The serious reading of Series

 

There are so many random questions in my head this morning. Some I’m asking myself.   Some I’d rather like to hear your thoughts on. I’ve got my reader head on today really. But we all know we must read copiously to hone our writer skills. We also probably know that the more reading we do the less time we have to write. So… here we go. 

Is it possible to have too many books? Discuss. Ah… the word ‘discuss’… what memories that brings back.

‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’.  ‘Too many books…’ ?? answers on a postcard please. Or at least in the comments at the end. 

Do you like to read (write!!) series of novels? Would you always feel you had to start with the first one? I always try to begin at the beginning. www.fantasticfiction.com, recommended some years ago by a friend, has been a boon in keeping me on track where I’m up to in a series. Not to mention a terrible tool of temptation. 

How do you choose what you read next? I read only the other day of someone who has a jar containing strips of paper with all her unread books. And when the time is right she just pulls one out. Not sure I could be bothered writing out all these slips. I’d probably end up sitting on the floor reading. And yes, I can still get down there. Getting up would be a problem, so I’d just have to stay there forever. Yay!! 

Where do you find your recommendations? Book groups, Facebook, word of mouth, library… there are many ways. And they’re not always straightforward. I recently saw a book highly recommended in a Facebook post. ‘The Correspondent’ by Virginia Evans. As I’m a sucker for anything to do with letters I followed the Amazon link. And got taken to the WRONG book (is a book ever wrong??). It was number 9 in a series, a novel about a war correspondent. Sadly (I think) I’ve lost the details, as that could have led to more temptation. Especially if I’d felt honour bound to start at number one. I might still have to have another go at finding them… 

Would you go on to the bitter end if you weren’t enjoying the book? I used to pride myself that Ulysses by James Joyce was the only book I hadn’t got through. I confess the list is much longer now. And, since we are in the confessional, I was first told by my sixth form English teacher that everybody at university had read ‘Lord of the Rings’. Over 50 years later (how did THAT happen) I have read The Hobbit three times in preparation. And that is as far as it has got. 

How many books do you have on the go at once? I can’t tell you how many times the audio book of Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’ has lulled me to sleep this week. And that is no disrespect to Jane… Persuasion is my all-time favourite of her novels. My library friend, Lorraine, and I decided, as we are both going to see an adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ later this month we would revisit the text. Fatal. I now must reread the complete works. I’m kind of glad there are so few. Then again… wouldn’t more have been so wonderful?

I’m also reading on Kindle a series of novels by D E Stevenson KATHERINE, BEL AND SARAH: a collection of six classic heartwarming books (D.E. Stevenson Women's Fiction Classics Box Sets). I hadn’t even heard of this author before Lorraine… I’m hooked. 

This is the same Lorraine, you understand, who earlier this week surreptitiously slipped Miss Read’s ‘Village School’ and ‘Village Diary’ into my bag at the library Yap and Yarn. I always hanker after Miss Read when city life gets a bit too much. And, yes, I'm starting at the beginning all over again. 

And then there’s Cherry, who last year gave me the complete set of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs detective novels and recently gave me the complete set of Vera books by Ann Cleeves. Technically she asked me if I knew anybody who might like them. Silly question.

So… I did warn you that this was going to be a bit random. You now know quite a bit about my taste in books, not to mention my friends who like to lead me down the serious series garden path. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

You will rarely find Liz without a crochet hook, a pen and notebook, knitting needles or squeaky dog toy in her hands. Sometimes more than one of these at a time. English literature,  Theology and Ministry graduate. Former nurse, midwife and home visitor for the visually impaired. For many years a regular speaker at clubs, churches and groups, Covid and personal circumstances led to a break.  But…. She is back.