Can You Read a Series in a Month?
Remember the days before book blogging, when you didn’t have a COLOSSAL list of books to read, because you didn’t know about all of them yet? When you discovered a great series and literally just gobbled it up because you had no review book commitments and, quite often, nothing else to read anyway? When you didn’t know about a series until long after it was published from beginning to end and you COULD just binge read the whole thing? Wouldn’t it be fun to do that again? Not to mention, I KNOW you have a least half a dozen series you’ve been dying to read and just haven’t made time for. Which is why Berls and I are challenging you to read an ENTIRE series in a month.
The Rules
- Pick 1 series. Yes, just 1. Announce which series you’ve picked on your sign up post and link it back here.
- Read EVERY book in the series. You don’t have to read novellas or short stories, just the core books.
- Read them all between 12am (your time) May 1st and 11:59pm (your time) May 31st. They MUST be marked (on Goodreads) as started and finished in the month of May to count.
- Enjoy bragging to everyone about how you’re all caught up on whatever series you read (AKA – have fun)! Use the hashtag #SeriesinaMonth
The Nitty Gritty / Inevitable questions
Here’s some questions that we’ve anticipated (and asked each other as we figured it out) and we can update this section as we get more questions (assuming there will be).
- Q: Can I read more than 1 series?
- I know we have some reading over-achievers out there who want to do more. Go ahead, we’ll cheer you on, but there’s no bonus points or higher levels for reading more than 1.
- Q:How many books constitutes a series?
- We’re going to say 3 published books – so if it’s a trilogy it counts. If you want to take on a 40 book series, be our guest. And good luck!
- Q: Can I have started the series?
- You can’t reread an ENTIRE series. But if you have less than three books remaining in a series (so 2 or 1) you may reread 1 or 2 books, so that you’re reading 3 books. For example, if you’ve read 3 books in a 5 book series, you could reread 1 book and then read the 2 unread books, bring your total to three.
- Q: Does the entire series have to be published and complete?
- No. But there must be at least 3 books published for it to count (or if you’ve already read 1 book, 4 published). So if there’s going to be six books, but only 4 are published and you’ve read the first one, it counts. So if it’s a trilogy that not yet complete, that wouldn’t count.
- Q; Novellas?
- Novellas can be read but they can’t be the 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a trilogy. So if you have 4 books, and one is a novella that is fine but if the series has 3 books and one of the 3 is a novella that doesn’t count. The 3 need to be full length books.
Note: For the purposes of this challenge we’re defining a novella as about 125 pages or less (roughly 5 hours or less on audiobook).
- Novellas can be read but they can’t be the 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a trilogy. So if you have 4 books, and one is a novella that is fine but if the series has 3 books and one of the 3 is a novella that doesn’t count. The 3 need to be full length books.
The giveaway!
Bragging rights! Nah, just kidding. We will be awarding $5 Gift Cards to Amazon, selected randomly from everyone who successfully completes the challenge!
Sign up
Link up here!
Whoops, I just realized that I never came back and linked up my post about this. So today, as I finished a series, I better do that.
Lex & I are giving it a go! We’re working at reading Book Bonanza attending authors so we’ve chosen series by Sierra Simone (Lexxie) and BB Easton. Woohoo!
If an audiobook novella is over 11 hours long, does it count? Otherwise I need a new series. The last 3 audios have 2 novellas which are over 11 hours each. Ugh.
Good question! yes – we realized didn’t define novella in terms of length… so about 125 pages or less (roughly 5 hours audiobook) would be what we’re considering a novella. For it to be over 11 hours it must be longer than that – so for the purposes of this challenge we wouldn’t be considering it to be a novella.
Thanks for hosting this challenge ladies! It should be a lot of fun!
Thanks to Kimberling for posting this on Sunday Salon today! In the midst of a house move for May 1 but willing to try !! Have to give thought to which series – will tweet once settled … @_eHope
Thanks for the Fun 😉
Here’s a weird question: if I have two books left in one series and one book left in another series, can I read those and call it meeting the challenge?
It has to be the same series, so if you re-read the first book and then read the next two that would count but not 2 from one series and one from another. Sorry!
Makes sense; thanks!
I will joining the challenge this year. Planning to read The Deathless Night Series by L.E Wilson. Six books in the series I already read one. Should be manageable. 🙂
I’ve been focusing on my TBR pile so there are a lot of series I need to catch up on. Thanks for hosting this challenge!
Yeah Ok, let me blow up your comments. The link goes to a white page that shows one person signed up and it says you are next..but no place to sign up.
All fixed 🙂
Question. If a series is still not finished but I read/listen to published books does that count? I have four audios left in the Dresden Files.
Never mind, I actually read the rules this time☺️
LOL no worries 🙂
Is a kid’s series fine? There is a series I could finish, and the books are 200+ pages. Does that count?
Yes that counts, all genres count.
Hmmm, I would love to finish up a couple of series I have started. In fact, I am reviewing the fourth book in a series in May and have only read the first one, so I think my goal will be to read books, 2 & 3 before reading and reviewing 4. I will post the titles and challenge later.
Great, glad you’ll join us 🙂 As long as you read books 2,3, and 4 in May and book 4 was that last book released, that series would work perfectly !
I surprised myself last fall when I managed to finish out a series with other stuff going on so I’m crossing my fingers that I can do it again. I aimed low and picked a trilogy that I had setting on my shelf, A Fair Prospect series by Cassandra Grafton, but I’ve got two other trilogies in the wings from different genres in case my mood changes by the time we head into May.
Thanks for putting it together again, ladies! 🙂