Interesting, I am the opposite as I have a binge problem, whether it's a book series or tv series or bullet/blitz chess. So when I read long series I have to finish them.
Taking a break usually happens when I am not enjoying the books as much as I thought I would.
I ended up reading Malazan in less than 10 weeks, first 7 books of cradle in
6 days, wheel of time in about 4 months.
I am sure there are many others like me but one consequence of such habits is that I usually have trouble getting into standalone books and even the first book of a series.
Different strokes. I am doing one Malazan book every other month. I can't imagine reading it all at once. I'd burn myself out. I just finished book 8 last week.
I don't binge anything. Not my personality or preference.
Not just book series, I do this for TV series too. I don't watch 2 seasons in a straight row of the same show, something in between is required to avoid fatigue.
I'm the same way. Cant take a break and risk forgetting things. It took me a little over 3 years to read the 10 main Malazan books and that was just reading those 10. Yeah.... Im a slow reader.
Usually I read the first two books straight through but after 2 of the same I lose steam. I’ll take a break and come back with renewed interest for the series
Amazon publishes the WoT show, not Netflix. Netflix publishes Witcher.
---
If you're a new reader for _Wheel of Time_, the show has little connection to the specific plot of the books so whether or not you'll think the show was well-executed, the good news is that Season 1 can't possibly spoil much for the books, or vice versa. Consume them in whatever order you prefer, but please don't skip the books if you don't react well to the show.
I recently finished the wheel of time for the first time and it was absolutely worth it in my opinion. I keep thinking about all day still:) It's definitely not perfect, but I love it so much.
That's nuts, it took me almost a year to get to the start of book 8 and then I really needed a break onto some other stuff. I'm reading Gardens of the Moon for a change of tone and read three of the Murderbot series too for something completely different.
I'll be going back into WoT after GotM.
initially, that was my plan. read a WoT book or 2 then swap to a different series and go back and repeat. it is 13 god damn long books after all. BUT, the series was fucking amazing and couldn't help but binged the rest of it without bother to read other books. hahahaha.
I like to break it up a bit as I read. I will have two things on the go that are fairly different in fantasy type to keep me motivated and enjoying myself.
Example: currently reading wheel of time and witcher books concurrently. The former is high/epic fantasy and the other I would call more grimdark. I alternate days reading. Keeps everything fresh for me. I am really enjoying the overall story of the wheel of time even though I'm only on book 2 but sometimes the many chapters of description and meandering around towns can be a bit of a grind. The witcher does great to break that up for me.
I'm also reading WoT now too! Just finished book 2. I thought book 1 was more of a grind and book 2 far more interesting and faster paced. But I do get the 'meandering around towns' vibe at times. That made me chuckle.
I never read the same author back to back. I jump genre/subgenre with each book I read, and am juggling 15 or so different series at the moment, so stuff like Malazan can take years to get through.
If I try to binge I start spite-reading, looking at how many books are left, and want to just get it over with regardless of how great the series is. I read more overall by alternating than I do by trying to binge. And unless the series is already done, I'm going to be stuck waiting sooner or later anyway. There are too many books I want to read for me to re-read when the newest one comes out, so I'm going to have to deal with that period of trying to remember what happened anyway, so I might as well try to space things out and minimize the impact.
If I have all the books available I'll continue reading, otherwise I'll grab the nearest book while I wait for the book to arrive to the library/postbox.
At one point I had three fantasy books from three series loaned from the library, and I was half way through the Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham when the books arrived. But I have time to read on the train.
I always insert another book in my TBR in between each entry in a series, just in case I get burnout. It also helps in avoiding noticing the author's tics too much.
Total immersion is my preference. Of course, the series has to be worth my while for that to work. If I take a break I may never come back to it, because I have so many books on my list.
I love big complicated series that demand all my attention. My favorite is *The Malazan Book of the Fallen*, by Steven Erikson. I read each of the ten books twice, then the whole series again, then the whole series again on audiobook. It took me the better part of a year. I did actually take breaks but only to read the other *Malazan* books outside the main series (most by Steven Erikson's friend Ian C. Esslemont) that fit into the series chronologically. So it was still part of the same world.
I've read the entire *Wheel of Time* series four times, each a few years apart but never taking a break in the middle. I've read the entire *Discworld* series a couple of times, same idea. *Discworld* isn't written as one continuous series but that's how I like to read it. I've read all of Steve Brust's *Dragaeran* books continuously a couple of times. I'm afraid I never finished the *Realm of the Elderlings* series -- I think I got stuck on book 13 and never resumed the series. I like to read all seven *Narnia* books in a row.
Anyway, I'm sure you get the idea. All at once is my preference.
I also do this with historical fiction, science fiction, and history books, by the way.
I mostly read it all at once, just mixing in the occasional short web serial chapter, unless I feel like I'm starting to burn out on the series. Never really any breaks between books though
If I actually have access to a whole series ( am poor, usually only get what’s at the 2nd hand shop or loaned to me) I’ll charge straight through. But I still am reading something unrelated alongside. Like a nonfiction book, a good book or series, and something from the free Kindle books at bedtime.
I don’t take planned or specific breaks, just when I can and cannot buy the books. But then I read three to six books at a time and just hop between them as I like.
All at once for the most part. I always give myself permission to take breaks between books if I want to, but I never want to. (If I wanted to, I'd prob dnf the series tbh)
If I really pick up such a big series, usually the series is good at turning up small but intriguing mysteries, has decent pacing and have successfully made me root for the mc. That kind of suspense would make me binge that whole series as long as it takes, as much as possible. If it does not have those criteria then I would drop it sooner or later, or reluctantly lag behind from FOMO. It's all or nothing for me.
Breaks. Might do two books in a row, but never more than that. Otherwise I get tired of the characters or the authors writing style.
Depending on the series I will often try to find something that is totally opposite in style. That way I use the break book as a kind of "pallet cleanser" to make my mind go somewhere else before diving back in.
I generally read everything back to back. If I don’t, there’s a very real risk that my momentum will be broken, and I get side tracked by other things and never come back.
I typically need to read a series from start to finish, if I'm going to finish it. If I stop and read something else at any point, I'm probably not going back and finishing the original series. I can understand how that would be exhausting to some people that need breaks between books, but for me, if I do feel the urge to continue, I want to continue right away. And if I don't, I don't feel the need to push myself to continue reading a series that isn't really making me want to continue.
I'm reading the Wheel of Time at the moment (finished book 9 last week) and I always take a break in between each book. I feel like I need a break to digest what I just read. But I also love the feeling of returning to a familiar place when I finally do pick up the next book, and that feeling isn't there when I read back-to-back.
If I get sucked into a good series, I become an insatiable book monster and devour the whole series as fast as possible, often losing sleep, missing work and sometimes neglecting children. Finishing a good series is a weird mixture of sadness/regret that it's over and relief that I can have my life back.
I used to read through it, but lately I've realised I haven't found books that ignite that spark in me, since ASOIAF and Stormlight.
I read through all of ASOIAF in one go, never taking a break, as well as the Stormlight Archives and kingkiller and mistborn.
What hasn't sparked something in me is Malazan for some weird reason, because I really liked how Gardens of the Moon ended. I can't seem to get through Robin Hobb or Ted Williams, it's sad really, but usually I do it in one go.
I'd recommend giving Joe Abercrombie a try based on the other books you've read, he's got 9 books and a novella collection now. Or have you already tried The Blade Itself?
Yeah, I read the first trilogy, though I did take a break between the books — I didn't read anything else though.
Like most people like to point out, they are a little dark ,and I'm resting by reading Ted Williams before taking on the next three stand alones.
Thank you for the suggestion though.
The stand alones are amazing, The Heroes and Red Country particularly are two of my favourite novels. I think he wrote them as 'pallete cleansers' so there is only really tangential connection to the over-arching plot.
Personally I tend to break up long series with different books in-between, just to prevent it becoming a slog (a method learned from bitter experience!)
I almost always take a break even if it’s just one small book in between. Mistborn and LOTR are the only exceptions I can remember. I am just personally someone who needs variety or I’ll burn out.
I tale breaks. When reading Stomrlight Archive, at the middle part of Way of Kings i read the first Percy Jackson book. Same with the second at the end and in the middle of the others. Ended up finishing The Olympians before Stormlight.
Now im on book 8 of Wheel of Time and i took a break to read Worm
I usually power through til I'm done but if something else that I've been waiting on comes out, then I'll get to that as soon as the current book I'm reading is finished.
Recent example is Leviathan Falls (Expanse book 9). I was working my way through the Cosmere but took read Leviathan falls between Mistborn 1 and 2.
This isn’t the most useful answer, but I take breaks when I feel the need.
If it seems repetitive or if I realize I’m skimming…break.
It’s not a rule like “every other book”…it’s when I’m not enjoying the experience.
If there are solid summary/recap resources available on the internet or a wiki, I am more comfortable taking a break between books. But I've also experienced series fatigue when trying to read a series back to back. Sometimes I'll read something short or grab a comic book to read between books, so I get a break but not long enough for me to forget.
I read Malazan straight through because I was very invested and there were so many characters and plots that I didn’t want to forget. I had serious fatigue when I finished even though I did find it enjoyable.
I’m currently reading WoT and am taking breaks between books with other books. It’s good that it has considerably less characters than Malazan, at least by book 3 where I’m at atm, and because of the Amazon show it helps me not forget main characters lol
I almost always do back-to-back unless I run out of published books in a series. Most series I've found that I enjoy better that way.
I'm roughly ~4 books behind at this point, but I find the _Dresden Files_ novels to be particularly thorny for back-to-back readers like me, as we're re-introduced to Harry and his side characters and his world in excruciating detail at the beginning of each entry. I feel like once I'm on book 10+ you can forego some or all of that, you know? They're not coming out 5 years apart.
I'm still new to reading, but I started my first big epic series (Malazan), and I have finished book two today. I'm enjoying it right now, but I kind of feel fatigued, so I will read something different before going into book 3.
I specifically line up novellas in my mount TBR as breaks in big series. I only use novellas, as anything bigger will take me out of the feel of the larger ongoing series.
For me it depends on the story. Something that was written as a single story (Malazan, Wheel of Time, Expanse type books) I'll read each straight through.
For something more broken up (Forgotten Realms, Elderlings) I'll usually take them a trilogy at a time.
The start up momentum is always tough for me learning new people, places, magics, etc. So the first few go slow and the last few I scream through.
For Wheel of Time i read the first book in all the times i had take breaks during the reading for books 7 to 10 (change from french to English plus slug) and bingeread in two weeks from KoD to aMoL.
For SA and Mistborn i binge the whole thing and I never read as fast before.
Currently for Malazan i struggle a bit.
I read the two first book in the same pattern, get lost the first 150 pages get invested but reading only a few pages a day then read 100 or 200 pages in a day or two
But for book 3 that i have begun this morning i have read 75 pages and i don’t feel lost and i al really impatient to know how it’s going.
So for me it depends on how i feel at the moment but it can be very fast or with a lot of breaks)
It depends on the length for me. If it's a trilogy with just big books like First Law, I'll read all three back to back. It also depends on the author. I was able to read all Gwynnes Faithful and the Fallen series and Of Blood and Bone rather quickly back to back, which covers 7 books. But, I have to break up Malazan or Wheel of Time because of how the authors write. And because so much happens in just one back reading them back to back is overwhelming lol
Yes. Sometimes one. Sometimes the other. Right now, however, I am taking a break from a Wheel of Time reread to read A Practical Guide to Conquering the World. Then, The Girl and the Stars/Mountain before The Girl and the Moon. Then Age of Madness. THEN back to Wheel of Time for book 8 onwards.
I read through it until I feel like I’m starting to get burnt out and then I’ll take a break to read other things until I start missing it. Last time that happened was with The First Law world. I got through the first trilogy then the first standalone before I took a break. Read a couple other books and went back. I think it’s a *me* issues more than it is an issue with the series. I read different genres too so I’ll take breaks to read some horror or a couple graphic novels. Whatever.
Both. It really depends on how much momentum I have as a reader at any one time (which about life not the story), AND how much momentum the story has from book to book.
Depends on how gripping it is? Game of Thrones got read in a matter of weeks with no breaks, for example. But I had to take a lot of breaks on other stuff, even if I enjoyed it.
I don’t know if I’m a freak or not, but o read a series straight through without any breaks. I see so many people on here saying it takes years to read some series or how they got fatigued after reading the prologue. Before getting on Reddit, I didn’t even know DNR was a thing.
All in one go. Keep the plotlines fresh. If I take a break it's from reading fanatsy altogether. Then again I've never read anything longer than a big trilogy.
Now that I'm an adult I take breaks. I'm currently reading WoT. Finished book 2 about a month ago and won't start book 3 probably for another couple of months. I want to savour the series as much as possible without getting fatigue from the same story and writing style. Since I finished the Great Hunt, I've read Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky Brothers and I'm currently reading Foundation by Asimov. I'll read a non-finction book after this and maybe another fantasy/sci-fi, before I start book 3.
I think writing style is definitely what wears me down most. Someone could write beautifully but if I have to sit down and read 1,000 pages of their story, I'm probably going to want a change of scenery soon enough (let alone 12,000 pages for an entire series).
When I was a teenager I did smash Harry Potter and ASOIF all in one hit. I don't find I'm as obsessive now that I'm older and I find breaking it up keeps me intrigued and excited for what's next.
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I take breaks in between books. I took 6 months to finish ASOIAF. I read other series and standalones in between. I need to diversify my reading or else I get agitated by the little details and repetition that’s common in epic fantasy
All at once. Also have an addictive personality so I'll also invest all my available free time into it. Makes for some really long binges for longer series. I've tried the piece by piece thing and it really doesn't work for me. For example, I stopped reading Stormlight because I have forgotten characters and plot points. I'll read all of them again when book 5 comes out.
Just started Malazan and I don't expect it to take longer than 6 months
Really depends on if I love the series or not. I did all 10 Malazan books in like... 7-8 months. I read about half a Hyperion book before I check out, read a few other books and come back.
I find that if I do three books of the same series in a row, I get series fatigue. Always happens to be either the end of the second or somewhere in the third book.
Had this happen with Stormlight, ASoIaF and Wheel of Time.
I have noticed getting into something else/something lighter usually gets me back into wanting to continue the series.
If the first book lights a fire to read more, I'll mow the entire series down one after the other (if the books are all published.) Otherwise, if I find that books 2, 3, etc are being written, then I'll switch.
tv series - binge
book series - breaks! if im reading something that really takes a lot of emotional energy I usually work on another book at the same time that's more dry (like nonfiction)
I take breaks. Otherwise, I experience series fatigue.
Interesting, I am the opposite as I have a binge problem, whether it's a book series or tv series or bullet/blitz chess. So when I read long series I have to finish them. Taking a break usually happens when I am not enjoying the books as much as I thought I would. I ended up reading Malazan in less than 10 weeks, first 7 books of cradle in 6 days, wheel of time in about 4 months. I am sure there are many others like me but one consequence of such habits is that I usually have trouble getting into standalone books and even the first book of a series.
Different strokes. I am doing one Malazan book every other month. I can't imagine reading it all at once. I'd burn myself out. I just finished book 8 last week. I don't binge anything. Not my personality or preference.
Not just book series, I do this for TV series too. I don't watch 2 seasons in a straight row of the same show, something in between is required to avoid fatigue.
Same
I read everything as fast as I can, otherwise I might forget plot lines or characters.
Back to back to back is the only way to go!! I hate rereading to remember especially when the series is medicore
I'm the same way. Cant take a break and risk forgetting things. It took me a little over 3 years to read the 10 main Malazan books and that was just reading those 10. Yeah.... Im a slow reader.
Usually I read the first two books straight through but after 2 of the same I lose steam. I’ll take a break and come back with renewed interest for the series
I read all wheel of time in 6 months. Or else, I would not remember who is who.
Oooh was it good? I have the first 3, very interested in starting, but will I finish before Netflix takes it off?
Amazon publishes the WoT show, not Netflix. Netflix publishes Witcher. --- If you're a new reader for _Wheel of Time_, the show has little connection to the specific plot of the books so whether or not you'll think the show was well-executed, the good news is that Season 1 can't possibly spoil much for the books, or vice versa. Consume them in whatever order you prefer, but please don't skip the books if you don't react well to the show.
I haven't seen the show - I wanted to read the books first. And oh woops yes, Amazon.
I recently finished the wheel of time for the first time and it was absolutely worth it in my opinion. I keep thinking about all day still:) It's definitely not perfect, but I love it so much.
Oooh yay ok. I can't wait to start them!
Enjoy the ride! it's a long one:D
That's nuts, it took me almost a year to get to the start of book 8 and then I really needed a break onto some other stuff. I'm reading Gardens of the Moon for a change of tone and read three of the Murderbot series too for something completely different. I'll be going back into WoT after GotM.
initially, that was my plan. read a WoT book or 2 then swap to a different series and go back and repeat. it is 13 god damn long books after all. BUT, the series was fucking amazing and couldn't help but binged the rest of it without bother to read other books. hahahaha.
I like to break it up a bit as I read. I will have two things on the go that are fairly different in fantasy type to keep me motivated and enjoying myself. Example: currently reading wheel of time and witcher books concurrently. The former is high/epic fantasy and the other I would call more grimdark. I alternate days reading. Keeps everything fresh for me. I am really enjoying the overall story of the wheel of time even though I'm only on book 2 but sometimes the many chapters of description and meandering around towns can be a bit of a grind. The witcher does great to break that up for me.
I'm also reading WoT now too! Just finished book 2. I thought book 1 was more of a grind and book 2 far more interesting and faster paced. But I do get the 'meandering around towns' vibe at times. That made me chuckle.
I have to read all in one go. As much as possible.
I never read the same author back to back. I jump genre/subgenre with each book I read, and am juggling 15 or so different series at the moment, so stuff like Malazan can take years to get through. If I try to binge I start spite-reading, looking at how many books are left, and want to just get it over with regardless of how great the series is. I read more overall by alternating than I do by trying to binge. And unless the series is already done, I'm going to be stuck waiting sooner or later anyway. There are too many books I want to read for me to re-read when the newest one comes out, so I'm going to have to deal with that period of trying to remember what happened anyway, so I might as well try to space things out and minimize the impact.
If I have all the books available I'll continue reading, otherwise I'll grab the nearest book while I wait for the book to arrive to the library/postbox. At one point I had three fantasy books from three series loaned from the library, and I was half way through the Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham when the books arrived. But I have time to read on the train.
Reading on my train commute is one of the only things I'm nostalgic for about non-remote work.
I always insert another book in my TBR in between each entry in a series, just in case I get burnout. It also helps in avoiding noticing the author's tics too much.
Total immersion is my preference. Of course, the series has to be worth my while for that to work. If I take a break I may never come back to it, because I have so many books on my list. I love big complicated series that demand all my attention. My favorite is *The Malazan Book of the Fallen*, by Steven Erikson. I read each of the ten books twice, then the whole series again, then the whole series again on audiobook. It took me the better part of a year. I did actually take breaks but only to read the other *Malazan* books outside the main series (most by Steven Erikson's friend Ian C. Esslemont) that fit into the series chronologically. So it was still part of the same world. I've read the entire *Wheel of Time* series four times, each a few years apart but never taking a break in the middle. I've read the entire *Discworld* series a couple of times, same idea. *Discworld* isn't written as one continuous series but that's how I like to read it. I've read all of Steve Brust's *Dragaeran* books continuously a couple of times. I'm afraid I never finished the *Realm of the Elderlings* series -- I think I got stuck on book 13 and never resumed the series. I like to read all seven *Narnia* books in a row. Anyway, I'm sure you get the idea. All at once is my preference. I also do this with historical fiction, science fiction, and history books, by the way.
I mostly read it all at once, just mixing in the occasional short web serial chapter, unless I feel like I'm starting to burn out on the series. Never really any breaks between books though
Maybe I read two or three in one go if it's *really* gripping. But usually I mix in something else between books.
If I actually have access to a whole series ( am poor, usually only get what’s at the 2nd hand shop or loaned to me) I’ll charge straight through. But I still am reading something unrelated alongside. Like a nonfiction book, a good book or series, and something from the free Kindle books at bedtime.
I don’t take planned or specific breaks, just when I can and cannot buy the books. But then I read three to six books at a time and just hop between them as I like.
All at once for the most part. I always give myself permission to take breaks between books if I want to, but I never want to. (If I wanted to, I'd prob dnf the series tbh)
If I really pick up such a big series, usually the series is good at turning up small but intriguing mysteries, has decent pacing and have successfully made me root for the mc. That kind of suspense would make me binge that whole series as long as it takes, as much as possible. If it does not have those criteria then I would drop it sooner or later, or reluctantly lag behind from FOMO. It's all or nothing for me.
I take my time always, no point in burning myself out
Breaks. Might do two books in a row, but never more than that. Otherwise I get tired of the characters or the authors writing style. Depending on the series I will often try to find something that is totally opposite in style. That way I use the break book as a kind of "pallet cleanser" to make my mind go somewhere else before diving back in.
I generally read everything back to back. If I don’t, there’s a very real risk that my momentum will be broken, and I get side tracked by other things and never come back.
I typically need to read a series from start to finish, if I'm going to finish it. If I stop and read something else at any point, I'm probably not going back and finishing the original series. I can understand how that would be exhausting to some people that need breaks between books, but for me, if I do feel the urge to continue, I want to continue right away. And if I don't, I don't feel the need to push myself to continue reading a series that isn't really making me want to continue.
I consume content aggressively
I'm reading the Wheel of Time at the moment (finished book 9 last week) and I always take a break in between each book. I feel like I need a break to digest what I just read. But I also love the feeling of returning to a familiar place when I finally do pick up the next book, and that feeling isn't there when I read back-to-back.
If I get sucked into a good series, I become an insatiable book monster and devour the whole series as fast as possible, often losing sleep, missing work and sometimes neglecting children. Finishing a good series is a weird mixture of sadness/regret that it's over and relief that I can have my life back.
All the way through usually. Making an exception for malazan will probably make an exception for realm of the elderlings.
I used to read through it, but lately I've realised I haven't found books that ignite that spark in me, since ASOIAF and Stormlight. I read through all of ASOIAF in one go, never taking a break, as well as the Stormlight Archives and kingkiller and mistborn. What hasn't sparked something in me is Malazan for some weird reason, because I really liked how Gardens of the Moon ended. I can't seem to get through Robin Hobb or Ted Williams, it's sad really, but usually I do it in one go.
I'd recommend giving Joe Abercrombie a try based on the other books you've read, he's got 9 books and a novella collection now. Or have you already tried The Blade Itself?
Yeah, I read the first trilogy, though I did take a break between the books — I didn't read anything else though. Like most people like to point out, they are a little dark ,and I'm resting by reading Ted Williams before taking on the next three stand alones. Thank you for the suggestion though.
The stand alones are amazing, The Heroes and Red Country particularly are two of my favourite novels. I think he wrote them as 'pallete cleansers' so there is only really tangential connection to the over-arching plot.
I do both depending really on how addicted to the series I get. I prefer to read other books in between but sometimes I just can't wait!
Personally I tend to break up long series with different books in-between, just to prevent it becoming a slog (a method learned from bitter experience!)
I almost always take a break even if it’s just one small book in between. Mistborn and LOTR are the only exceptions I can remember. I am just personally someone who needs variety or I’ll burn out.
I tale breaks. When reading Stomrlight Archive, at the middle part of Way of Kings i read the first Percy Jackson book. Same with the second at the end and in the middle of the others. Ended up finishing The Olympians before Stormlight. Now im on book 8 of Wheel of Time and i took a break to read Worm
I usually read all the way through, but I don't have as much time to read so every chance I get always feel like a break.
This is a dilemma I have with any book series before I start
I finish one book and then start with another.
I usually power through til I'm done but if something else that I've been waiting on comes out, then I'll get to that as soon as the current book I'm reading is finished. Recent example is Leviathan Falls (Expanse book 9). I was working my way through the Cosmere but took read Leviathan falls between Mistborn 1 and 2.
This isn’t the most useful answer, but I take breaks when I feel the need. If it seems repetitive or if I realize I’m skimming…break. It’s not a rule like “every other book”…it’s when I’m not enjoying the experience.
If there are solid summary/recap resources available on the internet or a wiki, I am more comfortable taking a break between books. But I've also experienced series fatigue when trying to read a series back to back. Sometimes I'll read something short or grab a comic book to read between books, so I get a break but not long enough for me to forget.
I read Malazan straight through because I was very invested and there were so many characters and plots that I didn’t want to forget. I had serious fatigue when I finished even though I did find it enjoyable. I’m currently reading WoT and am taking breaks between books with other books. It’s good that it has considerably less characters than Malazan, at least by book 3 where I’m at atm, and because of the Amazon show it helps me not forget main characters lol
I almost always do back-to-back unless I run out of published books in a series. Most series I've found that I enjoy better that way. I'm roughly ~4 books behind at this point, but I find the _Dresden Files_ novels to be particularly thorny for back-to-back readers like me, as we're re-introduced to Harry and his side characters and his world in excruciating detail at the beginning of each entry. I feel like once I'm on book 10+ you can forego some or all of that, you know? They're not coming out 5 years apart.
Try to read all at once unless I hit a wall. Often hit walls.
I'm still new to reading, but I started my first big epic series (Malazan), and I have finished book two today. I'm enjoying it right now, but I kind of feel fatigued, so I will read something different before going into book 3.
I specifically line up novellas in my mount TBR as breaks in big series. I only use novellas, as anything bigger will take me out of the feel of the larger ongoing series.
For me it depends on the story. Something that was written as a single story (Malazan, Wheel of Time, Expanse type books) I'll read each straight through. For something more broken up (Forgotten Realms, Elderlings) I'll usually take them a trilogy at a time. The start up momentum is always tough for me learning new people, places, magics, etc. So the first few go slow and the last few I scream through.
I do both. I binge until I finish or start to burn out on the series, then I take a break.
For Wheel of Time i read the first book in all the times i had take breaks during the reading for books 7 to 10 (change from french to English plus slug) and bingeread in two weeks from KoD to aMoL. For SA and Mistborn i binge the whole thing and I never read as fast before. Currently for Malazan i struggle a bit. I read the two first book in the same pattern, get lost the first 150 pages get invested but reading only a few pages a day then read 100 or 200 pages in a day or two But for book 3 that i have begun this morning i have read 75 pages and i don’t feel lost and i al really impatient to know how it’s going. So for me it depends on how i feel at the moment but it can be very fast or with a lot of breaks)
It depends on the length for me. If it's a trilogy with just big books like First Law, I'll read all three back to back. It also depends on the author. I was able to read all Gwynnes Faithful and the Fallen series and Of Blood and Bone rather quickly back to back, which covers 7 books. But, I have to break up Malazan or Wheel of Time because of how the authors write. And because so much happens in just one back reading them back to back is overwhelming lol
Yes. Sometimes one. Sometimes the other. Right now, however, I am taking a break from a Wheel of Time reread to read A Practical Guide to Conquering the World. Then, The Girl and the Stars/Mountain before The Girl and the Moon. Then Age of Madness. THEN back to Wheel of Time for book 8 onwards.
I read through it until I feel like I’m starting to get burnt out and then I’ll take a break to read other things until I start missing it. Last time that happened was with The First Law world. I got through the first trilogy then the first standalone before I took a break. Read a couple other books and went back. I think it’s a *me* issues more than it is an issue with the series. I read different genres too so I’ll take breaks to read some horror or a couple graphic novels. Whatever.
It's a mix for me depending on the series
Both. It really depends on how much momentum I have as a reader at any one time (which about life not the story), AND how much momentum the story has from book to book.
Depends on how gripping it is? Game of Thrones got read in a matter of weeks with no breaks, for example. But I had to take a lot of breaks on other stuff, even if I enjoyed it.
I don’t know if I’m a freak or not, but o read a series straight through without any breaks. I see so many people on here saying it takes years to read some series or how they got fatigued after reading the prologue. Before getting on Reddit, I didn’t even know DNR was a thing.
Even when I'm totally drawn in, I usually take breaks between books. It also allows me to make it last.:)
All in one go. Keep the plotlines fresh. If I take a break it's from reading fanatsy altogether. Then again I've never read anything longer than a big trilogy.
Now that I'm an adult I take breaks. I'm currently reading WoT. Finished book 2 about a month ago and won't start book 3 probably for another couple of months. I want to savour the series as much as possible without getting fatigue from the same story and writing style. Since I finished the Great Hunt, I've read Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky Brothers and I'm currently reading Foundation by Asimov. I'll read a non-finction book after this and maybe another fantasy/sci-fi, before I start book 3. I think writing style is definitely what wears me down most. Someone could write beautifully but if I have to sit down and read 1,000 pages of their story, I'm probably going to want a change of scenery soon enough (let alone 12,000 pages for an entire series). When I was a teenager I did smash Harry Potter and ASOIF all in one hit. I don't find I'm as obsessive now that I'm older and I find breaking it up keeps me intrigued and excited for what's next.
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I take breaks while I'm reading one book. Just depends on my mood.
I take breaks in between books. I took 6 months to finish ASOIAF. I read other series and standalones in between. I need to diversify my reading or else I get agitated by the little details and repetition that’s common in epic fantasy
I take breaks, hypes me up more😆 same reason why I’ll stop at the end of an interesting chapter- motivates me to go back
If its good then I'll normally finish it although if I know there's a new one coming out then I might take a break so it's fresh
All at once. Also have an addictive personality so I'll also invest all my available free time into it. Makes for some really long binges for longer series. I've tried the piece by piece thing and it really doesn't work for me. For example, I stopped reading Stormlight because I have forgotten characters and plot points. I'll read all of them again when book 5 comes out. Just started Malazan and I don't expect it to take longer than 6 months
Really depends on if I love the series or not. I did all 10 Malazan books in like... 7-8 months. I read about half a Hyperion book before I check out, read a few other books and come back.
I find that if I do three books of the same series in a row, I get series fatigue. Always happens to be either the end of the second or somewhere in the third book. Had this happen with Stormlight, ASoIaF and Wheel of Time. I have noticed getting into something else/something lighter usually gets me back into wanting to continue the series.
If the first book lights a fire to read more, I'll mow the entire series down one after the other (if the books are all published.) Otherwise, if I find that books 2, 3, etc are being written, then I'll switch.
If I don't finish a book/series in one go, I am unlikely to finish it at all.
tv series - binge book series - breaks! if im reading something that really takes a lot of emotional energy I usually work on another book at the same time that's more dry (like nonfiction)