Book series

This hit me because for so long I've loved The Belgariad series by David Eddings.

One of the main reasons was because of the way the familial relationships were. I loved that so much and then found out a while ago that both David Eddings and his wife Leigh were convicted of 11 counts of physical child abuse and were each sentenced to a year in jail.

It's obvious from their writing they knew how a loving family should behave and all the things to do, but then to be abusers, just gave me an extra helping of pissed offed-ness at them.

I went to read it the other day and when I started I just had to put it away after a couple paragraphs and realized I'll never be able to read it again.

I'm a massive fantasy reader and WOT ticks all my boxes. I love the characters and the world. But I just can't. I've never made it past book 8, even tried the audio books. I've tried skimming and chapter summaries. I know how it ends and it sounds amazing. I want to get there so badly...

But I can't get past the slog. From about the 3rd book a pattern develops where the first 1/3 of the book is a recap /rehash, middle 1/3 is a very slow build up, and then the final 1/3 is bloody amazing. I cannot slog through 2/3 of a 1000 page book to get to the good part, and I especially cannot do it for multiple books....

I was about 200 pages into book 7... and then decided to read Salem's Lot instead. Loved it from start to finish. No slog. Life's too short. Read what makes you happy.

What is a book series that you could never finish? And why? And will you ever try to finish it?

For me, it is Harry potter. I could never go pass book 3 and I have no idea why since I do want to finish the whole series despite me owning the whole series. I don't think I'll ever get pass book 3 at all lmao.

This doesn't happen to me very often, but there's been a few books I've stumbled upon that sort of consumed me until I'd read everything the author had ever written.

Mercedes Lackey was probably the first. I discovered her Valdemar books in high school in the 90s, and I think I spent most of my junior year tracking down and reading them all.

Dresden Files did the same thing, although there weren't many books published when I found Jim Butcher.

Most recently I found David Weber's Honor Harrington books, which were a blast although the series didn't really hold me all the way through. Given that there's a few dozen of them, I have a hard time feeling bothered.

I'm really looking for a series that I could spend hours trawling through it's Wiki after finishing the series as I did as soon as I was done with LOTR and ASOIAF; I'm semi-convinced that the one's already listed are the only ones that offer such a scope in worldbuilding and lore. Nothing else feels as complete, consistent and meticulous.

Alternative title: WILL there ever be another book series phenomenon like Harry Potter?

To qualify the series would have to be massively read and enjoyed by ALL ages, from kids to adults. The series would have to be so popular you could strike up a conversation about it with a random person. I loved/love that communal experience of reading where SO many people knew the references, characters, jokes, plot points. My 50 year old brother-in-law and my 8 year old can both tell me what House they’d be in. There hasn’t been a book or series even close to that level of popularity since. Will there ever be again?

EDIT: Loved reading these really smart and thought-provoking analyses here. Opinion seems to be divided. The book series that get the most votes for being a Harry Potter-like phenomenon are GOT, Hunger Games, Twilight, LOTR, and 50 Shades of Gray. I personally think LOTR is the closest parallel for a series with incredible staying power and ear worm world-building. I think it is a little more of a niche passion though.

I know what you're thinking, this is the ramblings of some 10 year old. Well actually I'm a grown man who's enjoyed the Wimpy Kid books since I was 10, I'm 25 now. Im someone who hates reading and prefers movies, like if there's a book of something I watch the movie and if I won't enjoy the movie there's not a chance I'll enjoy the book. I hated of mice and men so much I pulled out the class when I was done reading it (I wasn't actually meant to study it it's a long story how this happened).

Most literature I couldn't even read one page of without dying of boredom, but the Wimpy Kid books? I have read each one over and over and never gotten bored or disappointed by it. I'm amazed Jeff Kinney can come up with such hilarious stories and characters no matter what. Even other books or comics that are in similar genres to the Wimpy Kid books are nothing and so dull like most literature that I wouldn't be able to read a page of.

Some other literature I like out of nostalgia but I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy it if it was new to me, Wimpy Kid books whether really old or totally new, pure comedy gold.

Until this summer, my favourite book series was "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling. Admittedly, it was because it was the only book series I read, unless I count some of "The Magic Key" and bits of "Horrid Henry", haha.

Since early July, that has changed. And no, the author has nothing to do with it. Rather, I fell in love with a series of ten books called "The Naughtiest Girl" by Enid Blyton and Anne Digby. The third instalment, "The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor", was the first lengthy book I read in less than five hours. I was captivated by how Whyteleafe School functioned, and I haven't enjoyed a protagonist as much as Elizabeth Allen - a flawed girl who grew up in a spoiled environment, but has a heart that's in the right place. I can see myself reading all ten books again during the winter. It doesn't happen often that I encounter a series I don't think I can get enough of.

Since then, I've become motivated to read more books. I recently finished "The Swifts" by Beth Lincoln, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I'll save that for another time. Anyway, have any of you had a book series that used to be your favourite but has changed to another?

That perfect series with no let downs, something so difficult to find lmao. I know that Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is not only a duology, and has had its praises sung by most people by now… but dammit. It’s just that good, both books, all throughout. What’s a series that was able to maintain its winning streak in your eyes, or did it even become better overtime?