I finished my bingos and got into a little reading slump because apparently, I can’t function in 2020 without measurable goals. So I thought I’d set up a little challenge for myself, to catch up and finish as many series as I can before the 2021 bingo goes live on April 1st. This is really more just a list than a proper challenge with prompts and stuff. I’m gonna try and have at least half the books I read between now and April be sequels.

To start off I went through all my Goodreads read books and made a list of all my series. I ended up with 23 complete series, 25 up to date, 48 won’t continue, 65 to be decided. Then I went and checked for which of these series I own some sequels and I’ll prioritize them. The plan is to give each a try and decide if I want to continue or not. I’m only counting main books in series, not novellas and such, with one exception.

The list:

Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson – read: 4/4 – done! I like starting a list and being able to cross something off right away. I finished Rhythm of War last week. I had a lot of issues with it, but there’s still a good chance I’ll finish the first 5 book arc because I’ve sunk too much effort into this to give up knowing what all this build-up will lead to.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman – read 2/11 – these should be quick reads as they’re graphic novels, but somehow I never feel like picking them up.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples – read 1/9 – I think I’ve read the first one 3 times hoping to move on to the second and then got distracted. Maybe this time it’ll stick and I can make it to volume two. I think I’ve just seen it hyped too much y’know?

Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin – read 1/6 – I got that lovely illustrated edition last year, after listening to Wizard of Earthsea on audio, and well, it’s so big and heavy! I mostly read in bed/on the couch and this one is just so uncomfortable to hold. – currently reading – 

Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey- read 6/16 – so far I’ve read Arrows of the Queen and The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, and there are 10 more books I’ve already bought (what, you never went to order one book and got a few more for the free shipping?). I don’t plan to read them all in a row, but next up is Vows and Honor and I’ll probably read that series all together, maybe over the holidays cause so far they’ve been comfort reads.

Klondaeg by Steve Thomas – read 1/3 – ok I’m not sure if this should count as a series or not. I initial read Klondaeg The Monster Hunter, but now I’ve got it in all in one volume, Kicking Axe and Taking Gnomes that includes that, 2 other novellas (I think) and some short stories. Either way, it’s a comedy series with an axe wielding dwarf and some really cool gods, should be a quick fun read.

Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold – 3/16  – I have no intention of finishing this anytime soon. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite series, and I’m trying to space it out, one book every few months, so that I can enjoy it for longer. It really helps that most books work like stand alones. It’s been a few months since my last one, so I’m on schedule to continue.

Penric and Desdemona by Lois McMaster Bujold – 1/8 – also not planning to finish this soon, saving them up for when I need comfort reads, but if the holidays get too gloomy I might binge them.

Lady Astronaut by Mary Robinette Kowal – 1/3 – I got Relentless Moon when it came out, but then someone mentioned it made them cry and I decided that’s not a 2020 mood.

Jaques McKeown by Yahtzee Croshaw – 1/2 – I listened to the first one aaaages (=2 years) ago. It was a fun space adventure and Yahtzee’s narration is a great performance, but haven’t been tempted to continue.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco -1/3 – I don’t own own this, but the entire series is currently free on audible, so I’ll probably hurry up and listen to it while it’s available. I read the first book recently enough that it’s still within memory range, a rare feat for me.

The Old Kingdom by Garth Nix read 1/3 or 4 – I know the last book in the series is meant to be meh, but I can’t remember now if Clariel is recommended or not. I loved Sabriel when I read it but found Lirael a slog. Not sure how much I’ll enjoy Abhorsen, but my list leans too sci fi for my mood which means this one will probably get bumped up automatically.

Fire Eye by Samuel Gately 1/2 – one of the first self-pub books I read, I liked the world a lot but wasn’t that into the protagonist so put it off.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown – this is the one I’m most anticipating will end up in the nope pile. For one thing I barely remember the details, and all the reviews I’ve read suggest it’s gone in a very dark direction that I don’t think I’m in the mood for, or will be in the near future. I’ll probably read some more reviews to make up my mind before giving it a shot.

Yarnsworld by Benedict Patrick 3/5 – it took me a long time to catch on that yarn=tale not yarn=textile, but still, I loved this dark folklore world and I’ve been really looking forward to catching up.

Winternight by Katherine Arden 1/3 – planning on the next one as soon as we get some snow.

Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards (novella) 2/2 – I’ve read the two main books but I’ve also got a novella, The Sunken Mall, that I somehow completely forgot about. The novella is free to download

These last two I don’t have yet, but I’ve written to Santa about them and I hope they arrive for the holidays:

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland 1/2 – I blasted through the first book and I’ve been super excited to get my hands on the second one ever since, only put it off till now because I wanted it in print, I love the art style.

Broken Earth by NK Jemisin – 1/3 – was worried I might not like this one with all the mixed reactions I’ve seen, but I ended up loving the first book so I’m really excited to continue to series.

That’s 18 series all in all, one down 17 to go if I aim for 1 book per series, which should be perfectly reasonable for me over 4 months.

But enough about me, tell me about yourself. How many unfinished series are you hiding at the bottom of your TBR? Any plans to tackle them? If you want we can be accountability buddies in the weekly review and social threads.