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After reading a really good book by an author you hadn't previously read before, do you then go back and read all of their published works in chronological order? Or do you read their most notable works first and then get to their less known ones?
I'm just curious as to what others do, because for some reason I don't feel right unless I read an author's books in order, even if they are standalone books that aren't a series. I can't explain it.
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You're not crazy. Or maybe I'm just as crazy as you are. I read them in order, unless one (or more) is just totally not my cup of tea, in which case I skip it altogether.
PS. I never read series (serieseseseses, as I call them).
After reading a really good book by an author you hadn't previously read before, do you then go back and read all of their published works in chronological order? Or do you read their most notable works first and then get to their less known ones?
I'm just curious as to what others do, because for some reason I don't feel right unless I read an author's books in order, even if they are standalone books that aren't a series. I can't explain it.
Typically, no.
Normally, I'll just cherry-pick those that are considered the cream of the author's crop, and work my way 'down' the list from there, going until the 'quality' (ie, the appeal to my tastes) drops off enough that I'm no longer interested.
This method is not foolproof. However, considering that the number of works I would immensely enjoy is many orders of magnitude more vast than I could hope to read in my lifetime, it is a useful strategy for good reads.
When I find an author I like, I start at the beginning and read them in order. Author's 'voices' change over time, and I like seeing that develop and change with each passing book. If it's a series, I always find and read the books in order, especially when the author writes 'out of order'. The storyline is paramount to me then. Stuff happens in the characters lives and it's jarring when I read something happened in a book I missed or just didn't bother with.
ie. Robert Crais, one of my favorite mystery authors. His first 6-7 books were very good basic who-dun-its. Enjoyed them very much starting with Monkey's Raincoat. Then he changed, becoming more suspenseful and the books had a lot more depth. I read that over time as it actually happened, so I became more invested in the author. Haven't missed one ever, and got a lot of new readers for him when I worked at Borders.
If I like some author then I start on reading all the books by that author and do not rest until I read all of them. I am just crazy about the books love the literature and fiction and modern fiction. I started reading Agatha Christie when I was in my 9th Grade and then read all of her novels. Then same with Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Robin Cook, Paulo Coelho , Sidney Sheldon , Dan Brown , Geoffrey Archer and many many more.
I usually don't read them in any particular order. I just read the one that is made available to me, whether I buy the book or borrow it from the library or a friend.
if I pick up a book and see that it is part of a series I will put it back and go and have the libraian print out a list that will put that series in order then I start with book 1 of the series. I don't know how many times I would be at a thrift store or a garage sale and pick u a book read the back and bring it home only to find out its part 2 or 3 etc of a series of books lol
Funny, I was just organzing my series of this aurthor. It's the Cousin's War series by Philippa Gregory. I found book 3 and read it and realized it was part of a series. I was a bit ticked as I really like to read them in order. But I will survive!!
The only problem with reading books out of their chronological order is the possibility of reading the writer's best craft (usually the later works) and then going to an earlier book where the author was not so developed.
When I start to notice the "writing" rather than just being "in the book," I generally put that book down and never return to it. So as a rule, I'll take them in chronological order, lest I end up in that situation. The problem is, as always, everything is relative....
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