The Return of "The Dresden Files" Files

This week will mark the finale of a months-long project of mine, to read the entirety of Jim Butcher's "The Dresden Files" before the latest book in the series comes out next week.  I used "read" instead of just "re-read" because I hadn't actually read all of the books the first time around.  I know.  How can someone like a series if one hasn't read all the books involved.  Don't ask me, as I'm not sure how it happened myself.  In fact, I hadn't read the third through eighth books in the series until aI started this project.  Here is the order of how I first read the books:  2, 1, 9, 10, 11, 12, [A?], 13, 14, 15, [B], 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I had gotten the second book, Fool Moon, for my book store, Booknotes, and I didn't give it much attention until the television show premiered on what is now known as Syfy.  I read the book soon after, and the ordered the first book the try and read the series in order.  I then read all the new books when they came out, which was at the ninth book, White Night, by the time.  Until this year, I never read the intervening books.  The "A" represents the first collection of Dresden short stories, Side Jobs.  Most of the stories had appeared in other collections before, but this was the first time they were all brought together, in a rough chronological order.  The book also had a new story that took place soon after the twelfth book.  I can't remember if I read it when it first came out or later.  That's why it has the question mark beside it.  The "B" is first the second short story collection, Brief Cases.  This collects the rest of the short stories that were written for other collections.  This one I know I read soon after it came out, as it included the first new Dresden works well as the first longer fiction by Butcher, in some time.  The inclusion was a novella that marked the first time Dresden wasn't the main POV character, as portions were told form the views of Maggie and Mouse, Dresden's daughter and dog respectively.  That's right, a dog.  Don't worry though, as Mouse is definitively smarter than Dresden.  [He's a magical creature that could live for centuries, and it is highly unusual that the dog chose to be with Dresden.]  Maggie might be too.  Anyway, it was a good stop gap to last until this month.  Peace Talks is currently on track to be released next Tuesday, July 14.  I was able to read a short excerpt earlier this year when the book was officially announced.  What is amazing is that in might not be the only Dresden book out this year.  See, as a book store owner, I have access to advance knowledge of release dates.    Frequently, these dates can be pushed back, or even bumped up, if there is a need.  As of the last time I checked,  a Dresden book titled Battle Ground is due out in September.  The accuracy of this release is still in doubt, as Butcher has never released two new books in the same series so close together, so I expect this date to change or be revealed as something slightly different than the usual book.  Anyway, back to the reading.  I'll start on the fifteenth book, Skin Game, this Friday.  I'll start the short stories collections immediately after.  I'll then be ready for Peace Talks, soon after it comes out.  I'm giving a a rest period before touching it.  Just to be safe.