oh deary me david, we're not going to see eye to eye on this one. i'm going to flaberghast you even more, because I even get cold feet about reading synopsis for books later on in the series for fear i might learn something that i might not want to know, and I certainly won't read personal reviews on Amazon, as once or twice there have been spoilers in there. I'm a bit fanatical in this area.
Shell.----- Original Message ----- From: "David Russell" <david.russell8@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <electrobooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 9:17 PM Subject: [electrobooks] Re: reading books in order
Shell, I agree up to a point. Patricia Cornwell has to be read in order, particularly the later books as they are more about the characters than the plot. Just to be argumentative though, if you read the latest book and then go back to an early book in a series, there is something smug about knowing that the two detectives who are fighting all the time will be married by book ten. It is like seeing into the future. David -----Original Message----- From: electrobooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:electrobooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Shell Sent: 26 April 2009 21:06 To: electrobooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [electrobooks] Re: reading books in order I'm afraid I agree with Sandra on this one David. Some authors can be read in any order and it doesn't matter, for example I recently read The Hard way by Lee Child and it could have been enjoyed as a stand alone. However, I do think i enjoyed it more knowing Jack Reacher's past. However, some series would be ruined for me if I read them out of sequence, for example the running story of John Cardinal's home life in Giles Blunts novels, I would feel i had missed so much if I started at book 4 say, as it's a building story and if I read book 4 first, then I would know a big spoiler for what was going to happen in the first books. Besides all that, I just love to read in order and would always rather wait for the first in the sequence and start at the beginning it's part of the whole anticipation of the follow on that I enjoy when getting into a series. I don't really feel that whether the books are deeply entrenched in a follow on storyline or are more stand alone reflects on an author's ability, it's just a different style of writing. However, I do get very anoyed when authors spend ages trying to bring readers up to date in later books. I remember one patricia Cornwell where she spent almost the first half of one book going over old stuff and I found it really anoying. I do have lots of friends who don't mind what order they read a series in though, but I just don't want to do it, i'm not quite as bothered if it's a series I don't know anything about, but if i've already started and read the first book or two, then I get really agitated if a later book comes up much later on in the series for a book group etc. Shell. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Russell" <david.russell8@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <electrobooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 6:34 PM Subject: [electrobooks] Re: reading books in orderSandra, I agree that it is preferable if you can do it, but a good author shouldbeable to refer to earlier facts without making it essential that you knowthewhole story. I often notice Peter Robinson refers to previous events, but it is not essential to have read the previous book. Surely with any book you should be able to ick it up and read it without worrying what came before. I think it is presuming rather a lot for an author to think that allreadershave read all of his books in order. David -----Original Message----- From: electrobooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:electrobooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of whizza Sent: 26 April 2009 18:26 To: electrobooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [electrobooks] Re: reading books in order The problem with that, David, is that some authors introduce characters in the first book in a series and develop them further in subsequent novels. Also, some authors refer to something that happened in a previous novel in the series, one that perhaps you haven't read, so it gives away some oftheplot of that particular book. I agree that with some series, perhaps Jack Reacher is a reasonable example, you can get away with it but for some you just can't! I've just read three books by Alex Barentsen unknowingly inthewrong order and he did refer to previous incidents I knew nothing about.Somaybe it just depends on the author as to whether you need to read aserieschronologically or in any order you like. Cheers, Sandra. __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virussignaturedatabase 4035 (20090425) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.557 / Virus Database: 270.12.4/2081 - Release Date: 4/26/20099:44 AM-- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 1901 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 4035 (20090425) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.557 / Virus Database: 270.12.4/2081 - Release Date: 4/26/2009 9:44 AM
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