# Does anybody else do this?



## Robert S. Wilson (Jul 21, 2011)

I have this weird habit that if I really like a series or author I will refrain from reading some books just so I still have the option of reading them in the future. For instance. I love Stephen King, I've been reading his work since I was 15 and I'm now 33. But I've only read maybe a dozen of his books because I want to spread them out and savor them. Another example: I love the Sookie Stackhouse series, but I haven't read the two most recent book. I did this with the others, my wife zipped right through them and I'm still taking my time. Same goes for Joe Hill. I took a long time to read 20th Century Ghosts, reading a story every other week or so at some points. Then I devoured Heartshaped Box and now I look at Horns on my bookshelf with a weird expression and say, "I'll save you for later." But I also try and read new writers all the time in between. So, I'm curious, does anybody else do this?


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I do that, but not so much to save it for later really.  More just from a "variety is the spice of life" standpoint.  I like to mix things up and read different authors, genres etc.  So if I read a standalone book by one author in one genre, I'll move onto something else.  With series I generally like to finish them and then move on to something different (and take a longer break from that author/genre than I would with a single book).


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## Robert S. Wilson (Jul 21, 2011)

Yeah, I do that a lot, too. I only save stuff for later to savor it if it's something I KNOW I'm really going to like, etc.


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## Vagueness (Jan 27, 2011)

I'm kind of jealous. It shows a lot of will power and forethought!

I'm an utter glutton, and read my favourite authors as soon as they release, or at least as soon as I notice. Some, very few though, I actually wait and buy on release day... but then again I tend to reread those a few times.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I've heard this from several readers, but I've never done it. If I know I'm going to like a book, I want to read it now. Life if short.
L.J.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

I do this all the time. I'll put off reading a favorite author for a while because I don't want to be left with nothing to read from him or her. I don't consider this a problem because there is _always _something I want to read.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I have the worst will power in the world, hence the reason I am STILL fighting my weight problems.  So, when I like something, I tend to devour whatever I can of it and cannot resist or put off my own enjoyment.  It's rather sad, actually, but when I find an author I love I have to devour everything else they write...as fast as possible.


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## Robert S. Wilson (Jul 21, 2011)

Ty Johnston said:


> I do this all the time. I'll put off reading a favorite author for a while because I don't want to be left with nothing to read from him or her. I don't consider this a problem because there is _always _something I want to read.


Ty, exactly! I'm always finding new writers to add to an already ginormous list of authors I enjoy!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

What I find is if I read a number of a series in a row I get burned out.  By the 3rd or 4th one I'm not enjoying them as much.  So it works better for me to read something different in between.  Keeps me interested in the whole series longer.


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## Mark Lord (Jun 29, 2011)

It depends. It's always great to find an author that you can rely on, so it's good to not rush through and read everything all at once. On the other hand I just got into Robert Harris recently and found his books so compelling that I've read nearly all of them in the last few months!


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## Evelyn Collier (Jul 7, 2011)

No, I'm just the opposite. If I find an author I love I can't wait to get my hands on their other books. But having read the original post, I can see what he means. Sometimes you can predict how the book is going to end because you know the writers style.


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## MGalloway (Jun 21, 2011)

I do set aside books "for later"...unfortunately later usually means 1-4 years after I buy the book. I do this a lot with computer history books...but then when I actually get to read the books, I race through them.


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## Adam Kisiel (Jun 20, 2011)

Of course. I have a habit of "saving" all the books of Terry Pratchett, to know that there is an unknown Pratchett waiting...


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

Robert S. Wilson said:


> I have this weird habit that if I really like a series or author I will refrain from reading some books just so I still have the option of reading them in the future. For instance. I love Stephen King, I've been reading his work since I was 15 and I'm now 33. But I've only read maybe a dozen of his books because I want to spread them out and savor them. Another example: I love the Sookie Stackhouse series, but I haven't read the two most recent book. I did this with the others, my wife zipped right through them and I'm still taking my time. Same goes for Joe Hill. I took a long time to read 20th Century Ghosts, reading a story every other week or so at some points. Then I devoured Heartshaped Box and now I look at Horns on my bookshelf with a weird expression and say, "I'll save you for later." But I also try and read new writers all the time in between. So, I'm curious, does anybody else do this?


Haha, I definitely do this, but I never thought about it until now.

It also makes me think of Desmond Hume from LOST, where he had that one Dickens book he was saving to read before he died.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

I like to spread my reading around, enjoying different authors and different types of fiction. So yes, I do exactly this. I've got books by King, Fritz Leiber, Phillip K. Dick and William Goldman sitting around on my shelves, still waiting for me to get to them. Although there was one noteable exception to this rule ... as soon as I discovered Ross MacDonald's 'Lew Archer' detective novels, I read the lot, one after another.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

KateEllison said:


> book he was saving to read before he died.


And what happens if you continue to save and never read that book because you die unexpectedly? Life's short, don't waste it waiting. My dad had a stroke at 35(barely survived), my mom (65) just went to the funeral of a friend who was only 51. Imagine wasting your life waiting to do something later, and later never comes. Read for your enjoyment, save for a week or a month, but not indefinitely, the perfect time may never come.


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## newportwa (Jul 18, 2009)

Just before my mom died in 2004, she was reading a mystery novel that she did not enjoy.  When I asked her why she bothered to finish it, she said "I started it so I guess I will plow through and finish it." She died a week later from a blood clot following a routine knee surgery.  When I had to pack up all of her books that she had not read, I wondered why she wasted time readings things she did not enjoy.

I no longer do that.  If I get into a book and I don't like it, I quit and I read the best ones first.  Life is way too short.

Karen


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

I like to vary my reading as well as savor certain authors, so I don't usually read books by the same author right in a row. But I do keep reading all the new books by favorite authors!


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

Robert S. Wilson said:


> I have this weird habit that if I really like a series or author I will refrain from reading some books just so I still have the option of reading them in the future. For instance. I love Stephen King, I've been reading his work since I was 15 and I'm now 33. But I've only read maybe a dozen of his books because I want to spread them out and savor them. Another example: I love the Sookie Stackhouse series, but I haven't read the two most recent book. I did this with the others, my wife zipped right through them and I'm still taking my time. Same goes for Joe Hill. I took a long time to read 20th Century Ghosts, reading a story every other week or so at some points. Then I devoured Heartshaped Box and now I look at Horns on my bookshelf with a weird expression and say, "I'll save you for later." But I also try and read new writers all the time in between. So, I'm curious, does anybody else do this?


I don't do it but I should. I whipped through each Harry Potter book the moment each one came out and I'm still going through withdrawal. LOL I read all the Sue Grafton novels in order although I stopped at R. Burned out. I do this with TV shows, too. After "Nip/Tuck" ended I grieved for the show. Right now I'm whipping through "Grey's Anatomy", which I'm enjoying very much since I've never seen the series but heard it was good, and I'm going to regret it once I run out of episodes...


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

> It also makes me think of Desmond Hume from LOST, where he had that one Dickens book he was saving to read before he died.


  I *loved* Lost! (And Desmond) So thanks for that.

A lot of times, for me anyway, my love of an author is rather dependent on my current frame of mind and time of life. For example, there was a time years ago when I couldn't get enough of V.C. Andrews, but I can't imagine reading her now. I also really liked "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" when I was in my twenties, but I'm not sure it would resonate as much with me now that I'm over 40.

Stephen King may be an exception to this, however, I read "The Stand" when I was a teenager, and a couple of years ago, I re-read it. I loved it just as much as I did back then but for different reasons.


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## Michael_J_Sullivan (Aug 3, 2011)

I find that reading from several different series - i.e. alternating books is a good way to get burned out on a series.  Still - there are just some that are too good and so I go through them in sequence one right after another.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

If I'm into a writer, I'll read his or her books as soon as I can get my hands on them. I don't want to hold off on a book I know I'll enjoy...having already flirted with a "will I die?" situation, I'm not about to waste time waiting because I may out-wait myself.

For those who do hold off...buy the book even if you're going to wait to read it. Without those sales, more books by the same writer may not follow...


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## Julie Morrigan (Jun 29, 2011)

I don't that, but when I'm nearing the end of a book I'm really enjoying, I try to read more slowly to make it last. (Which is really hard to do, because I'm also dying to know what happens!) 

Mount TBR is pretty huge now, so choosing a new book for either me or my partner is an event. I love that, looking for something that will fill the gap left by whatever I've just finished, anticipating the start of something new. Fantastic!


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## SteveDW (Aug 15, 2011)

If they are standalone books, I can mix it up and tend to read from different authors before coming back to another from a favorite author. This both adds variety and increases the likelihood of finding new favorite authors to add to the mix.

If it is a series book, I treat it like one giant book and read everything that is out back-to-back. Of course, then there is the horrible feeling of reaching all that is available in a series, but the story is not over and now I have to wait for the next book.

Steve DW


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I'm with those that feel there is always more great stuff to discover and read, so no, not really.

I do have the last Dick Francis (written with his son) book waiting tho....I'm putting that one off...not sure for what....because once it's read, it's done  

God forbid if they start whipping out things like the did/do to VC Andrews!


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## Gregory Lynn (Aug 9, 2011)

L.J. Sellers said:


> I've heard this from several readers, but I've never done it. If I know I'm going to like a book, I want to read it now. Life if short.
> L.J.


Yeah, this. I gobble them like halloween candy when I was nine.

Why wait? You can always read them again later.


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## Joseph DiFrancesco (Aug 1, 2011)

You delay your indulgences.  I should be so strong.  I try to read them as they come to me, but the list of books - and genres - of books I wish to someday get to continues to grow.  Not that I'm putting them off.  Just that there's not enough time in the day.


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## Thomas Barnes (Aug 7, 2011)

Yeah that ain't me - I devour my favorites and my hunger is such that anything nearby tends to get sucked in too - especially other work by the same author.


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## John Dorian (Jul 23, 2011)

I do sometimes, it really depends on what's going on and what I feel like, how much free time I have, ect...


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## ML Hamilton (Feb 21, 2011)

If I find an author I really like, I will read everything that author has, then I'll wish I hadn't because it'll be over and I'll still want more.

_--- sorry  no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## KateHewitt (Aug 18, 2011)

Joolzs said:


> I don't that, but when I'm nearing the end of a book I'm really enjoying, I try to read more slowly to make it last. (Which is really hard to do, because I'm also dying to know what happens!)
> 
> Mount TBR is pretty huge now, so choosing a new book for either me or my partner is an event. I love that, looking for something that will fill the gap left by whatever I've just finished, anticipating the start of something new. Fantastic!


I do this too! I check how many pages I have left and try to read more slowly. Invariably I fail, though.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

I used to read an entire series in a row. Now I try to spread it out over other books. I have the same problem with tv, especially now that we have netflix. If I am not careful, I will just sit in front of the tv for 21 hours in a row to watch the whole season of episodes at once. Madness!

However, if I am about to end a book late at night, I always save the very end to read in the morning. I can't stand to finish a book right before I go to bed, then wake up knowing it is all over.


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## J.R.Mooneyham (Mar 14, 2011)

I think that's not an option for voracious readers, Robert. Especially once they ever narrow down the number of their preferred genres to just a few.

I read almost everything I could after learning how in first grade or whatever. At times, just about every genre I encountered. By high school graduation I'd finally narrowed my favorites down to non-fiction, sci fi, and fantasy. But I'd also devoured everything available fiction-wise which I found acceptable by then (I'd read at least 2000 total books by some point in college, not including thousands of comic books, and most of a Worldbook Encyclopedia set).

I ran out of new fantasy and sci fi to read around then, and pretty much stopped all recreational reading entirely (I was also busy with other things). That hiatus from recreational reading largely continued uninterrupted for the next 27 years or so, when I took it up again just something less than a year ago.

Unfortunately, I'm the complete opposite sort of reader now than I was as a kid, and very picky. So when I finish one book today, I may have big problems finding the next one. And since most of the very best authors seem not to produce a new book very often, you can frequently read everything they've ever written in a month or two. Then BAM! you must wait indefinitely for their next one. Heck: Vernor Vinge is only going to be releasing his sequel to one of my favorites this fall I think-- and I've only had to wait for it for 19 YEARS NOW!

I can't put off reading books by my favorite authors because I simply don't have that many to spare.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

I do that but only when I know I'm going on holiday or have time off work. I'll buy a book from a favorite author and put it aside until the time, even if it is months away. How terrible would it be to be on holiday in Fiji or similar to find you only have a book that turns out to be rubbish?


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## KathyGleason (May 5, 2011)

I can definitely see the appeal in doing that, but I am all about the instant gratification. When I find an author I like, I want to immediately read every word they've ever written.


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## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

Before Kindle, I used to wait for the paperback...but that was about as long as I could hold out on reading a new book of a writer I really liked.


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## Robert S. Wilson (Jul 21, 2011)

I find it interesting how many people are saying to read everything you want while you can and that life is short. No matter how much I read I'll never read everything I want to before I die. It's just not possible. And really, a lot of the enjoyment if not most of it is the anticipation, the not knowing and for me waiting and finding something else that I wouldn't have found that's also really good is a great way to do both at the same time. I get to read something new and awesome and still feel that anticipation of wanting to read this or that particular book. And to those who seemed to think that by this I meant I trudge through crap just so I can savor other books, no way. If I don't like something, I put it down and move on. Just because I don't read certain books I want to really badly doesn't mean I have to read crap.


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## JeanneB (Aug 31, 2009)

I start a series, loving it, then try to space it to make it last.  I almost forget about it the series for a while..and before I know it I am 3 books behind and I have forgotten what the first was all about.


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## Libby13 (Jul 31, 2011)

I do something similar.  I reward myself when I read a classic by quickly following it up with a Terry Pratchett novel.  Very quickly.


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## Christine Kersey (Feb 13, 2011)

I've done this. Especially with a series though. That way I can read all the books in a row instead of waiting a year between. Believe it or not, I haven't read the Harry Potter books yet (though I have seen all the movies). I'm looking forward to J.K. Rowling finally releasing them as eBooks. Recently though, I've found some good books that turn out to be book 1 of a series. In those cases, I'll just have to reread the previous books when the next books come out. But since I enjoyed them so much, I don't mind that at all.


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## L.A. Tripp (Jul 18, 2011)

As Thumper said, even if you're waiting till later, go ahead and buy the author's book when it comes out. Without those sales . . . there may not be another book.

Also, to the original post, I'm definitely the same way. I have almost all of Nora Roberts books written under J.D. Robb. When I read Naked In Death, that was the first book I'd ever picked up that I absolutely did not want to put down. And, to my wife's chagrin, I DIDN'T put it down for the next couple of days. At the end, I CRAVED more of that.

So now, I definitely space those out. Even though she's such a prolific writer AND I barely have time to read, I still space them out. I KNOW there are AWESOME books waiting for me to read. And, I also know that when I read them, I'll be inspired to write EVEN BETTER with my own work.


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## ciscokid (Oct 10, 2010)

I was zipping through F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series, searching out used copies online, until I found out that the last one won't come out for a few months.  I also couldn't find copies of a couple of the Adversary series, which ties the two series together.  I found out that some of those will be re-released again in the next year or two, at least one revised in order to better tie the two series together.  So, I'm putting off reading The Black Wind and the next three Repairman Jack novels because I don't want to finish too soon and possibly forget how some of the plotlines come together.


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## BRONZEAGE (Jun 25, 2011)

Another solution:  read several at one time!  

& I'm usually up too late, reading in bed.  Sometimes I go to bed early to read....Hmmm.  Not like earlier decades in life, that!


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## robertk328 (Jul 8, 2011)

Evelyn Collier said:


> No, I'm just the opposite. If I find an author I love I can't wait to get my hands on their other books. But having read the original post, I can see what he means. Sometimes you can predict how the book is going to end because you know the writers style.


Did that with The Hunger Games series, almost made it one big book  Otherwise I've been mixing it up.


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

L.J. Sellers said:


> I've heard this from several readers, but I've never done it. If I know I'm going to like a book, I want to read it now. Life if short.
> L.J.


LJ I'm with you. I knew Moonlight Mile was not going to be up to Lehane's usual standards with Patrick and Angie, but I bought it. I reviewed it, too. And if he writes another (which wisdom says he won't) I'd snap it up. I used to wait on pins and needles for the latest Eliz. George, but not any more. My newest can't wait is Greg Iles, and he's overdue!


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## jmoralee (Sep 6, 2011)

When I discover a series of books that I like, I usually read the whole lot one after the other like an addict until I overdose.  I recently did that with the ten Martin Beck novels.  I hated finishing the final one because I knew no more books had been written.

Sometimes I slow down my reading of one author's works by "cutting it" with the books of other writers.  That way I can delay finishing their work while still enjoying it.

Now I'm just looking for a new fix ...


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## Stephen_Melling (Jun 26, 2011)

I always 'split' the reading of a series. I did this first with Lord of the Rings. I agree with the burn-out factor. As for saving books by a prefered author...mmm, perhaps not a bad idea. But there are so many great books out there we'll never have time to read them all anyway!


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## screwballl (Jan 4, 2011)

nah, when I like an author, I read as much of his stuff as possible. I know if I like it that much I have the option of reading it again later in life. Example: I have read almost every single one of Asimovs sci-fi books ever published, some of them multiple times.


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## AnnieOldham (Sep 1, 2011)

I totally do that all the time  One exception: The Hunger Games. I waited until they were all out, and then I read through them so fast just to see what happens, I forgot half of what I read. So now I'm going through them slower so I can actually enjoy it!


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## BRONZEAGE (Jun 25, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> And what happens if you continue to save and never read that book because you die unexpectedly? Life's short, don't waste it waiting. My dad had a stroke at 35(barely survived), my mom (65) just went to the funeral of a friend who was only 51. Imagine wasting your life waiting to do something later, and later never comes. Read for your enjoyment, save for a week or a month, but not indefinitely, the perfect time may never come.


Totally agree, read it when you can get your hands on it, preferably while having chocolate ganache and a good glass of port for dinner.


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## robertk328 (Jul 8, 2011)

AnnieOldham said:


> I totally do that all the time  One exception: The Hunger Games. I waited until they were all out, and then I read through them so fast just to see what happens, I forgot half of what I read. So now I'm going through them slower so I can actually enjoy it!


guilty!


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

I do that too, partly because I don't want to finish a series I really love, such as Tony Hillerman's Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn series. I also haven't finished read all of P.D. James's work or Sue Grafton's alphabet series. Also, I like reading a variety of things over a period of a few months. For me, it's more fun to check in with a main character once in awhile.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I don't like to delay gratification


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

Robert S. Wilson said:


> Yeah, I do that a lot, too. I only save stuff for later to savor it if it's something I KNOW I'm really going to like, etc.


I save good stuff. I'm waiting until I've finished edits before I start the lastest Lee Child. Anticipating, but once I start, I want to read through. Heck with dinner and laundry.


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## Beth Groundwater (Apr 6, 2011)

I read a lot of mystery series, since that's what I write, and I often will make a point NOT to catch up to the most current release in a series. Because if I do catch up, that means I usually have to wait a year for the next book in the series to come out. I'd rather CHOOSE to wait than be FORCED to wait, and to know that whenever I feel like reading a certain author's books, there's always at least one waiting for me.


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## Stacey Joy Netzel (Aug 3, 2011)

I'm one who reads like crazy, up to wee hours of the night, then I'm sad when it's over.  

Good thing there are plenty of other great books to keep me occupied.


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

mooshie78 said:


> I do that, but not so much to save it for later really. More just from a "variety is the spice of life" standpoint. I like to mix things up and read different authors, genres etc. So if I read a standalone book by one author in one genre, I'll move onto something else. With series I generally like to finish them and then move on to something different (and take a longer break from that author/genre than I would with a single book).


I also mix up genres, but I don't start a book unless I know I'm going to give the whole thing my undivided attention, which means I'm not writing at the time. I don't like taking more than two days to finish one. Prefer a day.


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## Mark Young (Dec 13, 2010)

Nope. I just don't have the discipline or desire. If I find an author I really enjoy, I will generally read just about everything they write. All writers develop over the years, and I enjoy watching a writer develop from one novel to the next. There is a flip side to this. If an author begins to slip and seems to rest on past laurels, I will lose interest. One particular author I enjoyed in the past went from a really diligent writer to someone who just started churning out the same kind of book with a little different twist each time. They no longer tried to achieve excellence. Sadly, I will never buy a book from that author again.


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## ThomasSandman (Aug 10, 2011)

i do the opposite. i thry to finish a series as fast as humanly possible.  always afraid i'm gonna die and miss out on the last book.  i do the same with an author i find and love.  i buy all his or her work and read every bit then i wait anxiously until the newest book comes out and buy it asap.


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## LDHesler (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm also a huge Stephen King fan. When he published the final book in the Dark Tower series, I couldn't bring myself to read it to the end. It took about five years for me to finally pick it up and make my way through those final chapters. Come to think of it, I've actually done this with several books. I fear the end, if only for a while. Then I face it and move on.


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## Meb Bryant (Jun 27, 2011)

When I have a book on my radar, I can't wait to buy it or check it out. I devour the story. However, when the end of the story gets near, I lay the book down in order to prolong the wonderful ending.


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## NikiBurnham (Jul 23, 2011)

If it's a big series/prolific author, I'll buy the books I know I want to read (say, the rest of a series) right away, since I know publishers are watching sales #s to decide whether or not to continue a series.  However, I may not read them all right away.  I don't "save" them, per se--it's more like engaging in mental crop rotation.  I'll read something else, then come back to the author/series a week or two later.  A few years ago I went on a Alistair Maclean spree.  I think every other or every third book I read for about a year was by Maclean.  Never got bored because I was reading a variety of other books in between.


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## ThomasSandman (Aug 10, 2011)

off subject but Robert i just finished reading your novel and its excellent!


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

Nope. When I find a writer or series I like, I burn through them as quickly as possible. The closest to this I've ever come was forcing myself to spread out my reading over a longer period. I did this with _A Dance with Dragons_ by George R.R. Martin (because it took him so long to publish) and _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ (because I grew up reading the series and it was the last book).


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