Addicted To A Series?

[ned]

Andy McNabs Nick Stone series

[wolfsbane]

Know what you mean about LOTR - and I know, technicallt all one book.... I read somewhere that Tolkien was heartbroken that they wouldn't publish it in one, and that in fact the plan was to break it down into 6 due to a paper shortage? (can't remember where read.... perhaps dreamt that?!) I've read the Hobbit and attempted to read Silmarillion (if that's how it's spelt) but struggled with that one, definitely a 'thinking' book!!

 

[Anika]

I'm into the 'Barsetshire Chronicles' (Anthony Trollope) right now. Of the 6 volumes I have read 4--waiting for the 5th to arrive any day now via Amazon. I have to say, the second book: 'Barchester Towers' is my favorite, so far. The large cast of characters, all rather Dickensian in their quirkiness, are enough to be going on with, but the very droll humor kept me turning pages throughout. I only wish this series were longer.

[Vanwa]

Know what you mean about LOTR - and I know, technicallt all one book.... I read somewhere that Tolkien was heartbroken that they wouldn't publish it in one, and that in fact the plan was to break it down into 6 due to a paper shortage? (can't remember where read.... perhaps dreamt that?!) I've read the Hobbit and attempted to read Silmarillion (if that's how it's spelt) but struggled with that one, definitely a 'thinking' book!!

 

 

Tolkien wrote TH and after publication, the publishers wanted a sequel so Tolkien began writing LotR which took him many years to complete for various reasons. You are correct in saying that it is all one book, although it in fact comprises 6 volumes. Tolkien did wish it had been published as one book as this was the way he had written it. The publishers felt that it was simply too long to publish as such following the paper-shortages after the war, and divided the 6 sections into three books.

 

Silmarillion is the correct sp. Go you If you're not aware, TS is an account of the histories of Middle-earth, and was partly written even prior to TH, although Tolkien's notes were in such disarray that it was unpublishable prior to his death. After his death, his son Christopher compiled the notes into somewhat of a biblical form. The first two parts of TS are pretty much the story of creation, and following that are the accounts of events which lead up to TH and LotR.

 

Some of these events go back to the story of

Luthien and Beren who are referred to in LotR

and it also briefly describes

the history of Sauron and his service to the first dark lord, Melkor.

A lot of these events are expanded upon in other works published by CT, such as The History of Middle-earth. It is a known fact that most of Tolkien's works were published post-humously. Much of the information we have on the chronology of Tolkien's writing comes from The Letters of JRR Tolkien.

 

As for the readability of TS, if you can be persuaded to give it another go, it explains much about certain events in LotR. I would only say that you should attempt it with the same frame of mind one might read the Bible; viewing each chapter as an individual story rather than reading the entire book as if it were a whole novel.

 

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Aside from Tolkien, I have just finished rereading Goodkind's Sword of Truth series yet again, and found it just as moving and compelling as every other read of it before.

 

Mum very nicely took me Christmas shopping a couple of weeks ago, so come Christmas day I will be reading Angie Sage's latest Septimus Heap novel; Syren, and also Terry Brooks' latest Landover novel; A Princess of Landover.

 

@ Rawr: Dark Tower is incredible from the first line of the first book, to the last line of the last book The series is due a reread shortly, and I'm starting a collection of the graphic novels pertaining to the series. I have also recently obtained Everything's Eventual, which contains a short about the DT.

 

@ BookJumper: Thanks to you I am officially a Fforde fan, with the entire Next series currently sitting less than 5ft away. Unfortunately for various reasons my reading has been somewhat chaotic lately, so rather than getting my teeth into the rest of Something Rotten and then First Among Sequels I have set them gently aside and been rereading my old favourites!

[BookJumper]

@ BookJumper: Thanks to you I am officially a Fforde fan, with the entire Next series currently sitting less than 5ft away. Unfortunately for various reasons my reading has been somewhat chaotic lately, so rather than getting my teeth into the rest of Something Rotten and then First Among Sequels I have set them gently aside and been rereading my old favourites!

May I just quote Pratchett's ever-eloquent Opera Ghost and say, 'Ahahahahahahahahaha!!!!' ?

 

Unsurprisingly, you are doing much better than I am though you started much later - I am still halfway through TWoLP. Jasper deserves 100% of my unadulterated attention, and I can't give him that at the minute. If I leave it any longer I might have to start it again from the beginning when the time comes, which would bother me were he less of a Writer and kindred spirit.

 

I hope we both get to sink our teeth into the rest of his opera omnia soon .

[aquarius91]

The only series I've recently read was the Twilight saga.

 

I read the Harry Potter books (well sort of, up until book 4 I was transfixed, then I got bored, skipped books 5 and 6 but read the 7th).

 

I quite liked knowing that once I'd finished the book the story wasn't yet over..there was more to be read. Until I finished Breaking dawn (the 4th and final twilight book), then I was a little annoyed. I certainly wouldn't mind starting another series.

[BigWords]

Flashman. Really, it's the one series I revisit constantly. Of course, I also have to pick up the Jerry Cornelius books every once in a while to make sure that the writing is still as good as I remember it being (it holds up, not brilliantly, but it holds up). The Sharpe books are also a favorite, so I guess that I have a thing for series...

 

I'm not going to mention the small mountain of Star Trek, Star Wars or Doctor Who books...

[Vladd]

Love the Flashman books, read the footnotes and you get a grounding in Victorian history as well. Just started book 2 of the Dresden Files

[Univerze]

Oh I am addicted to series, all the way. Best part of it is, that when you've gotten comfy in a certain world, you don't have to say goodbye all too soon. It's gotten to a point where I regret when a book is not part of a series.

I love the Anita Blake Vamprie Hunter series by Laurell Hamilton, there are like 17 or more books already, and even though I wonder how far you can go with any series, I love getting back into that familiar world, especially when times are tough and I am in need of some comfort reading. They're easy books to read too, a bit of fluff so to speak. Her Merry gentry series is great too, but not as great as Anita Blake.

Harry Potter series ofcourse.

The Kushiel's Dart and Treason's Heir series by Jacqueline Carey, I love and treasure these both, though they aren't real series but just trilogies.

 

Besides this, I don't know. Oh wait, the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. Have read them all, and even though I don't like the last few books as much, it's still one of my favourite series.

Oh and Dragonriders of Pern, Anne MacCaffrey, and Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time series, haven't read all of those yet, our local library doesn't have them all, and I don't have so much money I can buy them all.

 

Anyway, as you can see, I love series.

[Vladd]

How far have you got with Jordan's WOT Univerze? A lot of people seem to give up after book 6 or so.

[Kate]

I love the Discworld books and the Harper Connelly series. I enjoyed The Shopaholic series too!

[Vanwa]

How far have you got with Jordan's WOT Univerze? A lot of people seem to give up after book 6 or so.

 

I'm up to book 9. I have by no means given up, I just need a bit of a financial time-out.

[*phoenix*]

I'm addicted to Harry Potter, a bit to Twilight, and Lord of the Rings, too.

[Univerze]

How far have you got with Jordan's WOT Univerze? A lot of people seem to give up after book 6 or so.

Guess I did the same.. think I have read about half the series. I plan on buying them all now, so I can re-start any book when I want to instead of having to wait for the library to get them again. They always just have one copy of each book, so they're never available.

 

But I'm there with you Vanwa, the cheapest copies I can find are 10 euros a piece, for paperbacks, so all the series isn't cheap.

[poppyshake]

I remember being well and truly hooked on the 'Poldark' books ... and of course 'Harry Potter' and the 'Narnia' books.

I've read most of the 'Jeeves and Wooster' books and am into reading Wodehouse's 'Blandings' books now.

 

I do love Marian Keyes books about the Walsh family, they're hilarious .. 'Watermelon', 'Angels' Anybody Out There' and 'Rachels Holiday' ... there's still one to come I hope about the youngest member of the clan Helen.

 

Not forgetting 'Discworld' .. Pratchett is a genius.

[Cookie]

Sookie Stackhouse series had me obsessed, I read them all in about 3 weeks and then had to wait ages for the next one!

 

Anita Blake Series...I've just finished number 13 and am thinking of quiting but I just don't like to admit defeat!

 

Have read all the Harry Potter books and the Twilight series.

 

Have read about half of the Disc World novels too.

 

I have also read all of the Thursday Next series and the Nursery Crimes books.

 

I have also read the House of Night series.

 

Anyone thinking I'm obsessed with series? I hadn't realised I'd read so many until I listed them...

[Maureen]

I love serieses (is that a word? lol). I just love it that I know the characters and loads of background.

[Nicola]

I've noticed that I tend to read more books that belong to a series than any other recently. My Favourite series are:

 

Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice (currently reading these)

Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charliane Harris (waiting for the next book which is taking far too long)

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer (like everyone else, I caught the bug )

Harry Potter - JK Rowling (I must have read this series about 9 times)

The Lincoln Rhyme Series - Jeffrey Deaver (still making my way through this series. Got stuck in the middle of The Stone Monkey a few months ago but haven't picked it up again. Will improve efforts in 2010!)

The Tudor Series - Phillippa Gregory (making my way through these at the moment. They're great )

The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini (waiting for the last book to be published but there isn't a date yet )

 

I also tend to get obsessed with the odd author and make it my goal to read everything that they've ever written

[BookJumper]

I love serieses (is that a word? lol).

Not really the plural of 'series' is (quite originally, methinks) 'series'.

[Maureen]

You're right. The plural of series is series.

[Chrissy]

I prefer to think of it as seri, as in "I am enjoying this wonderful seri". This would work for one series, but I think it should be serieses for multiple series readers.

 

What do you think ~ do you think they will catch on if I use them enough?

[Maureen]

I'm in! Will use serieses. (meaning lots of them ) It's very practical after all! :lol:

[burnsrunner]

Yes, I all ready know you have heard this one a thousand times, but I am addicted to the Twighlight Series.

[Katrina1968]

"serieses" sounds like Gollum!

[chesilbeach]

I found another new series at the end of last year, and this proves the sort of addict I am, I read all five books in the Missing series by Meg Cabot in the space of four days! I know they are an easy YA series, but I loved them, and as usual, once I start a series I have to read all the book as soon as I can.