Book Haven discussion

It feels like the fantasy section is overpopulated with series rather than individual novels. I happen to love that! I completely enjoy moving from one book to the next, as I read about the character growing.

Any other takers?

I don't think that I have ever read a series. If I did, it obviously made a huge impact on my life. I am not sure I could wait for the next one, I would be so anxious for it to come. I like individual books, because they are all wrapped up in a one book. I don't like waiting.

Camerandi wrote: "I don't think that I have ever read a series. If I did, it obviously made a huge impact on my life. I am not sure I could wait for the next one, I would be so anxious for it to come. I like indi..."

The waiting aspect does stink! LOL I have several series that I am waiting anxiously for the next book. I really do hate that about it...But I still prefer fantasy series, because it is like a REALLY long book. Which means I don't have to say goodbye to my favorite characters right away! :)

LOL. Exactly, Joy. Series have an obvious appeal in that the fun never has to end-- although I really dislike very long series because the quality eventually must degrade inevitably.

series have pros - familiarity and whatnot, but they also can get tired and repetitive. My biggest issue is that publishers do not like to publish stand alone novels anymore, they want series to "guarantee" future sales. I think we lose a lot of good books that way.

dont get me wrong. I LIke series. But this trend is annoying and it happens with mysteries too

I agree that series are great when you want to stay with the same character for a while. Like im obssessed with the BDB and the Dark-Hunters. Im dying for the next books but I love the characters so much that it's worth it to me.

I love series. Waiting for the next one to come out is painful at times!

The best part about a series, is when you find one new to you that has been out for some time and you get to read several in a row. Then Jackie is right, it is painful to wait!

I think it is especially fun when the author does a series, but each book builds off of a different character.
For instance: In historical romances a lot of authors will write a romance about two characters, but in the next book they will use one of the supportive characters from the previous book.

I agree Joy -- Linda Lael Miller did a lot of that

If I read a series, I have to have all of the books. I dont mind an individual book, but it better have a HEA ending or at least an epilogue.

Ditto on that Stephanie.

I hate when books just end....I dont need to know what they do the rest of their lives, but I need a little closure!

I don't read fantasy, but I have to say I enjoy a good series over a stand alone. I love visiting with past characters and being able to see the next H/H.

I think the only series I've read that was fantasy was Anne Bishop's Epeherma series. It was only two books but I think it was enough to give me closure.

I like both, but I like individual books better. I am also someone who hates waiting, lol.

I like series and have read a lot of them but also appreciate a quick read with a real ending. At this point series that take years to read are beyond my patience.

This is assuming all the books share the same plot. If they're relatively independent but simply share characters that's totally different to me. I can read these forever.

LaTrica wrote: "I like series and have read a lot of them but also appreciate a quick read with a real ending. At this point series that take years to read are beyond my patience.

This is assuming all the books ..."

I hate it when an author takes a million years to release each book! It drives me nuts, because by the time they release the book I don't desire to read it as much. However, if an author releases 1-2 books a year...I have no problem. :)

LOL, Rane. Yeah, I haven't bothered with the latest books. I don't believe in an author picking up the same series another started. It doesn't work with films and it doesn't work with books.

Eventually, a series runs out of steam though. The author has to know when to let it rest. Lynn Viehl had to decide that with her Darkyn series. She still had a lot of material she could have used and the fans would have loved more books, but she was feeling boxed in herself, so... time to try something new, I guess, LOL.

I love a good series. I like looking foward to reading another installment because chances are if I liked the first I'm going to like the next one. I hate reading books that suck because I have hard time just putting a book down even if I'm gringing all the way thru.

I think another reasons I love stand alones is that they feel complete. If done well they can be satisfying in themselves

YoudontGnomie wrote: "I love a good series. I like looking foward to reading another installment because chances are if I liked the first I'm going to like the next one. I hate reading books that suck because I have har..."

I am the same way. Even if a book is terrible I have a hard time stopping, because I still want to know what happened. Plus what is the point in picking up a book and reading it, if I don't intend to finish it?

I love reading a series. One confession....I'm anal about reading the series in order. It's a bad habit I'm trying to break.

I love reading a series because you get to know what happens "next". I will read a individual book but am always wanting more when it's done.
I have discovered something about my reading habits though. I am in the middle of 5 different series at the moment so some of them are running together and I'm forgetting which one I have to read next. I think it's time to make a list, get organized. lol

southpaw285 wrote: "I love reading a series. One confession....I'm anal about reading the series in order. It's a bad habit I'm trying to break."


I prefer to read them in order too. I only occasionally strike out and move around the order...

I always read in order. I found out I was in the middle of series when I started reading a Sherrilyn Kenyons Dark Hunter book. It was okay because it didn't get into previous books but I was still annoyed when I found out. I had to go to the library and request all the previous books so I could catch up!

I purposely try to read series' of fantasy books over individual ones. Especially if the series is already finished (no pesky waiting).

I definitely recommend Tamora Pierce for this. She writes almost exclusively series that link together. The very last one is still incomplete, but she's one author I don't mind waiting for, because the wait is worth it.

I like individual books and series that are connected through characters, that way you don't have to wait for an extremely long time to find out the end

I like reading series cause it really lets me get to know the characters. I hate when a book ends and I am sad cause I miss the characters LOL!

I like solo and series books. It depends on the series and what is happending in them.

The only draw back about series is that, sometimes you can meet a hero in book one and fall in love with him, by the little you have read about him, but don't see him again for many books. There's a possibility that he will not be mentioned in post books, until he gets his own book.

Arch, there are series books, and then there are series books. In the paranormal romance category you are absolutely right. The whole one couple and happy ever after requires that. I think that is one of the reasons I normally prefer urban fantasy series.

But on the other hand I've been reading Jo Beverly for 20 years. She doesn't write paranormal, but she does write the happy ever after series romance. And I don't seem to mind those at all. I think it is because you do tend to see many of the other characters from other books in the universes she creates.

Starling, what I love about a solo book. I can have the hero from the beginning to the end. Of course, a epilogue is nice to know what happen after the hero and heroine has gotten their HEA.

Eva wrote: "I purposely try to read series' of fantasy books over individual ones. Especially if the series is already finished (no pesky waiting).

I definitely recommend Tamora Pierce for th..."

I like Tamora Pierce too! She is a great author, and if anyone has children...she is suitable for kids. :)

Series are comfortable. You get to know the land, the histories, the myths, and so on. I prefer series that are set in the same place, but not necessarily in the same timeline or using many of the same characters ... like Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar, or Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels, many of which read more like stand-alone works.

I think it takes a long time to create a new world. One of my ethics teachers told me that the hardest thing to do is take all your knowledge down into one book (or one speech). It's easier to have more time. You don't have to be so concise and it leaves much more room for growth and getting off topic a bit. So, these authors probably had a hard time getting everything into one book, which I think is awesome. They now can show us the worlds and characters thoroughly.

I love series all the way!

I def. prefer series, but I hate waiting an entire year for the next book to come out. I also hate it when an author does not know when to quit. It's rare, but I have occasionally found a series that I LOVED, only to get irritated when the series ended up with 15+ books. Sometimes, 15+ books works, but most of the time I think a series sound not last more than 8 books...

Elvia wrote: "I love reading a series because you get to know what happens "next". I will read a individual book but am always wanting more when it's done.
I have discovered something about my reading habits t..."

I know what you mean on this Elvia. I'm in the middle of about 24 different ones right now. I know...this is obviously crazy and way out of control.

I finally had to create a new bookshelf, "Next Up In Series", so that I could figure out what I needed to read next.

I swore I would not start another series until I had finished quite a few of the others....however, today I started the "Black Daggar Brotherhood" series. I couldn't help it though. It's for my October Challenge, and nothing else in my other series would fit the category.

I've got a "series" problem....obviously! I need help.

I love series. I prefer them, but I hate the waiting game! I become attached to the characters and want to know more about them, see their lives/relationships progress, etc. As a matter of fact, I'm so anal about my series' that I may have to be institutionalized while waiting for Lover Mine by JR Ward!

Anyway, I am always looking for excellent stand-alones to read while waiting for the next installment of a series.

You should try Brandon Sanderson's Elantris. It's a single, which I seldom read, but it was really good for being a stand alone.

I'm trying to read different books right now before I dive into another series. It will consume most of my year because I refuse to break the series once I've started. I start with book one and read straight through. My fiance' HATES it, because it takes up all my free time. ;)

I love series. But, I think the worst thing with a series is
1- The wait for the next book. (I never realised how painful it could be until I discovered VA- Usually I am quite patient when it comes to the wait [as patient as you could get anyway, Lol:])
2- Fillers. I really do not like waiting months and months on end, getting all worked up, only to discover the next book in the series is pretty much a filler. There is nothing wrong with them, but it does sometimes annoy me when that happens.

Ellen ♥ wrote: "I love series. But, I think the worst thing with a series is
1- The wait for the next book. (I never realised how painful it could be until I discovered VA- Usually I am quite patient when it com..."

Filler is what turned me off long series. If I can skip an entire book in a series and not miss anything, I'll just skip the series.

Same here.

I love series as you get such in depth information about every character - good and bad. It's nice to be able to hear of even minor characters again and again. I like stand-alones too as every once in a while something new is refreshing.

Barbsis wrote: "I love series as you get such in depth information about every character - good and bad. It's nice to be able to hear of even minor characters again and again. I like stand-alones too as every onc..."

Yeah. But usually with stand-alones I always end up wanting more because I get 'attatched' to the characters in some ways.

Joy wrote: "I def. prefer series, but I hate waiting an entire year for the next book to come out. I also hate it when an author does not know when to quit. It's rare, but I have occasionally found a series th..."

I agree, I think sometimes a series goes on so long that the author seems to run out of ideas. I love the Anita Blake series but I have heard that the later ones become more about sex than about the storyline.

I also don't like having to buy so many series books lol, I start one and then another and so on etc, it gets complicated and costs me a lot of money.

Pollyanna wrote:"I also don't like having to buy so many series books lol, I start one and then another and so on etc, it gets complicated and costs me a lot of money"

Yeah, that is annoying too when buying book series because they cost a lot. Yeah, it annoys me when you have a book series where the first ones are like really good, but than all of a sudden they become sloppy and get off track.

I agree about the long waits and the fillers and I do love series so I always get sucked in,then I get on the boards and see other people reading some they just love and I feel trapped ,because I won`t stop,if I do I have the horrible habit of not getting back to them again.

I love series being able to really see the characters grow and develop. The only bad part is having to wait sometimes years for the next installment unless the series is already complete. There is nothing wrong with a stand alone book but it seems when ever I find an interesting book it turns out to be part of a series.

I like the quest and search for meaning aspects of this genre, so series usually work better for me. The Odyssey works the same way: Finding out a lot about yourself and The World as you're going somewhere. It's the getting somewhere, and the quest/finding out, that takes awhile, so I need a series before I feel that's been accomplished. I neglected to add Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, but it was ultimately very effective for just this reason.

Steven Belanger
www.stevenbelanger.com
www.stevenebelanger.blogspot.com

A series lets the characters evolve and you get to know them better. I happen to prefer series to single novels