Thoughtful Thursday: Favorite Series Type

Thoughtful Thursday

It is time for Thoughtful Thursday and the bookish questions that pop up while I am reading. Please share your thoughts on the bookish question of the week. I am curious to hear what you have to say! There are no wrong answers. Questions about Thoughtful Thursday or future Thoughtful Thursday posts? Check out my Thoughtful Thursday section. Alright, on to the question! 


There are lots of different types of series. For example, there are series that are just one long story (e.g., The Lord of the Rings), there are series that follow a character on a set of different adventures (e.g., The Dresden Files and The Sookie Stackhouse novels), and there are series that are a collection of stand alone novels all within the same universe (e.g., Star Wars Universe). What is your favorite type of series?

Last year, I read Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. I remember being super frustrated with the book, because I didn't feel that there was enough of a plot for the book to stand alone. I felt cheated that the action was just revving up and the book ended with "to be continued." Everyone I knew loved the book, and I just felt annoyed with it, even though I liked the writing and the world building (what can I say, I am a plot girl). Anyway, a few months ago, I read a blog post by Jo Walton (of Among Others fame) discussing different types of series. This post opened my eyes. I discovered that I had a very narrow view when it came to what a series should look life. Specifically, I thought that a series should follow the same character throughout the series and that each book should have a (mostly) stand alone plot. In Walton's post, she discussed my stereotypical series, but she also discussed series that are only considered a series because all of the books take place in the same universe (i.e., books follow different characters) and series that are technically one long book broken down into multiple books. Walton really put me in my place. With this dramatic shift in my world view, I suddenly appreciated the "to be continued" ending to Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I couldn't compare Daughter of Smoke & Bone to the Harry Potter series, because these two series were two very different creatures. 

Although I am now aware of these different types of series and I don't get as frustrated when a series book doesn't end with a super satisfying conclusion, I still prefer my series to follow one protagonist (or a few protagonists) and to have books with satisfying conclusions (series arcs are okay, but I want some closure at the end). I feel this way for two reasons. One, once I start to care about a character (or characters), I don't want to move on to different characters in a later book. I want to know when I pick up a book in a series, my beloved characters are going to be in it. Two, I hate cliffhangers in books unless I have the next book waiting for me. I don't need all of the answers at the end of a book, but I need enough to feel like I didn't waste my time. I guess I feel that I meander enough in my own life, I need more direction in my books. ;)

Now it is your turn! What is your favorite type of series?



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