Reader Mailbag: Do You Binge A Series?
In the June 2025 newsletter, we asked readers if they binge a series from start to finish. Here are the responses:
John: I’ve got authors that I seriously Love, Louise Penny, Donna Leon, and a few others. In my modest library, I have every book they’ve written. But I don’t binge them. I always pack one each of their books, and maybe another authors, that I know absolutely I’ll enjoy. Comes in handy on those situations where I can settle down and enjoy the books without too much interruption, and a good book is essential. A six-hour plane flight; an afternoon on a beach; sitting in a waiting room waiting to take a friend home from minor surgery, etc. And very now and then, I’ll just grab one just to revisit a favorite friend. Sometimes, my fictional friends can be more reliable than my real-life friends, and they provide safer solace than my friend Johnny Walker!
Chris: If I’m really enjoying a series, I don’t binge read the books exactly, as I like to savor them as I go. With the Bosch series, I’d read each title and then read something different and then go on to the next Bosch book. This system allowed me to rediscover the reasons I liked the books so much. Of course, this system didn’t work with the Outlander series as I’d been reading them from the start in 1991 and had to wait years for new books to come out. Readers new to the Outlander series will have to figure out for themselves whether or not to binge the nine (plus related) books that are already out!
Tracey: What a coincidence that this is the question of the month, as right now I am currently bingeing the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I just finished book 22, but am taking a short break to read The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden. It’s pretty good, I have a tough time putting it down. I’m about halfway through and I imagine I will finish the second half in one shot tonight. I’m looking forward to reading more of her books. I am bingeing the Plum series now because my mom told me that I would not believe what happens in the latest book in the series, number 31, so I have to get to it before she tells me what happens and ruins it for me. Geez Mom!
Karen: I liked this question because this is exactly what I do. I also binged the whole Bosch universe, both books and TV. One of my very favourite authors and series. Titus Welliver is the perfect Harry Bosch.
I am currently bingeing both the Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw novels by Jeffery Deaver, along with the Jesse Stone series by Robert B. Parker. Can you tell I like detective novels?
I kind of alternate with one book from each series to have some variety, but still get through them all. When I get to the end I start rationing because I don’t want them to end 🙂 Wondering if anyone else does that.
Linda: Yes, if a like a book I binge the whole series. That is one reason I like to find an older author that I have never read and read all of his/her books. That way I do not have to wait for the next book to come out. Unfortunately my new authors only write one book a year and I hate waiting. I have about 6 current series that I follow and put their latest book on pre-order so I do not miss out. That is another reason to love Book Notification. Happy summer.
Joy: Yes, I read all the books by an author so I can see how the characters develop and grow, or not.
Donna: Yes I do binge series. In fact I have gone back to re-reading Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series because at the time I was all caught up then life threw me a curve ball. I didn’t have much time to read. Every time I heard one of her books was out I’d think need to escape and read it. I’m finally doing that, along with other authors. Also I taught my stepdaughters , when they were young, if you find an author/series you like, when we went to the library, you can checkout more than the allotted 3 books.
Christine: I would prefer to binge a series from start to finish, and I do whenever I can access the books, but for many series you have to wait until the author publishes the next book.
Sandra: Yes I binge select TV series:
Homicide Life on the Street released by Peacock in January . I highly recommend it to all.
White Collar
Person of Interest
Books :
Yes Binged
Harry Hole series by Jo Nesb
Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben
Department Q by Jussi Alder Olsen (sadly)
Renni: Martin Walker – I LOVE Bruno ~
His village, his friends, the new friends he
makes, the dinners for his friends. I feel like
I know all of them. I love his dog(s) and their
personalities – I can see them trotting along behind
him as he goes horseback riding.
The books, though mysteries (gentle mysteries),
make me smile. By gentle I mean they are not
filled with terror and mayhem. There is more
to the story.
I’ve finished the series and now started
reading it again, one reason is I was missing Bruno
and his friends. Though I’m not bingeing this time.
Penny: I don’t binge read a series. I may read two in a row but that’s it. I have too many author’s series to follow to binge! Because I read only mysteries, sometimes I need a break from heavy crime to a light mystery!
Right now I am working on the Commissario Guido Brunetti series set in Venice by Donna Leon (34 books). I will read two together or every other depending on what I have coming in from the library. I am halfway reading #17. I highly recommend these by the way.
The first author I binged was Agatha Christie – I just could not get enough. That was followed by Alistair Maclean – hmm. maybe I am dating myself :}
Marian: When I come across an author I am unfamiliar with – and I like the book – then I will print out a list of the books written and start at book #1.
mailman: The Joe Pickett series by CJ Box. Have binged it twice, probably will do it again!
Lee: When I start a series, I hope it is complete. Alas, it seldom is and when I get to the last book written and find there are more to come I get just a little frustrated.
I know better, but I keep staying with the series. Not so bad when the next book is coming out soon, but when it’s listed to come out 3-4 months down the road
I’m glad for ‘Book Notification:’ keeping me informed as to when it is coming out. So, yes I read right through a series when possible.
Kenicia: I binge a series if it really grips me. The one that most stands out is the Poldark Saga by Wintson Graham. I started it after watching the first season of the TV series from 1975. I noticed in the credits that the show was based on the books. I don’t know how long it took me to read all twelve books, but I kept reading them until I finished the series. I also binge-listened to all of the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. They always seemed to end with a cliffhanger, so I had to keep going.
Jayme: I read a lot of science fiction and historical mysteries with multiple volumes so for me it’s not a question. It’s always first to last straight through no other books in between. I have been accused on occasion about being somewhat OCD about it even. I hate having more than one book started at a time and never do so unless it’s absolutely necessary.
An example of necessity for example is I am currently in the middle of a sci-fi series with 28 volumes and counting, but I am wanting to participate in the podcast I care about books so I have waitlisted at my two libraries a copy of “The Women” by Kristen Hannah and if one of those comes through, then I will probably be in the middle of the current series and will take a break to read “The Women”.
Hollins: Series I have binged
I have binged several series.
1) Lucas Davenport “Prey” series by John Sandford
2) Three Pines series by Louise Penny
3) Dalgliesh series by P. D. James
4) Bosch series by Michael Connelly
5) Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman
6) Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout
Elaine: In regards to the question “Do you binge a series from start to finish?” It is mostly how I read books. Once I find an author I like, I set about reading other things they have written which when found, a series is how I start reading what else they have written. This, of course, brings me to one of the best things I love about the “Book Notification” site. It makes it so much easier to identify a series and then set about securing it. Occasionally, I will read a “stand-alone” book but rarely.
Donna: For the question about binging books in a series, I am not one of those readers. Most of the time. I read the entire Last Policeman trilogy by Ben H. Winters last year in two weeks, and I have recently been re-reading the 19-book series of the New Jedi Order that was published in the early 2000s. My Star Wars book collection is going to my youngest son, and I wanted to catch up on some before they are passed on to him.
Debbi: It really depends on the series. Some are too emotional for me to binge from start to finish, so I take a break in between to let everything sink in. Some are so gripping that I have to find out what happens so I will read them all as soon as I can. ACOTAR is one I had to know what happened. Fourth Wing series I took a break in between, but now have to wait for the next book, so maybe I should have just waited on that.
Connie: Binge-worthy books
My go-tos are
Alex Kava’s Ryder Creed series with 8 books
Suzanne Brockman’s Troubleshooters series with 17 books
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series with 9 in the basic storyline
Craig Johnon’s Longmire series with 26 books
CJ Box’s Joe Pickett series with 25 books.
And one note on today’s replies on blind recommendations:
The Phantom Tollbooth is one I read to my Dad as we drove the Alcan Highway (in 1972, long before it was paved). A precious memory.
Audrey: It’s so funny that you asked about binge reading as, about an hour before I read your question, I had just finished the most recent (#7) in Allison Montclair’s Sparks and Bainbridge series about two women who start a marriage service shortly after WW2 (but always seem to get involved in a homicide investigation) … and OF COURSE I binged it because I hate Hate HATE to wait. (I do the same with tv shows, most recently binged all the Survivor episodes in the three days leading up to the finale.)
If the books aren’t great or they get stale I’ll read other things in between, but otherwise I immerse myself completely — it helps with continuity but makes reaching the end QUITE painful.
In the past two years I’ve binged all the JD Robb Eve Dallas books (60!), Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series (12) and, thanks to the enthusiastic recommendations from your newsletters, Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series (19) and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series (29), which I would never have come to on my own (ex-military, behemoth, vigilante? Puh-lease!) but loved SO MUCH.
Can’t even imagine waiting a year between books — although now that’s exactly where I find myself on all these great series … sob.
PS — Let me add that I feel terribly guilty that an author spends YEARS crafting these series while I greedily race through them in a few weeks or months … but I do manage to live with myself.
AJ: I’m a binger – I’ll read everything in order til the end generally. However if it is very long, they start to run together and then I will take a break to read something new and then come back at it.
Maureen: I love to binge a series. If I’m enjoying a book, I don’t want it to end and a series is a great answer to that. Also the characters develop through a series and it is wonderful to see how they do develop. If it is a really long series, I do slot in a different book every now and then.
Joanne: A series that I have binged is by Simon McCleave and it features Ruth Hunter, a police investigator in northern England. Ruth is amazing and the books are fantastic.
The other series is by Morgan Greene. His Jamie Johansson series takes place in Wales. Very interesting. His other series that I love is Solomon Church. So far only 2 have been released with a third coming in August. I’m not sure Morgan ever sleeps!
Janice: I definitely do this when I come across a prolific writer new to me. I must start with the first book and move through the series in order. (Which is what brought me to your website in the first place!❤️)
I’m 75 and I’ve been doing this since childhood (the Little House books, Margery Sharpe’s Miss Bianca series, all the sequels to Little Women…). Now, though, books in a series are more often mysteries, and the best ones IMO show the main characters and many secondary ones “evolving” over the years: Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series, Peter Tremayne’s Sister Fidelma series, Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series set in the village of Three Pines, Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn series. Stephanie Barron’s series with Jane Austen as the detective demands reading in order as the books parallel Austen’s own life!
But there are other genres with books in series too: Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire series of social novels, referring back to the original series by Anthony Trollope, The Barsetshire Chronicles; family sagas like Mazo de la Roche’s Whiteoaks series, set in Canada over several generations; Diana Gabaldon Outlander series, which is a blend of contemporary and historical fiction, sci-fi and romance… Binge-reading a series in order makes it easier to keep track of the characters and events and to appreciate how the “past” bears on the present. It brings depth to the author’s fictional universe. Then when I reach the end of what’s been published to date, the binge-reading helps keep this storyworld alive in my aging brain while I wait for the next installment!
Deborah: I stream series on Netflix and on Audible I binge all books at a time, assuming they are either free or I have enough credits for them. I don’t read “real” books anymore. They’re too hard on my eyes/neck and I can do something else while listening to a book.
Phillip: I’m a binger. I’ve binged several series, but my favorite was the Nameless Detective series by Bill Pronzini. I think there are 39 books in that one.
Phoenix: I absolutely DO binge a series from start to finish. I sound like a broken record, but about once every year or two, I will start with Margaret Frazer’s “The Novice’s Tale,” and read all SEVENTEEN books in the series, then read all seven of the spin-off series of the Player Joliffe. If I reread the Mitford series, I’ll start at the beginning and read them all. Now, Agatha Christie, not so much. It saddens me greatly that Margaret Frazer has passed away, so there will be no more Sister Frivesse books, but she had a co-writer for the first six books, so maybe that author will take up the tales.
Sue: This is something I have done many times.
If I read a book by a new author that I really like, I immediately add the rest of the books to my Hold List at the Library. The pace I read them depends on how quickly get them from the library and when I catch up. One of criteria are that there is development of the characters (as well as the story, of course). Mostly the new author comes from recommendations, often from Order of Book.
One series that comes to mind immediately is The Prey Series by John Sandford. I bought my first book of his at a library book sale, and it turned out it was the first book in the series. That was years ago, and I just finished the latest (36th) book.
Another series is The October Day series by Seanan McGiuire. It was recommended by my son, who is a huge Sci-Fi/Fantasy lover. I have read all those books; plus, some other series she has written.
Carol: BINGE SERIES I seem likeliest to binge if the books are a mystery series. If they are another genre, it is not as likely. There are a lot of series I’ve binged in this genre and I have thoroughly enjoyed doing so. If a tv series is made of it, I tend to do the same. However, I am much harder to please on the tv version of my favorite mystery books. It is quite likely that I will hate it and stop watching. Some of my book binges are: Inspector Lynley, Bosch, Mickey Haller, Terry Macalvoy, Jake Brigance, Inspector Morse, Rebus, most of the Scandinavian ones (from Wallander, to Dept. Q, to Joona Lina and so forth), Lucas Davenport, Virgil Flowers. Will Trent (and his wife Sara; I also read a few of Sara with her 1st husband), Myron and Win (H. Coben), Harriet and Lord Peter, Duncan Kincaid and Genna. Cardinal in Canada. There are more but you get the general picture. I do not generally like cozies but I like the print and audio versions of Agatha Raisin. I HATE the tv version of it.
As to the tv and films. I like very few. Matthew McC as Mickey Haller was fabulous. I have not been able to watch anyone else do him. Titus W was fine as Bosch but they rewrote the screenplays from the books too much for me. I stopped watching because I hated the adaptations. Morse was great. I watched 3 of the actors playing Wallander and was unsatisfied with all 3. I think Branagh may have made it with me if they had made him British and set it in some British city. I never believed him as Swedish. The first actor who did Rebus was ok but the second was all wrong. The Scandinavian casting has been better straight across the board on all of their series. Lynley and Havers were good although Nathaniel Parker was physically 100% different from Lynley in book. Will Trent on Amazon was ok. I watched season 1 but was not enamored enough to stick with it. Jack Frost was great in both books and tv. The Cardinal Canadian ones were A+ as books and a solid B as tv. Alexander McCall Smith’s #1 Ladies Detective Agency is an A in print, audio and tv. The latest one was a bit lackluster but it has been around a long time.
I have gone back and listened to some of these on audio. I initially read all of them in print. They all do better on audio than they do on film or tv. Connelly and Sandford are especially strong on audio versions.
I do not read, listen to audios or watch tv or film based on the year they are released. I have no preference for year of release. So it is just as likely that I will binge on a series written 20 years ago as I will on one written this year.
You mentioned Linwood Barclay. I liked him for a number of books and then his quality went all to hell. I gave up on him.
I’ve tried your Frieda. I have yet to see her appeal.
Sandy: Yes. I try to binge authors that I love. But I only use Hoopla or my library to obtain them. Some books are just not available so I do without.
Christina: I’m absolutely LOVING the Bernie and Chet series of books by Spencer Quinn. Chet, the dog, narrates these mysteries–and I adore him. The world today seems so complicated and so mean and so . . . unmanageable. When I enter into Chet’s world, though, everything becomes “tip-top” and uncomplicated. It takes so little for Chet to be happy, and I know that his voice and point of view lowers my blood pressure with every page. He’s my favorite fictional character of all time right now. I read two or three . . . or four and then go to something else because I’m afraid I’ll run out of books before I stop NEEDING them and hope Quinn writes quickly!! Read this series (in order, please) if you like mysteries, if you like dogs, if you’re stressed, whatever. Just read them.
Pat: I have binged a few series where I have all of the books and can read them in order. I am currently reading the Poldark books by Winston Graham. I’ve just started book ten of the eleven book series. I will be sorry when it ends. Set in the late 1700s to early 1800s in Cornwall England, it’s the story of a family, the mining industry, wars, love, rivalries. There have been two TV series made of the books, I plan to watch one (or both?) after the books are done.
