Paranormal & Urban Fantasy, Monthly Group Reads discussion

Reading habits vary from person to person, and I am sure from mood to mood.

For example, some of us read series in order. Others skip a book or two ahead and come back to the previous books later.

Other examples of reading habits are sticking to a certain genre for months at a time, where others might bounce around with different genre's on a daily basis.

What are YOUR reading habits?

I always try to read a series in order - I've been known to read them out of order, only by accident though. I am pretty steadfast in my paranormal genre - I like the exceptional, although I had a Duke/Lord obsession about 5 years ago where I only read stories where the leading man was held a title of Lord or better (up to but not including Prince).
Favorite authors always get preference. For example, LKH always gets to be at the top of the list.
I also go between YA, Normal and Erotic Fiction. I guess my reading habits vary quite a bit. Goodreads has become my essential tool in tracking what I've read, making lists of what I want to read and finding new reading material.
Happy reading all!

I always read a series in order. When I start a new series, I usually read all the books before I move on to anything else.
I go back and forth between PNR and UF, depending on my mood.

I try to read series in order, but not necessarily back to back. I tend to read several books at once, too. At any given time, I have an audiobook, a paranormal, and a regular fiction or romantic suspense going on. Punctuate that with graphic novels. I read whenever I can, but I prefer to read in silence. I like to focus on my story and not get lots of background stimuli. If I can curl up in my chair with a blanket and a book, or in bed, I'm happy.

I've always been a reader (under the covers with a flashlite as a kid) so ya'll are just so much fun with these type questions! Thanks, Tricia! I can only read one book at a time - I'm old, have trouble concentrating and remembering to tie my shoelaces, no way could I handle more than one unless its an anthology! I love series and if I find a new book that sounds good but its in a series, I'll check the library for the previous books first. I can't read a series back-to-back, tho, but I admit to not being able to remember :) sometimes if I've read the last one so have to check out the one before again to find out and catch up. GR has helped me mark them now so I should get better with that *grin*. I have been on a paranormal kick of some sort for the last 20 yrs after a dude in Half Price Books turned around and told me, "You should read this author!". It was Jack Chalker, who writes Sci-Fi/Fantasy . . . I was hooked! Then I discovered Mercedes Lackey's "Magic's Promise" series - God, I love those 3 books! When I got tired of seeing the same books - most of which I'd read! - at the library and bookstore, I moved an aisle over to the paranormal romance and romantic suspense books and only left for a couple years to read all the mysteries at my little library :) Sorry, you guys didn't ask for my life story! I read in the evenings mostly, and always before I can fall asleep. I also have to read while I'm at the table eating lunch & dinner. Worse, I've been known to skip work and keep reading if I'm in the middle of a great book *unrepentant grin*. I haven't tried audio books but am going to so that I can listen while I go for a walk. I've never even considered graphic novels but with LKH and others getting into the mix, I guess I'll try some! Any recommendations?

I have a book for every mood it seems. I like trying to fit one into each genre I am a fan of. Romance, thriller, horror. I read mostly before bed but with me not working I can spend the day reading. Only problem is I get tension headaches so I gotta watch reading for more than about 50 pages at a time.

Cindi you make me giggle! :D

I too need to read series in order. I am anal about that actually.. even if my boyfriend is telling me that reading *The Vampire Armand* after *The Vampire Lestat* wont spoil anything, I am STILL going to read the plethora of books in between the two before I get to Armand! lol.


I *can* read more then one book at a time, and sometimes do this. It really depends on the books and my mood.

Like last month, I had every intention of reading our group reads. But I got so into the Rachel Morgan series (and real life stuff happened at the same time) that I couldnt read anything else.
And THEN the series spoiled me and I couldnt really pick up anything else without being depressed about it NOT being Rachel Morgan LOL!

So my mood really effects what I read and how I read it hehe.
Especially when the Genre comes into play.

And Cindi I read at night always, right before bed! Until I can no longer keep my eyelids open :P So I am right there with you sister!

I read in bed before I go to sleep, even when I get to bed very late. I've fallen asleep while reading. I read while watching TV. I always think that I can listen to the tube and read, but the TV loses. I often start a series with the middle book, if I like the book I start from the beginning. Sometimes I read a book from the last chapter to the first. The book has to be one I don't really like.

I always read a series in order but, I very rarely read a series straight through. I like to mix it up a little bit. I like to pair up authors who use the same rules for the creatures in the stories. Because the definitions and characteristics of vampires and weres vary from book to book, I don't like to mix up two totally different sets of rules. Like for instance I read the twilight sage through, rules: Can go in the sun, don't eat food, turn people from a bite, don't bleed, don't sleep.... I read the Black dagger brother hood series right after, rules: Eat food, are born vamps, sleep, bleed, die like mortals, can't go in the sun...... Plus taking the two same examples. When you read Twilight it's bright and green. B.D.B is dark and filled with violence and sex. It threw me a little so I like to stick to authors who create the same "moods".
Same with books about werewolves. There are so many different types of pack dynamics that if you go from say...The Anita Blake series to the Mercy Thompson series it's pretty similar (the pack dynamic that is. Nothing else. Hah!) but, if you pair Anita with Kelley Armstrongs's Women of the underworld series..one female, small packs, the hierarchy... it's just weird to make the adjustments.
I also like to pair a horror series with something a little lighter in between so I don't develop a complex. HEHE

Yeah I used to read series straight through, and when I joined Goodreads I got introduced to so many new things.. and then group reading that I now usually bounce from series to series.

There is the exception, like with the Rachel Morgan series, where I will be so hooked on a series I will have to read them all! lol

I loved the Rachael Morgan series. One of the few I read right through. I have a confession though. I read so many great reviews that I bought the first two in the series. Well, I didn't like the first book so much at first. I thought she explained everything with toooo much detail. I got really bored with the first book and I had a little trouble making it through until a little after the half way piont. I almost returned the second book but, I thought oh well might as well see if it get any better....Thank goodness I did. I loved the rest of the series. I ended up enjoying the extra details. One of my top three favorite series.
I have a 50/100 page rule now when I read. If I don't like the main character by page 50 I switch to another book and come back. If I don't care if the main character dies by page 100 I put the book down.

That's a good rule Teresa :D

I often put books down and rate them explaining why I couldn't finish it and that I will pick it up later.

I do this because my mood is so finicky and I know how I can personally get and that just because I cant read it that particular time doesn't mean I wont like it later :)

I like reading a series from the beginning. Whenever I've tried to start in the middle I always feel like I'm missing something.

Usually I read the whole series straight through. I like to keep the characters fresh in my mind. Sometimes when I leave a series and come back, I'm like 'who is that again?' and I have to spend some time reminding myself of where I left off.lol

Mostly it depends if the the story is continuing from the last book, or if it's a totally different story. Like with the Immortals after dark series. I feel comfortable leaving that and coming back, because the main characters in each book are different. But when I'm left on a cliff hanger I almost have to read the next book right away. Like with Lover Avenged, I want to know what happens to Xhex dammit! xD

And I'm the type of person that carries a book with me where ever I go. When I'm going out of the house I'll shove it in my purse because you never know when your gonna have a free chunk of time. I love reading every spare moment.

lol, as a kid I did the exact same thing with the book and flashlight under the covers. I used to hate when the batteries would run out because then I'd have to fess up that I stayed up longer than I was supposed to. lol, my parents had to beg me to come eat supper. I can just hear them now telling me to 'get my nose out of the book!'xD

In the last year I've taken to having more than one book on the go at a time as I've branched out from standard books. Now, I often have a physical book of some sort, an audiobook in the car and an ebook on the laptop. It's also not unusual for me to read indvidual stories from anthologies while reading other things.

As far as series go, it varies whether I read them all straight through. If I love the series from the start, I'll probably read all that are currently available, one after another. Other series will be read at random while I'm reading other things. I definitely prefer to start at the beginning of a series and read them in order, but it has happened that I've started with a second or third book on occasion.

When do I read? Whenever I can get away with it. I read on my lunch breaks, after work before my husband gets home and in my baths before bed. And if it's a book I've been waiting for (like a BDB), then everything stops while I do nothing but read the book. =)

i'm way anal about reading things in a series too - the 3rd 'dark tower' book has been sitting on my shelf for *years* (got it way cheap at a used store, so couldn't pass it up) because i've never remembered to pick up the 2nd.

Jennifer, i get tripped up in long series, sometimes, too. i keep wishing there was a quick cliffs notes synopsis somewhere online for each book in a few of my fave series so i could refresh in a page or so before diving into the latest installment.

Teresa, i'm with you on needing to mix it up. i very rarely read series books back-to-back. and besides, all the ones i've been keeping up with for a while now only relase a book per year or so, so that option is often not there anyway.

as far as "habits" go, does anyone else have a fave spot to read in? obviously, we all catch some book time when we can at work or on the metro or whatever, but who has a definite preferred spot? when i bought my new living room furniture at the beginning of this year, the store had a lovely modern chaise lounge (it's effictively a cooshy chair with an attached ottoman, with the seat in a gently sloping wave form that's way comfy for your legs to lay on). as soon as i saw it, i knew i had to have it for my official reading spot - it got placed right in the bay window bump-out in the living room, with a lamp over head and an end table right nearby. it's separate from the rest of the living room furniture, so tv watching is over *there* and reading is over *here*. love it!

Michelle, I want one of those chaises!!! That would be perfect to read in. I have made a dent in my couch cushions next to my torchiere reading light. I also had to buy one of those clip-on reading lights for my bedroom because the lamp doesn't spread light to the center of the bed ... and when I need to flip over and read, I need a light! I went thru several because I was fooled into buying those cute little book lights but they suck! Not enough to read with out my flashlight, LOL!

♥Tricia♥ wrote: "That's a good rule Teresa :D

I often put books down and rate them explaining why I couldn't finish it and that I will pick it up later.

I do this because my mood is so finicky and I know how I ca..."

Exactly!!!!!!

I am an addicted reader when it comes to a series. Normally I have to read every book that is out in a certain series before I can move on to any other book. I also feel like I can never read fast enough because I know I have so many good books I still have to read. The only difference with my books are going from young adult to fiction. They are almost always paranormal in nature.

I read before bed, and set aside AT LEAST an hour... usually, two hours of reading time at the end of my day.

I tend to blast my way through a series when I love it... like with Josie Litton's books, I started with the viking trilogy, loved it SO much, I HAD to read the next two series IMMEDIATELY, which were actually spin offs of the viking series... and I was glad I did that, because the people in the spin off books are distant ancestors of the vikings, so I caught lots of subtleties I may have missed had I waited too long between series. To give you an idea of how much I loved those books, the three series together total nine books, and I read them inside a month!

Right now, I'm on a Kresley Cole binge. I literally bought every book in the Immortals After Dark series yesterday, after falling in love with books one and two, so I'll be devouring that series for the next few weeks.

I'm not necessarily "anal" about finishing a series, I just get really addicted to the writing style or the world-building that author creates, and so I just can't stop until I've read it ALL!

Right now, I have a new reading habit that I'm enjoying. I'm a romance and erotica junkie, but I've also always loved historical literature - I call it "higher minded" literature - the stuff that's more like 700+ pages and may not have sex in it - LOL. Anyway, right now at night, I read 50-100 pages of The Historian, and then to shake off the horrors of Vlad the Impaler, I finish my nighttime reading by switching to the next Kresley Cole IAD book, and read 50-100 pages of that. It's really fun! I feel well-rounded when I alternate those styles at the same time. ;o)

Ya I get the same way sometimes.. I don't get too anal about finishing a series.. especially when I am reading group reads.. I tend to start a series and move on and make a note to myself to come back to it later.

Sometimes that backfires and I forget what it was about LOL.

This is one of the reasons I started getting detailed in my reviews.. so that I may remind myself what the story was about hehe

I always read a series in order if at all possible. Not always, but I tend to read the series back-to-back from beginning to end when possible. This obviously isn't possible if all books aren't released yet. Harder to do when the series is longer but if I get hooked, I just keep on reading. In fact, because of this, I tend to not start a series til I own all the books in it to read. Usually these are by authors I'm sure I'll like and I wait around and pick up the books used.

I always read the series in order, and if I have started a series and like it I have to finish it. I am so OCD about my reading that I have to hunt down the whole series and make sure I have every single one of the published works before I start reading the first book; "you know just in case I like the series" (the line I give my husband). I bounce around a lot and enjoy read GBLT and really anything. I mostly read in the mornings when I am at work :) or when I am waiting on the kids. My Huband claims I owe him since I spent my honeymoon reading, I have apologized but the man sure can hold a grudge so nighttime reading hardly happens. I have the kids and when they are asleep my husband and I use that time and do "stuff" together ;).