Saturday, September 8, 2007

Series Challenge

So...Kathrin at Crazy Cozy Murders is hosting a series challenge which is running from December 1st through May 31st, and well, I couldn't resist. This is a good one to get some more books off of my TBR shelf, and it will fit in with other challenges ;) The goal of this challenge is to finish a series that you've been reading. We all have series' left unfinished! So I'm tackling two!

The first is George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire Series. I've read A Game of Thrones, so that leaves three more for the challenge to be up to date with the series:

1. A Clash of Kings (also counts for 2nds Challenge)
2. A Storm of Swords
3. A Feast for Crows

The Second series I'm reading is C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. I've had these sitting on my shelves forever! I bought a new set of these after Katrina since I lost my old set and it's been ages since I've read them...probably since I was about 11 years old! So I'll be reading these in their original publication order:

1. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and His Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle

18 comments:

Ana S. said...

Ohh, this would be the perfect opportunity for me to finish A Series of Unfortunate Events. A Song off Ice and Fire is an excellent choice too, but unfortunately that one I haven't even started.

DesLily said...

it would take longer than that for me to finish any series I have.. 'cause the only reason they aren't finished is because they haven't been written yet! (waiting on releases) Such as Stephen R Donaldsons series.. book 2 comes out October then have to wait for him to write book 3!.. Same with James A Owens, his second book comes out in January, and Cornelia Funke's last book comes out "sometime in 2008" (being translated from German to English). Oh almost forgot.. still waiting on the last Fablehaven book to come out too. (thank you so much Chris for getting me into that one! grrrrrrr) lol

Which all goes to say that "if I KNOW a book that sounds good is a series, I will NO LONGER BUY IT! Until the series is all out in print!"

Debi said...

I must not join. I must not join. I must not join.

darkorpheus said...

*Cover my eyes*

No. More. Challenges.

Stephanie said...

You are SO bad!! Tempting me with yet another challege! I already opened myself up to the Cardathon!! How weird is it that I signed up for a challenge dealing with an author I have never read before!! So...I'm going with the whole concept that we really were separated at birth, and having faith you wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction!

Becky said...

I'll be joining this one as well. I am planning on reading the Narnia books. They are just so much fun. And they do qualify for the Cardathon :) I'm not sure as to my other 'series' yet. But I do look forward to making a list closer to time.

Nikki in Niagara said...

Oh, wonderful choice of series. I can't wait to read your reviews of Narnia. I've joined the same challenge but haven't decided what series I'll work on yet.

Anonymous said...

I plan on joining this challenge too but haven't put my list together yet. I have quite a few in mind so will have to think whether I will have time for them all next year!

I love the Narnia series and my favourites are The Magicians Nephew (sadly always overlooked) and The Silver Chair. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe will always be special to me as well. The cartoon film was one of my favourites growing up as a young child.

chrisa511 said...

Nymeth, So are you in? ;) This is such a great idea for a challenge! I have so many series to tie up, but these two have been taking up way too much room on my TBR bookshelf. So they get the spot!

Deslily, You are so good at keeping up to date with your series! I don't know how you do that! I just have waaaaay too many books on the TBR shelf to ever catch up on all of these series!

Debi, Try as you may...it'll suck you in..*evil laugh* I said the same thing..."no more challenges!" and I think I've signed up for like 5 since I said that, lol!

Dark Orpheus, See comment to Debi, lol!

Stephanie, I most definitely would not steer you in the wrong direction :) You're going to absolutely love Card...I assure it! And I just couldn't pass up this challenge, because the Narnia books have been bugging the hell out of me on my TBR shelf! They just take up too much room, so now I can clear all 7 off of my TBR shelf!

Becky, Yay for another Narnia reader :) This will clear up so much room on my shelf! Damn, my Cardathon Challenge list is going to be huge by the time I finish the challenge, lol! I am loving that challenge more and more every day by the way!

Nicola, Isn't it a great challenge! I had thought of something like that a while ago to, but I'm not brave enough to host a challenge yet. I'm glad someone else is though ;) Can't wait to see what series you decide on!

Rhinoa, Can't wait to see what you're reading! I used to love the cartoon too! I completely forgot about that!! I'm so glad you reminded me of it, you just brought back a flood of memories :) I want to go find it and buy it now!

Becky said...

Chris:

I do love the Narnia books. I remember falling in love with The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe in fourth grade. It is about the only thing I loved about fourth grade at the time :) I've read the series many times since then. But I've never blogged about them. So that makes them a great candidate for this challenge and the Cardathon.

I am considering reading George R.R. Martin too. His books would qualify for the Cardathon. What do you think, should I give them a go?

Jill said...

Now all you need is a spooky series by Card, and you'll be all set! :-D

I'm glad you'll be reading the Narnia ones in their "proper" order! I think it totally wrecks things to read The Magician's Nephew first, and I'm always trying to convince kids at my library NOT to start with that one, even though it has a 1 on it. They think I'm the crazy librarian lady and probably sneak back to get it when I'm not looking...

Becky said...

I agree, Darla! The Narnia have a "proper" order. And The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe "has" to come first :)

DesLily said...

Just about any series is really "one long book divided into more".. so when I read a series (and assuming all are in print) I have to buy them all at once ..when I begin reading them, I don't detur to any other until I'm done... but it's because it's "one story" in reality, and if I'm enjoying "the story" it's very easy to keep reading until it's all read.

I really stepped in doo doo with some of these new books (most being YA books).. really didn't know they were going to be a series! I am more careful now.. and if I do buy one that i know will be a series.. i set it aside and wait... and wait.... and wait. And unless I run out of things to read they will sit there until I get the other books!
I just wish when new book came out, they say somewhere in the reviews that it will be a series!

chrisa511 said...

Becky, I've only read the first book in Martin's series, but based on that one, I'd definitely say to give it a go! It's a new type of fantasy to me. I had never read any high fantasy aside from Lord of the Rings, but I loved it! They are quite lengthy though, just to warn you. Much like Card though, Martin does an excellent job with character development. Jon Stark and Daenarys are amazing characters that I think you'll love and I still think about them nearly every day and I read the book in May! The series isn't finished yet though. He's released up to book 4 and I think it will be a 7 book series.

Darla, I hate, hate, hate that they re-ordered the series...it's silly. I'll always read them in the publication order. It makes no sense to read them any other way! Geez...

Deslily, See, you're much better behaved than I am ;) I'll read the first book and then read some other stuff and get back to the next book later, lol. Unless I'm REALLY hooked on a series. Now if I'm up to date with a series, I'll buy the next book when it comes out and read it then. Like with Fablehaven. If it's a series that already has all the books released though, I take awhile to read them all.

Literacy-chic said...

Chris,

FYI--The publication order is not the only thing that was changed in the newer publications of C of N. While anticipating changes that Lewis *would* have made had he lived (by reordering the books), HarperCollins also saw fit to REVERSE the changes that were made between the British and American editions. So you truly will be reading them as originally published--in England, before some heart-felt (or Tolkien-influenced) revisions were made, for example: In LWW, "Maugrim" is changed to "Fenris Ulf" in the American edition. In VDT, there is an entire passage the Lewis added when the Dawn Treader leaves the Dark Island, because Lewis felt that the chapter, as it existed, belittled children's fear of nightmares. The added passage is beautiful and not to be missed. You can sometimes find older versions of the books at used book stores. I can poke around here for you, if you like! (I collect copies of the pre-1994 version, actually!)

chrisa511 said...

Wow! I never knew that, N! I'm going to have to look for a pre 1994 copy myself! I might try that little used bookstore on Metairie Rd...They may have one. I'd love to read the added material, it's ridiculous that publishers take that much liberty with someone else's work. It really baffles me that they completely re-ordered his series!

Anonymous said...

you people are challenge machines!!!

your new one looks very cool, though - a very nice idea for a challenge!

chrisa511 said...

JP, I thought it was a cool challenge too! I think I'm getting in way over my head though with these challenges! This challenge will certainly clear up some space from the To Be Read pile though!