I find myself more and more rereading the previous books, but part of me really hates doing that. With so many books out there, I don't necessarily want to reread a book. Or I read the new one without rereading and more often than not, I don't like it as much as the first one. It might be middle book syndrome or it might be that I don't remember enough about the first book to be truly connected to the characters and invested in the story. And yes, I've probably written a review of the book, but to avoid spoilers, I don't include much in the review that will help.
So I've been thinking about what to do and I was thinking I may just write a quick paragraph, at least writing down the major spoilers and where everyone was at the end of the book plot-wise. And I'll keep that document on my computer to read over when the new book comes out. It shouldn't take too long I don't think and hopefully that will help me when the next book comes out. What do you do to remember? Do you take notes? Reread? Just have an incredible memory? (I'll be very jealous if that is the case).
Posted by: Pam
I think that's a great idea! I face the same problem and sometimes it makes me not read book 2 because I just don't have time to do a reread of book 1. I feel like I've missed out on a lot of good books that way! And, as book bloggers, it's not like we can wait the 3-4 years for the entire series to come out before we read it! Eventhough, I tend to like books more and feel more connected when I can read the whole series together! Great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could wait until the series is all out, but there's no way I can wait. A new series comes out and I just have to read it right then. Once in awhile I find an older series and all of the books are out and I absolutely love binge reading...it's so much fun! ~Pam
DeleteThat's such a good idea, and something I definitely need to do. I read so much and I am so jealous of people who seem to remember every detail of every book they have ever read, I forget so quickly. I keep notes on all the books I read now, but they'll probably just confuse me a year down the line. I always have to reread when the new book comes out... which is a HUGE pain! It's part of the reason I like series where most if not all of the books are already out.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear I'm not the only one who can't remember, I definitely forget so quickly. Even if I just read a book six months ago, I need to reread it. Such a pain, I agree! ~Pam
DeleteI almost always have to reread. Lately I've been very picky about the series that I start or I wait until all of the books come out. I have abandoned so many series because I don't want to reread...which means they probably weren't that good to begin with. While taking notes sounds nice, I already take the time to write a review on the books that I write, so I don't know if I'd really want to do that although it's a great idea. Great discussion topic! I've been thinking about one on series, too.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't want to create more work for myself, but if it only takes 10 or 15 minutes compared to four hours or so rereading the book, it should be worth it. I'll see how it goes, I guess and whether it actually works. ~Pam
DeleteThe basic summary idea is great! Most of the series books I read I remember the basics and the details seem to be ingrained in my head - at least enough of them that I can read the next book with no issues. There have been a few times that hasn't been the case though - like when a book was just meh and didn't affect me in one way or the other. Those books are the hardest to remember at all. Sometimes though I remember as I read and so it still works out. Another thing I do for books I know will be cliffhangers and I can wait to read because they're not ARCs is waiting until the whole series is out and then reading them all at once. :) I think that is my favorite way to do it anyway, but not always plausible or for books that I absolutely can't wait to read. Again, I like your summary idea. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could wait, but I just can't. And cliffhangers absolutely kill me. Every time I read a new series with a killer cliffhanger I ask myself why I didn't just wait. I have no willpower, I guess! ~Pam
DeleteIf the book isn't on recaptains, I will typically go to my review and read that. A lot of times what I wrote jogs my memory. If it's a series that I really really love, like Legend for instance, I will reread before reading. But I don't always have time for that. So then I just read the next book and hope that the author does a pretty good job of reminding me. I also consult my sister who reads a lot of the same books I do and happens to have an amazing memory. Seriously you would be jealous of her, I am. She can normally fill in the blanks if I have any questions. But I do like the idea of jotting down a quick summary. I might start that. It wouldn't take that long and would save me loads and loads of time. I think if you contact Judith at recaptains you may even be able to write the recap for them if you want to. I know that a lot of different people submit them. So if you have time for that. :)
ReplyDeleteI just wish authors would provide the summary at the beginning of the next book. How hard would that be?
DeleteYes, I am jealous of your sister, I have the worst memory! ~Pam
I have the same problem. I read a lot of series too and often times a year or more will go by before I read the sequel. I don't always remember all the details but I don't reread either. I think this system you propose is a great idea, I am going to try to do this myself!
ReplyDeleteI hope it works, I'm just so tired of rereading when there are so many great books that I haven't read out there! ~Pam
DeleteI don't remember previous books in a series very well at all, so I was incredibly excited to find this website: http://recaptains.blogspot.com/ They recap books for you so you don't have to remember! That mostly just have popular series but I think there's a way for readers to contribute to the blog, so you could always write and contribute recaps for books they don't have :)
ReplyDeleteRemembering books was always my biggest problem when it came to reading. Recaptains has helped a lot (they're so awesome!), but now I've just started not reading any first books in a series until the whole thing has been completely published, and then reading them back-to-back or one every month. That definitely works the best for me. I didn't start doing it until recently, but it's working way better than doing the wait-for-a-year thing. Although it kind of bums me out when I have to pass on a new release that I'm really excited for because I'm doing the waiting thing instead. But there are so many other books that I'm excited for and CAN read that it really doesn't affect me all that much. I guess it's just what works best for me :)
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