Navigating the Uncharted Territories of Standalone Books and the Expansive Realms of Book Series – A Reader's Dilemma

As a reader or someone new to the world of reading, you must have come across both standalone books and the book series. And you can't help yourself and hopelessly fall in love with both. That's the beauty of reading. You are transported to a new world without physically moving. Imagine it in your head and be hooked to know what happens next. It unleashes your doors to creativity and thinking skills. And this mostly happens with fantasy books. This blog is a detailed discussion of both the pros and cons of standalone books and book series.

Book Series Overview

Pros of Book Series

• The book world: in a book series, you will get more time and depth to learn the world of the book with every detail possible. As a book series consists of good length.

• Plot: The plot of a book series is not like a standalone book where it ends in one. There will be an overarching story; some threads of the story will connect with some other characters and build a new narrative. You never know what happens next.

• Characters: some characters will die and leave the book while new characters will join. And you will build a relationship with each character.

• Relationship with these characters: There is more time to see the characters developing from very near, which is not that much possible in a single book.

• Journey: in a book series, you go with the characters on their journey. You also begin to root for your favorite characters.

Cons of Book Series

• Time: a big constraint while reading the book series is that you have to devote ample time to finish it. You can't pick up any new book after finishing a single book. And you have to read all the good and bad parts of the series.

• Wait: if the series is not yet complete, you will have to keep waiting for the next book in the series to be released.

• Exasperated Endings: sometimes, the book series ends in a cliffhanger. You are asking questions as to why the character dies. Or who killed the protagonist?

• Dragging the story: sometimes it feels the author is just dragging the story with no twists or turns or no new insights.

Standalone Books Overview

Standalone Books Pros

• You know the story: you know that the story will not end on a cliffhanger; it has to end in a single book.

• Time: you can pick up any book after reading a single book. There is no commitment to read the whole book series to finish the saga.

• Plot: there are not many characters involved and the story is limited to that many characters only.

• Wait: there is no such wait as was the case in the book series.

• Unique book: every single book is unique, and you can start with anything and lift another after finishing the current book.

• Second book syndrome: You don't have to feel bad if the second book does not live up to the expectations of the first book. Not the case with single-book reading.

Standalone Books Cons

• Want more: After finishing and liking a standalone book, you want more of it. You will ask, is that so? Or the book finished too soon.

• Character development: you can't delve deeper into the characters with a single book, unlike the book series.

• Connection: There is a greater connection or bond with the series’ characters and story than with the standalone books. People come up with their fan theories when they are so invested in a book series.

• World building: there is only one book to talk about the world of characters. It's just limited to one book, and more details can not be provided, as was the case in the book series.

Wrapping Up

Both book series and standalone books have their positives and negatives. As a reader, you should get your hands on both to decide which one suits you better. You can find numerous books online like eBay. There are also other eBay alternatives to search for more books and enjoy your time reading, like TrueGether. So, get ready to set your foot in the world of books and enjoy your world of books.