The 8/24 Musing Monday topic: Do you prefer to read stand-alone books, or books in series? Do you stick with a series the whole way through or stop after the first instalment? Are there any particular series you enjoy?(question courtesy of Elena)

I think by looking at the list of books I’ve read in the past year, you can tell I’m a series girl. When I meet a character, I like to stay with  them and keep learning about them.

I’ve read all of the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum novels but one. This year I’ve also read Son of a Witch, which is the second in the Wicked Years Series. I’ve read the second book in the Poseur series. I also read A Job to Kill For which is the second in the Lacy Field Mystery Series.

I read the first 12 Plum books one after the other, but since then, I’ve slowed down a little. On the other ones, I normally just read them when I get to them. I rarely ever go to the book store when a book is released, even if it is next in my series.

My favorite series is the Plum Series. Check out my book list and I’m sure you will be able to tell.

Every now and then I like to read a single novel to get my mind off things, but in the end, I think I’ll always come back to a series!

A Job to Kill For is the second book in the Lacy Fields Mystery series. I got the first book by being cheap (it was in a buy 3 for $5 bin) and I’m very glad for my cheapness because these are good books.

Lacy Fields is an interior decorator in Cali, her husband, a plastic surgeon. But she keeps getting involved in murders, good thing she has an eye for detecting.

I like these books because they are smooth, easy reads, but they also keep me turning the pages.

I like a mystery that I can figure out, but what’s the point of reading on? In the first Lacy Fields book, Looks to Die For, I had a hunch and was right, but in A Job to Kill For, no clue until the end. Kaplan does a good job of throwing out curve balls to keep you on your toes.

And much like Janet Evanovich with her Stephanie Plum series, what woman doesn’t want to read about a woman who straight up kicks butt and cracks the case? Its empowering, although I wouldn’t last a minute.

I mentioned these are easy reads, I started this book Sunday evening, immediately after I finished Son of a Witch (yes I know I am a chain reader). I read it Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday morning before work and both of those days before bed. Didn’t take me much time to get through it, but that doesn’t mean it was a good book.

I’m kind of torn about how to rate this book. If I gave half book marks, it’d be easy, a 3.5. But since I don’t, I think I’m going to go with a 3. If it would have made me laugh out loud, I’d give it a 4. Also, its not necessarily a book I think I’d read again, I don’t think there was much I missed, so, 3 it is.