Do you read books of a series in chronological order?

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 05 Aug 2015, 08:34

The only way to do it!

tldorenkamp · Post by **tldorenkamp** » 05 Aug 2015, 11:37

Absolutely!!! Some of the best series I've ever read, i.e. James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Suzanne Collins...they are individually good books, but they are so much more powerful if read in chronological order. You get to know the characters as though you know them personally; not to mention the suspense of finishing the last book in the series and having to wait for the author to write another!

Heidi M Simone · Post by **Heidi M Simone** » 05 Aug 2015, 15:21

I also read books in chronological order. If I didn't then I wouldn't feel right reading it, even if there's some background information given as part of the beginning of the book. I would be left with an unsettling feeling.

YoungersX2 · Post by **YoungersX2** » 06 Aug 2015, 12:35

I have to read them in order otherwise I feel completely lost.

kayla-b · Post by **kayla-b** » 06 Aug 2015, 13:27

I absolutely have to read books in chronological order! I read the first book in a series and accidently skipped to the last book and didn't even realize it! When I realized that there had been a book in the middle of the first and the one I had read it made much sense considering I did not understand half the stuff I was reading, I will never make that mistake again!

Supcoolfofa01 · Post by **Supcoolfofa01** » 10 Aug 2015, 15:30

Yes, I read books in chronological order because if I don't then I feel like I've missed a lot of important content. I dislike even reading the description of a book when I haven't read the others for fear it's going to give something away.

GreenBookworm · Post by **GreenBookworm** » 12 Aug 2015, 22:45

Yes, for reading a book the first time, always.

Morgan_Malone · Post by **Morgan_Malone** » 28 Sep 2015, 21:23

I definitely read all my series in order. Most of the time that is necessary to understand the building plotline, but there are some cases you can get away with reading a series out of order and it doesn't affect the quality of the series.

jessicamarie · Post by **jessicamarie** » 28 Sep 2015, 21:43

As a child there were certain book series with a rather large collection (The Boxcar Children, Sweet Valley, The Magic Tree House) that I did not read in order. As I went through my teen years and now into my 20's I like reading books in order because I always feel like I'm missing a piece if I don't. I do reread a lot and when I reread, I don't mind skipping around because I learn new things or pick up on things I didn't notice before.

Jschutte · Post by **Jschutte** » 29 Sep 2015, 19:40

Of course!! I feel so lost, like I missed something, if I don't read the series in order!

literarycat · Post by **literarycat** » 29 Sep 2015, 19:47

I think it depends on the series. LIke the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon doesn't need to be read in order. I actually happened to randomly pick up a book and became hooked. But the Paradise series by Ted Dekker needs to be read in order because it follows to time line. His other series The Circle series can begin out of order, but once you begin with a book you need to read it in order. Now that I have read a great deal of series, I do find it easier to read in order, but like Erasmus stated, so many now recap what happened in previous novels that you can read out of order.

quadbrookie · Post by **quadbrookie** » 30 Sep 2015, 08:59

I have to read the books in order. If I don't, I feel like I'm just reading a spoiler alert for the book I skipped!

anonanemone · Post by **anonanemone** » 30 Sep 2015, 09:19

I also try to only read books in order. It drives me crazy when the publisher doesn't include a page near the front that shows the order of the series.

If I see an interesting book but realize it is the second or third in the series I will either try to find the books before it or put it back down. I feel like you lose too much context on top of the general spoilers issue.

Amanda_Marie · Post by **Amanda_Marie** » 30 Sep 2015, 09:32

Is this even a serious question? Why would someone WANT to start a book series in the middle? Think of all the stuff one can miss in the beginning of a series.

My absolute favorite thing about reading is finding a new author, stumbling upon a new book, and then realizing that it's the first in a series and there is more to follow already written. Means I don't have to wait! Then I end up binge reading for days. *Geek alert*