From Tracie: I Stopped Myself From Reading 200 Books

Monday, June 04, 2012

I Stopped Myself From Reading 200 Books

Tonight we had dinner with a couple of Thomas' friends who don't know me very well. The conversation turned to books (as all good conversations do), and one of them mentioned a series* I might enjoy.

As I was thinking about writing down the name so I could look it up later, he said that one day he would like to own the entire series. I asked him how many books there are, and he told me over 200.

Over 200 books. I don't know if that makes me very happy, or very scared. Probably both.

I immediately told him that I can't go there. I can't read even one of them without knowing that I will really, really love them, because that is a commitment I'm not willing to make right now.

He tried to comfort me with, "Oh, you don't have to read all of them. They aren't exactly one series, they are multiple series that fit together with side series and other stories. Some of them focus on one family or clan, or they focus on a particular time period in the land, and they don't all share characters. Just read the ones you like."

But just like I have to read every page of the book, I have to read every book in the series. And that would include the multiple side series and other stories. All 200+ books would have to be read.

I am pretty sure Thomas' friends now believe that I'm crazy.


*I am not including the name of the series, because I am busy trying to block that memory from my mind so I won't look them up and decided that, yes, I do want to read these books. I will tell you that they are some kind of fantasy/sci-fi books.

**No, they are not Star Wars. I am aware that there are hundreds of Star Wars books, and I have carefully restrained myself from reading even just one of them, so I don't have to read them all.

***I am also aware that this blog post probably confirms any suspicions that you might have had about my possible geekiness. Or maybe not, since I'm not reading Star Wars.

Am I the only one who has to read every book in a series once I start it, or do you feel the same way?

9 comments:

  1. Are you kidding, I'm exactly the same way! I'm glad you didn't mention the name of the series. I'm taking a bible study right now, and our teacher keeps telling us to read certain passages, and now I feel like it's my mission to read the Bible from start to finish. I'm going to wait and do it at the beach this summer. The Bible is totally a summer read, right?

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  2. I feel the same way. Though I am a geek and have myself read probably 100 Star Wars books! I am dying to know the name of the series though. You have to tell us!

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  3. Sometimes. It depends on how compelling the story is. I like to have the whole story, so I'm likely to keep going. I can't imagine starting a series that I know has 200 books. I'd say you were very wise to pass it up.

    Stopping by from SITS.

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  4. LOL, that's hilarious. You were very smart to just say no.

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  5. I still need to finish all of Anne Rice's vampire books. I have missed a few. Also, Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake books. I haven't started a mew series in forever. Shit, I also meed to make sure I got all of Tom Clancy's books with Jack Ryan and crew. This is why I don't read series. I feel so incomplete without knowing I'm done.

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  6. Hi Tracie,

    I don't think you are odd or crazy for that. I had trouble not finishing a series, even when I didn't like it anymore. But I can now leave a series when it is not good enough, but that took me a lot of work. I finally convinced myself that the one thing that I owe loyalty to is myself and my own enjoyment.

    I did read hundreds of books in the Star Trek series. I started out as a teenager when there were less than ten books out there. But I stopped about five years ago. Now for fun I mostly read mysteries, vampires, and science fiction/fantasy.

    I don't think that I would commit to 200 books either. I never would have.

    Good and healing thoughts to you.

    Kate

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  7. I don't quite feel as compelled to read every book in a series, but if I read a series I do get quite antsy about NOT starting from the beginning. For me series' that have a release dates that are out of "order" on the time line are a nightmare!

    And I am both glad you didn't post the series, and dying to know what it was! ;) I'm a huge sci-fi/fantasy gal, although I think stronger on the fantasy than the sci-fi, and if they're funny then I'm really delighted.

    This does beg the question, of course... on who your favourite authors are! :)

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  8. I'm not that way but I don't find it crazy that you are. There have been several series, or series of series (like Karen Kingsbury's Baxter family), that I wearied of before they ended, and I just couldn't force myself to continue. And I still haven't read The Glorious Appearing (Left Behind) but I know how it ends. LOL!

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  9. I'm the same way! I started a mystery series... in fact, I bought the first 3 books in the series. Read Book 1, but wasn't all that impressed. Now I feel like I HAVE to read Books 2 and 3.

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