The purpose of this question is to get a clear policy about reading-order questions.

There have been instances where reading order questions have been closed because "there doesn't seem to be any connection between the different... novels", such as the question What order should I read Thomas Pynchon's novels in? This creates problems because it's not exactly clear what qualifies as a connection between the different novels. For example, the question http://literature.stackexchange.com/q/1783/111 isn't about books in the same series, but some community members have argued that the question is on-topic because the books revolve around a common theme.

What is the criteria for whether reading order questions are on-topic?

The purpose of this question is to get a clear policy about reading-order questions.

There have been instances where reading order questions have been closed because "there doesn't seem to be any connection between the different... novels", such as the question What order should I read Thomas Pynchon's novels in? This creates problems because it's not exactly clear what qualifies as a connection between the different novels. For example, the question https://literature.stackexchange.com/q/1783/111 isn't about books in the same series, but some community members have argued that the question is on-topic because the books revolve around a common theme.

What is the criteria for whether reading order questions are on-topic?