Do you read books of a series in chronological order?

[Savanahlorain]

I hate reading books out of order. It just seems wrong.
Also, if I start a series and don't finish, then come back to it a while later, I usually re-read the whole series again. It just makes it seem more complete

[Kieran_Obrien]

Has anybody mentioned the Chronicles of Narnia yet? Nearly everyone starts with The Lion the witch and the wardrobe which is technically the 2nd book chronologically

[Booklover_CRJ]

It irks me when I discover I've read out of order even if an author says reading order doesn't matter...well it does to me! I just have to read in order.

[JodyVamp]

I try to read them in order for the best character/action build, but it just doesn't always work out. Sometimes I find the third one at the thrift store and just have to have it, or one of my favorites I won from goodreads and it was the fifth in Darynda Jones's Grim Reaper series. I try to find them in order after that, but libraries and prices don't always work out. Once I've managed to find the whole series, I read it again in order.

[SparklesonPages]

As far as possible I try to read the series in order. It sometimes happens I find a book on sale, find that it’s fantastic and really book 2-3 out of a series.

[kfwilson6]

I definitely have to read them in order. If I pick up a book I'm not very familiar with, I check to make sure it is not part of a series before I begin reading it. Another quirk of mine, I have a terrible memory, I read a lot, and I read quickly so I can't always remember the details of earlier books in a series if I don't read the entire series from start to finish. Therefore, if the author is still working on the series, I don't want to start reading it yet. I am absolutely going to have to reread Game of Thrones if Mr. Martin would ever finish it. I just couldn't resist it and it was so worth it!

[Jeyasivananth]

Yes I definitely try to do that .

[Jeyasivananth]

I definitely try to do that .

[seymmarc]

I usually try as best as I can. There have been a few instances where I've randomly picked up a book and finished it then realized it was in the middle of a series. There are some series where I really like one of the books but the author drags out the storyline along too many other novels and it loses its appeal. Another technique I've come across with two authors is their series has been written as Book 1, 2, 3, 4 (for example) then after they write book A which is a companion novel that goes between book 3 and 4. Then I'm really in a pickle for what order to read them in!

[Camille Turner]

I completely agree with you! It is an obsession for me as well. I absolutely will not read a book out of order if it's supposed to be a flowing story. The exception is the Marsh series because there are 32 of them I believe and I've only been able to hunt them down here and there, plus the storyline is different each time so you absolutely CAN read them out of order.

[mnmueller]

It depends on the series. When I was younger, we read the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys stories in any order and it didn't seem to make much difference. I read some of the Xanth series out of order, but many of the books deal with different main characters and stories that may be occurring at or around the same time as other books. Some of the Pern books can be read out of chronological order, simply because so much time passes between some of them that the order doesn't make that much difference.

Most of the series I read now, you don't want to read out of order because the sequels build on the foundation of the previous book(s). A recap would not be enough, because so much happens in the previous book(s) that you won't have enough context for what is happening. At least, I wouldn't have enough context.

My mother actually brought home the second Harry Potter book from work, saying she heard it was really good but she couldn't get into it. I read maybe the first chapter before I realized it was the second book in the series, then stopped and ordered the other three books that were out. This was shortly before the release of the fifth book.

[GabbiV]

As much as I can, yes I try to read them in chronological order as much as possible. I like knowing what's being built off of. But in some cases where I cannot for the life of me get through a particular installment, I'll skip it and look up the important points for when I read the book that comes after. Eventually, I will start feeling guilty, so once I've finished all available books, I'll go and do a speed read of the one I ignored.

[Sakilunamermaid]

I prefer to read them in order but sometimes you don't own some of them and you just have to make do. Either way you get an introduction to the authors style, characters, and world. You can always fill in the blanks later.

[Jfoust1988]

I read books the first time threw in publication order just to avoid spoilers. But after that I must return to the beginning and read them in chronological order. It's a completely different experience when reading chronological instead of publication order. Oh my when I reread cassandra clairs Infernal Devices, Mortal Instruments, Bane chronicles, and Shadow Hunter Academy it was insane. I will have to do it again when her last two series (placed in the same world and has many of the same characters) is published.

[Jesscar6]

Always.
Otherwise how do you know what's happened before?
Surely most series wouldn't make sense unless you read them from the start.
Even if I want to reread a book, if it's part of a series I'll start from the beginning again.