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One of the things I didn't understand about the books until several years after I'd finished them is that the model she was using was very similar to the standard mystery series where you can pick up any book in the series and enjoy it without having read the prior ones. Of course with both you'd have enjoyed it more if you had read them in order but it's not like Lord of the Rings where reading them in order is crucial.

I remember when I finished the second Harry Potter book I was scratching my head thinking that the Voldemort part of the story hadn't been advanced and developed; he was a problem that popped in and had to be solved and when that was done, move on. Each book was a collection of various standalone threads somewhat interwoven; the Quidditch match, the visiting professor, Voldemort, etc.

The other thing that drove me crazy, but again it's also done in mystery series, is how she'd completely discard/ignore a character, idea, etc. in subsequent books.

And interestingly, mysteries are what she wrote after the Harry Potter series (under the name Roger Galbraith or something like that).