I just finished the first book of Brandon Sanderson – The Way of Kings. I'm a very casual reader. I can read every day, ranging from a few pages to a chapter. The book took me nearly 6 months to read (it's more or less a thousand pages).
I loved it, and I'm really looking forward the next one, but I also like to diversify the books I read and immerse myself in different universes. I tried taking a break in the past on another serie, but then I lost track of the story and characters when I got back to it, and ultimately, lost interest.
Would love to hear everyone's approach for book series!
by DaArio_007
9 Comments
Depends on how long the series is. A trilogy, I will read in one go. More than that (>3), I’ll have a palette cleanser book after book 3 before reading the rest of the series.
I binge. Can’t help but do so.
I have a TERRIBLE memory for books/TV shows etc, I’m talking I will forget even the overall plot of a book I’ve read in a matter of months, so if a new book is released in a series I have to go read all of the preceding books back to back first 😅
On the bright side, because I’ve forgotten all the details it’s not too arduous, if I’ve only read the book once before it’s like I’ve never seen it before. Maybe because I am constantly reading so the plotlines just get pushed out by the next book 😂
As a huge fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, I’ve chosen to take a break between books 5 and 6….
Stormlight is a serious undertaking for sure. I powered through the first two back-to-back, and got seriously burnt out on the series (despite how good they are). I’d definitely recommend a reprieve between books with something a little lighter because it took me a while to pick it back up after powering through the first 2.
I honestly tend to avoid reading series because it feels like too much commitment! I have been putting off the Broken Earth trilogy for years because I know that once I read the first one, I’ll feel compelled to keep going (unless I don’t enjoy it, of course) and won’t have as much variety in my reading diets as I like.
The last series I remember reading was Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet and I took a one-book break between each installment.
If it’s just a few books I usually read them in one go, but like right now I’m reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan which is 15 books and I did 1-4 in one go and then I took a bit of a break because I just got busy. I’m on book 5 now, but I’m still busy so I’m reading it much slower and will either not manage to finish it until I’m not busy anymore or I’ll wait a bit until I start with 6.
It depends on the book for me! If it gives me “book sickness” (coined by my mother, referring to books that you can’t stop thinking about after you finish, or books you want to crawl inside of and live in), I’ll go for the whole series. If I enjoyed it but would prefer to move on with my TBR pile first, I’ll come back to the series when I’m ready.
I usually have the about 3 books on the go at any point (a physical bed time read, and two audiobooks for chores/driving etc) so I’m sort of taking a break constantly that way. I do usually replace a book with the next in the series if I can. However the books are very large or emotionally taxing then I prefer give myself a few short or mentally easier books so I can get stuck in again.