Musing Monday's, May 20, 2013

 
Musing Mondays (http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/) asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits. • 
Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
 • Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
 •Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
 • Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Today I am musing about books that are part of a series.  While I was away several books in series that I follow were released.  Once I got home I either purchased the books or checked them out from the library.  I want to read them all at once but am trying to pace my reading and add some other books in between.  

A new book in two of the books are released each around the same time each year.  Both are historical mysteries with a touch of romance.  Both have actual historical settings.  Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson is set in New York in the early 1900's and What Darkness Brings by C.S. Harris is set in England in the early1800's.  Both are part of series that I have followed from the start and both contain accurate historical references.  Reading them as close together as I am started me thinking about how different authors handle series writing.  Both C.S. Harris and Victoria Thompson write series where each book builds on the one before and while fiction are in some ways historically acurate.  While you can read any as stand-alone books they are much better when read in order.  Since I have been home I have finished both books and both series are continuing to hold my interest.  I would recommend either series to mystery fans.

Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krantz is another book that came out while I was gone.  She takes a slightly different approach to her series.  She has created a universe where the paranormal is real and sets her books in that universe.  She writes in that universe in three different time periods and uses three different names.  Amanda Quick books are set in the past, Jayne Ann Krantz books are set in the present and Jayne Castle books are set in the future.  From there she writes trilogies.  Dream Eyes is the middle book in her current trilogy and while it solves one problem it also sets up the next book.  Characters from previous books do show up but each trilogy has its own unique set of characters and actions.  Each can be read as a stand-alone and the books have a universe in common instead of building on the previous book.   

When I looked at the books I purchased and checked out at the library I realized that I read a lot of books that are a part of series and while there are similarities between how authors write series there are also some major differences.   The attraction for writing is series is once you hook someone on the series you have a guaranteed reader and guaranteed sales.  If you read this take a look at what you read and see how many of your favorites are in a series.