Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Addicts discussion

How important to you, as a reader, is reading a series in strict order?? I NEVER read out of order any more. EVER....I did it with one series and was totally lost, lost, lost.

What about you???

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I always read series in order...except for this week I accidentally read the second book in a series without realizing it...Woops!

Who would want to read out of order anyway? in a series if you read out of order you are bound to miss a huge amount of important details from previous books.

I have read series out of order and in some cases, it wasn't a problem. For example, Kelley Armstrong's series - I read Stolen first and it really didn't matter. I later went on to read Bitten and I have read all of her books.

I had the same experience with Kitty and the Midnight Hour. I actually read books 5 and 2 before this book and I was really surprised at some of the negative reviews about Kitty's character. In the later books, she is a totally different character and that made me want to continue reading the series where other people did not want to continue from book 1.

A good writer will write well enough that someone could jump in mid series and not be lost. I've jumped in mid series and then was intrigued enough with the series to read the rest of the books.

I also do not read series all at once because I get bored or get series fatigue. I like to savor the good series and I take my time with them.

I always read a series in order.

If I read a review of a book in the middle of a series that looks good to me, I always do my research and find the first book in the series. Then I start with the first book. I don't like reading the books out of order. I like to see the characters and overall story arc develop. That's the fun of reading a series--immersing yourself in the world of the series as it unfolds! And, unlike AH, I don't get series fatigue. If I'm involved in a series, I eat up book after book and feel bereft when I finish it.

I think it depends on the series itself and the genre it fits into. Some can be read as standalones that all fit into one world but some have to be read in order to be understood. Whenever possible I try to read in order but if someone lends me the second book in the series or if I get the third book as a kindle freebie (yes this has happened before), I'll give it a try to see if I like it before spending money on the first.

I can't stand to read series out of order!

I mistakenly started the Carpathians series on Book 11 (just looked like a good new Kindle book to me), then realized there were more books, so I decided to start with book 1, which was being re-released so I had to wait over 6 months. I decided to wait (it was just released, BTW) to read any more. One would think that Book 11 wouldn't have all that much importance to Book 1, but it talked quite a bit about the Dark Prince, so this experience is one of several that frustrated me. I like it when the authors let you know it's part of the series and which book # it is.

Valerie wrote: "I can't stand to read series out of order!

I mistakenly started the Carpathians series on Book 11 (just looked like a good new Kindle book to me), then realized there were more books, so I decid..."

Me too!!! Like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is CLEARLY numbered on each book, I wish they would do that with all series. It would make my reading life so much easier.

Ladyacct wrote: "Valerie wrote: "I can't stand to read series out of order!

I mistakenly started the Carpathians series on Book 11 (just looked like a good new Kindle book to me), then realized there were more b..."

You all know about fictfact.com, don't you? That's where you can follow all your series and find the correct reading order of the books. I rely on it, and use Goodreads and fictfact together to keep things straight.

lisa m wrote: "Ladyacct wrote: "Valerie wrote: "I can't stand to read series out of order!

I mistakenly started the Carpathians series on Book 11 (just looked like a good new Kindle book to me), then realized th..."

No, I didn't know about that, but I will certainly use it. I have over 1,000 books on my Calibre and they are mostly series. Downloadng it from the Kindle 1 to the Calibre has meant going through all of it and geting it arranged by series and book # using Goodreads. Thank you so much!! :-)

Cant do it - have to read them in order. Fictfact is great isn't it Lisa?

If it is a series where the story continues with the same characters reading in order is important to me although I have needed to skip before because I couldn't find a book. But if the series centers around two new characters in each book it is less important. It's like starting a tv show or soap opera that's been on for years. You're a little lost at first but you catch up.

I have to read a series in order too. I constantly use goodreads to make sure I have them in the right order as well. I just wish there was a way of numbering the books on my kindle - anyone know if there is? Some books already have the numbers in their names, but most don't and when I buy a whole series, or even 2/3 books from one, I can never remember what order they need to be read in.

Ladyacct wrote: "How important to you, as a reader, is reading a series in strict order?? I NEVER read out of order any more. EVER....I did it with one series and was totally lost, lost, lost.

What about you???..."
Yes! I am pretty anal about reading books in the correct order. Thank you for the recommendation and the contact.
Margi

Vannessa wrote: "I have to read a series in order too. I constantly use goodreads to make sure I have them in the right order as well. I just wish there was a way of numbering the books on my kindle - anyone know i..."

I use the Calibre program for that. For instance, I get all of the metadata the way I want it, change the title... for example, 'Lila's Great Day' to 'Lila's Great Day [Great Days 3]' and upload that to my Kindle 1. Then I delete the previous title I didn't like. You can then sort your titles by author, and easily see what books are there (series and book #).

Great info, many thanks
Margi

Valerie wrote: "I use the Calibre program for that. For instance, I get all of the metadata the way I want it, change the title... for example, 'Lila's Great Day' to 'Lila's Great Day [Great Days 3]' and upload that to my Kindle 1. Then I delete the previous title I didn't like. You can then sort your titles by author, and easily see what books are there (series and book #)."

Thanks for that Valerie. I'll have to look into that.

Found some booboos on Fictfact but I registared. Good source of info

Ladyacct wrote: "Found some booboos on Fictfact but I registared. Good source of info"
Let them know about the booboos and they'll fix them. They're very responsive.

That's what fantastic fiction says too & they do, but if I corrected all the booboos I saw I would be tied to the computer all day and not have time to READ anything <=..=>

I'm OCD. I don't read out of order. I google books and authors just so I can make sure of the order of a series.

Pretty much hate reading out of order. Ugh.

When I was younger there were some series I wouldn't have read in order.. stuff like Famous Five by Enid Blyton. But generally I like to read them in order starting with book 1... I'd hate there being some reference to something that had happened in an earlier book that I hadn't read, I'd just be wondering what it was. I think it all just makes more sense and flows easier reading in order.

I don't necessarily read straight through a series. I think the only ones I've done that with recently were Twilight and Fallen. I deliberately took my time with the Southern Vampires because I was enjoying the books and didn't want to reach the end of the series!

I really hate reading out of order!..it bugs me!...I usually start book 1 and read all to the end in a row...I have found tho..some series you really need a break between or they all read the same. Ie..Carpathians and Wings of Midnight.

I have to read in order as well. It always feels like you're missing out on the character development, plot build, and world if you just jump in all willy-nilly.

I really try to read books in a series in order because I really messed up the Hollows series by reading book two first. Having done that I knew the things that would have surprised me if I had read book one first. However there has been a few times I read something out of order.

I have only read book 1 in the Hollows..I wasn't loving it..is it worth keeping reading? does it get better?

I have to read a series in order. It absolutely drives me bonkers to start a series then find out there are novellas in between the novels, so I do my best to ferret those out before starting a series. I don't care if they are considered stand alones, I still like to read them in order.

Is that The Hollows series by Kim Harrison? If so, I enjoyed the books, but was not enamoured with them. I have had Pale Demon since March and not read it yet because I've had other books that I've been waiting to read. If I loved the series I would've read it right away.

t'irla wrote: "I have only read book 1 in the Hollows..I wasn't loving it..is it worth keeping reading? does it get better?"

Ihad the whole series and was dissappointed by it.
Didnt' keep em.

t'irla wrote: "I have only read book 1 in the Hollows..I wasn't loving it..is it worth keeping reading? does it get better?"

I really like the Hollows series. Its one of my favorites.

Susan wrote: "t'irla wrote: "I have only read book 1 in the Hollows..I wasn't loving it..is it worth keeping reading? does it get better?"

I really like the Hollows series. Its one of my favorites."

I really liked it too. It is a series where all of characters are flawed. There are no good or bad guys/girls just less good or bad. It is one of my favorites as well.

I don't read out of other with the exception if the POV changes book to book. Then, it depends if I'm invested in the other POV. One example is the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. I only read the books with Elena as the POV. I just wasn't interested in the others.

I have to read the stories in order. I really look up the books before I can make sure. If you read BDB starting at Book 4, you wouldn't know about Marissa and Wrath being mated before Beth or that Brian O'Neill used to like Beth when he was a cop.

I just read the Hollows, Book 1: Dead Witch Walking. It took me 9 days to read the first 100 pages of that book. I read Halfway to the Grave in 1.5 days.

I felt like I was treading through muddy water and each step was excruciating. But after the first 100 pages, Dead Witch Walking got interesting. I am going to read Book 2. I have a 2 book limit on a series. But I have to believe that this series must be good or there wouldn't be Book 9: Pale Demon. It is one of those you have to wade through the mud to get to the clear water--Book 3 and up. I have book friends who swear that the series gets SO MUCH Better as it goes along. So I am going to try it.

I mean, one of my favorites, The Darkyn series was cancelled after Book 7. Well, the spin-offs are still going.

I would rather read them in order but for like the In Death series by J.D. Robb it came out long before I was born so there is no possible way I can start at the beginning of it. So based on that no I am not real strict on the order that I read them in.

It really depends on the series of it makes since if you read it out of order. For example the In death series it made's sense if you read out of order because it's centring around the case that the character's work in that one book it just make it a series because it has the same characters in it. But for some series that The Hunger Games if they are read out of order then not only do get confused you know what happens and you go to read the book before it, it just takes all the magic out of it....So like I said it depends on the series you read.

I agree that it depends what series it is, as many are the same series, but the MCs are different characters in each book. But if the MCs are the same all the way through I won't read out of order