I have complicated feelings regarding book series.

On the one hand, I dislike them.  They seem like an opportunity to milk a cash cow, and they require such a huge investment on the reader’s behalf.  There is something unsatisfying about a to-be-continued ending.  I also wonder if the author wasn’t able to come up with any new, fresh ideas.

On the other hand, Harry Potter.  The Chronicles of Narnia.  The Lumatere Chronicles.

On a THIRD hand (I know, I know), it’s fun to be with beloved characters all over again.

On a fourth hand (get over it), if you really love-love-LOVED a book, it’s really hard for future books to compete.  Agree?

I don’t know.  If I see a book that looks good to me and then I see behind it “(Series Name, #1),” I think, Oh please no.  And I usually skip it.  I suppose that, in the end, it all comes down to the quality of writing, the belovedness of the characters, and the value of the story.  Which is why Narnia will last the test of time and– as a guess– the Pretty Little Liars series will not.

Do you like book series?  Why or why not?

a series I have NO desire to read