Monday 16 August 2010

Stalling out on a Series

I started reading Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh this week - for the second time. For some reason I never made it past the first 50 pages on my first attempt. I'm not sure why because I love Singh's writing. I kind of noticed that I'm falling behind on the Changeling/Psy series and decided it was time I caught up before I got so far behind that I couldn't catch up.

This got me to thinking about the other series I no longer read - why did I stop reading them? Okay, some of them it was because they changed radically from the original concept but for some of them it seems I just stalled and never started reading them again. Are there any similarities between the series I've abandoned or is it just that I spend a lot less time reading now that I have in previous years. (Two or three years ago I'd manage at least three books a week, now if I manage one I'm doing well.)

So anyway I thought I'd look at a few of the series I'd stopped reading.


Changeling/Psy series by Nalini Singh. I have to admit this one is a bit of a mystery. (Not a good start to the post - sorry about that). I have the next two books in the series following Hostage to Pleasure on my TBR pile. But for some reason after I gave up on HtP the first time I just never got round to it again.


The Stardoc series by S. L. Viehl. Another series I love and stopped reading at Rebel Ice. Now I think I know the reason for this one. I seriously overglommed - I went into Cherijo overload. I think I read from Stardoc to Eternity Row in the course of two weeks. I need to go back and read the series from the beginning taking everything in properly. The thing I like about this series is that it has an end point. The last book (I think) has just been released. So now would be a good time to get back to it.

Stephanie Plum series. I stopped reading at book 8, possible earlier. This is the first series mentioned that I don't really have any interest in getting back to. Even though I have books 9 and 10 on my TBR pile. I think I realized I was reading the same book over and over. I also don't think it helped that at the time I was reading some fantastic fanfiction that dealt with Stephanie and Ranger in a much more interesting way than the series. I have the idea that the book that put me off is the one where Ranger and Stephanie finally got together (half a page IIRC) and after several books building up to a firework display complete with shooting stars...it was more of a damp squib really.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R.Ward. Now I'm very naughty with this series and I admit it. The main character I'm interested in is John Matthew and because of the way the books are structured you can flick through and read one character's arc and find out what happened to them first. However in Lover Avenged he turned into a bit of a wanker which kind of put me off reading the rest of the book properly.

I never got past the first book in Meljean Brook's brilliant Guardian series I think because they're just so darn long and I feel the need to have a large chunk of time available to sit down and read them. I read the first book on an 8 hour train journey. And I just haven't have any long train journey's since then. This is definitely another series I want to get caught up on. Love her writing and The Iron Duke is possibly the book I have most looked forward to in the second half of this year.

:sigh:

If nothing else this has helped me decide that my reading challenge for next year will be to catch up on as many series as possible.

So do you have any series that you've abandoned that you want to get back into? Or once you've given up do you never go back? I have a copy of Sexiest Man Alive by Diana Holquist to give away to one poster to this post. Winner to be chosen by random number at random.org on Saturday.

18 comments:

Marg said...

I stalled in the BDB series after Butch's story. Every time a new one comes out I think I should catch up, but then I forget about it a few days later.

I don't know why but I never got past the first Psy/Changeling book either. I loved that first one, but still haven't picked up the second years later.

LesleyW said...

Lesley - I struggled with what happened to V's heroine in the next book but kept going. The main part of the story I'm interested in now is Blay/Qhuinn.

And I'd definitely recommend giving the Psy/Changeling books another go.

Sullivan McPig said...

I'm stuck on the Sookie Stackhouse series. I'm trying to read Dead and Gone, but keep putting it aside. I'm just still mad at Sookie for treating Quinn unfair in my opinion and can't relate to her anymore (which has been difficult from the start anyway).

Chris said...

Not entering the contest. :)

You saw the writing on the wall long before I did re: Stephanie Plum. It is SO stalled. At this point, I want Joe and Ranger to ride off into the sunset together and ditch Stephanie!

I'm hanging in there on BDB, although I'm not sure I'll ever forgive her for wimping out on Butch and V.

I think I've run out of steam on the Dark Hunters/Dream Hunters - just too man damn books.

LesleyW said...

Sullivan - I've also stalled out on the Sookie series (around book 7 I think) but mainly because for a while the books became harder to get hold of in the UK - one reason I didn't mention in the post about series I've stalled out on.

Sookie Stackhouse, Harry Dresden and a couple of others I've stalled on because they became tricky to get hold of for a while and other series took over my interest. The Harry Dresden series I would like to get back into but it just hasn't happened yet. Maybe next year as part of the challenge.

LesleyW said...

Chris - I wish I'd seen the writing before I'd bought books 9 and 10. I love your idea about Joe and Ranger, :), I'm sure there's some fanfiction out there.

Sullivan McPig said...

@LesleyW: I gave up on trying to get hold of series I want to read in the local bookstores over here as they have the annoying habit of only stocking the newest book in a series and not the others. (except for Sookie Stackhouse and Anita Blake: those are stocked in ridiculous amounts and Sookie even in both US and UK editions.)
Bookdepository is my friend when it comes to buying series.

maered said...

I did not read any of the Dark Hunters after Acheron. The drop of quality in Kenyon's writing made it painful to even skim read.

The Stephanie Plum series hasn't evolved after 16 books, so whats the point of reading them?

Nicole said...

Not entering the contest this time... too many TBR books!

I stalled out on the BDB after Phury. I just didn't care about any of the characters anymore (and I never quite forgave her for Jane, either).

I also quit on the StarDoc books. (Though yes, the last one of those was just released.) I didn't like what happened to Cherijo in Rebel Ice enough to keep going, no matter how much I love Reever.

And I quite long ago with the Dark Hunter series. (Too long & similar.) Also the Immortals After Dark series. (Not really sure why, but now there's too many to catch up on.) And Holly Lisle's Secret Texts books. (Too heavy.)

I am fickle when it comes to series, it seems. :)

Stephanie said...

I stalled on the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian and the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine. I'm contemplating whether I should give them another try.

Skk25@aol.com

Donna said...

I gave up on two of Laurell Hamilton's series. They seemed to go on and on without anything coming to a satisfying conclusion. I like to read a series, but there has to be a bit of closure for some poor character. To go way back, I never finished the Wizard of Oz series, although I tell myself that doesn't really count because there were different authors. ;)

Please enter me in your contest.

Anonymous said...

I need to catch up on the In Death series, Janet Evanovich's series and a couple more. sigh.....

I just read Demon Blood by Meljean Brook and am totally hooked. I love long books and these are so multi-layered....yummy. Now I have to get the rest and like you, I am longong for The Iron Duke.

Valerie
valb0302@yahoo.com
in Germany

Anonymous said...

I have given up on the Sookie Stackhouse series and gave up several book back on the Stephanie Plum series. Samee old, same old.

sfbeader@aol.com

Anonymous said...

I wasn't too crazy about this years batch of the Virgin River Series by Robyn Carr. There are too many characters in the series that I like to entirely give up and this series always comes with my book club mailings. It's just that I didn't enjoy the new characters as much and I didn't rush to finish the books like I normally do.
Found out about your blog from the Stumbling Over Chaos Blog.

lenikaye@yahoo.com

LesleyW said...

Sullivan - I love the book depository too. They are great for getting hold of books that AmazonUk seem to have trouble with.

Maered - I have a soft spot in my heart for the Dark Hunter series. But I haven't read any of the latest books. For me the series peaked with Dance with the Devil. I have Acheron on my TBR pile though.

LesleyW said...

Nicole - I also have a major problem with Jane in the BDB. And you're making me a little worried about Rebel Ice. (I love Reever too).

Stephanie - eek. Two more series I have also stalled on. I can see that my series challenge for 2011 is going to have a lot of books to cover.

LesleyW said...

Donna - I stopped reading the Anita Blake series after the one with Cerulean in the title. Now I'm hoping there was one with C... in the title and I'm not just making that up. I've only kept the series up to Blue Moon on my shelf, the others I've passed on.

Valerie - the In Death series is one I've given up on. But I have a three hour train journey coming up in October so I hope to read the next in the Guardian series then.

LesleyW said...

Sfbeader - I've stalled on the Sookie series because they became tricky to get hold of in the UK for a while. And I think once you lose momentum as a reader it's hard to get it back.

Leni - welcome! I hope you'll pop back I try to post a few times a week, though don't always manage it. I hate when you're stuck on a series waiting for the author to write about the one character you're interested in and it seems that every other character in the book is getting their story instead.