Book Blogger Hop - Nov. 12 - 15, 2010: Series

This week's Book Blogger Hop question is:

"If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?"

No, not always.  A perfect example is the "In Death' series by J.D. Robb.  I love this series and am, in fact, reading the latest installment called Indulgence in Death.  However, I was quite afraid of this series of books before I started reading them.  J.D. Robb is a pseudnym for Nora Roberts - whom I adore.  I knew about the 'In Death' series but was leary to read stories about a homicide detective.  I thought they would be too gruesome for my taste.  Then, in 2003 (I believe) she released a book called Remember When.  The first half of the book was written as Nora Roberts and the second half as J.D. Robb and the stories intertwined a mystery over 50-ish years.  It was really quite a clever move from a marketing stand point as I'm sure it pulled in a lot of new readers for both of her writing personalities.  I loved the book and was captivated by the 'In Death' characters.  At which point I went back to the beginning of the series and read it in order.

Another thing with me and series is that I tend to get bored with them.  It's sad but true.  Unless the writing is exceptional and I love the characters for whatever reason - I find it hard to stick with a lengthy series.