Why Books Series Are Not My Favorite: Top Ten Tuesday

We all know reading books is not the most popular hobby ever, but since you're on this page I'm guessing your part of the genius (in my opinion) part of the population that still enjoys this amazing hobby.

But I'll be honest and admit reading isn't my only hobby - I know you're shocked- which means I don't have all the time in the world every day to read... although it would be so amazing if I did... just think... oh wait that's not the point of this post...

The point is... time is limited, and therefore what I pick up to read matters...

Anyone else know what I'm saying here in this bad rambling start to a post???

Book series have become increasingly popular in publishing.

And I get it.  Readers get invested in the characters, and we want more and more!  Plus it feels a little like a good TV sitcom, where you keep returning the series because you love those characters and their lives, and it's comfortable...

But...

Series can be long... and get boring... and well, whatever happened to a story that can be started and finished in a few hundred pages?

There is a sense of great accomplishment in starting a book and then once you finish you know you've completed the story...

So even though the official topic is book series we gave up on for Top Ten Tuesday on That Artsy Reader Girl  I'm going to talk some book series that are so long... that maybe you gave up on...

Let's be honest, a series that is long simply to sell more books... that's not cool... us readers are smart, we know good books when we see them.

10 Book Series...

1. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare - let's just throw in all of the Shadowhunter series on this one... because while I adore CC's writing.. her books are long, and her series are long... and the world is the same... and many of the characters pop up again and again... and well she keeps selling them so I guess publishers will keep putting them out there... but wow... there's a lot of pages on Angels and their battles... 
2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - I loved this book... it was fun, and different (for the time published) and full of action... but then I realized there was a series... and well the rest of the books all fell flat and I couldn't finish one... and I'm not going to keep trying... this one felt like an attempt to make money on one idea... but why????
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass - I use this example all the time on why book series need to stop being the go-to for publishing companies... the original trilogy was good... quick read, and a cohesive story... and then they added on two more books... and well... let me just say use your library first for those last two...
4.  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - alright, so this might be a stretch, but it shows how publishers push series to help bring the money (remember they are businesses that are trying to stay in the black) - it's clear this was written as a serial originally, but the book most of us know as Little Women was complete in one novel... but then there are two or three more books that are considered part of the "series" now... and they aren't! 
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas - so I loved this series... the first two books were so good, it was clear they were brainstormed to be two books... with the hopes of a third... and then the third book felt odd in comparison... some of the big points from the first two were glossed over in order to be a more action-filled story... and then the novella was released, and well what happened?  It's like all the character arcs fell... and there is at least one more book to be published... possibly more... it feels like a new CC in the making... 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    Alright so these next five are examples of series I love and should be complete, and therefore are worth your time... but if they add a bunch to it... well then maybe don't get sucked in without trying them from the library first...
   
6. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien - alright... I love this trilogy... it's amazing... the world building is crazy... and it is a complete story in three volumes... but then publishers wanted to make more money and suddenly there are a ton of add-on books, more on the world, and what was written to help Tolkien develop this amazing story... don't be fooled... this is a trilogy... complete as is. 
7. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis - My all-time favorite fantasy series right here... let's hope some publishing group doesn't decide to add to it... this is a 7 book series... don't get fooled by any extras. 
8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - another trilogy that is cohesive, and well intertwined... and complete.  There was a novella on the side characters that was completely stand alone so I can forgive that.  I hope it stays clean like this. 
9. Harry Potter by JK Rowling - how can I have a list of book series and not include Harry Potter... even though there are a ton of add-ons... none of them are necessary for this original series... don't worry about them... I know this is probably a very unpopular opinion... but I stand by it. 
10. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - this is a fun series... a long one... but so good, and very cohesive.  I hope and pray there are no additional add-ons ever to spoil it. 

Don't get me wrong, I love a good book series. It gives the author a chance to really develop a big cast of characters and take the reader on some fantastic adventures. But it needs to be something the author planned originally instead of a request by the publishers to make more money.  If an author can wrap up the story well in one book, then that's what she should do. Then move on to a new story altogether...

I'm guessing this could have pushed a few buttons... do you agree? What are your thoughts on book series?  Are they overdone?