When I am not reading ARCs - I tend to just read whatever I am digging at that moment. I will binge read as I see fit swinging wildly around the romance novel genre from historic high drama to motorcycles to hockey hunks and stop everywhere in between. (I try to explore the genre more and more as I have stopped being a closet reader - I have thoughts on that too…) But sometimes I am not in the mood for a standalone and I am struck with the immortal conundrum - in order or by selection?
I used to be a vehemently in order reader. I didn’t care if I loathed the next novel’s base trope - and at times this bit me in the butt. I ended up slogging through a book or making it feel like a punishment to read further. This sometimes leads to - gasp - a reading slump. The worst cases of this lead to avoiding an author for ages - because I wouldn’t let myself read out of order.
Many authors were really accommodating and have great series that are all self-contained Happily Ever Afters and I can hop right over a book with a blurb that doesn’t quite feel like my style. (Sorry accidental and secret baby…) I can enjoy each individual Avery Flynn, Tessa Dare, or Courtney Milan book and not feel guilty if I don’t read them in order. (Minor spoilers aside.)
The other side of this are books that are written not as standalone stories and if you do read them out of order - you really don’t get the whole story because the author has crafted something beyond a single story. Some specific authors that come to mind are Julie Ann Walker, Tillie Cole, and Rebecca Zanetti (especially her Dark Protectors books!) who all have these narrators and arcs that happen over multiple stories and add depth and breadth to each individual novel. So that if you read them out of order - you really don’t feel the impact and effort the author has committed to.
Which leads me back to my dilemma - in order or by selection? And the answer for me is both. I reach out to reader friends and decide with their invaluable input. Some have to be read in order and I am glad I took that advice. Others - let’s skip right over book two and jump headfirst into three. What about you?