2015 Snagged @ The Library Challenge discussion

I am very much a lover of series and I get so happy when my libraries have many/most/all of the books in a "new to me" series. Last month I read most of Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress World books this way.

There are a couple series that I discovered through the library and then ended up buying all of the books because I just had to have them. Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series and Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series are prime examples.

There are MANY series that, upon getting "caught up" via the library, are now auto-buy new releases for me: Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson/Alpha and Omega, Diana Rowland's Kara Gillian, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, Anne Bishop's The Others, Carolyn Crane's The Associates, Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld/Angels of the Dark. The hyper-organized part of me always gets a little frustrated by the fact that each of these series starts at something other than book 1 (like book 7 in the Mercy Thompson series) in my personal library. Consequently, I am always on the lookout for when these authors' back catalogs go on sale for $3 or less per ebook.

Then there are a few series that, while I enjoy them, I don't feel the need to own them and am content to continue borrowing them from the library. At the moment this applies to Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson and Suzanne Johnson's Sentinels of New Orleans. This is also how I have read most of the (limited) YA I've read, like Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy and Maria V. Snyder's Study trilogy.

Of course, there are many series that just didn't work for me and I was happy I was able to borrow a book or two to try it out without spending any of my book budget.

So, series readers, what "new to you" series did you discover through the library? And how does the library fit into the way you read series?

Grat idea for a discussion! I read tons of series.
The first series I discovered at the library was way back in elementary school. I had finished all of the Nancy Drew they had available, and the librarian recommended Trixie Belden, whom I ended up liking even more than Nancy, probably because she was closer to my age.
My current library is great about recommending things to me, too. When A Discovery of Witches came out, my friend Ginny told me about it and that it was the first in a series. Boy was I disappointed when I read and enjoyed it and learned that the rest of the series wasn't out yet! Since then they have been published and I really enjoyed the complete All Souls Trilogy.
Lately I've been getting library books for my Kindle and I've found a few newly published series books that I liked and then I went back and read the rest. A few I've found this way are the Ursula Blanchard mysteries, the Bella Vista Chronicles, and Lady Bug Farm.
Ive discovered most series when someone gives me a paperback that I enjoy. One thing that I like about a series that has several books before I find it is that I can "binge read" a bunch of them, and this often happens to me in the summer so I can bring paperbacks to the beach instead of hardbacks. This is probably leftover from my Nancy Drew and Little House days, when I first discovered series. I did this with the Sue Grafton Alphabet Mysteries, Stephanie Plum, and Goldie Baer cooking mysteries.
As you can see, I read a lot of mystery series.

I have discovered that I like Stephanie Plum enough to want to know whats up, but not enough to buy them, and waste time reading, so I get them in audio from the library. I also wasn't sure I would enjoy the Hunger Games, so I got those in audio from the library, and was pleasantly surprised in how much I enjoyed them. I used to be a huge Debbie Macomber fan, and again have decided that I'm not that thrilled. Then I discovered I could get her in audio from the library and spend time listening rather than my precious actual read time.

I realize that most of you are getting a variety of print and audio from the library, but I mostly use the library for my audio fix as I have great access to ARCs for my free reading of books.

My library has such a great audio selection that I've canceled my Audible acccount and very rarely miss it!

I totally discovered the Jennifer Ashley Shifter series through the library. I am now working on The Hallows series (I had books 1 and 2) but the library is letting me continue that series without spending money.

I am a total series reader and use to feel I needed to own them all. However, if I realistically look at ones that I will reread-I have learned to read them from the library.

In fact, it is how I am getting the rest of the Katie MacAlister historical romance series. I just love that the library can "fill in" my spots :)

I totally love series and usually I want to start with #1 and go from there. Most of the series I read are mysteries like James Patterson, J. A. Jance, Stuart Woods, Linda Fairstein, John Sandford, Sally Goldenbaum, Janet Evanovich, Julie Hyzy, Laura Griffin, Lisa Gardner, and Carol Higgins Clark. I have a few romance series that I always read, Robyn Carr, Mariah Stewart, Sherryl Woods, Susan Mallery, and Jill Shalvis. Like others here, I started early with Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, and Nurse Cherry Ames. If the library has them, then I will check them out instead of buying them, if not, then I'll buy used copies if I can find them. Brand new books are just too expensive these days to buy a lot of new books, especially since I am one of those people who can never have too many books. My shelves are overflowing and my Nook and Kindle are fat and sassy!

BJ--I am the same. I would love to own them all but the price AND the fact that I have over $2000 worth of unread eBooks (scared that audio and paper would send that total towards paying off my car) ---I just can't pass up picking up series from the library. Yes sometimes it is just not available and I will buy. However buying is now my last option not first :) (UNLESS I know I will be rereading a lot)

BJ wrote: "My shelves are overflowing and my Nook and Kindle are fat and sassy!"

I like that description of your Nook and Kindle. May have to borrow it in the future....

Shelter Bay series JoAnn Ross

Just finished #6

I joined the challenge in January but just came in the group today.

I am in another group on GR about series.
Serious About Series
if anyone wants to join us!

Even though I didn't get it from the library I started reading The McCarthy's of Gansett Island from Marie Force. I started reading on Monday, and because of my work schedule I was able to finish it yesterday, and make good progress on book 2, Fool For Love. I'm not sure how many of them I'll read in a row, but if you like light hearted contemporaries these might be worth checking out.

Sandi

Sandi wrote: "Even though I didn't get it from the library I started reading The McCarthy's of Gansett Island from Marie Force. I started reading on Monday, and because of my work schedule I was able to finish ..."

Someone else I know is reading a book by her....I need to check Marie Force out!

JoAnne, I really do enjoy Marie Force. I'm completely up to date on two of her series, and plan on trying to get caught up on at least one more of her series before the end of the year.

On a different note I've been using the library to finally get caught up on the Cobble Court books by Marie Bostwick. This series is set in New Bern Connecticut and focuses on a quilt shop and the people who work there. I've been really enjoying it.

I have only read the first 2 or 3 of the Cobble Court books and I really enjoyed them. I have several of the Marie Force books, but have only read the first one in the Fatal series, and I thought it was pretty good. I need to go back and read some more of them. Right now, I have 3 series that I am trying to finish, the Alphabet series by Sue Grafton, my next one is "S", the Charm City series by Laura Lippman and the Corinna Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood. I'm trying to get these done for a Finish the Series challenge that I'm doing.

Today I decided to GOOGLE Marie Bostwick and see which book was next in the Cobbled Court series, and discovered that even though I had been reading out of order I am now done with the whole series! Talk about being disappointed! I might have held off on the last one I needed to be caught up if I had known.

I finished listening to Accused which is the first book in the Rosatto and Assoc. series by Lisa Scottoline. I've read another one in this series previously, but have decided to start at the beginning!