Years ago I didn't follow too many mystery series. I'd read the latest and then anguish for a year until the next installment was published. That was then. This is now. I follow too many series with great new ones I'd like to try continually popping up.
One of the problems I face is time. There's simply not enough time to read everything I want before new books are published. It also seems that some series are published more than once a year. That's great when you really want to know what happens next. Not so great when you discover you can't possibly keep up!
More and more cozy mysteries also seem to be published. There's something for everyone. If you have as many interests as I do, this spells trouble.
Knowing how important it is for the first book in the series to do well, I've recently bought many "First in the Brand New Series" books...but if I keep buying them, what happens when the second and third books come out of the series I bought first? Honestly, some get forgotten. Then I see the title mentioned and I realize I'm a book or two behind. Especially when I don't start the series as soon as it's published.
There's also the "missing book" issue. Since I can't afford to buy all the books I read, I rely on the library. However, they oftentimes don't have all the books in the series-so I get stuck, since I read them in order. That's what happened to me with a few series I really like.
There are sooooo many series I follow I sometimes get them confused. I was reading one book when one of the secondary characters did something out character. Then I realized that I was thinking of a character with the same name...but in a different series!
I recently went to the library to try to play catch up with a few series. While I got some books I needed...I also picked up a few "first in the new series"...some which also had the second book as well. I guess I'll never learn...or catch up.
With so many new books being written, almost all of which are great reads, I sometimes wonder if it's too much of a good thing. But I'll happily keep reading.
I completely can relate to your post. I also use the library frequently to catch up and keep up with all the series that I am reading. It frustrates me so bad when they have all the books but one and its usually that critical one right in the middle. Drives me nuts. I found a website that helps me keep all my cozy mystery series in order and you might want to check it out. It's called fictfact.com and it tells you all the books in a series in order and when the next one in the series is set to be released. It's a godsend for a series reader like myself.
ReplyDeleteKimberlee
http;//girllostinabook.blogspot.com
I haven't heard of fictfact.com, but I've used fantasticfiction.co.uk and fictiondb.com to find lists for series.
DeleteI'm unfamiliar with those sites. I'll have to check them out. I use stopyourekillingme.com. It's a great reference listing series in order, upcoming releases, links to author websites, and so on.
DeleteI have this same problem. It is incredibly difficult to both keep up with new series and continue with these series as they grow. I end up reading a lot of 'bk 1's and not as many 2, 3, 4s, etc. And I don't just read cozies, so I also have the other genres to consider!
ReplyDeleteI too read other genres-it's tough!
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