SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Happy July, y’all! 🎆

We’re halfway through 2025, how’s your year of reading progressing? Meeting all your reading goals? Found any new series or authors to read?

I can't believe how fast the year is going!
So much still to read.... that said, it would be easier if I didn't continuously add to the heap lol 😅
But my reading goals are going well. I'm already 70% of the way, so I'm going to smash it again this year 💪

A recent read that actually delivered on the hype for me was: Fourth Wing. I enjoyed it immensely! I took it slow and steady, but I was hooked from the get-go and really liked the characters and their journey so far.
I'm waiting to start the next one, though, until at least the third instalment is available on KU as well, as I've heard a lot of complaining about the cliffs/endings.

Other great reads so far were Client from Hell, Spark the Flames, and Vow Forever Night. Sigh... such great books! Highly recommend them!
I wish I could read them again for the first time 😁

Looking forward to an amazing second half of the year, finishing some series and new shinies (yay) 😁😁

How is it going for you, Steph?

It is half over and I'm still not on a plan. I keep going off on tangents and then if lucky get a book or two that had been planned from the beginning. I've started so many new things and then go off to my rereads. Maybe I'll go look at my starter plan, which I don't post ever month anymore as it was taking too much time and really I would rather read. So I've been doing quarterly starters to see if I'm on track to what I have planned. I've only read 1 non-fiction and that is the one I'm going to concentrate on for the second half of the year. Try to get my minimum of 12. I seem to enjoy them but... I always want to go to my fantasy :-P.

I've been loving the Jacky Leon series which the first was December 30th or 31st last year so I consider it a this year series. I up to book 8. I also loved the 1st K.M. Shea's Magiford City book, Magic Forged but decided to go with Jacky as my locked into Amazon series; only one at a time for me now. Both are exclusive to the monopoly. So I've been more or less sticking to my credit buy for Audible, and have checked them out on KU. Probably should just move it up on the sit down print reads and not worry about the Audiobook but... I don't get enough sit down time.

@Victoria- I'll have to check Client from Hell as I really liked the R.J. Blain that I read. I'm not a fan of the full on Romantasy so probably will skip the others. Read Fourth Wing and wasn't a fan.

I set my GR challenge at 100 books, which I typically have no issues reaching. So, it’s no stress with the ‘yay, I did it’ sense of accomplishment 😉 I’m 70ish books ahead of schedule, so that’s on track. But, I have been reading a lot less lately cuz of a nasty slump. I think I’m slowly but surely pulling myself out of it after a handful of re-reads (Devon Monk’s ‘House Immortal’ trilogy) and Jacky + next In Death book + A Knack for Metal and Bone, which I just finished and really enjoyed. Next up, Atonement Sky.

I loved Fourth Wing; my ratings dropped a bit w/each book, but I’m hopeful for those yet to come.

A Knack for Metal and Bone sounds good and its on KU, bonus!!

@Steph
I just got Atonement Sky from the library but have a few in front of it. I've been really enjoying the direction it is going and might reread the 3 or 4 books before it to remember where all the players are. I don't remember the names of all the Russian bears and Psy that are on the Eastern/Asian side of the ocean.

I almost always put 200 down as I would like to read just 200 but if I'm not reading something, I start getting antsy, even if I don't get through it fast, like while on vacation, but when I'm in normal life, I get through them quickly. I would like to be doing more in real life that gets me to ONLY read the 200 but that is not as much as I would like. So my goal is to get busy in order to slow down but so far... Maybe next month as there are a lot of travel days and I should be studying for flying so, cross fingers that I do it and nothing gets in the way this time. If that happens, I might not get to 300 books but right now, looks like that is where it is heading.

So I do have a hard goal of non-fiction and I looked at it when assessing my goals for reading and had only read 1 book! So this month and all the next, I've planned to get at least 2 in per month in order to catch up to my 12 per year. I've reached my 12 every year for years then last year 1/2 that. I will definitely concentrate on that a bit more.

Sandra wrote: "A Knack for Metal and Bone sounds good and its on KU, bonus!!"

😊 I really liked it! I think you will, too.

Amyiw wrote: "@Steph
I just got Atonement Sky from the library but have a few in front of it. I've been really enjoying the direction it is going and might reread the 3 or 4 books before it to remember where all..."

I’m enjoying it, as I do all her books, but it’s taking a bit to really get into it. The story’s starting to pickup now though.

“… studying for flying…” are you learning the fly? I wanna!
Good luck with your goals! I don’t read much non fiction. My husband and I are reading through The New York Times Presents Smarter by Sunday: 52 Weekends of Essential Knowledge for the Curious Mind each weekend. Halfway thru and we’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about a lot together. Some weekends’ are better than others and some are showing their age (book is older), but overall I’d recommend it to those who like trivia type learning.

I flew before having kids and I am back to going up with others and lessons but have been held back with surgery, then Covid, then procrastination, then more medical (nothing serious), another surgery, then issues with instructors and losing them to other work. So, I have to stick to it when something goes awry which is the biggest issue. I have my license (certificate) with over 200 hours so it isn't starting from scratch. My end goal would be Instructor if it is possible and no real medical happens. I'm mid 50s still no major medical. Have acid reflux that can really make me nauseous but I don't suffer from motion sickness. Kind of have it under control so hoping August will work and I stick with going forward.

Loaded Atonement Sky on my Onyx reader today. I've pretty much switched from my Oasis to the Boox Go Color 7 (old version no stylus). Love the onboard reader but the Kindle and Libby readers are good enough, the Kindle better than the Libby as I can still use the page turn buttons with the Kindle app, haven't figured out how to get page turn buttons to work with Libby, if it is possible, which I am now pretty sure it isn't. So been sending Libby book to Kindle then reading with the app. I can do it all on the reader or my phone. I still look for my books on the Overdrive site on my computer, works so much better than Libby app. Hoopla works the worst on the Boox for ebooks. All them work so I shouldn't complain, I just like page turn buttons and no animation with the turn, Kindle app assigns volume to page turn so works, also doesn't have animation if you don't want it. So it is good.

Sweet! All the best with your endeavors. And, hoping you stay in good health.

I send Libby books to my kindle without issue, at least so far. Haven’t used Hoopla in forever and can’t remember. I’ll finish up Atonement Sky soon. I like it, but it won’t be a favorite.

I've DNF a couple of KUs this past week.

One was not to my taste, and not disclosed till you open the book.

The other is space opera, and I just don't think I'm in the mood, a bit samey to others I've read in the past, as well.

I’ve had a bunch of DNF’d KU loaners. I’m just glad I’m finally becoming okay with returning w/out finishing and without or at least less guilt. Go me! 😆

I am almost done with my reading challenge, I am 80% done, 139 book put of 155 books

Nice! Well ahead of schedule 😊

Sarah wrote: "I am almost done with my reading challenge, I am 80% done, 139 book put of 155 books"
Me too...

Steph wrote: "
I send Libby books to my kindle without issue, at least so far. Haven’t used Hoopla in forever and can’t remember. I’..."

I think I wrote that a little confusing. I send my Libby print books to Kindle also. It is because the Kindle app works better than the Libby app to read on my Boox. I changed how I wrote it above.

I am more than 1/2 way through Atonement Sky and yes, I would say that it is not as good as the last several though I have really liked it after the first 1/2. Kind of drags with the beginning and seems a bit of the normal Psy-Changeling. I don't feel the connection as strongly with these two as I have with some of the others. Primal Mirror was really good.

I'm up to 185 book read this year so 15 to go to hit my set 200. I have a page count goal and my average page count is 315. My goal there is keeping it above 300 so doing good. I get stuck in novellas sometime and try not to do that too much.

Steph wrote: "I’ve had a bunch of DNF’d KU loaners. I’m just glad I’m finally becoming okay with returning w/out finishing and without or at least less guilt. Go me! 😆"

Truly I think I should make that a goal DNF KU books that you are not enjoying and move on. I get stuck and then they are sitting there taking up spots and I'm feeling guilty about not finishing. No guilt reading.

👍🏼 gotcha!

Atonement Sky got better in the second half and more so the last quarter, for me. I actually liked Bram and Dahlia more than the main couple 🤫

Definitely! No more finishing a book outta guilt. I keep reminding myself - not every reader will enjoy every book.

Steph wrote: "👍🏼 gotcha!

Atonement Sky got better in the second half and more so the last quarter, for me. I actually liked Bram and Dahlia more than the main couple 🤫

Definitely! No more finishing a book out..."

Oh, I mention that too, I liked Bram and Dahlia so much more even though they were so quick to connect. So much more chemistry.

So my biggest guilt about not finishing a book is that I then will not rate it, period, and I so want to rate it so that others know I didn't like it... only, I've read books that I started out not liking and wanting to DNF but then they pull it out to some degree in the end. I will only rate a book if I've read the majority 60-70% and then read the end to confirm that I am hating it and won't like the ending either.

Here is one of my conflicted reviews of a DNF, one of the few, and I almost continued reading! but just couldn't. What is funny is the review is pretty good, but I remember hating it, which is probably because I was so anxious. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I did read several synopses which is typical for me if I end up conflicted about finishing. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is one I actually went back to finish but still wasn't particularly good for me as it dragged most of the book. A lot of people liked it but not me.

I thought they did too.

I don’t rate DNFs either. I have a DNF shelf & a maybe-later shelf for those that I might return to in case it was just a me-thing.

Sharing what didn’t work for you can certainly be helpful for others. I usually don’t take the time though.

Gah, thank you! So, it’s not just me. I did like Atonement Sky in the end, but I very nearly put it down and didn’t pick it back up again. That never happens to me with PS, or GH. I normally devour them the day they come out, in one sitting. But, I just couldn’t get into it. Idk, but. I think part of it is that the Psi serial killer thing has been done to death, imo.

I’m SO close to my reading goal! 193/200 at present. Almost halfway through 194.

Same, Amy.

WTG! 🥳

Amy wrote: "... I think part of it is that the Psi serial killer thing has been done to death, imo..."

I didn't think about that but yes, it was the same old same old of serial killer and even though we get introduced to the serial killer, not knowing, he wasn't a main player, such a minor character, so wasn't even a good character.

Good point. He was a nobody. But, has caused them to start searching for more part Psy kids who fell through the cracks, I wonder if this is a bridge for a wider story arc there? Sometimes setup books are…less. I think I felt that way about Wolf Rain if I remember correctly.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an amazing series, and Singh’s worst books are better than most. IMO.

I was wondering the same, Amy. And, quite liked that addition/angle - now looking for overlooked mixed children.

And, wholly agree, worst are still better 😊

Victoria wrote: "Other great reads so far were Client from Hell, Spark the Flames, and Vow Forever Night. Sigh... such great books! Highly recommend them!"

Thanks for the 'Spark', Victoria. I enjoyed it and looking forward to #2.