Litwit Lounge discussion

Books with sequels ("duologies") trilogies and series have been around in the book trade since at least the 19th century. They've become exponentially more common in the last 30 years or so, though, as writers and more importantly publishers have become more and more enamored of them --not, as earlier writers wanted to do, to tell a story at greater length for its own sake or to follow an interesting character, but rather simply as cash cows. That said, some multi-book bodies of literature still justify themselves, like their literary forbears, for artistic rather than financial reasons!

In the course of my reading life so far, I've read in many series, etc. ever since I was a kid. A few of those that have a finite number of books and a definite end, I've read in their entirety; others I've abandoned. In some cases, I've really liked a series opener, like Dune or 1632, but felt it said all that needed to be and never had any interest in following it up. Other series, like the Star Wars and Star Trek books, I've sort of become sated with or, like Don Coldsmith's Trail of the Spanish Bit, I've been away from for over 20 years and no longer feel familiar in the milieu.

Recently, I did a count (Goodreads facilitates doing analysis of that sort!) and found that currently, there are 18 series I've started with some intention of reading more (and that doesn't count things like Agatha Christie's Poirot or Miss Marple canons, where there's no progressive development of the characters or circumstances and the books don't have to be read in order). That's quite a few to be juggling! And, especially with long, open-ended and ongoing series, my reading has often been subject to the vagaries of second-hand acquisitions of the books, rather than systematically seeking them out. This year, I've had the intention of being more intentional about finishing some series (at least some of those that have an ending as such), and at least reading further in others. It's really rewarding to complete a series that forms a unified story arc, like the Harry Potter books or Twilight Saga, and those are worth the investment of time they demand. Of course, how I'll do with this remains to be seen. (I've completed one duology this year, but started two new series....)

How about some of the rest of you? Do you read series books/sequels/trilogies? If so, do you read the whole corpus of material back to back, or vary it with other reads? Do you start multiple series before you finish any of them, or do you stick with just one until you've read the whole thing (or as much as you decide you're going to)? Have you ever decided that your experience of a series was complete with just one book, or do you feel a need to read the whole thing in every case?

I read some series. As a reader of fantasy, these days it's rather difficult to avoid series.
I'm following several currently--The Dresden Files, the Leandros Brothers, The Rivers of London, the Raven Cycle, the Books of Faerie, the Alex Verus series, the Gentlemen Bastards, and Discworld. I've read only one of the Matthew Swift books but intend to read more.
I've reread the Harry Potter books anywhere from 2-5 times each and read most of the Dresden books twice; but not necessarily in prep for a new one coming out.

Well, if we're listing the ones we intend to read more in (and that actually have more in print to read!), mine would be: James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales; C. S. Forester's Hornblower novels; Jan Karon's Mitford Years; Sharyn McCrumb's Ballad series; Jim Butcher's Dresden Files; Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series; the Darksword trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman; Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series; Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series; K. W. Jeter's Kim Oh series; Madeleine E. Robins' Sarah Tolerance series; Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series; Elizabeth Latimer, Pirate Hunter, by Deborah Cannon; the Cadfael series by Ellis Peters (Dame Edith Pargeter); Billy Wong's Legend of the Iron Flower; David Weber's Honor Harrington series; Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood and Co., Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empires series; and Seeley James Pia Sabel series. Oops; that's 19, not 18!

In the case of the great majority of these, I've only read the first book, and my appetite is now whetted for the rest. The problem is, many of these are open-ended, long-running series with no end in sight; and I've obviously started a LOT of them without any clear plan or timetable for followup! (But so many of these series openers were so tempting --and that's true of so many more on my to-read shelf....)

In reflecting on my post above, the thought occurred to me that just reading the first book of a series isn't really "following" it --that could be viewed more as just sampling it. If I think of the series I've actually read more than the first book of, it makes a much shorter list: the Ballad series (of which I've read all but the most recent two or three); the Leatherstocking Tales; the Cadfael and Kim Oh series; and the Bright Empires series, which I'll finish later this year when a friend and I do our planned buddy read of the final volume. Looked at that way, it doesn't seem nearly as daunting! :-)

Good point, Charly, and I'd agree with that! I was in that situation with two more of the ones on my first list (Lockwood and Co., and the Pia Sabel series). The second books of both of these have now been out for awhile, and I definitely do plan to get hold of those; I just haven't gotten around to it yet, but it's on the agenda for sooner rather than later. So we can say that I am following those series in my mind, too.

Years ago, I read the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel. I lost interest after the 4th or 5th book and never bothered to read the last one.

Alexander McCall Smith writes many light and witty series, and I do read them all! The Sunday Philosophy Club, The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Portugese Irregular Verbs (hilarious).

I've been re-reading another series (for a bookclub, as I rarely re-read just for myself); it is a story set in ancient Rome: Mark of the Lion

My wife Barb really likes Auel's Earth's Children series, and I read the first five books (most of which I really like) aloud to her years ago. (She rereads these five to herself every now and then.) But she was somewhat disappointed with the last volume, The Land of Painted Caves (which she read by herself).

I have The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency somewhere in my mountainous physical to-read piles. "So many books, so little time!"

"So many books, so...." Yep!!

Charly, I use BookMooch for the same purpose, and have given away some 71 books that way since joining in (I think) 2009. (I've mooched 41 free books in the same time period.) So I can relate to that strategy. Also, if I decide I don't need to own some of the books I have, I sometimes reduce the piles by donating marginal titles to the library where I work.

Since my post last March in message 4, I've finished the Bright Empires series (drum roll!). Barb and I jettisoned the Darksword trilogy (which we were reading together), because we just couldn't get into the first book. And I decided to bite the bullet and not continue with the Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson series (although the opening novels were four-star reads) in order to concentrate on the Jane Yellowrock and Dresden Files series, which I like even better.

That would reduce the list in message 4 to 15. BUT, in the meantime, Barb and I have started Suzanne Arruda's wonderful Jade del Cameron historical mystery series (set in Africa right after World War I) and definitely intend to eventually read it through; and I've started E. J. Fisch's action-SF Ziva Payvan series and am hooked on it. At least, though, the list is down to 17, a measure of slight progress! I hope to chip away at it next year, too.

Charly wrote: "In spite of the positive of getting books you want, being in some type of a swap group also moves books out of your library or study."

Yes; I actually consider the chance to find good homes for my unwanted books a second important benefit of such a group, in addition to the free books I do want!

I've finished painting my newest (to me) bookshelf so have been able to work more books out of storage boxes. It seems that while they were being stored, I inadvertently bought duplicates at thrift stores and second-hand shops.

I've been meaning to comment on this post for a while. I've turned into a reader of series lately. Statistically I'm not sure how many series I've read in the last few years, but it's been quite a few. I take my time with reading a series, reading other books in between installments. I read trilogies faster.

That figure of 17 series that I'm currently following actually doesn't count a couple of not-yet-completed series where I've read everything written so far (the On the Soul trilogy and the Friar Tobe series, both by Krisi Keley) and three projected series, where I've read the first volume and none have been added yet. If I count the total that way, I'm following 22 series. (But to me, the 17 where I'm not caught up and actually have pending books to read is the more crucial number!)

K. W. Jeter's Kim Oh series could actually go in the group where I'm caught up, at least as far as the print format is concerned. True, the series already has several books, and I've only read the first two. But at present, only the first one is published as a paper book --and it looks like the others never will be. Since I'm not going to read any more sequels in e-book format, I'm actually caught up on that series as much as I'll ever be. So that just leaves 16 (I'm chipping the mountain down.... :-) ).

To date, the third Sarah Tolerance book, The Sleeping Partner (2011), which I finished last week, is the most recent one, and it's not clear if Madeleine E. Robins intends to write another, or to leave the series as a completed trilogy. (There are some developments in this third book that could suggest that.) In any case, though, I'm now caught up with that one! So this now leaves 15 "open" (at least, from my perspective) series I'm still working on.

Well, despite my resolve not to start on another long series until I've wrapped up some more of the ones I'm already working on, I've started another one anyway: Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise series. But in my defense, I'd already read a Modesty short story, and a couple of chapters of one of the novels, and knew that the series was a must read for someday. So the hook was already in!

On the other hand, I finally decided to bite the bullet and not continue with two series beyond the first novel, after all: Jan Karon's The Mitford Years and Deborah Cannon's Elizabeth Latimer, Pirate Hunter. In both of these cases, I enjoyed the series opener, and I'm glad I read them. But I don't think, in either case, that reading more of the series would materially add to my enjoyment; my aesthetic experience is already complete with the first novel, and I'm not so engaged with the characters that I feel a yen to spend more time with them. So, now I'm actually juggling "only" 14 series. :-)

After recently finishing Faith Hunter's second Jane Yellowrock novel, Blood Cross, I decided not to follow that series any further. So that brings closure (for me) to another one. There are several more that I could finish by reading two or three more books apiece; I'm sort of setting a goal of completing those before I embark on any more long-running series!

In terms of becoming "sated" with a series, I guess that's happened with me and the Amelia Peabody books. Although I think I still have a couple of them on the to-read list, I haven't pursued them. The sense of urgency just isn't there anymore.

I don't really feel any interest in reading the new Harry Potter book, either. To me, Rowling brought the series to a wholly satisfactory conclusion with the original seven books; adding to it now seems something like trying to build a bell tower onto the side of the Parthenon.

Charly wrote: "Or setting a watchman 50 years later."

Yes, I want very much to read To Kill a Mockingbird one day, but I have zero desire to read Go Set a Watchman --which is NOT a sequel or prequel to Lee's masterpiece. Rather, it's an unpolished first draft of what became the masterpiece after it had constructive editing. There's a reason why that draft was changed, and never published; and from what I've read, if the aged Lee hadn't been cynically imposed on by others, it would never have been published now.

I'm not rushing to read the new Harry Potter play, either.
To Kill a Mockingbird is amazing, and I have no desire to read Go Set A Watchman.

Charly wrote: "Werner, Mockingbird is such a moving work. Reading it as I grew up in the "civil rights" era was even more dramatic. Reading it will clearly remove any desire to change Atticus or anyone else in th..."

Charly, even though I haven't read the book yet, I have seen the outstanding movie adaptation with Gregory Peck; and I can assure you that I wouldn't change Atticus (or any of the other characters) for any amount of money!

I think our family has to be the only ones who really thought the book was overrated. As a matter of fact in a college scholarship interview my daughter was asked not what book she liked the most, but which one she most disliked and she immediately said "To Kill a Mockingbird." People here in SC were shocked but she got the scholarship anyway!

There are so many fine sequels and series. From all those detective novels by Agatha Christie, to the wonderful works by Ken Follett. My problem is that I start these series and never get back to continue to the next books! I have all of Folletts Century trilogy and only read the first, I really enjoy Trollope's Chronicles of Barchester and only have read the first two of 6. Now I am on the 2nd of 3 of R.L. Delderfield's Swann Family series. Hopelessly in love with series and hopelessly behind in all these series!!

Blaine wrote: "There are so many fine sequels and series. From all those detective novels by Agatha Christie, to the wonderful works by Ken Follett. My problem is that I start these series and never get back to c..."

Totally relate to that problem, Blaine, though I'm trying to do better! Like you, I really liked the first two Barchester books; but I doubt if I'll ever make time to read any more of the series.

A two-book series that I'd highly recommend to historical fiction fans is Heather Day Gilbert's Vikings of the New World Saga, based on the Icelandic sagas that detail the Viking voyages to Vinland around 1000 A.D. The first book is God's Daughter, and the sequel is Forest Child. Since the whole series arc is completed in these two books, it doesn't demand as much time commitment as the average series. (I was fortunate enough to read both books as they were published, so this was never a hanging or dangling series for me!)

In the science fiction genre, I've wet my feet with two more series in the last couple of months: the Transgressor Trilogy by my Goodreads friend E. M. Swift-Hook, and the Eric John Stark corpus created by SF great Leigh Brackett. I plan to follow both of these; but of the former, only the first book, The Fated Sky, is available in paperback. (So it doesn't really count as a series that has to be juggled with the others, yet). And my total hasn't increased, since I've decided to drop the Ziva Payvan series. (My interest in that one was high when I finished Dakiti, but it's ebbed in the time since.) So, one step forward and one step back; but that beats two steps back, or no steps forward! :-)

Hmmm! Since its the Christmas season, I followed Santa's example, and checked my list (of series I have in process) twice. :-) I'm not sure how I miscounted the first time, but I've confirmed it: I'm only juggling thirteen series now. Wow! If I can keep up this rate of progress, I should have the list whittled down into single digits in four years or so. (Assuming that I don't start new ones faster than I finish old ones.... :-) )

Since I wrote message 36, the second and third volumes of E. M. Swift-Hook's Transgressor Trilogy, Times of Change and Dues of Blood, have been released in paperback. If you're a science-fiction fan, I'd highly recommend this trilogy (at least, based on the first book); so it's definitely another one I plan to finish. (So I'm juggling 14 series again --but they say 13 is an unlucky number, anyway.... :-) )

Nicole wrote: "In terms of becoming "sated" with a series, I guess that's happened with me and the Amelia Peabody books. Although I think I still have a couple of them on the to-read list, I haven't pursued them...."

Nicole, I've decided to drop Amelia Peabody, too. The Curse of the Pharaohs, the second book in the series, still got five stars from me; but after that book, on reflection, Amelia's character seemed to be developing in an overly vain and self-promoting direction that I could see getting old quickly. I decided that there are a lot more continuing characters out there that I'd enjoy spending time with more.

One series character that both my wife and I have always enjoyed spending time with, and would have continued to, is Jade del Cameron, Suzanne Arruda's photographer/writer and amateur sleuth in post World War I Africa. But the author has stated that Devil Dance, the seventh installment which we recently finished, will be the last novel in the series. So that's a rare case where I've crossed a series off the "dangling" list by actually finishing it. :-) We'll miss Jade!

I started on the second book in the Amelia Peabody series, having enjoyed the first. But I didn't get far into it. I just felt like I wasn't engaging with the characters. It was a while ago, so I'm not sure what my issue was exactly.

I still plan to read more of Leigh Brackett's books featuring Eric John Stark someday, if I get a chance, but I'm no longer counting it as a series in the strict sense. Like the Poirot or Sherlock Holmes series, the books don't exactly have a true progression in time; they're about the same character, but they don't have to be read in toto or in order. Any one of them can function as a standalone. So that reduces my list by just a little.

On the other hand, the book Barb and I just started, Miranda Warning, is the opening book of Heather Day Gilbert's mystery series A Murder in the Mountains, set in contemporary West Virginia and featuring amateur sleuth Tess Spencer. We're hoping to fall as much in love with this series as we did with Arruda's Jade del Cameron books. And the book we just finished, The Blacksmith's Bravery, is the third novel of Susan Page Davis' Ladies' Shooting Club trilogy. I'd thought the other books were permanently out of print; but according to Amazon, the paperbacks are available again. So based on our reaction to Book 3, the other two will be must reads for us! :-)

The second Amelia Peabody book wasn't a favourite of mine (sophomore slump?), either, but I kept going and liked several after it a lot.
I didn't really get tired of Amelia herself. While it made sense that the older characters might start taking a back seat in the adventures to the children as they grew up, I don't find adult Ramses and Nefret as interesting as Emerson and Amelia.

So we add to this thread as we finish reading a book or a series? Sounds like a similar concept to our Lounge classic challenge thread.

Janelle wrote: "So we add to this thread as we finish reading a book or a series? Sounds like a similar concept to our Lounge classic challenge thread."

Um --similar, but not identical. For instance, as I finish reading a new book in a series, etc., I won't add a new post to the thread to tell about it. Rather, I'll just use the small "edit" link at the bottom of my post above (message 43) to update it. New posts can be added to the thread, if other members want to create one for keeping track of their own ongoing series reading; and they'll update theirs similarly. (And of course, people can also add new posts to the thread whenever they want to comment about a series, etc.) Does that make sense?

That makes sense to me, Werner. I'd be happy to join in.

And I think Charly's suggestion would help keep posts more organised.

Charly wrote: "When you edit a post does it come up as (new) when one checks into the group. Perhaps putting a date at the beginning of a new add so folks will better notice the change in the post?"

Charly, good question! No, edits do NOT show with a red "new" whenever a person logs into the group; only the original post does, when it's first posted. They also don't show in the daily bundled updates from your groups that Goodreads e-mails to you, if you get those updates (I think that's the default setting).

IMO, a date at the beginning of an edit would be confusing, because the material added in various edits wouldn't be grouped one after the other at the bottom; rather, it would be scattered all through the original post. For instance, I arranged my series alphabetically by author. Next month, I might add a book to a series whose author's last name starts with W (I'm just using that as an example!), and the month after that add one to a series by someone who's last name starts with C. I'd eventually have a crazy quilt of dates, and they wouldn't serve any real purpose.

The idea behind this system is actually that people aren't pestered with notices whenever I add something, if they don't happen to be interested at the time. But if, sometime, anyone wants to find out how I'm coming along with series reading, he/she will know where to find that information, and can find it all in one place. (Ditto for anyone else who creates a similar post of their own.) I actually think it's a good, practical system; it's used in the group I mentioned for several other challenges, too.

I can understand people not wanting to be pestered by too many notifications. But not being notified about changes to a thread like this would frustrate me. I'm not interested in scrolling through a thread to find who has updated their info. That would drive me nuts.

For most of my groups I get notifications for just the threads I'm interested in. For two other groups, I get notifications for all posts. Those groups are Litwit Lounge and Christian Goodreaders. This works for these two groups because they aren't particularly busy groups, but they're my favourites.

I understand why Goodreads has chosen this method. But I've lost my enthusiasm for your idea.
Sorry Werner.

No need at all to apologize, Janelle (and no harm done!). Actually, Goodreads itself didn't choose this method --just one group did, to meet its particular preferences and needs. It's one of the strengths of Goodreads that individual groups have that freedom; but ideas that fit well in one group aren't necessarily importable to another one. Trying this one out here was just an experiment, to see if it would work. I'd say the answer to that question is no: here, it doesn't fit everybody's needs, or dovetail with expectations for how notifications should work.

Charly, your suggestion is one that hadn't even occurred to me (and I'd already adopted a different approach before you posted it!), and much appreciated as a wise compromise suggestion. But I'm guessing that many people would probably find the need to copy and paste their previous posts something of a nuisance.

When I discovered the thread in the other group; I'd seriously debated between just going ahead and posting there, or trying the idea on this thread. Since I'd already started this thread, I finally opted for the latter approach; but I think we can honestly say now that it's had a fair try. So, I've moved my post to the other group's thread (and deleted it here), and will plan to update it there. That will serve my want for a venue to do that just as well, and be a win-win situation for everyone. As my library director at work often says, "It's all good!" :-)

I don't mind copying and pasting, but I think it would get annoying as the thread became longer, particularly if lots of people joined in. It can take a while to work through a series and searching through the thread to find my last post wouldn't be fun.
I do like the idea of keeping track of what series/trilogies I've read, but I might do that on my own shelves.

Janelle wrote: "I don't mind copying and pasting, but I think it would get annoying as the thread became longer, particularly if lots of people joined in. It can take a while to work through a series and searching through the thread to find my last post wouldn't be fun."

Good point, Janelle!