One Book Wonder

I read a lot of youth and teen books and it's amazing how many series there are. It seems every book is part of a collection and it's strange to find a stand alone book. Makes me wonder what's wrong with it. It has no friends! I've always liked series because the characters really develop, the plot deepens and generally there's some kind of history or background. Sometimes problems are solved and new problems arise in each subsequent installment.

I've read a few series, but generally most become one book wonders. Much like bands that have one hit song and then fade away. It's more of a reader issue rather than a book issue. Most series I start are actually very good. My problem lies in the fact that I'm a painfully slow reader with a LONG reading list. I usually have my next book in mind before I'm finished the current read and the book I have my sights on may or may not be next in the series. My saving grace, I guess, is that my slow reading skills allows the story to absorb into the fissures of my brain so it's not so readily forgotten. This makes it much easier to pick up book 2 years down the road.

I have finished a few series though. Harry Potter and Twilight were among the most current. I'm halfway through Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series. They inspired the TV show Bones and are really good books especially if you're a fan of the show. Each book is another case. I've read Fablehaven by Brandon Mull which reminded me a lot of the Spiderwick Chronicles, but much longer. There are 5 books in the sereies. I've always wanted to read the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. He's come out with two other series ~ The Kane Chronicles and Heroes Of Olympus and yes, they are on my overwhelmingly long reading list too. Right now I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth and it's the first of three books. It makes me wonder if I'll ever see book 2.

What are your views on book series? Do you read all of them or hit book 1 and roll? What are your favorite series?