I love declaring that I’m going to binge a book series and then abandoning it halfway through. Not usually for lack of interest or anything, but just other books popping up and getting in the way! I make these grand plans and create my binge-filled review posts, then they sit in drafts forever because I don’t ACTUALLY binge the series. This has happened in more ways than I can count – physical book binges, audiobook binges, fantasy books, contemporary books, super-long series, super-short series, and everything in between.
Unsuccessful Binges
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
Started: June 2016 /// Books read so far: 2
I randomly pressed play on the audiobook one morning and blitzed through book one, then moved on to the novella book afterwards. I don’t remember why I lost steam, but I remember just wanting to switch to a lighter audiobook afterwards. I definitely plan to get going on this one again really soon, but it’s not exactly the binge I had in mind. I have a review post drafted for the first three books and then will post one for the next three books in September, when Empire of Storms comes out. Then, I’ll read the final book with everyone else the following year!
The Islanders series by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant
Started: June 2016 /// Books read so far: 1
I brought this one along on vacation with me and it took surprisingly long to read. It was honestly not super engaging for me, but I still generally liked the nostalgic feels it gave me. I wanted to read the entire series this summer but I’m not sure if it will happen. I bought the second book recently so maybe I’ll get going on it when the weather is nice and I’m sitting outside 🙂 My goal would be to read at least books one and two this summer!
The Selection series by Kiera Cass
Started: May 2016 /// Books read so far: 3
Ugh this series. I knew I’d read it eventually and finally decided 2016 was the year. It just came to an end so it’s a good time to binge it all. I did the first three books and then was planning on working on the next two, plus the novella book. I just completely lost interest after hating America so much in the first books. I know the next are about her daughter, so I hope to have better luck. I will definitely finish this one up by the end of 2016!
Secrets of my Hollywood Life series by Jen Calonita
Started: March 2015 /// Books read so far: 2
I started this series again for my Nostalgia Project and haven’t had a lot of luck finishing. I read each of the first two books in one day so I’m not sure what my issue is. I can totally blaze through these! I even have some out from the library accruing fines as we speak (whoops). Just haven’t felt motivated lately!
Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins
Started: January 2016 /// Books read so far: 1
I liked the first book for the most part and even started the first few pages of the second. For some reason I just wasn’t in the mood at the time, so I put the book aside. I know I can get it from the library anytime so I’m not in a huge rush. However, it just hasn’t grabbed me. I want to bang it out and be done with it but it’s on the back burner.
Starbound series by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Started: April 2015 /// Books read so far: 1
I read the first book for Book Buddies and planned to keep reading in order. I started the second book via audio and couldn’t focus for some reason; I just wasn’t interested at the time. Sci-fi is something I definitely need the right mood for! I plan to finish of the series at some point but it hasn’t been a priority. It was chosen for the Make Me Read It Readathon and I still couldn’t muster up the energy. Oh well.
Successful Binges
The Lying Game series by Sara Shepard
Started: July 2015 /// Finished: July 2015
I couldn’t stop this one once I started. If I had read the Pretty Little Liars series once all the books were released, I know I would have binged it all in a row too. Sara Shepard is just a super talented writer of thrillers, in the sense that it keeps me going like crazy. I need to know what happened and won’t stop until I figure it out! I read this whole series (seven books plus two novellas) within one month, via audio and ebook copies. My Scribd membership got a workout that month for sure!
True Love trilogy by Kieran Scott
Started: February 2015 /// Finished: February 2015
I didn’t read these back-to-back but I enjoyed reading them all within the same month. I was in the mood because of Valentine’s Day, to be honest. I love Kieran Scott/Kate Brian and her books are clearly binge-worthy. This was a cute trilogy that was super quick and easy to read. I’m glad I read this one because it was my first YA retelling related to Greek mythology.
Shadowlands trilogy by Kate Brian
Started: July 2014 /// Finished: July 2014
I was super fortunate in the timing of reading this series! I asked for book one for Christmas the previous year and was too afraid of the serial killer premise to read it. One summer day, I just happened to pick it up… and couldn’t stop until the last book was complete. I was super lucky in the sense that I started the series in the same week that the final book was being released, so I only had to wait like 12 hours between books two and three. I could absolutely not put these down. I’m not exaggerating, the most unputdownable series I’ve read.
Upcoming Potential Binges
Heist Society // Burn for Burn // The Winner’s Curse
Blythewood // Heat of the Moment // Percy Jackson
I read Heist Society and I LOVE it! There’s ony three book of the series but they’re really good and I truly hope that you could read them.
I definitely will!
About the selection series, if you hated America, her daughter Eadlyn is probably gonna make you wanna stab her. Also you have to read The Winner’s Trilogy!
Oh man haha. I’ve heard the opposite is true too! Some people hated America and really liked her daughter. We’ll see how I fare 🙂
I made it to book 2 in the SJM series and after hearing how the series goes, no thanks! Starboard and Hex Hall are 2 of my favorite series 🙂
I need to get going on finishing them up!
I’ve been kind of binging the The WInner’s Curse trilogy and it’s SO good! I’m almost done with book 2!
I need to get going on it!
I binged books 3 and 4 of the Throne of Glass series after initially not liking the first book. The series changes a lot at book 3 and I found those changes really worked for me! However, if you found those rather dense to binge I think you may feel that way about the winner’s trilogy too, especially since the second book is pretty slow (in my opinion at least).
I haven’t heard of the Shadowlands series but I’m really interested now!
I’m excited to keep going with ToG but I just kind of stalled after Assassin’s Blade! I’m glad to hear it picks up.
I’ll warn you that a lot of people didn’t enjoy the twist of Shadowlands but I really did. I don’t want to spoil it but just know that!!
This is too funny! I love it! I am pretty bad at binges too- I used to be awesome at them, but I just don’t seem to have the time anymore! I kind of squeeze in books as I can, which is why I have NO recent series completed or up to date. I am still sitting on Queen of Shadows because it’s so long. I bought all The Daughter of Smoke and Bone books to binge and I haven’t even cracked the spine of book 1! I own all The Lunar Chronicles books and still am only on Scarlet. It is not easy, I feel your pain!
I know, same here! I have too many books to read at once so binges just don’t happen !
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This didn’t use to be a problem for me, but lately it has been. In the past year I’ve completed the Lunar Chronicles, and Suzanne Young’s Epidemic series (which I didn’t even love), and Matt de la Pena’s two book series The Living/The Hunted. I finished A Darker Shade of Magic last night and plunged straight into the sequel, but the third book isn’t out yet. I read the first five graphic novels in Saga, but haven’t gotten to the recent one. But I’ve read one book and then dropped the series on several others–Red Queen, Legend, Shiver, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Lightning Thief, March, Jackaby, Found, Game of Thrones, Outlander, Haunting of Sunshine Girl…wow, I didn’t realize how bad it was until I started thinking about it! I have to LOVE the first book to be inspired to keep going.
haha I understand that for sure!
I binged the first 3 of The Selection. I vascilated between hating the series and being enraptured by it. The 3rd book, to me, felt about as resolved as anything was going to get (which was not enough), at least once I heard that the next book skipped a generation. I cared the most about the political intrigue and whatnot, and it just felt like the books were going to continue to be about frivolous love shapes of varying numbers of sides.
I listened to Hex Hall a while back and wasn’t totally sold. I have the second and third books, but can’t decide if I want to tackle them or not. For now, they will just sit in my queue 😛
I’ve been debating about binging the Winner’s Curse series. I haven’t read any of those yet, but I see wonderful things about them …
I don’t really do book binges for similar reasons. I can’t stop reading other stuff long enough to read a series all the way through. I am currently working my way through most of my owned audiobooks, as I do reviews for my (still new) blog, but I am spacing out the entries in a series.
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Oh goodness, Percy Jackson is SUCH a good series to binge! I’ve binge read them twice and still enjoyed them both times, because they’re just that fun and that awesome. Hope you get around to binging the rest of your series!