The Book Vipers discussion

This is the thread for the new Series Challenge

I am intending on reading several series. So that I have started alread, such as the Shardlake and the Millennium ones that I have already started. I want to read The Game of Thrones too, the Thursday Next series, Mistborn and the Black Magician series

I'm planning on reading one of VC Andrews series' as I have a boxful of her books which I received from my Nana after her death. What a thing to receive, a boxful of incest!

Im a big fan of reading series', having just finished the Game of Thrones & Hunger Games series in Jan, and the True Blood series in Feb. I realised that I have been a bit lax with my Terry Pratchett reading, and have 9 out of the 40 I haven't read, so am going to finish those. I also am a big fan of the Stuart MacBride crime books, have 4 out of the 8 to read. Just sticking to that for now, but may look at completing another set.

On another note, I thought I set it all up correctly, but I have now read one of my 14, and it is coming up as read in my book list but now in the challenge app. any thoughts on what is maybe wrong? ta

Have you opened a new challenge shelf and linked it to the challenge, Charlotte? If you have, then it might be a Goodreads glitch.

yeah, i set it up the same way i did the magic square..will leave it for now. if the second book doesn't show up, once i get round to finishing one, i will delete it and try again. cheers Elizabeth

Charlotte, did you like Game of Thrones? I have book one on my to read list, however looking at the series it looks epic. Isn't he still writing it? I'm trying to decide if I should read it. Once I start a series, I have the tendency to keep reading to see what happens.

Ooh. I'll have to think about series to read. I want to read Hunger Games. Already done GoT.

Paul, the Thursday Next series is fabulous! one of my all time favorites x

I read all 5 in the past year...had a 30 by 30 list, and it was a challenge! The first book is fantastic, 2 & 3 both great, 4&5 have issues with them. The world G.R.R. Martin creates is very complex and intriguing. So many good characters in the first book. What makes it a challenge, apart from each book hitting the 800-1000 page mark, is that the world he has created just keeps expanding with every book, so that by boo 5 your head is spinning with all these places, people and cultures. So, it becomes a bit of a test of endurance, particularly if you set yourself a time limit on when to finish. I think I would have enjoyed them more if I had left a bit more space between the books. Theres more to come but the gap between each book seems to be longer than the fans can endure! So, I would take the expected timescale with a bit of salt! hehe. Go for it with book 1, and I think its worth it to read them all, but maybe hold fire on using it as your challenge!

Thx, I think I will take your advice. Its sounds complicated. I would probably have to take notes! Maybe I'll consider another series for the challenge.

I love to read series! I am currently reading The Maze Runner. I have so many books I could read for this.

I'm not a great reader of series so this one's going to be a bit of a challenge for me. Think I'll start with Philip Pullman's Northern Lights trilogy as I read the first one at the beginning of the year. Then maybe some Thursday Next - it's been a very long time since I read any Jasper Fforde.
Still got lots of squares to fill in on my Magic Square though, and don't want to get too distracted!

I have challenged myself to read Trollope's Palliser novels. There are only 6 of them - but they are long.

I love the Barchester novels and have read most of them 2 or 3 times, but never tackled the Pallisers. I did watch the television series with my parents when I was a child.

I'm quite looking forward to reading them - I just hope that I haven't taken on too much. I have another grandchild due to arrive any minute ;-) so I may be a bit busy.

I'm in, time shouldn't be too much of an issue as it runs until the end of the year.
I'm with you Katherine, I'll go with Trollope and the Palliser series, also Updike's Rabbit series, for now. Would also like to try Game of Thrones and Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, if time allows

Will go with the series including Oryx and Crake - didn't know it was a trilogy until saw this on another thread. Thanks that kind soul.

Katherine and Debbie, I'm tempted by Trollope too! Read some of the Barchester and Palliser novels at uni, but can't remember exactly how many (long time ago!)
Time for a revisit, I think.

I'm reading Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles", all the Inspector Rebus novels, a Phillippa Gregory series, Jasper Fforde "The Last Dragonslayer" series and a couple of others I have hanging around.

Debbie and Cathy, I'm really pleased to have other Palliser/ Trollope readers to compare notes with - and, maybe, get a bit of encouragement.

I think that I'll need to clear the decks a bit on the Magic Square challenge first, though. I seem to be making little progress with it at the moment :-(

I think I'm going to add Margaret Atwood's MaddAdam trilogy too.

Yes, and me, though I haven't set it up yet. I might try the Wool thing too but am sadly behind in my reading as too much happening at home right now.

I just started the Divergent series - not sure if this counts as it is YA. I just want to read it along with my daughter. I also want to read the Game of Thrones series - I have the first but haven't started it yet...

If it is a series, it counts Jessica. How old is your daughter>?

I have the first six of The Game of Throne Series books glaring at me to read. Aiming to read then this year.

My hubbie bought me the first two of the divergent series back as a pressie from being away...will have to add these onto the challenge. Looking forward to them

I envy those of you reading Game of Thrones for the first time. they were the books that brought my reading mojo back after having my son and suffering severe depression and ptsd. It helps that they are also awesome!!

I'm 5 books into my series challenge: two Anne Rice, a Jasper Fforde and two Louise Rennison.

I enjoyed Rice and look forward to reading more of hers. I also enjoyed the Fforde (he remainsa firm favourite author). I'm not that impressed with the Rennison. I loved her Georgia Nicholson series as a teenager, but this series seems to be rehashing old jokes and trying too hard. Maybe I'm too old for it!! I'll read the third to complete the series for the challenge, but not until I can borrow it from somewhere and I'm certainly not in a desperate rush to read it!!

I've started the first in the Hunger Games trilogy, which I've been wanting to read for a while now.

Hope everyone else's challenges are going well

Oh Paul I forgot to answer you - my daughter is 10.

I have a 10 year old daughter too, amongst others....

Charlotte, you should really enjoy the Hunger Games Trilogy...I had chomped my way through them in under 2 weeks. Just ace :D

I'm decided to add Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books to the series challenge. It's cheating slightly because I have read them all before - but some of them not for years.

I'm also contemplating reading The Forsyte Saga novels if I don't run out of time. I've always intended to read them but have never got round to it.

thanks Charlotte :)

I'm most of the way through the second book now - totally hooked

Currently just starting the sixth of seven books in The Barbershop Seven series by Douglas Lindsay. A tad late to this thread, but have been avidly reading these since December :)

I am going to join this challenge. I have a couple of trilogies I want to finish as part of It. Peter May's Lewis Trilogy and the Northern Lights trilogy. I also intend to get stuck into the Cazalet series and may give Hunger Games a go as that nicely doubles up for my Magic Square "genre you don't normally read". And I have about six other series lined up as well!!! Ah well.

I am also going to add the Harry Hole series to this challenge. I started with The Snowman...so will have to work backwards...

how's everyone doing with this challenge?

I've read all the Hunger Games, 3 of the Anne Rice Vampire chronicles, 2 Inspector Rebus, 2 Louise Rennison, a Jasper Fforde, a Deborah Harkness and am part way through a Philippa Gregory.

I'm enjoying reading books I've intended to read for years.

I have read two Charlotte. Have got seven books to read and return to the library first before getting on with the next Shardlake book

I've read 1. The first in the Maddadam trilogy.... I'm a bit behind on reading. Too many fun things to do with the kids during Easter hols.

wow Charlotte..thats dedication :D i have managed 4 so far, i think! 2 Discworlds, the 5th Stuart MacBride book and the latest Dan Brown. Gearing myself up for the another pratchett as the last took a bit of effort!

We had a lot of fun over easter too, two egg hunts and two big easter dinners amongst other things.

is Shardlake a fantasy series, Paul?

sounds like everyone is making good progress!! :)

Not much dedication Charlotte, I just really struggle to sleep, travel a lot with work and I'm a freakishly fast reader. it's a good combo for a reading challenge :)

I thought I was a fast reader!

This is the first in the series Dissolution good historical whodunits.

Thanks Paul.

I don't know how fast others read, but I was feeling a tad paranoid about it, so worked out how much I've read today on the train - it was a 1.5 hour train ride each way and in that time I did about 30 mins of work and I read 301 pages of a pretty average sized book. So I reckon I average a page a minute. I read during my lunch breaks and for at least an hour before bed, plus I always have a book on the go on my kindle app for whenever I'm in a queue, waiting for the train / the kettle to boil.

Ouf - I have not gotten far on this challenge- I think I have signed up to do too much reading!! Anna Karenina is the big one that's putting me on hold with other things and I am reading too many at once, me thinks! I plan to get on with the series challenge over the summer - that is assuming I don't decide to go for War and Peace!!

@Charlotte - that is about 500 wpm reading speed. Nothing to be paranoid about. I read a little in the morning, and an hour at lunchtimes and in the evenings. But not tonight as i have other things to do.

@ Jessica - I totted up my challenge books and library books and those that I have borrowed of other people and it was around 100! That is onto of what I have read so far this year.

Doesn't sound freakishly fast when you put it like that!

I've had no reading time today so far and feeling a little twitchy now - I think I have a book problem!!

I definitely have more books than I can feasibly read this year: my current count of unread kindle books stands at 286, I have in excess of 50 books on my "to read" shelf and I'm still borrowing library books

Repeat after me: I am a book addict. But it is not a problem, yet.

We have three separate libraries here and have in excess of 50 from them...

That's a pretty impressive stash you have going on there, Paul!

I think my husband may disagree on the book addition / problem equation, but he knew about this illness when he married me...

Paul wrote: "Repeat after me: I am a book addict. But it is not a problem, yet.

We have three separate libraries here and have in excess of 50 from them..."

Wow, Paul !
You must be a speedy reader ! How long are you allowed to have books out at your library ?
I used to read faster than I do now ... I have more time to read but less concentration or focus I think .

I think I'm going to concentrate on the Magic Square challenge more. I doubt I'll be able to fill in all 25 slots ,but would like to fill in more on it .
I think Ill pass on the series challenge for now !

Julie wrote: "Wow, Paul !
You must be a speedy reader ! How long are you allowed to have books out at your library ?
I used to read faster than I do now ... I have more time to read but less concentration or focus I think ..."

One library allows 10 renews i.e. 30 weeks, the other 3, so 9 weeks.

Your libraries must allow for longer checkouts. Most of the ones here are 2 weeks, then you can renew 5 times .

A large number of libraries now have the newer books on a shelf called Express Reads. You are only allowed to have them for 7 days, no renewals, in case others are waiting to read them ,so unless you read fast, you can't get many done in that short a time .

I don't know how many checkouts my library allows, I don't generally keep library books that long though. I feel oddly obliged to read them as soon as possible after borrowing