Saturday 4 April 2015

A Correlation: Libraries Make Me Read More Series


I know what you're thinking.. Amanda has officially lost her marbles, but fear not, for I have my mind completely in tact. No, what we're talking about today is very much a true story. A story of how one little girl rekindled her love for libraries and then became so obsessed with them, she ended up reading many series with the aid of them, not least 4 of her favourite series, ever, and just cannot get enough of them. Okay, maybe a few marbles arranged an escape early on the week, but I'm serious, between my using my local libraries and reading so many series, I've noticed a correlation between my actions -

I read more series when I visit the library than I do without


Lets get this show on the road. I've mentioned in the past that the book, well, series that got me back into reading was The Infernal Devices series, wonderful series that I still haven't finished (whoops?), which just so happened to be borrowed from my, at the time, school library. Notice, series and library? Good, let us continue then. I then later in life, (a few months) found myself toddling over the my most local library and seeing what they had, (aka finding and LOVING Skulduggery Pleasant), which then lead to me moving outwards and exploring other libraries close by and being made aware of just how many series the library had, that I have now read; Lunar Chronicles, Curse Workers, Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, Heroes of Olympus, Under the Never Sky, there's been so many series that I may never have read had I never visited the library. That's were this correlation comes in. I've done nothing but read series since visiting the libraries local to me, but why?

I think it's got something to do with the fact that they're already there. Most of the time, there'll be a collection of them, a little huddle of books, all from the same series, all lined up ready to be taken out, loved, cherished and returned and sometimes they match, sometimes they don't, but they just wait there, like a little family, and I don't know about you, but I find it really difficult to just take away one book. I feel like a home wrecker, I've split up their family, so I take more than one, maybe two or three, or sometimes the whole series, I just feel like I need to have them all there, just in case it all works out, and surprisingly, around 8 out of 10 series I've taken out of the library have been fabulous choices. I recall having around 5 or 6 Skulduggery Pleasant books out at one time, three Vampire Academy books, 4 Rick Riordan novels, I just cannot take one book out, and the only time I do is when I have no choice in the matter and it's the only one there. But I'm deviating..

If it wasn't for my libraries, I wouldn't have read as many series as I have. I've found some fabulous series with the aid of my libraries, and I know I'll only continue to find more, but I very rarely take out and read standalone novels from the library. I think I've maybe taken out 5 or 6 standalone novels that haven't been part of a series or collection by an author, it's a rare occasion that I do, and I can't exactly place why, but there's something exciting about taking three or four books from a series, bringing them home and knowing that this little secret, all the feelings your going to have, they're all yours, you haven't got to wait for someone else miles away to finish the book you want because it's there, and it's a beautiful feeling.

I've even been tempted and still am tempted by books that, a few months ago, I either hadn't heard of or taken an interest in, like Benedict Jacka's Alex Versus series, or Jay Kristoff's Stormdancer series.. even Alison Goodmans Eon Duology or Michael Grants BZRK Trilogy - all of these series have been put on my radar thanks to my libraries, series which I would never have considered, thought about or been swayed to try. I would never have been willing to try a lot of series, like Splintered of The Grisha because I couldn't avoid the price of the first book, but I could avoid the £1 to reserve it from another library. I've saved myself ache and a pain in my bank balance by taking out series that I'm glad I didn't buy, like Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, or Noughts and Crosses. My libraries have encouraged me to read more series than I ever could have imagined, and where many bloggers are becoming fed up of the constant recurrence of series in the young adult range, I'm actually really excited.

The excitement I feel when I visit my libraries after reading the first in a series, or after hearing that a book I've reserved from a series is waiting for me is too unbelievable for words, but it's the feeling of knowing that I'm experiencing something special with the series that makes me read more sometimes. Sometimes, the bigger the series, the better, like with Spooks, which I'm currently reading, and sometimes, it's the collection of stories by an author, like Tom Hoyle, that can brighten your day. I talk about my libraries a lot when I talk about books, and it's common to find that many of the books I read are from the library, but I honestly believe that there is a connection between visiting libraries and reading more series, not just for me, but for everyone, and I'd love to know whether this is true. From where I stand, I love series, they bring me excitement and allow me to stay somewhere comfortable, with characters I love in a world I adore, and while I can't turn down a nice standalone once in a while, I'm pretty happy with my claws in deep.

Do you read more series when you visit your libraries?

Do you have any actions that increase the amount of series you read, or standalones for that matter?
What are you more likely to borrow, standalones or series? Let me know, I'm really intrigued at the outcome.

12 comments:

  1. okay, so I am a HUGE library addict. XD I don't really know if it makes me more prone to read series?! I kind of just read...whatever. Mostly what I'm recommended. I don't usually finish series. GAH. MY BAD! But I'm doing soooo well this year, and i've already finished off, like 5 trilogies and I'm neck-deep in the hurtful angst of Skulduggery. It's a long weekend in Oz, so the library is closed till Tuesday (!!) and I only have ONE MORE BOOK TO READ ADN THEN I'LL BE CRYING. So I was on the website this arvo reserving like 3 Skulduggery books. ;-) Least to say I'm addicted to libraries and Skulduggery.

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    1. Oh man Cait, I know you are, you LIVE for libraries. YOU'RE DOING BRILLIANTLY, shush. I'm still so pleased you're loving Skully and cannot wait until you reach the end, IT WILL HURT. *cackles* <3

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  2. I am absolutely the same. (Not that I've been to the library in forever and NOT THAT THEY EVEN HAVE ONE HERE SOB.) But like you said, they're just all RIGHT THERE and it's so convenient. And then you can blow through the series in a week if it' good enough and don't have to deal with a huge lag between books where you forget the details. I know that I really struggle to keep up with series, even if I really love them, because I'll buy the debut, then wait for the sequel and forget things, and then not buy the rest of the series just because of money.I'M SO HAPPY LIBRARIES EXIST.

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    1. Yes yes yes Zoey! The ability to just, GO and get loads of books in a series is fabulous and wonderful and it just makes me so so happy! I need to go again soon, I've been slacking and have books I need to read soon, so hopefully I'll get to them again. Libraries are like a second home, THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL!<3

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  3. My local library is my second home. I am very close to the librarian, and she REALLY likes to push books to anyone who will listen. She got me to read the Leviathan series, the Hunger Games, the Percy Jackson series, and a ton more.
    Money is also a big factor with my library obsession. I hesitate to buy the beginnings of series, because if I like it, I have to buy all of them, regardless if I have the money or not. Instead of spending a ton of money, I can take a trip to the library and get all of the books for free (as long as I remember to return them on time, which I am not particularly good at).
    I also like how you can tell if a book is good at a library just by looking at the condition it is in. At my library, the Harry Potter books are beaten up and you can tell that hundred of people have read them. Most of the time, I can tell if a book is good or not if it looks well-loved.
    Great discussion!

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    1. Your Librarian sounds fabulous, mine are wonderful too! I always look at the condition of books too, if it's well used, it's well loved and that's a great sign, thanks for stopping by and enjoying reading lovely!<3

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  4. I'm actually kind of the opposite --- I tend to avoid series at the library just because they often DON'T have a complete set. At least, the library in my home town didn't. They'd have books 2, 3, and 5 or something like that, but not have the first one available. It always just made me angry, so I started avoiding series while I was in the library. The ones where I'm at now are probably better, but I haven't given them much of a chance yet :P

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    1. Oh I can understand how painful that would be! I've had that happen a lot and I avoid those series if I know they don't have them all and things, it sucks, BIG TIME. It's always worth a look at libraries ;)<3

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  5. Funnily enough, my experience with the library is the complete opposite! I check out TONS of stand alone novels from the library, especially debuts, because I'm much more likely to re-read series (since I'm more invested in the storylines because they're longer) and so I tend to buy series more. The library really allows me to dive into stand alones without the fear that they'll be unmemorable and I'll be disappointed in my purchase.

    Cristina @ Girl in the Pages

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    1. You've got a nice correlation with libraries and standalones then, and I can really see that wonderful point, it gives you more freedom and more enjoyment and if you're a re-reader (I am not), buying the series makes more sense, and that's great! Standalone purchases that disappoint do suck..

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  6. I think I read more when I visit the library because I have a deadline to bring the book back by and I tend to pick up the most random books - usually something that is not on my large wishlist. I find it really fun to go and browse and just see what pops out at my. A few years before I started blogging I read solely from the library - I did not buy any books for one year and I read over 100 books that year. So many that I would not have picked up if it were not for the library. :)

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    1. Oh I love a good browse, I just haven't been able to for a while because I'm so swamped with RC's instead.. libraries are great though, got to love them just a little bit at least!

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