Do you prefer reading standalone books or books that are part of a series?

Mostly, I think I just like any good book, whether it’s stand-alone or part of a series. By far, though, the majority of the books I own are stand-alones.

While I have no preference other than reading a well-written book, I understand your attraction to a series. There is something exciting about “watching” a character develop through a series of books. There is also a bit of a thrill in having an old character that is known from a previous book show up in a new story.

Series books although the author to develop the characters and plot in greater detail. It makes for a richer story. Most publishers aren’t going to allow that much detail in a single book.

I think I actually prefer series books better.. but there just aren’t as many out there as single novels.

@digitalimpression We may be surprised at how many series there are, be it a continuation of a story or just a string that provides character development that may have a different story. It might be worthy of a separate question. Or maybe @mangeons would allow us to post our findings here.

I love having series, but during the times I’m waiting for the next book in the series to come out, I’m grateful for the great stand alone books I’ve read. I have about a dozen series I’m in the process of reading right now.

@Pied_Pfeffer I don’t mind at all if you’d like to post your findings here! I’m always looking to find a great new series as well. :-)

I’m gonna go with the ‘book is a book is a book’ crowd on this one.

i’m also gonna go with the ‘man, there have been a metric shit-ton of great book series’ folks as well.

@mangeons You might like John Jake’s North and South series.

I agree with @Seaofclouds in that, while I’m reading a series, I always seem to be waiting for the next one to come out. In my case, it makes me anxious to find out what happened next! That being said, I do enjoy series quite a bit, but I always make sure I have plenty of stand alone books on hand, as well, just so I don’t drive myself nuts. :)

I much prefer standalone books. They tend to have endings. I like endings.

@wundayatta Serials and series have endings, too. The difference is that you have to pick up another book once the previous one is finished until you get to the final one.

I like both. Some series became too long and I haven’t finished them and don’t intend to. Those stories that end too abruptly, I’d like to see more of. A reader’s catch-22.

I like both, but I like to know it is a series when I start the first one. I also prefer a series where each book can stand alone.

I don’t have a particular preference. A standalone book that blows me away is a great treat. I do enjoy when books by the same author run along a common vein, like Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “Avalon” series. They aren’t in any particular order, but they share a common theme.

Serial novels are enjoyable, but only in small doses. It really bugs me when I get to the end of book three and can’t get my hands on book four to save my life, and book five is staring me in the face from every used book store window.

Unless it is a really unusually well developed concept, “series” to me suggests pot-boiler. Writing a work of fiction is a creation of art. Continuing the thread indefinitely, well, is more dubious . . with notable exceptions.
Robertson Davies’ Deptford Trilogy and Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet spring to mind as works who are far greater as a whole than the sum of their individually fine parts.
And, for science fiction, Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game series is quite remarkable.

Many of Dickens’ novels were originally put out as magazine series installments. Whatever happened to that as a way of offering serial reading?

I like books that are part of a series more.

I prefer series.