From On a Book Bender:

How serious about series are you? We'll find out in 2013.

In the summer of 2012, Amanda and I hosted an informal challenge that focused on completing books in series that we owned. It was enough of a success that we decided we wanted to turn it into a year-long challenge--with a few minor changes. To start with, we have expanded on our original challenge by including both ongoing series and adding new-to-us series, as well as an option for series rereads for those that are VERY serious about their series (or for those that just like to go back and reread old favorites).

 

Definitions

For this challenge, we define a series as a collection of two or more books that belong together and where the second book is published before the end of 2013. This is a pretty broad definition of series, and it includes traditional series like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, less traditional series like Stephanie Perkins's YA contemps (Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door), and shorter series, like Kendare Blake's Anna series (Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares).

 

A series is considered complete in one of two ways: either as finishing all the books that you own in the series or as obtaining and reading all the books that have been published in the series to date. Because we don't want this challenge to become a financial burden, how you choose to define completion is left to your discretion.

 

How It Works

To allow for the greatest level of flexibility, we've separated series into three categories: series started before 2013, series started in 2013, and series rereads. Series started before 2013 are defined as series that you have started reading before Jan. 2013 and that you still have unread books to get current in (or finish) the series. Series started in 2013 are defined as any series that you start reading between Jan. and Dec. 2013, and the second book in the series must be published before December 2013. A series reread is defined as books that are part of a series that were read before Jan. 2013 and that are reread between Jan. 2013 and Dec. 2013. A series reread does NOT have to include the full series.

 

For each category, there are different levels of seriousness about series that you can choose. Semi-serious is reading 1 to 6 series, seriously serious is reading 7 to 12 series, super seriously serious is reading 13 to 18 series, and seriously spectacular series star is reading more than 18 series. What this ends up looking like is this:

series started before 2013series started in 2013series rereads

Semi-Serious1-6 series1-61-6

Seriously Serious7-127-127-12

Super Seriously Serious13-1813-1813-18

Seriously Spectacular Series Star18+18+18+

You choose which categories you want to attempt and which level to shoot for. Reading novellas and short storiesfrom a series does count here.

 

Goals and Progress

Want to sign up? Create a post or page about this challenge, what goals you would like to accomplish (mine is here, as an example), and then link up your post here at Reading the Paranormal. I will be hosting all of the linkies for this challenge. In addition to the sign up, every three months, we will post a check-in, where you can report your progress and reassess your original goals.

That schedule will look like the following:

• April 1st: January--March
• July 1st: April--June
• October 1st: July--September
• January 1st, 2014: October--December

I'm going for the semi-serious level of 1-6 series for series started in 2012  and seriously serious level of 7-12 for series started in 2013.  I try to keep my series in progress to a minimum at any given time.  Therefore, I don't have a ton of qualifying books, but there are few.  I imagine that I will be starting some more series during 2013.  Tentative TBR list:

Already started

• Neil Gaiman's Sandman series
• Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series
• Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood series

Starting

• Weather Wardens
• Locke and Key
• Victoria Gardella
• Matched
• Chicago Fire
• ???