I am literally counting down the days until certain books in different series I'm reading are released. One is coming at the end of this month, another in May, another in August, one in October...if you know me well enough I bet you can tell me every single book I'm anticipating. And boy am I! I actually pencil in book release dates into my planner before I pencil in birthdays...er...well...ok I do! I mean, facebook keeps track of birthdays for you;) I also try to bribe or flirt with book sellers to pull books out for me the day before their release...I mean, I KNOW they're in the back room, and seriously, if it's a soft release date where's the harm...
Anyway, I'm not a huge re-reader except for several outstanding faves, but I do like to reread a series just before a new book is released. So this week I did...and now...I'm kind of sorry. Because the waiting is quite possibly going to kill me.
And it kind of made me wonder, how do you guys feel about book series/approach them.
Honestly, I'm the kind of person who likes to come in near the end. Some masochistic part of me enjoys the waiting, and the prolonged anticipation and excitement of a new release, plus the chance to stalk message boards and search for a mixture of theories and spoilers. But...only to a certain extent. I like being able to zip through several books of a great story in one sweep.
As much as I pride myself on being one of the first to read The Hunger Games (and yes I was, I had an arc....more about what I'm thinking of doing with that arc later *wink wink*) I kind of envy those people who haven't started yet, because soon you can actually read all three books at once and rest easy instead of spending the better part of two years biting your nails like I have. I came into the Harry Potter series when there were 4 books released, which was AWESOME and then horrible. Twilight caught me when there were already 3 books out. Luckily, I got to zip through The Mortal Instruments in one ride.
But after rereading this series which seriously guts me more than anything I've ever read....I'm wondering how much more I can take. I'm only a fan of series that have grand arcs, one overlying story spread across each book, instead of individual adventures. And I'm starting to feel like, OMG I can't stand the waiting anymore....I'm not exactly the most patient person in the world ;)
So anyway, how do you feel about series? Are you a fan? Do you like being able to follow a character for a long time? Or do you need to have the entire story wrapped up in one go? Do you torture yourself with waiting for new releases? Or are you the sort of person who waits until a series is complete (with good reviews) and then starts reading.
And if you're like me and writing a series....do you think you're going to torture your readers the way my favorite authors are torturing me (in a good way)?
I usually catch on to serieses *cough* after all the books are out. The Hunger Games is the series I remember being the most invested in, and the wait has been agonizing.
ReplyDeleteAll the books I've ever written are stand-alones. Writing a series sounds intimidating!
I love series! I actually enjoy the anticipation. I also came into HP when there were 4 books out, and although I had fun reading them straight through, I had even more fun obsessing over possible endings and attending midnight release parties - something I never would have been able to do if I had waited for all 7 books to come out. One of my best nights ever was the Deathly Hallows release - that slightly queasy feeling in my stomach, than staying up all night to read...awesome.
ReplyDeleteTwilight I read straight through, after Breaking Dawn came out. In that case, I'm glad I did. Just rip off the Band Aid and move on with my life ;) But with HG I'm really loving waiting for Mockingjay. I read HG about a month or so before CF came out, and that wait wasn't so bad...but this one is amazing! I've got the Mockingjay release on my calendar, and I can't wait! I might even take the day off to stay home and read.
I'm writing a series, too. The first book will end kind of open-ended, not too cliffhangery but make it clear there's more to come. So it's not torture, but I want to leave people wanting more. The second book, if I'm able to make it there, will definitely be more cliffhanger, and probably the third one, too (right now I have plans for four books, but it may go down to three.) The torture is part of the fun!
I love series but fail miserably when it comes to finishing them. I don't often pay attention to when books are released or not. Seems I usually start a series when they are almost done. However, sometimes I don't know another books is going to be released and think the series is over. Dragonlance was one such. I read the set of autumn, winter, spring and the last book I read felt complete. Found out years later another book was published in the series. Haven't read it.
ReplyDeleteI stopped reading when I was in the middle of several series. School got in the way. I have only read three books of Jordan's series. I still love the series to the point of I don't care what anyone else says about it. In fact, I don't want to hear other opinions on it. I want to read the whole series and with the last book out I should but it's on my list of like 100 books to read and more come out every month. *sighs*
I'm also writing series. I tried to have a standalone idea for my first book to try publishing and it doesn't work so well. The one that is one that is a standalone I don't care to publish right now. The rest are all series and mega series (mutants and such). I just can't help myself. Even when I plan things to be simple they explode in front of me. Blood Prophesy was a two book idea, I swear. Silver's book and Phoenix's. Now there is an epic war and I don't know how many books. Seems, not only am I not a short story writer, I'm not a standalone novelist either. Have my work cut out for me.
I am a series reader too. Not sure if I'll be a series writer or not yet.
ReplyDeleteI put off reading Catching Fire until this past weekend, because I wanted it fresh for MockingJay coming out. :)
My first book releases this October and my publisher told me book II in the series will come out in October of 2011. I think that's long enough! 1 year is perfect! To me, much longer than that is just too darn long! Although I'm extremely impatient regarding just about anything! Ask my poor, poor hubsand!! ;)
ReplyDeletexoxo -- Hilary
Hahaha great post! :) I counted down the days until Harry Potter #5 came out, which was on my birthday!! So I definitely can relate...ahh, waiting can be pretty difficult but in a strange way it is fun to build up the tension leading to the final release date! :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love book series...especially the ones like Harry Potter in which you can immediately identify with the characters and the characterization is so distinct with each person in the books.
Unlike you, I hate getting towards the end because I never want the series to end, period! Especially the REALLY good series. D:
The only bad thing about rereading
series is that, at least for me, I get to the point where I can't reread AT ALL anymore because the actual words get sooooo boring since I've already reread them a bajillion times. I'm still in love with the characters, the plot, and world in which the book takes place, but I cannot stand the books anymore. That transition/phase is pretty sad and depressing. :(
I like coming in near the end too, in series. I really don't love waiting, especially since I am not a hardcover buyer. If I come in late, I can get everything in paperback and let it sit neatly on my shelf! Better yet, I like to come into a series after it's been finished so that all the books are in paperback, and I don't have the first three in paperback and the last one in hardcover, all messing everything up! RAR!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'm going to be torturing my readers, exactly, but I do hope they'll be anxious to know what comes next.
I love series, but I'm like you, I enjoy when I can wait and read the whole thing through. I didn't read twilight until they were all out. I read Mortal Instruments all at once as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm counting down days to the next Vamp Academy book after reading the first ones in one frantic two week span and it's killing me.
There's something a little exciting about the anticipation, but patience is not my virtue.
Oh gosh, it's terrifying to think of people reading our book, let alone the entire series. I mean what if they hate the second book? How do you live up to yourself? Ugh, I think I feel an ulcer coming on.
ReplyDeleteI love series! If it's really good I don't mind it being very, very long :)
ReplyDeleteI have always loved series!! Ever since Sweet Valley High way back when...*sigh* Ok, so it's not exactly Hunger Games, but still! I hate saying goodbye to characters and I don't mind waiting and obsessing online about the next book! It's all part of the experience! :)
ReplyDeleteWe follow the same series! I'm doing Hunger Games on audiobook (not for the fainthearted - it's a struggle to still like a book after the v.o.'s stick their bizarre voices and pronunciations in) and I'm really happy that I came in so late.
ReplyDeleteI didn't start Twilight until the first movie was about to premiere, so that insomnia blew by quickly.
And I read Sookie Stackhouse after catching True Blood epi 1. Now I wait desperately for the latest book out in May...
Also a latecomer to HP, Blue Bloods, pretty much everything.
And great - now it looks like I have to start the Cassandra Clare series...
Sarah, hehehe. Writing a series is intimidating. I wanted to write a stand alone, but I dont think that way apparently.
ReplyDeleteHeather, yeah obsessing over Harry Potter was really fun! The midnight parties are THE BEST! Seriously, more book series need to have those. Im just getting weary of book series where you're literally dying for something to happen, but finding out what's next is always fun!
Dawn, Im the same way! I was supposed to write one book---I had another series in mind and wanted to write a stand alone to practice learning how to write a novel before I got to my series and the next thing I knew my stand alone was a duet and then a trilogy and now its 1 of 5 and the other series is in the trash.
Jemi, lucky. I need to reread in August.
Hilary oooh cool, congrats! That's awesome!!
The Red Angel,yeah I have mixed feelings, because its sad that the series is ending and you lose the anticipation of waiting and the excitement of reading a new book for the first time, but in a way its a relief to finally get to the happy ending!
Amalia, oh that actually bugs me. I like all of my books hardcover. It makes me nuts when I have two paperbacks bc I started late and then the rest are hard...or when a paperback suddenly turns hard. I want my books to match!
Roni, yeah Vamp Academy is one of the ones I mentioned waiting for--without actually mentioning it, hehhe--my may release.
LiLa, hahah relax! You'll be fine!!
Maria, yeah when I really love a series the longer the better!
Kelly, oooh I was a babysitter's club girl!
52 Faces, I want to listen to Hunger Games on audio but the sample I heard really puts me off, though its fun to listen in my car and I feel like Im getting more done.