SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
Members' Chat
>
How do you read a series?
date
newest »
newest »
Check out these older threads that touch on the subject:Series: When to Start and When to Stop
Preferred Book and Series Lengths
Hi MichaelWhen I was kid I could read straight through a series but I lost that ability in my teens. As much as I'm enjoying something, I tend to run out of steam part way through the second or third book, so I'll tend to intersperse the series read with other books. the main problem with this, though, is I can sometimes get distracted and leave it longer than planned, especially with my ludicrous TBR pile.
Thanks Ann. Those are a little bit different discussions as they deal more with a series length or when someone starts and stops. My question more is how people read a series.Paul, I can see that happening for sure! I currently read 2-3 books at a time to have variety and it seems to be working so far. I think I may just keep reading the series through and with 2 fantasy and 1 scifi I should keep interest I think.
For me, it depends on the series. I tend to read one book after another, but some are just too big or intense and I feel like I need breathing space to fully wrap my head around what's going one before going in for another round.Currently I am reading WoT, and I kinda dnfd book 3 last year because it was just too much, now I've retaken it and I remember most of it just fine. On the other hand, I just spent less than two weeks relistening to all 9 expeditionary force novels one after another.
Either way, last year I started reading multiple books at once, some may still be in pause, but it's allowed me to explore books at my leisure and based on my mood. I don't see why you couldn't handle bouncing from one series to another if they are different enough
Mod
Mod
This seems the most natural way to read to me.
As a Star Wars fan, I usually start with the 4th book in a series.
Mod
In all seriousness though, as I think I said in the threads Anna posted I need a lot of time between books most of the time. Vehemently opposed to cliffhangers at the end of books. I am not a completionist and get cranky spending too much time in any one person's writing style. It's sort of like having a roommate--too much time with them in my head I just want them to leave me alone, no matter how great they are.
I tried to emulate folks' 'let time pass between books of a series' take since I joined this group. But I realised that this doesn't work for me at all, cause I have such a lousy memory and most of the time cannot remember enough to adequately go on with a series after a certain amount of time.So for me it is series that textually belong together have to be read as soon as possible one after the other.
Some good thoughts here for sure. I think I may be ok to do 3 series at a time with some stand-alones thrown in between where it strikes me. I’ve never DNFed a series so I enter them only if I’m sure I’ll enjoy them based on reviews and the like. So at this point I’ve just begun the Inheritance Cycle and The Stormlight Archive and I’ll probably add a sci-fi with The Expanse series. I feel my memory is pretty strong right now so I should be able to do it.
It depends entirely on the series and whether or not it's all been published. For engrossing ones that are already all published, I prefer to read them one after another, which is how I read LOTR and Gormenghast (or the three that were published at that time) series. But with some series I prefer a break so I don't get tired of them. But I usually am reading more than one book at a time, so even if I read a series one after another, I'm also readings something else.
my philosophy on reading a series is to wait until the author completes it. I seek used books or on sale Kindle books. I track my library using Collectorz which I can check on phone, tablet, the web or their program on my laptop - that way I reduce the chances of making a duplicate purchase. series that have more than 3 books I tend to carefully schedule to ensure I can get through them all. Occasionally when I don't enjoy a series, I feel 'all that time collecting' was a waste but realize that the person buying the used book may enjoy them
I can go either way. If it’s a series I love and is completely released I’ll go back to back. If it’s a series I’m kind of meh about I decide when I feel like continuing.
I have no qualms about quitting mid series if I stop enjoying it.
I only struggle with picking things back up if they are super complex. The Luna series was one I kept forgetting little details in and struggled to picture the complete timeline.
On the other hand I’ve been reading The Saxon Stories for quite some time, last book is due out this year, and remember most of it.
Six of one and half a dozen of the other. I used to get into a series and read it right through but lately not so much. Some I will for a few books and then get bored.
Allison wrote: "I read it in the Fibonacci sequence. Read one, reread one, then two, then three, then 5.This seems the most natural way to read to me."
Actually I do read many series much like that, as availability is often an issue given my choices and my budget.
I tend to want to space books in a series out, not so much because I need breaks, but more because I want to pace myself and prolong the enjoyment. If we're talking strictly books there are maybe two series that I've read in a row, where most I do take breaks between the books, even if I love them.And then there are all those where I simply have no choice than to wait until the next one is released. There's no way I could make myself wait until a series is done before starting it!
I tend to, when a new books in a series is released, read the whole series again from the beginning. This is only for those that have an ongoing storyline that continues from book to book. The Dresden Files books as well as the Mercy Thompson ones can be read out of order as each one has a story that wraps up in one book like a mystery series. Murderbot seems to be that way as well. However, Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time, etc have to be read in order so for those I do start at the beginning again
So I see a number of people do that, where they read the whole series again before a new book comes out. That seems... insurmountable... when it comes to The Stormlight Archive with each book clocking in over 1,000 pages haha. I guess I can understand that in a very detailed series if it was shorter books. It’s been fun reading different people’s ways of doing this. The one thing I can’t figure is when people jump into the middle of the series unless it’s like a detective series which is different entirely.
Mod
I did do a full reread of Stormlight before 3 came out, just because I love it so much, but I basically didn't sleep for a week, which wasn't the best decision I've ever made.
CBRetriever wrote: "The Dresden Files books as well as the Mercy Thompson ones can be read out of order as each one has a story that wraps up in one book like a mystery series."I can't speak to Mercy Thompson, since I haven't read those, but I wouldn't personally recommend reading Dresden out of order after the first few books. Each book does usually resolve the plot of that book, but I would disagree that they stand alone after book 3 or 4. The overall story arc of the series is just as important to me, and reading out of order would ruin that, and it seems that there would be so much context missing for why certain things happened or why he acted in a certain way, etc.
As for my own series reading habits... I don't really have any hard or fast rules, other than reading them in order (some exceptions apply*) and usually that's the published order.
Some I like to live in and totally immerse myself in the series straight through, and others I like to space out and read as I feel like it. I don't know why some books are one type and others are another type... It depends on the series and how I feel about it, I guess.
The Dark Tower and Harry Potter are series that I have to read straight through, so if I start either of them, I usually plan on reading 7 books straight through. (I "forget" that The Wind Through The Keyhole exists as part of the Dark Tower series, because it really should not.)
Also, The Dark Tower is one of those reading order exceptions, because I have a specific way that I read them that... mostly follows the published order, but also doesn't. (MYSTERIOUS!)
I will usually try to read series straight through if they are finished, or if there are a number of books in it available, or if I know that I like it... but then others... I don't. Like The Expanse... even though I have loved each book so far, that's one that I read sporadically and with large gaps of time in between... despite EACH TIME I finish one feeling like I NEED to read more immediately. *shrug*
I generally will re-read series I love as new books are released... but I have held off reading the Stormlight Archive books until more are published because they are so insanely massive and detailed that I don't know if I would be able to re-read them at all ever, so I want to make the time investment worthwhile the first time. I LOVED The Way of Kings, but holy moly. I've only got so much time on this earth!
That being said, I'll likely re-read Dresden when the next book is released. FINALLY.
I also tend to read more than one book at a time, choosing whatever sounds good at the moment. However, for an existing series, I tend to NOT go right from one to the next. I'm currently re-reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (currently on The Fires of Heaven) interspersed with the Foreigner series by C. J. Cherryh (next in line: Precursor) which, for some reason, I have not read before.
I generally read three installments back to back and if the series is longer than that put in a standalone in between the fourth and fifth books then binge again and put stand alones in between depending upon length.
Michael wrote: "So my question for experience fantasy and sci-fi readers is, how do you read a series of books ..."**pauses dramatically** One page at a time. One page at a time.
I’m another reader who reads a series all in one big gulp, for the most part. If I’m not enjoying a series enough to want to read it that way, then I’ll typically abandon it all together. My main reasons are:1. I like to remain fully immersed in the world. A long series can become my world-away-from-the-world for months, so that I almost feel like I’m living two lives – my real life and my fictional life.
2. It helps me maintain my emotional investment. I always feel like I've lost some enjoyment if too much time passes and I have to build that emotional investment back up again instead of just carrying it through consistently.
3. I’m more likely to catch the nuances and subtle connections from book to book, assuming the series has nuances and subtle connections to catch. The main plot points are usually easy enough to remember even after a break, and the authors usually provide sufficient reminders for readers about the critical stuff, but it's the small stuff I enjoy catching.
I typically won’t read an incomplete series, not intentionally anyway. If I didn’t have so many already-complete series that I want to read, I’d be less strict about this, so maybe someday I’ll relax this rule. But I would probably become one of the people who re-read an entire series before the newest book is published, and there are too many other things I want to read, so I don’t want to go down that road.
I do take short breaks when reading a longer series, though. I’d say anything 5 books or less I’ll probably read all in a row without breaks. If it’s longer than that, I’ll probably take a break every 3-4 books, or between each subseries if the series is broken up that way. A “break” for me means reading a standalone book by a different author, preferably something not too similar to what I’m currently reading. This not only serves to give me a brief change of pace, but it makes me feel a little less guilty about people who are following my reviews who may not want to see nonstop reviews for months about a huge series they haven’t read.
For me, I think the biggest downside of my preferred method is the recapping. Some authors do it more subtly than others, but there's always at least a twinge of annoyance at being reminded of things I already remember very well, whether it's the 10th introduction of a main character or multiple paragraphs reminding me of a story I just finished reading 5 minutes ago.
YouKneeK wrote: "I’m another reader who reads a series all in one big gulp, for the most part. If I’m not enjoying a series enough to want to read it that way, then I’ll typically abandon it all together. My main r..."fully agree. Although there are different types of series. Well two types for me
1) each book is along the same lines and just has the same characters in it
2) each book develops with new characters and new depths to the current characters.
I find the number two type of series i just cant stop reading and find my self immersed in it. i am devastated when it finishes and sometimes find myself having to skim some of the earlier books to make sure i remember some things correctly. eg John Conroe's Demon Accord, which is sci fi / fantasy
the first type of series i can take breaks , eg JD RObb
So my question for experience fantasy and sci-fi readers is, how do you read a series of books or what do you feel is best?Do you just read one after another until you complete the series? Do you take a break after reading a book and go into something else? If you do, is it hard to get back into the series and remember everything?
It depends on whether I have the rest of the series or not. Most of the times, I do not. I refuse to purchase a sequel if I have not read and liked the first book or previous enough to continue. Sometimes I drop series in the middle or only have one book left.
If I happen to like a first-in-series book, I will consider whether I like it enough to immediately purchase or preorder the sequel. If not, I will wait for a Kindle discount.
If somehow I happen to own all books in a series, if I like the first book I will continue with the rest until I am tired/bored/need distraction/finished. I did that with Robin Hobb books (the first few series/trilogies) and the first four books in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Since I hate having unfinished series, I have my own 2 for 1 series challenge. I have to finish/read till the last book 2 series before I start a new one.
Silvana wrote: "Since I hate having unfinished series, I have my own 2 for 1 series challenge. I have to finish/read till the last book 2 series before I start a new one."Thread, arise from your graaave!
I get supersaturated with any author's style very easily--even my very favorites--and am almost constitutionally incapable of reading two books in a single series back-to-back. As a result, I'm partway through many series, and finish very few. I'd love to have Silvana's discipline, but my ratio is more like 1 to 20. And that's only counting series that I have some intention of finishing, and didn't flag out on after the first one...
I have many unfinished series and I often think to myself that I should get around to reading more of them, but I often get caught up reading other things (this club's BoTM for example).
The idea of binge reading a series seems great. Often this doesn't work for me because I get often tired of being in the same story world after two books, but now and then this happens. Last summer I read eight books in the same series and a few short stories based in the same series without reading anything else in between. In April and May this also happened with the Murdebot series where I read #2, #3,# 4 and #5 in around two weeks and I still can't find peace with the idea of no new books in the series until next year.
The thread has been revived! As I near the end of 2 separate series Book 1’s I think I’m going to try and keep my unfinished series to no more than 5 at a time and just alternate reading books in each until I’m finished or caught up. My challenge will be what I do after I come around to continue a series to refresh my memory. Since I don’t have as much time to read as I like, re-reading won’t be an option. I have a pretty good memory but the little details may escape me and I may have to find recaps or something. Anyone else do this?
So far my open series I have either finished are am finishing Book One are:
The Stormlight Archive
The Inheritance Cycle
Expanse
I will likely start Mistorn series and Old Man’s War since I recently bough Book One in those and I’ll alternate between the five depending on when my mood strikes me, usually always reading 1 sci-fi and 1 fantasy at the same time.
I'm on book 2 of the Malazan series and I'm thanking Amazon for their Xray feature whereby I can press on a name and it will tell me who they are.However, I prefer to read one series and alternate/read at the same time books in another genre. I'm alternating the Malazan series with some mystery books and parts of some omnibus editions of an author's books
I like to have time between each novel that I read in a series. It gives me a chance to process what happened in each book. Since there was a year or more between each novel’s publication I feel waiting reinforces that time. The series I am reading now include The Wheel of Time, The Vorkosigan Saga, The Old Man’s War, and The Lightbringer Series. I don’t do many re-reads, but when I re-read the Game of Thrones Series I read it in order and in succession.
I've tried to read two series at once when I began with e-books. Eragon and The Mortal Instruments. While also playing a lot of World of Warcraft.The result? I had a dream where Eragon and Voldemort fought in locations from WoW and Eragon was drawing TMI runes on Sapphira's scales.
I wore a 'WTF' face for the whole day and I've never read two series at once ever since. In fact, I usually put a week-long (at least) gap when going from one series to another.
I tend to re-read books if there's a sequel coming and it's a while since I've read the first - or if I just to come back to something I have particularly fond memories of, more so if I'm in the stage when I don't know what item from my TBR list would interest me the most at the particular time.
I usually read a series in the order they were first published. Even with a series like Narnia where the books were sort of published out of order, the “prequels” made reference to the books published first. So, they were in a way not totally published out of order.
i have found that i like a series. So i check if a book is part of a series before i start reading it, and i make sure i have access to all of the books i can in the series.yes i do read them as they are published, but found that when i re read a few series i had bought years ago a lot of the story made more sense when you re read the first few books and how they related to books later in the series
just read the latest in Demon Accord by John Conroe . Many series require you to have read the book before to understand the story line.
i get so involved in the characters, i feel that is why i dont like single books , not enough development of the characters.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Fires of Heaven (other topics)Precursor (other topics)
In particular, I'm wrapping up Eragon and have just purchased Eldest and I've begun my first introduction to Brandon Sanderson as I just started The Way of Kings, Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive series. I also have Book 1 of The Expanse waiting on my shelf that I'm itching to start (love the TV show).
So my question for experience fantasy and sci-fi readers is, how do you read a series of books or what do you feel is best?
Do you just read one after another until you complete the series? Do you take a break after reading a book and go into something else? If you do, is it hard to get back into the series and remember everything? I'm just looking for some thoughts here. I feel like I'd be able to handle reading multiple series, bouncing back and forth, because the ones I'm in are so different from one another. Give me your thoughts and experiences!