I remember reading the Belgariad and Mallorean by David Eddings in 1990 mostly because the people I knew at the time simply would not stop talking about them. I read the Elenium and Tamuli of my own accord and was surprised to discover that the people who were so insistent the Belgariad was a must-read seemed clueless that Eddings wrote other series. I also recall being a little discombobulated by the striking similarity of the plot between the series.