Nov 12, 2010

Book Blogger Hop


Welcome to my first Book Blogger Hop on my new blog.

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly follow hosted by Crazy-for-Books.

For those new to my blog, this is a compilation of three former blogs: Afterthoughts..., Afterthoughts for Adults, and Afterfonts. With this one blog to rule them all, I plan to continue blogging about children's books, adult books, and fonts/typography. I hope you follow me and enjoy!

This week's hop's featured question:

"If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?"

My answer:

Not unless the whole point is for me to find a new series. For instance, if I'm at a library or a bookstore and I pick up a book I think I'll like, I'll read it, even if it's not the first book in the series. BUT, if I'm trying to find a new series to begin - say, I've read everything of Christine Warren's and am looking for something new to pass the time before her newest book comes out - then yes, I will begin at the beginning.

Later in the day:
Visiting people's blogs today has been really eye-opening. I had no idea so many people consider jumping into a series so sacrilegious! There are certain series such as Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, or Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (quick, what do those three series have in common?) where the reader would miss so much, even be lost, if they began in the middle. Yet for certain series — such as The Baby-Sitter's Club by Ann M. Martin or any number of paranormal mass markets I can think of — starting in the middle may not be all that bad. Personally, I find that characters are often richer, more fully developed, and have more complex emotional reactions the later on you read in a series. I don't necessarily have to have read books 1-4 in order to enjoy the character development in book 5. Though I can understand that's not everyone's cup of tea, people's visceral responses to this question have been quite enlightening!

11 comments:

  1. Hey =)

    I'm stopping by from the Book Blog Hop

    and I'm a new Follower!

    Your blog looks great! Welcome to the hop!! =D

    Have a wonderful weekend & Happy Reading!

    Larissa
    Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

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  2. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love finding other aspiring editors. :]

    Hope NaNoWriMo's going well for you! Unfortunately I've been slacking. I blame schoolwork, of course.

    Have a fabulous weekend!

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  3. Stopping by from the Blog Hop (365 Best Children's Books Ever. I love the look of your blog. Especially all the wonderful pictures!

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  4. Hopping by! I try to start with book time anytime I can and my budget...oh I hate to even think about it :/

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  5. Hi Rebecca!! I'm a new follower from the Blog Hop, please stop by and follow back :D
    Hafsah @ IceyBooks

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  6. Hopping by! Happy new blog! I hope you enjoy it...looks great so far! Hope you come by and see my answer!

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  7. Welcome to the Blog Hop!

    I'm a new follower!

    Happy Reading!

    - Mevurah

    http://theheartofdreams.blogspot.com/

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  8. Theoretically, yes, I want to start with the first. But I keep picking up ARCs for new books in established series because it's a super-convenient way to catch up. Sigh... I guess there are worse vices than ARCs.

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  9. Hi - I'm new to the blog hop and like you I don't usually read a series in order. I do usually start with the first book - but after that if I like that one I'll start reading any other books by that author. When I make recommendations at my literacy booths (I sell Usborne and Kane Miller books) I usually try to read some of the books I'm recommending and if it's a series I can let the parents/kids know if it needs to be read in order. Very few of our books have to be read in order. I think the Conspiracy 365 series is the only one that needs to be.

    My blog is at: http://familyliteracyandyou.blogspot.com. I'm not a professional reviewer but am always looking at other book blogs so I can learn from them. I mostly review Preschool, YA and adult fiction - a lot of Christian, mystery, suspense (if there clean).

    I'm following you now & will definitely be back. =0) Tina "The book Lady"

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  10. Love your blog name and design...wonderfully creative...love all these book photos too.

    Stopping by from the Blog Hop.

    Stop by my blog if you like to see my answer to this week's question.

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

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