Skip to main content

Second in a series-ness. A problem!

As a reader I love a good series. I've always loved catching up with characters and worlds I already know and love and getting just that little bit more of the story. Several of my favourite books are ones from series. Hell I was the girl who sulked for weeks when one of her best friend's said they were getting married on the release day of the final Harry Potter book because it meant I wouldn't be able to read it straight away.

However of late I've been having a bit of a problem.

Since starting blogging I've found the number of series I have on-the-go is astronomical. I'm always receiving the first book in a new series to try. Don't get me wrong I really love it and have found some real gens which I've loved.

The problem is that by the time I get book two in my hands I've sometimes lost that excitement and enthusiasm I had for that series purely because I've probably read at least another 100 books in the middle and therefore when I actually read it I've never as excited about the book as I probably should be.

Now is it me? Do I need to make the effort to re-read or not start the series at all until the entire thing is published and read them back to back? The problem is I often don't have the time to reread and sometimes I love getting involved in all the hype surrounding the release of a new book in a series.

Or is it the books? I am increasingly finding the thing I find most frustrating about second in a series books is that they don't always go anywhere and often set up even more questions in my mind that you just don't get the answers too as the author is holding back for the final book.

What do you think fellow book lovers? How do you get around it?

Comments

Series must be on peoples minds lately! I blogged and vlogged about them this week :'D

http://northernplunder.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/all-series-all-summer.html

I also have similar trouble though. I think it depends on how much you loved the first cause tbh most of the time once you start reading the second you soon remember what happened in the first.
Annette Mills said…
It's. it you. Many times I'm perfectly happy to read only the first book in the series. There's so many great books, that it has to be truly exceptional for me to commit to more than the first. Sometimes the next book falls in my lap and I'll read it, but usually I don't kick myself if I don't finish. I still haven't read Mockingjay. (I do intend to, though.)
Deborah Julene said…
I feel the same way!I'm usually hesitant at first to pick up the sequel, but once I start I begin to remember why I loved the first one so much. And then I sit in a corner and wait in agony for the third book, wondering if my heart will still be intact. And then I find a new series and repeat the cycle!
Pruedence13 said…
Unfortunately I have yet to find the cure to that one!
And it doesn't help that there's an increasing amount of trilogies and extraordinary depletion of stand-alones. The only advice I have been given and that I would gie is to either re-read the first prior to reading the 2nd (not always possible unfortunately) or perhaps re-read the synopsis and review u and others have written.

Not the most useful advice admittedly but still...

U must let me know if u find a better solution!!
Cliona said…
I totally agree! I felt the same way about Pandemonium and Insurgent. I just didn't have time to re-read Delirium or Divergent, so I wasn't as excited about them!

I find it easier to read books in a series all around the same time, but unfortunately that's usually not an option because there is like a year inbetween release dates! >:(
I think it's the wait in between. I love it when I can read a series back to back - or if I don't do that at least being able to read them close together at least. Many series have a year in between and it's a long time to wait. But I love series - I love revisiting the characters so I guess it's the pay off.
Leeanna said…
I prefer to wait until an entire series is available, but I usually get too excited about a book and don't wait. Second books tend to suffer from second book syndrome, with so many being a bridge between intro and conclusion.