Currently, I Have a Series-ous Problem...

It will come as no surprise that I am a binge reader. Reading is certainly a part of my daily routine, especially during my 45 minute commute in and out of Manhattan. But what I really live for are my "reading days". Those are the days when I dress in the comfiest, stay at home clothes, prepare a warm blanket and cup of tea or cocoa or coffee and choose a pile of books that I can read and devour at my leisure. Sometimes, I plan out these awesome days of reading. Sometimes, they fall into my lap unbidden, like when I'm down with a mysterious ailment. But whenever they do happen, you can bet that I'll end the day with at least 2 books read in their entirety.

I've become a homebody who stays in on Saturdays lately. This is due to a mix of laziness, inclement weather, a lack of funds and illness (which was just last weekend). This is very good indeed for my binge reading tendencies, and so, I've knocked out quite a few books over the course of the past few weeks.

However, I picked up on something odd in my binge reading. It was odd enough to get me thinking about it long and hard, and analyzing the whys behind it for a couple of days prior to this post. Even though it might be a little random to some, I thought it was strange since I normally, next to never do this.

I have been series binge reading.

So not only have I been binge reading in general, I've been focusing on book series and not just standalone books. I've managed to finish a couple of series I'd started a year or two before [The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan and the Summer series by Jenny Han], finish a series I started this year [the Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand], start and finish a new series [the Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles] and am in the middle of one more series [The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta]. Heck, you can probably even throw in the first book of a series that I'm participating in a read-along for [A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin].

When I realized I'd subconsciously been reaching for all my series books lately, I had to ask myself why. I've come up with a few possible reasons* for this phenomenon:

• Let's Stay Together: I like being able to linger and grow with these characters, plus it is fun to stay immersed in the world for more than one book. A lot of extra detail goes into series because there's enough time/page space to do that, and that's a major bonus.
• Following the Leader: I like the certainty of knowing that there is something I must read next. I'm a lazy person, apparently, so it's nice to not have to decide for myself what book I need to read next. (And yes, I am well aware that this is a pretty random, but very personal reason.)
• Better in the Long Run: I like long books with lots of pages. It is probably a personal goal to read a lot of pages, which is why I keep going for series so I get double or triple the page count. (Obviously, I am only a quarter serious about this bullet point.)

Honestly though, the reason is really simple and nothing all too special: I'm a touch quirky about being organized with my reading.

Subconsciously, I had already put my mind to finishing a few series this year. Add to that some challenge and read-along goals, and obviously, I had made myself a list even before I recognized the fact. I also like reading things in order, and I'm advocating reading the books that are currently threatening to make my shelf collapse... All these things added up into an answer that told my brain subconsciously that I must read all the series (which I have, and then some).

There really is no point to this post other than to celebrate the phenomenon of me reading five series back to back over the past few weeks. I thought that was pretty neat, really.

So tell me - Do you ever series binge read? Or are you more likely to binge read stand-alone books? What are your favorite series that you've been reading lately and that you think I MUST pick up and read soon?

In case you were interested, here are the links to the first books in the series I mentioned above:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan || Review

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han || Review

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand || Review

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta || Review

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

(There's also a great post by my friend Gillian debating series versus standalone books. Check it out!)

* The three reasons are all song titles. I just felt like it, so roll with me!