[Conversations #5] In Favour of Book Series
Conversations is a new meme created by Geraldine and Joan to encourage more discussions in the book blogging community. Every fortnight, they post a question to respond to. Every fortnight, they post a question to respond to. I thought it would be fun, and I'm looking forward to read everyone's response!
Today, the topic is: Reading book series: yay or nay?
As you can tell by the title of this post, I love reading book series. The main reason for this is investment.
I like to get to know characters, and once I fall in love with them, I would want to read more of them. Similarly, I read a lot of fantasy, which often involves extensive world-building. Once I'm familiar with the world, I often want to stick with it and find out more about its corners. Both of these things can be set up in the first book. Afterwards, in the series, I know that the likelihood of me enjoying the story is quite high.
Sticking with a series lessens the risk that comes with reading a new book. That suits me well considering the amount of time and money a new book requires! Not that it's not an enjoyable venture, but sometimes it's nice to know I'm in familiar territory and not likely to be utterly disappointed.
That said, sometimes it's the prospect of that investment that stops me from starting a new series. Keeping up with a series can be exhausting! Plus, sometimes a series simply goes on for too long (looking at you, The Mortal Instruments), or takes forever in between books that you forget what was going on in the previous installments. I look at Sarah J Maas' Throne of Glass and George R R Martin's Game of Thrones, and I dread having to dive into them just because of their density.
All in all, I still prefer series over standalones. I'm a creature of habit; once I settle into something, I like to stick with it. :)
As you can tell by the title of this post, I love reading book series. The main reason for this is investment.
I like to get to know characters, and once I fall in love with them, I would want to read more of them. Similarly, I read a lot of fantasy, which often involves extensive world-building. Once I'm familiar with the world, I often want to stick with it and find out more about its corners. Both of these things can be set up in the first book. Afterwards, in the series, I know that the likelihood of me enjoying the story is quite high.
Sticking with a series lessens the risk that comes with reading a new book. That suits me well considering the amount of time and money a new book requires! Not that it's not an enjoyable venture, but sometimes it's nice to know I'm in familiar territory and not likely to be utterly disappointed.
That said, sometimes it's the prospect of that investment that stops me from starting a new series. Keeping up with a series can be exhausting! Plus, sometimes a series simply goes on for too long (looking at you, The Mortal Instruments), or takes forever in between books that you forget what was going on in the previous installments. I look at Sarah J Maas' Throne of Glass and George R R Martin's Game of Thrones, and I dread having to dive into them just because of their density.
All in all, I still prefer series over standalones. I'm a creature of habit; once I settle into something, I like to stick with it. :)
What about you?
Do you prefer series over standalones, or the other way around?
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Fab post :) It's always nice to really get to know characters etc., and you def. get more time to do that in a series :)
ReplyDeleteExactly! :D I like having the opportunity to get to know the characters.
DeleteI really like a mixture of both. I prefer a contemporary standalone, but when it comes to dystopian or fantasy, I really do prefer a series read as well. But the downside being how long you have to wait between installments. I can't wait for Empire of Storms, gosh it seems like it's been years since Queen of Shadows was released. Great post Cilla, really enjoyed it <3
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, I haven't read a contemporary series in some time! I think dystopian or fantasy are more suited to series, what with the amount of world-building they usually require. I hope Empire of Storms come out soon for your sake! Thanks for stopping by, Kelly! <3
DeleteA mixture of both is definitely the way to go, at least in my opinion. It just depends on how many pages the author feels they need to completely convey the story. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! <3
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, and hopefully the author doesn't drag out the story! Thanks, Zoe! <3
DeleteOooh, yeah totally agree! I treat TMI as two separate series, because it is that long - the first three books are one (because they focus on Valentine) and the last three as another (because they focus on Sebastian). That investment can be so tiring at times - but totally worth it when you have the right series!
ReplyDeleteTMI does feel like two separate series! I still think the last three were kind of unnecessary, though I was still absorbed in them when I was reading.
DeleteI like series, too. They're very fun, and especially if you join the series late, you have a whole booklist already prepared for you with a bunch of characters you're sure to love! Also, it helps you explore a world more deeply, and I always appreciate that. :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for stopping by Sometimes I'm a Story!
That is definitely an upside to joining a series late - no need to wait for ages for the next installment! Thank you for stopping by too, Heather! :)
DeleteI agree that I generally prefer series over standalones - but I think I like duologies and trilogies more than longer series.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I agree that I definitely like series more than standalones. I sometimes have a hard time keeping up with them/remembering what happened in the previous books, though, which is why I like to binge read the whole series once it's complete. I also enjoy companion novels, which is a fun way to still interact with characters and world even if it was a standalone.
ReplyDelete