The Summer Series Challenge has begun!
Lauren @ Love is not a triangle
Follow #serieschallenge
Today I have a very special treat for all of you.
Hannah from So Obsessed With has stopped by to talk about being a series addict.
She also wrote the most thorough, inspiring Summer Series Challenge Goal Post that I've seen. Go look at it while you're on her site.
Without further ado, I give you Hannah:
I'm Hannah, And I'm A Series Addict
When Lauren approached me about guest posting for the Summer Series
Challenge, I was ecstatic. There are few things I love more than a good series,
which is a fact that's clearly evident with one glance at my bookshelves or my
Kindle collections. I am absolutely, 100% a series addict.
I did an informal count for this post, and I was shocked to find out
that I own at least one book from more than 60 series. And in most cases, I've
purchased every available book in that series. There's just something so
comforting to me about sitting down with a bunch of books that belong together.
I love knowing that I can get attached to the characters and immerse myself
into their world!
How I Became Addicted
I've actually loved series from the very beginning of my reading
journey. Some of my favorite books when I was younger attest to that - Anne
of Green Gables, Little House, Dear America, American
Girls and the Saddle Club books. Even at that age, I understood the power of a
well-written and engrossing series.
So many of my childhood memories involve these books. From reading the American
Girl books in bed with my mom to going to the bookstore to pick out a
new Dear America book, I was addicted to the experience of reading a
series. Each new book meant another adventure!
10 Signs You're Addicted to Series
If you think you recognize yourself in my words, here are some
indicators that can help you determine if you're a series addict, too:
- Series outnumber stand alones on your shelves.
- You’ll buy an entire series before you've even finished the first book.
- You search Goodreads for books with the (#1) next to their names.
- You like to imagine what would happen if a stand alone you've read was turned into a series.
- You must have the next book in a series on standby so that you can binge read them all.
- You find yourself in a reading funk after finishing a series you've loved.
- When you think of your favorite books, many of them belong in a series.
- You can't give up on a series, even if you no longer love it. You have to know how it ends!
- Your calendar lists the publication dates for future books in series you've started.
- You get incredibly excited when you find out that a book that was originally a stand alone is being turned into a series.
Side Effects May Vary
The only downside to a series addiction is the side effects that may
result. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Sadness: Caused by reading the final book in a beloved series.
- Anxiety: Result of being unable to immediately read the next book.
- Tunnel vision: Seen in the tendency to forget that other books exist.
- Amnesia: Manifested when too much time has elapsed since reading the previous book.
- Disappointment: Displayed when series doesn't live up to expectations.
- Obsession: Fueled by long periods of time spent with a particular series.
- Heart palpitations: Occurs when series is particularly swoony.
- Boredom: Develops when a series lasts a little too long.
- Irritability: Exhibited when series is insulted or criticized by others.
- Euphoria: Frequently the result of introducing others to a beloved series.
No Intervention Necessary
The best thing about the Summer Series Challenge is that it isn't about
staging an intervention for your series addiction. Nope! It's meant to fuel
that fire and inspire you to finish reading some of those series just sitting
on your shelves. And that's the main reason I wanted to participate in this
challenge.
Whether you're a series addict like me or joined because you needed extra
motivation to finish the series you've started, I hope you're having as much
fun as I am this summer. Series are, in my professional reading opinion, one of
the very best parts about being a bookworm!
Or maybe as Hannah suggested, I just need another series to read.
A HUGE thank you to Hannah for this post.
Hannah I agree with so many of your points that you've made, I've known to buy an entire series or reserves the rest from the library when I'm still reading the first book. I was hoping to tackle a lot of books with the challenge, but haven't been able to do so yet. Hopefully I can do so in August! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you Hannah! I will almost always pick up a series book over a standalone, I crave getting to spend more time with beloved characters over multiple books rather than being forced to leave them after just one. Or staying in a beloved world while switching characters. Either way works for me! YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR ADDICTION ;-)
ReplyDeleteI do love a good series, just because I get to hang out with my friends again! However, I do get irritated when a new book that I loved is a series because that's yet another series I have to keep up with. But then I'm happy when the next book is out. It's a rollercoaster!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fun post! I'm definitely not addicted to series - I search for stand-alones on GR - but I do have the same symptoms after finishing a good series and love flying through a set of books with the same characters in them. Lovely post, Hannah! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a fellow series addict! I can totally relate to the symptom list, especially the after finishing a series - depression:) Great post.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this post--Brava, Hannah! I don't think I am quite as addicted to series as you are, but I do agree with a lot of what you have said here. I actually seem to be reading a lot of standalones lately (of all my yearly challenges that is the one in which I have read the most books) but I definitely find myself thinking/wishing some for those books would continue on because I loved the characters and the story so much. Case in point: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater. I would LOVE to read more with those characters, their stories and their romance:)
ReplyDeleteAWESOME post, Hannah! Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. So much fun:)
YES! I am so guilty of buying every single book in a series before actually reading said series. I love what Hannah says about being surrounded by your favorite series and that being comforting. It's so true, I love being in the company of Harry Potter, The Dark Tower, Vampire Academy among other series. I just love those books.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved the ten signs! I am not quite that extreme, but it was fun to read :-)
A brilliant post from Hannah! Although I have PLENTY of unfinished series littering my shelves, I do think I generally prefer them in most instances to stand-alones. That's definitely more the case for fantasy or paranormal novels, particularly when I completely adore the characters. I nearly always want more then. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cute and fun post! I can't quite say that I'm a series addict, because reading too many books that are parts of series in a row makes me super anxious for a good standalone, but I do appreciate a well done series.
ReplyDelete