Investigated – Why I Don’t Finish Series

I’m a quitter. I don’t finish some of the series that I start. Which is kind of interesting since in every other aspect of my life I like to see things through. I like finishing things. But apparently not series. Even the ones that I actually liked reading.

Time plays a huge role in why I don’t finish a lot of the series that I start. When I was younger, I used to keep a spread sheet of publication dates. Every time I finished a book that was part of a series, I would research the next book and its pub date. If if didn’t have one yet it only meant I had to keep checking. But nowadays I read so many series that even with the spreadsheet its hard to keep track of all the release dates. And the sad truth is I loose interest and I loose it fast. If I felt so-so about the start of a series, there is a very good chance I may not finish until much much later, or dun dun dun… not at all.

Also, besides the long time between release dates, I just don’t have the time to read as many books as I have been in the past. I’m a junior in high school and between trying to keep my grades up, preparing for all the standardized tests, worrying about college stuff, and blogging, as well as other things, my TBR has grown drastically and it only gets bigger – never smaller. If I felt impartial to the beginning of a series in the past, I would have gave it another chance. Now, as much as I would like to give those books and series another life, its game over for them and they don’t get it. 🙁

I’m sitting here making excuses about how time is a bitch and is to blame but in reality, if I’m being honest, it’s really because I’m scared. Scared I won’t like the next books. Scared I won’t like what happens. Scared my expectations won’t be met. Scared I will be disappointed. Scared that the next books will ruin the first one for me. I’m a big fricking scaredy cat when it comes to series. I hate being let down. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. And what’s worse than being let down? Having my opinion of another book be ruined.

I love books and I treasure their stories. Each one I enjoy reading becomes, in a way like, a photo worthy of its own picture frame on my wall. But I’ve been down this path so many times I can already guess how it’s going to end. I read a book and I love and adore it. So of course, I read the next book in the series and I hate it. Which causes me to want to channel my inner Taylor Swift and go “So watch me strike a match / On all my wasted time / As far as I’m concerned you’re / Just another picture to burn” and then add the book, and its series to my imaginary burn book for books. And now, because I read the other book, whenever I think back to the first book, the one I loved, instead of thinking about rainbows and butterflies I think about flames.

My way of preventing all that from happening is to simply not read the rest of the series if I am unsure about it. Sigh. I really need to get some guts. This is why I’m not Dauntless or a part of Gryffindor. (Amity and Hufflepuff for the win!)

Do you always finish a series you start?
Why or why not?

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