Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie — Series that I haven’t kept up with or finished

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a freebie, meaning we all pick whatever topic we feel like writing about.

I’m going to focus on series that I’ve at least started, or read a few books from, but haven’t finished. Some of these I intend to get back to, and some I likely never will. If you’ve read any of these and think I should commit to moving forward, please let me know!

My top 10 are:

The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey

Books I’ve read: #1 – 5
Books remaining: 4
Will I continue? Absolutely. I love these books — but they’re so big and involved that I need time in between volumes.

The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski

Books I’ve read: I’ve gotten through 4
Books remaining: 4 more
Will I continue? Maybe. I’ve lost a little steam, and I’m kind of far ahead of the Netflix series. I’ll probably hold off for a while and then see if I feel like getting back into the books.

Cormoran Strike books by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)

Books I’ve read: #1 – 4
Books remaining: One more so far
Will I continue? I’d say no. I’m so turned off by JKR at this point that I no longer want to buy new books or support her. (Although as a die-hard Harry Potter fan, I can’t say I won’t be spending money on her works at all… inconsistent, I know, but there you have it.)

Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Books I’ve read: #1 – 3
Books remaining: 3
Will I continue? Probably not. I really enjoyed the first three books, but there was a satisfying ending to the original trilogy, and I haven’t felt the need to continue. But feel free to try to convince me otherwise!

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Books I’ve read: #1 – 4
Books remaining: Thousands. (Actually, depending how you count, I think it’s 37, but it’s hard to say how many books are in the main series vs related spin-offs. I think.)
Will I continue? Maybe… ??? I started with the grand idea of reading one book per month, in release order, but only stuck with it for 4 months. People warned me not to go chronologically, but did I listen? I may dip back into the Discworld books, but not any time soon.

All Souls series by Deborah Harkness

Books I’ve read: #1 – 3
Books remaining: One (so far)
Will I continue? Yes. I loved the original trilogy, and I have a copy of the 4th book, Time’s Convert. The only reason I haven’t read it yet is that I think I’d need a major refresher on the original books before I read it. Maybe once the TV series airs its 3rd season, I’ll feel more prepared.

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan

Books I’ve read: #1 – 4
Books remaining: 2
Will I continue? It’s possible — but I’d have to start over again at the beginning if I were going to have any hope of following the story. I did like the volumes I read, so maybe eventually.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Books I’ve read: #1 – 4
Books remaining: 1 novel and 1 novella, so far, more to follow
Will I continue? Yes. I really do want to read more Murderbot! Just haven’t made time yet.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Books I’ve read: #1 – 2
Books remaining: 14 so far
Will I continue? Unlikely. I enjoyed the first book, wasn’t as gripped by the second, and don’t feel much of a need to continue.

The Poldark Saga by Winston Graham

Books I’ve read: #1 – 7
Books remaining: 5
Will I continue? Possibly. I enjoyed them all so far, but in conjunction with watching the TV series. Now that the show has wrapped up, I have less incentive to keep going with the books, which move beyond the events covered by the show.

Have you read any of these series? And if so, which do you think I should make a priority to continue?

What TTT topic did you choose this week? Please share your links!

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2Jan2021

Reading goals: Series to read in 2021

Posted in Bookish Thoughts by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome, 2021! I’m so glad you’re here at last!

I’m not a big fan of new year’s resolutions, and I generally don’t set a lot of reading goals. My reading north star is to read whatever, whenever, according to my whims and moods (although I do try to keep up with my ARCs, more or less according to publication dates).

I do like to plan ahead at the start of a year when it comes to my series reading. A new year is a fresh start when is comes to starting a series that I’ve been wanting to get to. For me, series are most enjoyable when I can read all (or at least, a bunch) of the books in a row, or at least within a few months of each other.

Of course, all of this is subject to change as the year progresses. Still…

In 2021, my priority series to read will be:

The Modern Faerie Tales trilogy by Holly Black – I read (and adored) Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series in 2020, and now I want to read everything else she’s written! I’ll start with these:

The Plantagenet and Tudor novels by Philippa Gregory – of the 15 books in this historical fiction series, I’ve read 5 at random times over the last several years. Nine more to go! (I’m inspired, having watched the Starz TV series inspired by several of these books.)

The Expanse by James S. A. Corey: This was on my list last year too! I seem to manage to read only one book per year. I’ve read books 1 – 4 already, and want to keep going! Hopefully, I’ll read more than one in 2021. Next up for me is:

Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery – I’ve been wanting to read this trilogy since reading the Anne of the Green Gables books a couple of years ago.

Inspector Gamache books by Louise Penny – I want to at least start this series this year. There are 16 books published so far! Seems daunting, but I want to give them a try.

Also for 2021, I want to either start, get back to, or revisit some of these others:

The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowksi – I’ve read 3 books, 5 more to go
The Diviners by Libba Bray – I’ve read the first book, but at this point I’d need to re-read it before continuing (four books in all)
Wolfsong series by TJ Klune – I really want to read more by TJ Klune in 2021, and I’ve heard this series is great
Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom – I’ve been meaning to start this series for a long time, so maybe this will be the year
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny – this is a BIG maybe for me. I read books 1 – 5 of this series ages and ages ago, but I’ve always meant to go back and read books 6 – 10… which means I’d need to start over from the beginning. I remember loving it at the time — so yeah, maybe.

Are you planning to start any new series this year? If you’ve read any of the series on my “priority” list, let me know what you thought!

24Dec2020

A look back: Series reading in 2020

Posted in Bookish Thoughts by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Remember January? Those good old days when we left our houses? Didn’t think twice about breathing the same air as other people? Sigh…

Back in January, oh so long ago, I set myself some reading goals related to reading book series. And now that 2020 is about to expire (and good riddance!), I thought it was time to check in and see whether I met any of my series reading goals.

Here are the books I set as my priorities for 2020:

The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal – a five-book series:Status: DONE! I listened to the audiobooks, one right after another, and loved the individual books as well as the over-arching storylines. All-around excellent world-building and storytelling. I just wish there were more set in this world!

The Interdependency Series by John Scalzi – a science fiction trilogy:

Status: DONE! Such a fun sci-fi adventure. I’d been hesitant about reading these books, expecting them to be too much on the “hard” side of science fiction — but thanks to the author’s never-fail humor and snark, the books flew by and were totally entertaining.

The Expanse by James S. A. Corey: More science fiction! Prior to 2020, I’d read books 1 – 3, and my goal was to keep going.

Status: A little bit of progress… I read book #4, but didn’t go any further. Yet. I do intend to keep going with the series, and since the final book is due out in 2021, I suppose I’d better get moving!

Poldark by Winston Graham – 12 books in all, and as of the end of 2019, I’d read seven.

Status: Nope. I didn’t read any additional books in this series, and honestly, I doubt that I will. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read, but now that the TV adaptation has ended, I don’t feel all that invested in continuing (especially since the books from this point out supposedly focus on the next generation of characters).

Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black – a fantasy trilogy:

Status: YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES! Not only did I read the three books early in 2020, all right in a row, I ended up listening to all the audiobooks toward the end of the year. And I loved them so, so much! Such a great story, with fantastic characters.

Those are all the series that I set as my goals at the beginning of the year. I also ended up reading one additional trilogy, not on my original list:

The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club by Theodora Goss: A fabulous trilogy starring the cast-off daughters of famous fictional men — the daughters of Dr. Jekyll (and Mr. Hyde), Victor Frankenstein, and more. The books are clever and funny, and feature strong, amazing women having great adventures. Totally delightful.

So, farewell to 2020! And onward to 2021!

Did you read any series in 2020? Any particular favorites?

Check back in January, when I’ll set a new batch of series reading goals for the new year.

5Jan2020

Reading goals: Series to read in 2020

Posted in Bookish Thoughts by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I always see a new year as a clean slate for my bookish dreams.

I tend not to set specific reading goals, other than keeping up with the books I buy and the never-ending ARCs waiting to be read.

But where I do like to plan ahead at the start of a year is with my series reading. A new year represents a chance to tackle a series that I’ve been wanting to get to. For me, series are most enjoyable when I can read all (or at least, a bunch) of the books in a row, or at least within a few months of each other.

Bearing in mind that none of this is written in stone, since my reading plans change with my changing moods…

In 2020, my priority series to read will be:

The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal – a completed five-book series:

The Interdependency Series by John Scalzi – the 3rd book in the trilogy will be released in April, so this might be a good time to get started!

The Expanse by James S. A. Corey: I’ve read books 1 – 3 already, and need to get back into the story! Watching season 4 of the TV series is helping a lot with my motivation! Next up for me is:

And who knows, maybe I’ll keep going. There are 8 full novels in the series so far, all over 500 pages, so I have my work cut out for me.

Poldark by Winston Graham – 12 books in all, and I’ve read 7. My understanding is that book #8 jumps ahead quite a bit and takes place after the events of the complete TV series, so I’ve been less eager to move forward with this one. Still, I really should see how it all works out!

Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black – I just bought myself a copy of The Cruel Prince, and assuming I like it (and why wouldn’t I?), I’ll want to read all three books!

That’s it for my 2020 priority list… but wait, there’s more!

I still have my eye on a bunch of series/trilogies/what-have-you that I intend to read… eventually. Maybe 2020 will finally be the year… and maybe not. My will-get-to-at-some-point list of series includes:

Kitty Norville urban fantasy series by Carrie Vaughn
Parasitology trilogy by Mira Grant (because even though the subject is totally icky, I think these are her only books that I haven’t read yet, which is unacceptable!)
Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness
The Last Policeman trilogy by Ben H. Winters
Wayward Pines books by Blake Crouch
Inheritance trilogy and/or Broken Earth series by N. K. Jemisin

Are you planning to start any new series this year? If you’ve read any of the series on my “priority” list, let me know what you thought!

25Jan2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Top ten series I want to read in one gulp

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a freebie, meaning we can choose whatever we feel like writing about. Since I’ve still been thinking about my New Year’s resolutions and whether they’re going to end up being doable, I thought I’d tie my top 10 list this week to one of my resolutions: Reading new-to-me series all in a row, rather than reading individual books in a series as they become available. You can read more about this resolution here.

Here are the series I’ve yet to start (or in some cases, continue past the first book to the end) — but when I do finally read them, I want to read them all in one big gulp, bingeing from start to finish:

Note on images: With the exceptions of #1 and #10 below, all photos are taken by me. What can I say? I was bored and felt like playing!

1) Curse Workers series by Holly Black: I’ve heard these are great, and I’m looking forward to finally reading them!

2) Miss Peregrine series by Ransom Riggs: I’ve read the first book, but by now I’ll need to start again at the beginning if I want to appreciate the rest of the trilogy.

3) The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss: Friends have been pushing me to start this series for years now, but I refuse to begin until I know the final book is on its way

4) Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie

5) The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh: The second book of this duology comes out this spring, and I’m going to wait until #2 is available before I start the first book.

6) The Last Policeman by Ben Winters: I’ve had these books for a while now, and just need to convince myself to get started.

7) Buffy, season 9 graphic novels: I have all of season 9 and most of season 10, but haven’t read any yet. I enjoy these most when I read a complete season all the way through… and I just need to pick a week to do it.

8) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: I guess this series isn’t completely finished yet, but I suppose I could read the first three and then see if I want to stay on the bandwagon.

9) The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny: I read books 1 – 5 of this series so long ago, but never read 6 – 10. I think I should start over again at the beginning and see it through, finally.

10) The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante: I haven’t read any of these, although I do have a copy of My Brilliant Friend on my Kindle. I keep hearing how wonderful these books are, and I think I should make a point of at least starting the series in 2016.

I always love freebie weeks — it’s such fun to see what everyone else has come up with! Please share your links so I can check out your TTT posts!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out my regular weekly features, Shelf Control and Thursday Quotables. Happy reading!

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