Kindle firmware update 5.13.4

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I have been checking the library view on my Kindle each day since installing 5.13.4 and none of the books were grouped by series even though the "Group Series in Library" option is "On" in settings.

Today there was a popup dialog box announcing the series feature (see screenshot). When I checked my library I found that books are now grouped by series. It appears that the cover of the earliest book in the series that you own is shown as the series cover thumbnail. Opening a series shows the covers of the individual books and sorting options are available by date or item in series (see screenshot).

As a test I tried sideloading a couple of books that I created in calibre with metadata indicating that they were part of a series that I already partially own to see what would happen. After syncing, the Kindle it downloaded the correct cover thumbnails for those books along with other data, such as XRAY. But the library view shows those books as not being in the series with the books that I own. So it seems that series information is only available for books that Amazon knows you possess.

Also, as far as I can tell there is nothing in the Kindle's storage related to series that is accessible via USB. So it seems likely that it will not be possible to manipulate series information or add it for sideloaded books on a non-jailbroken device.

Are the series in chronological order or publication order?

[Atunah]

I got the series popup today also. I was going to really love this feature but for one thing. It does not put any of the library loan books in the series folder, only what I own. As I often supplement purchases with library loans, this makes it a bit confusing. And I never delete the library loans and so they still show up as expired borrows on my kindle with thumbnail and on the website account page. So they are still in the cloud as something. I think so it keeps my notes in case I ever get the same book again.

So I was hoping because they are still kind of there in the cloud that they would be part of the series. Some series I am up to like 12 books and more and it would be nice to see them all there. Same with kindle unlimited, doesn't see to be in series either. So some series I read might have a combination of all 3, owned, library and kindle unlimited.

I don't side load so that doesn't apply to me.

But I don't see any difference in the home view yet, still 2 pages with recs and other useful tidbits. Hopefully that will come soon.

eta: So just noticed a weird thing. When I sort my library to kindle unlimited and select all, not just downloaded, I get "empty" series. There is a series name and some say no items in it or others say 1 item in it. But inside on the ones with 0 listed, there is nothing there. No author name, or book title. Just on top left what the series itself is named. And it says no items are available in the cloud. These are of course books I borrowed via Ku and returned at some point. So unless I know which author wrote that series, I have no clue lol.

Hopefully it will be finetuned a bit. I do like it though.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Gardenman

Are the series in chronological order or publication order?

You can choose Recent, Series Order, Series Order (Reverse), Date, or Date (Reverse). I assume ‘Date’ means ‘publication date’ but haven’t checked this.

[tomsem]

In a few cases, when I View Series (in store) it fails to show a book that I own in the series (haven’t checked for Book Updates lately, however).

Also, where publisher offers bundles containing several titles in the series, these are not usually reflected as belonging to a series (but sometimes they are). I like to get the bundles (they are often cheaper than buying individual titles) so it would be nice if purchase options (and series grouping) could show both together.

It might be nicer to have Series grouping setting as a ‘Sort/View’ option than to have to go 4 levels into Settings to toggle it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tomsem

In a few cases, when I View Series (in store) it fails to show a book that I own in the series (haven’t checked for Book Updates lately, however).

Also, where publisher offers bundles containing several titles in the series, these are not usually reflected as belonging to a series (but sometimes they are). I like to get the bundles (they are often cheaper than buying individual titles) so it would be nice if purchase options (and series grouping) could show both together.

It might be nicer to have Series grouping setting as a ‘Sort/View’ option than to have to go 4 levels into Settings to toggle it.

It's one of those settings that once you set you leave it.

[HLS]

I hate the new grouping. I already have all my books in collections so this new grouping is just wasting my time and my nerves

[cvkemp]

You can turn it off in settings

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Just to confirm, did these sideloaded books have the correct ASIN matching Amazon's? I expect that's why it downloaded covers and XRAY but just wanted to be super clear.

Yes. I used the correct ASIN.

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

JI expect series information is stored in the same database as collections information.

That seems likely to me also.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by tomsem

You can choose Recent, Series Order, Series Order (Reverse), Date, or Date (Reverse). I assume ‘Date’ means ‘publication date’ but haven’t checked this.

It appears that date is date of publication as shown on Amazon, which may not be the original date of publication for that book.

Series order is also as shown on Amazon. It may not match the ordering of the series shown on other sites.

And of course neither of this is editable by the customer.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I got the series popup today also. I was going to really love this feature but for one thing. It does not put any of the library loan books in the series folder, only what I own.

I did some testing on this. Books that are currently on loan show up in the series, but they disappear immediately when the book is returned.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by tomsem

In a few cases, when I View Series (in store) it fails to show a book that I own in the series (haven’t checked for Book Updates lately, however).

Sometimes books are republished with a new ASIN. I suspect that only the set of ASINs currently being sold on Amazon are reflected in the series.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's one of those settings that once you set you leave it.

Well, only because that is the way it is implemented. With it turned on it takes two taps to open a book that I’m currently reading and that is in a Series grouping. So I would like to toggle it on and off more easily, just as you can do with collections view, just for a little better efficiency.

As it is I’ll probably leave it on.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by HLS

I hate the new grouping. I already have all my books in collections so this new grouping is just wasting my time and my nerves

I never had the patience to set up ‘series’ collections, and now that this feature exists, I’m glad I never did. I think it is a pretty good implementation.

YMWV of course, especially if you have 3rd party content.

[Atunah]

I'd actually like a sort option to show me all my grouped series now. I mean I have like 3500 books or so and about 500 pages of content on my kindle library. Not all on kindle, but I sort by "ALL" always for my purposes. So now I kind of have to know a series name to find that group, which could be long way down. Unless I missed it but I haven't seen a way to just show all the books in series like you can samples, Ku, borrows, etc.

For now my most used kindle the Oasis3 does not have the series group yet. Waiting on the popup on that one. I updated that one earlier. The Voyage and Oasis1 were updated yesterday and got the popup today.

Still curious what is suppose to happen to my home view if anything.

All this digging around in my kindles just reminds me what a dismal reading year I have had. I usually read 100's of books. All these books I wanted to read and still want to read. All these stories I know I will just love and are just sitting there for me to catch up. Which of course I'll never do, but I try.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I'd actually like a sort option to show me all my grouped series now. I mean I have like 3500 books or so and about 500 pages of content on my kindle library. Not all on kindle, but I sort by "ALL" always for my purposes. So now I kind of have to know a series name to find that group, which could be long way down. Unless I missed it but I haven't seen a way to just show all the books in series like you can samples, Ku, borrows, etc.

Yes, a Series filter would be nice. I actually went to the trouble of opening each of my several dozen Series groups by navigating to every Library page so they are all (at least on this Kindle, for now) near the top when in Recent sort order.

Of course, they also need to port this to the Kindle apps (Fire, iOS, Android).