It’s a big Monday in my world – I’m back at my job, as opposed to home with Baba O’Riley in my slippers watching public television in HD. So since I’m wearing shoes and socks as opposed to slippers and have on a completely matching and professional-looking outfit, of course my brain, it is not focused. It’s been largely in “WTF?” mode all day.
So all that is a long way of saying, “Oops. I forgot.” My head, and 3/4 of my cleavage, are on Romance Novel tv today, talking about series books, and what I like about them, and what I don’t. I talk with my hands a lot, too. Why do I do that? No idea.
Either way – enjoy.
here’s a question, though.
between stand alone books and series books, which do you prefer?
i love the pull of series books(like Kenyon and Ward, who have a whole cast of characters/different worlds) but some of my favorite books of all time are books that stand by themselves and don’t have sequels or prequels and aren’t part of a series.
so i possed the question to myself, that if ever i was going to write some trashy books, which kind would it be?
i’m still waiting back on the answer, but what do you all think?
I really don’t like books where there’s some sort of teaser ending. I want satisfaction and closure. I want to put that book down, close it and sigh happily.
Both series and stand alone books can do that, so I don’t have a problem with Series books per se. As a matter of fact, I like knowing the characters from book to book. Like Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonrider books. You learn their customs and who the important players are. But those are all stand alones based on the same world.
LIke I said, my problem is with books that give me this unsatisfactory ending. Leaving me hanging is NOT nice.
Bailey
I read both and enjoy both. But the books that have made been imprinted on my memory have been stand-alone titles. (“Whitney, My Love”, “House of Mirth”, “Northanger Abbey”, “Shanna”.)
Like, Bailey, I don’t prefer to be left hanging. With Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy I didn’t mind being left hanging at the end of The Golden Compass because I had all three books and read them one after the other. But with Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, I’m going a little nuts waiting for the next book (what and who is Jericho Barrons?!). For that reason, I sometimes withhold reading a series until it is all written, especially if I know that it will only be 3 or 5 volumes.
McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern, or Devreaux’s Montgomery/Taggert books are examples of what I really like in a series: a world or family that I can get to know but don’t absolutely have to read in any particular order to enjoy.
Marjorie Liu’s Dirk & Steele series is a treat. It’s building a community of characters whose stories are linked, but each book offers fresh dilemmas and something new in addition to the continuing story that connects them. I’ve found it compelling and refreshing.
stupid website wont let me watch the whole video, it cuts you off 20 seconds in and skips to the next vid, and i dunno how to fix it 🙁
Hope it went well. Tough one, that first day back with out the wee one.
I really dislike the current trend for longer series of 4-6 books or more. I particularly object to books wherein the alleged hero/heroine are shortchanged by too many scenes being given to secondary characters (i.e. future couples). Eloisa James does this all the time and it’s the reason why I no longer read her books.
I forgot to say that I miss old-fashioned trilogies. Catherine Coulter wrote several which I enjoyed immensely. She was also very good at not allowing secondary characters to take over, an art which so many current authors lack.
Most of my favorites are stand alone books. Although I really liked Nora’s trilogies, In the Garden and The Sister’s Island and Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series. I agree that cliff hanger endings suck. They make me feel like the author is setting me up to buy all of her books.
Mary
THANK YOU. I agree completely with what you are saying on the video. Series where I feel like I’m being toyed with and there is no end in sight drive me crazy.
I don’t like series longer than 3 books, as a rule… just because when they get longer, it usually ends up feeling like mostly filler, which I loathe.
I have only been able to get on the site once, and then it only played the Univ of Phoenix and book commercials. Where are you, Sarah, and how do I get to play you?
um…I meant that in a totally platonic way.
Srsly.