Open Thread for Readers for June 2026
Got a book you want to talk about? Frustrated with a book or series? In love with a new one? Found a buried treasure? An issue that keeps popping up in the books you are reading? Just want to chat about stuff in general? Post about it here!
I’m on a Murderbot Diaries binge. After reading the latest, Platform Decay, I went back to the beginning. At first it was just curiousity to compare Murderbot’s current state to where MB was at the beginning of this journey. But as I got deeper into All Systems Red, I decided to continue along. At this point I’m at book five, but since I’m reading in chronlogical order, it’s the sixth, not counting Platform Decay. I’m trying to decide whether to continue on to System Collapse after I’m done with Network Effect.
I don’t binge read often because I like variety, and because most series are all over the place in terms of how I like them. Murderbot Diaries is one of the few series that remains consistently strong. Even Fugitive Telemetry, my least favorite, isn’t bad.
Anyway, this got me curious. Do you binge book series? What was the last series you binged and why did you binge it?
@Janine:
I think the closest I’ve ever come to that is with Dinah Dean’s “Russian” series and it wasn’t really a reread as I only went back to the beginning and then carried past where I’d stopped before.
I have been re-reading the Murderbot series in anticipation of borrowing Platform Decay, and it really is amazingly consistent. Even to the extend that there are installments I do not love, it is about my content preferences in terms of plot rather than writing that is the differnce.
I recently reread an author’s books although only two of them are connected. The author is Gigi DeGraham; the books were Prisoner and Fugitive plus Lucky and Justin F**king Halstead. I believe the Touchstone series by Andrea Höst is my most recent reread series.
Yes. Absolutely I will read an entire series in one go. Usually a favorite mystery series when a new title comes out and I’m a few behind. In general, I am not a re-reader.
One problem though, is if the author has descriptive tics, or recaps all previous titles, I find that tedious.
@Jayne: Why do you not binge books? Is it because you notice author ticks, or like more variety, or have a lot of books to review? Or something else?
@jmc: Yes! It is consistently strong. Wells has so many elements on the ball — terrific action, lovable characters, strong themes, good writing. Those books are good across the board, and I think that’s why they have such wide appeal. They fire on all cylinders.
I’d love to hear what you think of Platform Decay when you read it.
@Kareni: Do you do this often — reread entire series? Or is that less common for you? I know you are a huge Andrea Host fan.
@LML: I agree about authorial tics. In some books they are really noticeable. In my teens I read an author who used the same metaphor from book to book. When that happens I always think, “Can’t you come up with something new?”
@Janine:Why do you not binge books? Is it because you notice author ticks, or like more variety, or have a lot of books to review? Or something else?
Mainly that I have too many new books that I’ve bought. Though author tics would also probably be an issue.
@janine ~ I do reread shorter favorite series fairly frequently — for example,Touchstone, Linesmen (Dunstall), Claimings (Gala), and the Others (Bishop). I used to reread J.D. Robb’s entire …in Death series after every two or three new releases, but I stopped reading the series when she’d released some thirty-odd books. I do have hopes of getting back to it one day.
@Kareni: Isn’t Roberts up to 62 or something with that series?
@jayne, yes, definitely sixty-plus full length books; there are also a number of novellas.
@Jayne: & @Kareni: I don’t know if I could read about the same couple for 60+ books no matter how good the author or the characters were. I get bored easily.
I almost never read two books in a row by the same author and I rarely re-read anything (unless a decade or two has gone by). I like to switch between writing styles, genres and time periods (I read a lot of vintage fiction) and there’s less chance of burn out that way. And less chance of wasting my time on a mediocre book just because it’s part of a series with better entries. I’ve DNFd nearly half as many books as I’ve finished this year.
Hi, @oceanjasper. What years of vintage fiction do you enjoy? When I lived where there was a large library system and multiple UBS, I enjoyed finding and reading fiction from the 1930s – 1950s.
I will often binge books in a series for a couple of reasons:
1- because I did not discover the series until several volumes were already out. And if I like the first one I am gonna continue on. This is the most common for me. I came into a lot of series I after several books in the series had already been written and if I like the first one and I get immersed in the series, I am gonna keep on. This is the deal with the current series I am reading. The Files of Henri Davenforth by Honor Raconteur. There are 11 books in the series and I just discovered it last month.
2- If I have been reading the series from the jump, and have to wait a year or two between releases, I may get to a point where I will go back and re-read to bring myself up to speed or the latest book I read was so good, it prompted me to start from the beginning again. This was the case with Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series. When Heart of Obsidian came out, It had so much interesting Kaleb Krychek intel that I had to go back and re-read from the start to see how she had portrayed Kaleb fromt he beginning. She had left so many breadcrumbs and clues about Kaleb that you don;t realize until you read the book back-to-back.
3-If the audiobooks have a good narrator. I’ll re-read in audio. I did this with JD Robb’s In Death series. Susan Erikson is such a good narrator for that series. Same deal with the Kate Daniels series. I am such a KD fangirl I read the series in real time, later on listened to the Renee Raudmann narrated versions in a binge, and then when the full cast versions came out, I listened again in a binge. Thank goodness for Hoopla!
All the above are only true if the world created is really immersive. It is easy to binge when the writer creates a really vivid world and cast of characters and can plot well.
@oceanjasper: For years I alternated between genres to avoid burnout, but I think it was partly because I was trying to keep up with new releases. Recently I’ve relaxed some and just read what I’m in the mood for, and this Murderbot binge is an example of that. Maybe they are comfort reads for me? I’m not sure. I have a lot of tempting books on hold at the library, but right now I keep coming back to books I know.
@TinaNoir: Nalini Singh is an interesting case for me. I’ve never done a complete binge of either of her series but I once came close with Psy/Changeling (I think it was as the first set of books was wrapping up). I made as far as Tangle of Need which is not a favorite, and stopped in the middle of that book. On the other hand I’ve read Caressed by Ice multiple times.
Psy / Changeling was also a series I didn’t get hooked on until book four or five was out. I read Slave to Sensation when it first came out and thought, “meh.” But then something prompted me to want to read one of the next few books. I hate reading series out of seuqence because I like to get all the previous character setup and growth for protagonists whose books come later in a series before I read their books. So I went back and read Slave to Sensation, and liked it a bit better the second time (though it still wasn’t a wow for me). I kept going though and liked Faith and Vaughn’s book better (I reread Visions of Heat again some years later and thought Vaughn was awfully pushy, so it’s not a favorite either). But then! Caressed by Ice. It was great and it still holds up.
I also loved Clay and Tally’s book the first time, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to reread it, and I think it was because there were undertones of slut shaming. Dorian’s book was underwhelming to me both times, but I loooooved Mercy and Riley, especially Mercy. She was such a fresh character at the time. When I reread that book years later, it didnt’ stand out the same way, because by then there were a lot of FMCs like Mercy. But it was surely ahead of its time. Kiss of Snow and Heart of Obsidian are another two that I’ve reread multiple times. They have their issues but they are exciting books.
I’ve also reread the first few Guild Hunter books, especially Angels’ Kiss and Archangel’s Blade. I would like to read Archangel’s Light again sometimes too. Have you followed that series? Archangel’s Eternity was full of happy endings and positive resolutions, but I am still sad that the series is ending.
I’m going on and on — as you can see I have Thoughts and Opinions. And I rememeber Nalni Singh’s books well enough to enjoy thinking about them and discussing them even now. There are books and series I like better but few are as bingeable. I hope I haven’t bored you with all this.
The only audiobook binge I’ve ever done was of the Rivers of London series. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is amazing and one of the very few audiobook narrators I like. In addition to making Peter sexy and charismatic, he doesn’t over emote. Actually, I take that back – I listened to the first three or so Queen’s Thief (Megan Whalen Turner) books on audio as well. The narrator was Steve West. He wasn’t bad but not on the same level. But–I love that series so much and have reread the early books enough that I know them too well. Listening on audio added a new element to the experience.
I recently listened to the Service Model audiobook and I thought it was great, and it might to appeal to others who enjoy Murderbot. It is not a delightful story of a sarcastic robot, but rather an insightful parody of the current state of the world featuring a sentient robot, but I thought it was very well done, funny, and excellent as an audiobook.