Lara's Serial Challenge

[Lara]

Series to read/finish in 2015
With 3+ books, including those still running

In no particular order:
1. J.D. Robb's In Death: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4102... (31/40+?)
2. Anna Hackett's Phoenix Adventures: https://www.goodreads.com/series/1272... (1/6)
3. Gail Carriger's Finishing School: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5863... (3/4)
4. Tessa Dare's Castles Ever After: https://www.goodreads.com/series/1058... (1/3)
5. Jennifer Ashley's MacKenzies & McBrides: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4649... (4/8)
6. Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4045... (10/11+)
7. Mindy Klasky's Diamond Brides: https://www.goodreads.com/series/1256... (6/9)
8. Iain M. Banks's The Culture: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4911... (3/10)
9. Neal Asher's Agent Cormac: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4912... (4/5)
10. Charles Stross's The Laundry Files: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5076... (0/5)
11. Eloisa James's Desperate Duchesses: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4305... (1/8)
12. Eloisa James's Fairy Tales: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5475... (2/5)
13. Ilona Andrews's Kate Daniels: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4069... (7/8+)
14. Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence: https://www.goodreads.com/series/9102... (3/4)
15. Jill Shalvis's Animal Magnetism: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5789... (4/6)
16. Kristan Higgins's Blue Heron: https://www.goodreads.com/series/8147... (1/4)
17: Christine Feehan's Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5112... (3/4)
18: Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4785... (15/17)
19: Susan Elizabeth Phillips's Chicago Stars: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4036... (2/7)
20: Julie James's FBI/US Attorney: https://www.goodreads.com/series/6281... (2/4)
21: Lilith Saintcrow's Bannon & Clare: https://www.goodreads.com/series/6738... (1/4)
22: Lisa Kleypas's Travis Family: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4470... (3/4)

[Lara]

You will have completed the challenge if you have reached 100 points AND have killed off at least one series. When you start the next level, you start at zero points. You may not carry points over. You need two things to complete a level - at least one finished series and 100 points.

Each series has an assigned point value based on the number of books in the series. In addition, 5 points will be awarded for every book started and finished in the level.

Trilogy = 30 pts base
Four book series = 40 pts
Five book series = 50 pts
Six book series = 60 pts
Seven book series = 70 pts
Eight book series = 80 pts
Nine book series = 90 pts
Ten or more book series = 100 pts

Q&A: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Lara]

Level 1:

Books Read:
1. Perfect Pitch 1/3
2. Second Thoughts 1/3
3. From Left Field 1/3

Series Finished (points):
1. Mindy Klasky's Diamond Brides = 90 points

Total points: 105

[Lara]

Level 2:

Books Read:
Searching for Dragons 1/4
Love Only Once 1/6
In the Devil's Nebula 1/7
Den and Breakfast: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance 1/8
The Future Falls 1/9
On a Rogue Planet 1/10
Melting Stones 1/10
Battle Magic 1/14

Series Finished (points):
30 Gale Women https://www.goodreads.com/series/5909...
30 The Circle Reforged https://www.goodreads.com/series/1152...


Total points: 100

[Lara]

Level 3:

Books Read:
1. The Darkest Hour 1/15
2. Desperate Duchesses 1/16
3. A Hunger Like No Other 1/17
4. Treachery in Death 1/18
5. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever 1/18
6. The Duke Is Mine 1/19
7. Ten Things I Love About You 1/19
8. Shield's Lady 1/22

Series Finished (points):
30 pts: Bevelstoke series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4466...
30 pts: Lost Colony: https://www.goodreads.com/series/6456...

Total points: 100

[Lara]

Level 4:

Books Read:
1. Jacob 1/23
2. Negative 1/23
3. Shiver and Bright 1/23
4. Dead Sexy Dragon 1/24
5. New York to Dallas 1/25
6. Archangel's Shadows 1/31
7. The Ugly Duchess 2/2
8. The Paper Magician 2/2
9. Say Yes to the Marquess 2/3
10. Once Upon a Tower

Series Finished (points):
50 pts: Fairy Tales https://www.goodreads.com/series/5475...

Total points: 100

[Lara]

Level 5:

Books Read:
1. Never Deal with Dragons 2/7
2. Crux 2/7
3. Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance 2/8
4. Celebrity in Death 2/10
5. Ghosting the Hero 2/12
6. A Tale Dark & Grimm 2/13
7. Strange Magic 2/13
8. Dirty Rowdy Thing 2/14
9. Heaven, Texas 2/15
10. Cursed Moon 2/15
11. Noble 2/18
12. Hell on Wheels 2/18
13. Delusion in Death 2/20
14. Magic to the Bone 2/21
15. Knight of a Trillion Stars 2/21
16. A Night Like This 2/23
17. Autumn Bones 2/27
18. Calculated in Death 2/28
19. Thankless in Death 2/28
20. Beneath a Trojan Moon 3/1
21. Extreme Exposure 3/2
22. Alien in the Family 3/3
23. Blazing Serious 3/3
24. Nobody's Baby But Mine 3/3
25. Dead Heat 3/4 - series caught up for the year

Series Finished (points):
40 pts: Alpha and Omega https://www.goodreads.com/series/4513...

Total points: 145

[Lara]

Level 6:

Books Read:
1. Snow Time For Love 3/7
2. Snarling at the Moon 3/7
3. The Hero 3/7
4. Seeing Spots 3/7
5. Half a Dose of Fury 3/8
6. Use of Weapons 3/11
7. Dark Witch 3/14
8. In Rides Trouble 3/14
9. Numb 3/16
10. Then Came You 3/17
11. Concealed in Death 3/20
12. Aunt Dimity and the Summer King 3/21
13. Princess Academy 3/21
14. Vin's Rules 3/29
15. Hawking a Future 4/3
16. Winning Souls 4/3
17. Poison Fruit 4/5

Series Finished (points):
30 pts: Agent of Hel https://www.goodreads.com/series/7884...

Total points: 115

[Lara]

Level 7:

Books Read:
1. The Chance 4/9
2. Festive in Death 4/10
3. Dream a Little Dream 4/12
4. Death of a Peer 4/15
5. Beyond Galaxy's Edge 4/17
6. Obedient 4/17
7. I Only Have Eyes for You 4/19
8. Rev It Up 4/19
9. Paladin of Souls 4/21
10. Obsession in Death 4/25
11. Waking Her Tiger 5/3
12. Grace and Shadow 5/3
13. The Promise 5/8
14. Still the One 5/8
15. The Mane Squeeze 5/10
16. Beast Behaving Badly 5/10
17. Big Bad Beast 5/11
18. Wolf with Benefits 5/16
19. Bunny and the Bear5/17
20. Accidental Abduction 5/17
21. Bite Me 5/17
22. The Fractal Prince 5/18
23. Thrill Ride 5/20
24. Hold Me 5/21
25. Written in Red 5/23
26. Here Kitty, Kitty! 5/23
27. The Sum of All Kisses 5/24
28. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy 5/24

Series Finished (points):
40: Smythe-Smith Quartet: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5115...

Total points: 180

[Lara]

Level 8:

Books Read:
1. Awaken Me Darkly 5/25
2. Marcus: Hell Squad 5/27
3. Cruz: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance 5/30
4. Looking at Trouble 6/4
5. Roar of Magic 6/6
6. The Homecoming 6/7
7. Mercenary Instinct 6/7
8.

Series Finished (points):


Total points:

[Lara]

Reserved

[Cherie]

Lovely list, Lara. Many unknown to me. So amazing to continually see new series pop up.

[Sandra, Moderator]

You are near to finish a few of them. It seems you'll complete easily the first levels!

[Lara]

Yes, I've been starting (and reading the middle books) of a lot of series. I actually miss reading stand-alones. And I'll strategize to finish my first level quickly. Unfortunately, some of the series I'm caught up on and the next book is to be published in 2015. So, I'll have to wait on those.

[Cherie]

Yeah, I was thinking about all the stand alone books on my list as I was trolling for series books.

Not to worry, Janice will figure something out to fix that in 2016. :0)

[Janice, Moderator]

I don't know, Cherie. We may find ourselves pulled down into a serial whirlpool, spinning out of control. We may need a few years to be thrown free.

[Lara]

Janice, you may be right! Especially as so many books I thought were stand alone are now being turned into series.

[Cherie]

You noticed that too? I swear that every time I open my TBR I see another #1 and I have to go look them up because I don't have them marked as series. I got to page 25 of a bigillion last night and turned off my PC.

@ Janice - at least we can leave a list behind for the series if we go down with the ship. I am already almost too close to the edge to escape. Two more days and we can start steering away from the event horizon. Sigh...

[Janice, Moderator]

Yes, or diving straight in. I bought another series starter this morning - Isle of Woman. And there's a few others on sale that are on my wishlist.

[Lara]

Heh. I just purchased a trilogy this morning. Ebooks are dangerous! It was The Last Policeman series, and it has sounded interesting to me for a while.

[Lara]

Cherie wrote: "You noticed that too? I swear that every time I open my TBR I see another #1 and I have to go look them up because I don't have them marked as series. I got to page 25 of a bigillion last night a..."

Cherie, I loved The Rosie Project as a stand alone. So, have felt conflicted about reading the sequel. I just read a review that makes me wonder if it wasn't really meant to be a stand alone, but its popularity led to pressure to follow-up with another book.

[Cherie]

I agree about The Rosie Project. I just read it two or three months ago but I have mixed feelings about reading the second book. I could be very happy not reading it, but will probably bow to the pressure someday.

[Lara]

Yeah, I was thinking I would avoid reading The Rosie Effect, then Amazon sent me an email with a 70% off code in it. I managed to snag it for less than $7 and can also lend it to my mom, who dated someone kind of like Don before.

[Sandra, Moderator]

I have the same feeling about The Rossie Effect, but I'm trusting Peggy so I will read it. :)

[Cherie]

Peggy hasn't steered me wrong yet. She is the one that got me to read the first Rosie book.

[Peggy]

Oh the pressure! ;-)

I had the exact same worries as you all, but I really enjoyed it and do not regret reading it :)

[Sandra, Moderator]

Just received an email from the library to go pick my copy of The Rossie Effect!

[Tejas Janet]

Lara, what did you think of A Tale Dark & Grimm? It's on my TBR list to potentially read this year for the series challenge.

[Lara]

Tejas Janet wrote: "Lara, what did you think of A Tale Dark & Grimm? It's on my TBR list to potentially read this year for the series challenge."

I enjoyed it. It is fairly light and quick, but does show the darker side of fairy tales. There are a lot of unpleasant choices that lead to tragedy. But, it does have a happy ending.

[Tejas Janet]

Okay, thanks : ) I read many of Grimm's fairy tales in childhood until I lost my fascination with them. This book looked like it could be a fun way to revisit them without taking it too seriously. Hmm.

[Lara]

You're welcome. The story includes several of the tales following the same brother and sister (Hansel and Gretel) through them. While a few are well known, several are also less well known. It is a fun way to work through the tales, and includes some overall morals as well (without being preachy).