeed lol.

I try not to compare, I really do.. but it's so hard when I am so stuck on this series lol

This thread stopped being about Rachel Morgan on the second post. <grin> So back to basics...

I like this book and I've liked Rachel from the first book. First of all this is an open ended Urban Fantasy series and I like those a lot. I think the author has an intention of positioning Rachel so she will change the world, but she hasn't gotten us so tied in knots over it that we can't enjoy each book as it comes out.

I won't read a "save the universe" series, especially ones with cliff hanger endings, until the last book is out. And I'm generally pretty underwhelmed with the save the universe ending once we get it. So I'm really glad this isn't one of those series.

I tend to read all of these books for the Universe building, but I have to admit that I like the main characters in this series, including Al the demon. I'm not quite sure where Rachel's relationship with Al is going, but I think he is her "dad" in that world. And that, in itself, is an interesting concept.

Michelle, I love that there is too much out there to read. At one point I knew I'd read every "vampire" book out there. <grin>

I don't think you're alone in not having a clue about the categories anymore, Starling. But in a way that's a fantastic thing. There's so much room for so many unique stories. Makes it kind of hard to organize on readers boards, however (grin).

OK, I've got it.

I agree with you about Jacqueline Carey. Love everything that woman has written that I've read. But I didn't even know some of the stuff she has been doing. I don't know Joey Hill. I'll have a look, but right now I've gotten involved with so many new authors and new books, thanks to GoodReads in general, that I don't know if I've got room on my plate for even more.

I'll also agree that both LHK and Carey are writing similar genres in many ways, although the books are nothing alike.

Until I came to GoodReads I just lumped all paranormal books into a single category. In my mind the "category" was paranormal elements but not horror. Now, don't have a clue. <grin>

Oops, Starling. I got distracted by the paranormal thriller question. Sorry. In general I was thinking about some of the most well written romantic erotic novels I've read with paranormal elements, although this isn't the forum for those types of books I don't think. Joey Hill's paranormals come to mind. But I think I was also referring to regular fantasy like Jacqueline Carey's where there are beautifully treated issues around sexuality that also have something to do with the character's development (Naamah's Kiss does this particularly). Although to give her credit, the general worldbuilding LHK does is very inspiring. I love worldbuilding. So perhaps I was wrong to the use the world "category" as much as other books that use the device of sexual issues and relationships. Sorry for the sloppy use of my words.

Michelle, you are entitled to not like Hamilton's books. But, I really would like an answer to the question. What category did you mean in the sentence:

...but I've read other books that fit that category much better and with more skill.?

Its ok Amy I appreciate the suggestions :D

Thank you guys!