Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion
Book Discussion & Recommendation
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Do You Think We Should Read the Second Book In A Series?
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I think that really depends on what you personally thought of the first in a series, and I'd hate to tie down other people to my version of things. For instance, I doubt I'll go on to read more of the Poison Study series, but there are plenty of people who loved it and have already gone on to do so.
Not every book is everyone's cuppa tea. If you want to read further in a series, I think that's up to you. Unless there's a majority consensus though, I don't think you should make those who didn't like it read something they already didn't enjoy.
In my case the Ill Wind [Weather Wardens] series got *a lot better* as it progressed.Poison Study? Not enough romance, but other than that I enjoyed the world-building in the other two books.
Probably the most time-consuming is the Kushiel trilogy. Each one is there is veeeeery good. Want to wait with other trilogies/reread next summer maybe.
Desperate Duchesses as well - some of the books in the series were a lot better, especially those towards the end about Villiers and Jemma.
Brittney wrote: "Do you think we should read the second book in a series that we have already started in the book club?"I think that part of the reason to be in a book club is to discover authors and series that you wouldn't have. Having the club read additional books from a series really doesn't accomplish this. If you discover a series you like, go ahead and read more, but there's no reason to make that choice for everybody.
I agree with Paul. I think reading on our own and posting about our experiences in the threads (Did you know there is a Master thread for the various series where people have kept reading them?)There are too many different books out and we only do 24 a year.
Oh trust me I have gone one to read a lot of the series that we have started. But from reading the discussions it seems like many people have not gone on to read the rest of some of the series that we have started because the first book was not very good. That is why I asked about revisiting a series where the second was significantly better than the first and where a lot of our members might not have gone on to read the rest because the first was so badly received.
Mod
Many members here already have overflowing to read lists. I know that I am less likely to give a series a second chance when there are so many other books I'd rather be reading - and I'm sure others are in the same boat. It's likely that many people would just skip that month and that's no fun for discussion!
Another issue is new members who are coming in and reading. I know a lot of people who don't like reading series out of order - it's not fair to a new member who hasn't read The Iron Duke (to use your example) to feel like they need to go back and read it to be able to read the next in the series.
I can see two books in a series being done for a given month. Ultimately, i imagine it depends on how the qualified books are spaced out. While technically there are a lot of books which are VF, not all will meet the expectations of our favorite book pickers.Maybe polling can be done by the curious? It'd help with the decision making for continuing on and comments can further cement one's decision.
Well if it means reading the whole series up to that certain book that is being discussed, that would be too much.I would enjoy it though, if it's a book that could stand alone and just "happens" to be part of a series, where the other books circle around different characters. For example, I'm currently reading "this duchess of mine" from the Deperate Duchesses series. I never would have picked it up after reading the sample of the first book in the series, as I just didn't care for the main character and felt more annoyed by her. It's probably the same with "Gabriel's Ghost" which was horrible, but from the comments later books are much better. I couldn't get myself to reading them though as my reading list is way too long and science fiction isn't really on my radar right now. So I feel like that book was a waste of time and I probably would have enjoyed reading a different book in the series.
So being restricted to the first book in a series might also mean to miss out on great authors, just because the first book happens to be the worst of them all.
But then again, I'm not a huge series reader.
Edit: sorry I just realized the question was actually to read a second book in a series we already started (shouldn't read and comment when I'm too tired) but for me the question remains: why do we always have to start with the first book in a series?
I like the idea of having two books in a series for a given month, but other than that I'd say no to continuing in a series. Looking back on some of the books we've read so far, I would not want to continue in the Ill Wind series, the Desperate Duchesses series, or the Iron Duke series. I didn't like any of those books, but other people did and have gone on to continue reading them. I've continued with the Poison Study series, the entire Kushiel's Dart (and Naamah's series) and the Psy-Changeling series, while other people did not like those books.I would say stick to the first book in a series for the book club and allow people to continue the series if they want on their own.
I think book clubs are a good way to get people interested in series or authors, so that after we are introduced to the first book, we can continue on our own with the series if we like it.
To me I think it would be best to have the second or any later book of a series as the ALT read (ongoing list of ALT reads?). That way new people who join won't feel left out.
Mod
I think we're gonna let you guys vote on the December picks, so we could possibly do it then, or the month after.
I'm divided on this topic. In one sense, I get that some people might not want to read more if they didn't like the first one. But my issue is that I'm getting totally overwhelmed with books at this point. I've read the first four Desperate Duchesses. I'm on the third Jax novel. I've read the first Carey trilogy and am 1/2 way through the second. I'm only 1/2 way through the 2nd Parasol Protectorate. And I really want to read everything Meljean Brook has written (I read Demon Angel and LOVED it - even though the cover was totally embarrassing)and I still need to go back and finish the Gabriel's Ghost stories. I'm getting totally overwhelmed! Add me trying to keep up with Sword and Laser and it's getting ridiculous! I'm just not that fast of a reader. Thank goodness I've already read the Poison Study trilogy!
Mod
LOL Rebecca don't get stressed!!!! Just take it one step at a time, you can watch the show and not read the books and pick them up later :D Hehe so much homework!
Rebecca wrote: "I'm divided on this topic. In one sense, I get that some people might not want to read more if they didn't like the first one. But my issue is that I'm getting totally overwhelmed with books at thi..."Same thing with me! My to-read list is growing everyday! And I haven't had the time to organize them all into different shelves. I'm also overwhelmed with some series because there are so many of them and some go on for what seems like forever. I'm trying to stick to trilogies and series that have already concluded.
I can see all sides of the issue really. People looking for new material don't want to waste time going back to another book in a series already talked about. People who are slower readers do not want to get overwhelmed by the mountain to them of books. People who thought the later books got better want that view aired on the show.I am very meh on picking a side in this as I enjoy the interaction more than the books themselves for the most part. Never mind I have about 60 sheets of library books I have read and not entered into the goodreads counter as of yet.
Honest note I can't devour books like I did during my first 37 years of reading life as it gives me a headache of fierce proportions so six or seven books a day is beyond me except for rare days.
Do you mean J.D. Robb's In Death series? Quite possibly the best series I've read that's not fantasy, just don't read them out of order, especially as you start getting into the series. I have the newest one on my Nook but haven't gotten to it yet.
As for reading other books in a series, I don't see why that's a bad idea especially if there's other options available.
Rebecca wrote: "I'm divided on this topic. In one sense, I get that some people might not want to read more if they didn't like the first one. But my issue is that I'm getting totally overwhelmed with books at thi..."I haven't gotten through the books for this month yet.. Sometimes, I just don't watch the hangout live and catch up when I have finished the books (I don't like spoilers :) )
Felicia wrote: "I think we're gonna let you guys vote on the December picks, so we could possibly do it then, or the month after."Is there any chance that the poll could be up for more than just enough for the folks in the right time zone to vote? Even a full 24 hours would make a difference for those who can't watch live.
Mod
She said over in the nominations thread that she's planning to post the poll on November 15th, so it should be up for plenty of time. :)
Rebecca wrote: "I'm divided on this topic. In one sense, I get that some people might not want to read more if they didn't like the first one. But my issue is that I'm getting totally overwhelmed with books at thi..."I feel your pain Rebecca. I am a bookaholic and in an attempt to read enough books that the risk of shelf collapse is greatly reduced I am reading two at a time!! Fortunately I can keep both straight but I am not 100% sure I won't meet my end crushed under a collapsed bookshelf. I can see it now... My poor crushed body buried under a huge pile of books. My poor cats will eat my dog first and will be pondering the sad fate of eating me to survive....
Oh! And I am in 3 book clubs and my "man friend" keeps showing me stuff I should read. I can't keep up!
Even though I have read further in many series that I was introduced to through the club (Grave Witch series, Lady Julia Grey series, Sirantha Jax series, Parasol Protectorate, The Iron Duke series, Desperate Duchesses, Psy-Changeling & Gabriel's Ghost series (Yes the later ones are MUCH better).)) I would not mind rereading any of these series (or any other club picks for that matter) We could use the alt pick to read the 2nd book of a series if it fits that months "theme" or if there isn't a good alternative to the main pick. I wouldn't mind that either.
I think it really depends on the series.Most series you can start anywhere. You don't have to read The Iron Duke to pick up the other two and love them. (Though I thought Iron Duke was absolutely fantastic). Likewise, in long-running series (I'm thinking the Dresden files, or the Sookie Stackhouse novels) there's usually enough backstory that while it's beneficial to read them in order, you can start with whichever book in the series you want.
However, some series - like the Fever books by Karen Marie Moning - really need to be read as a whole. Fever is more like one book split into five parts than a series where you could pick up any of them and be fine. The Desperate Duchesses was somewhat like this too - I started with the second-to-last book, The Duke is Mine, and was very lost because I didn't have all the background information from the previous books.
So I like the idea of doing two books from a series, and it just depends on the series whether you can eat them piecemeal or need to view them as a whole.
As a lot of people don't read the alt book anyway, perhaps if they are done the same month that would be ok since there is no real reason to read the alt book if you didn't like the first book in the series. That way people still have a choice to read on in the series or not if they really don't want to.
Mod
I don't think it would be a bad thing to pick up a book from the In Death Series and read it out of order. I'd say one of the earlier books would be better to introduce someone to the series, rather than the later books. And I think NR aka JD Robb writes in such a way as to make each book a compelling read on its own. I hope we can get this series introduced into the book club soon!
Connie wrote: "To me I think it would be best to have the second or any later book of a series as the ALT read (ongoing list of ALT reads?). That way new people who join won't feel left out."If we did indeed decide to include a second book of a series, which I'm not totally against, I do think having it as the alt makes the most sense. That gives people more of a choice of whether or not to read it.
Yeah, having a sequel as an alt would be really nice actually. Then we could chat about how the characters, writing, story world, etc, have changed since the first book.However, please oh please oh please, do not have us read books out of order or start with a book that is not the first in a series. I'm way too OCD for that.
Ender wrote: "do not have us read books out of order or start with a book that is not the first in a series. I'm way too OCD for that. "I totally agree. That would drive me crazy, and I probably would just start at the beginning of the series anyway. The month where the alt was the 4th book in a series was only alright for me because I'd already read the other 3 books. :)
I ask because I just finished Riveted by Meljean Brook. Its the third book in her Iron Seas series which started with the Iron Duke which we read for the book club. The Iron Duke was okay but both Heart of Steal and Riveted were MUCH better. There were very divided opinions on if the Iron Duke was a good book or not with a lot of specific complaints about the main character and the sex scenes. Both of the subsequent books were better on every issue that was brought up.
The Iron Duke was not the only book we have read where the series has gone on to get much better or where there were questions in the first book that were answered in later books. So do you think we should do the second book in a series? Even make a theme of it some month?