I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different. I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists. Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This year has been all about the series. While most of the books I read are in series I was never one who had to read a series in order. Well this year I've been discovering just how important reading a series in order just happens to be! That said not ever series needs to be read in order and here are 5 that come to mind.
1. Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie - I'm cheating a bit because these are two different series but both are series that can easily be read in any order. In fact the last book in both series were written in the 1940s but weren't published until the 1970s so Christie didn't even write them in order!
2. Miss Silver by Patricia Wentworth - This is pretty much the same as the two above. Yes it's technically a series but the only connection is that Miss Silver and some of the various detectives show up in every book. There are some repeat characters but you don't need to know who they are and the mysteries are in no way connected.
3. Murder, She Wrote by Jessica Fletcher (and which ever author was writing it at the time) - This series is on 50+ books and I have read about 4 of them. Just like the television show that this is based on where you can watch any random episode and completely understand what's going on you can pick up any book without any issue.
4. Krewe of Hunters by Heather Graham - This paranormal romantic suspense series is essentially a series of trilogies that come out every year. Those trilogies are loosely connected but the only connection between them and the rest of the book is that at least one character in the couple is a member of the FBI's special department of paranormal investigators.
5. Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse - Now you do want to make sure that Bertie appears in the book but other then that I think you can jump in anywhere- and I do recommend them in audio if you can get them!
I agree that the Miss Marple and Poirot books can be read in any order. That being said, there are some characters that cross over or appear again. And by that I'm not talking about Hastings and Japp and others. I do think that it's better to read A Caribbean Mystery before reading Nemesis - both Miss Marple books. Also, Christie wrote the last Poirot and Miss Marple books and then put them away to be published later or maybe even after her death. Interesting, right?
ReplyDeleteHi there Katherine! I love series' that you don't need to read in series to lose the plot.... Still haven't read The Murder she wrote series at all, but I have discovered a Patricia Wentworth amongst some older books that I need to sort out. So I guess I can just start with that one.
ReplyDeleteI don't know Krewe of Hunters but I am so taking a look at it right now. I think I'll enjoy that series.
Hope you will have a good weekend!
Elza Reads
I do want to read some of these, so it's great to know that they don't have to be read in order! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAha, that is a good topic, as I might have said I like to read in order but you have shown there are ones out there that are sort of no timeline. I guess in some ways it makes it good that you can enter anywhere. Like Elza the Krewe of Hunters ones draws me.
ReplyDeleteThey don't need to be but I sure like to do it as it makes me feel better reading in order...lol. :)
ReplyDelete