I love
reading. I especially love reading series. Usually, the longer the series the
better. I really like getting invested with characters, understanding their
world and then sticking with them for awhile. Unfortunately, that can lead to a
lot of sadness when a series ends (J.K. Rowling, please make a series featuring
the generation before Harry Potter! Please!). Below are my five favorite book
series and a brief description of the series I am just beginning to read. I
won’t go into too much detail, because I don’t want to give anything away.
5 Favorite Book Series (in a
particular order):
1. Harry
Potter by J.K. Rowling (7 books)
No description needed. A must read! The
Half-Blood Prince (Book #6) is my favorite.
2. The
Century Trilogy by Ken Follett (3 books)
Follows
five families in varying countries through the 1900s. From World War I to the
Cold War, you become engrossed in the lives and relationships of these
families, and how the families’ experiences overlap.
3. A Song
of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin (aka Game of Thrones; 5 books currently,
2 more expected)
First off, the books are much
different than the TV series. Second, there are lots and lots of families,
making the family tree listing in the book very helpful. If you like mostly
reality meets some fantasy, this is a good series for you. The first four books
were excellent, I felt the 5th dragged but I can’t wait for the 6th.
Unfortunately, Martin is notorious for taking years to publish a book in this
series. I’m not kidding, the last book came out in 2011 and there’s absolutely
no word on when the next will be done. The good thing is he does publish
mini-stories that are connected to the series in edited volumes and he’s heavily
involved creatively with the writing on the show. Then again, that’s probably why
it takes so long to get the actual book out.
4. The
Tudor Saga by Jean Plaidy (9-11 books depending on who you ask; Her real name
is Eleanor Hibbert and she wrote under many pen names)
This series chronicles the life and
times of the Tudor family. From their rise to power during the War of the Roses
to the infamous Henry VIII (and his wives) and the reigns of Henry VIII’s
children, Elizabeth I and Mary. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres
to read and Plaidy brings in a lot of historical fact without making it boring
(but does not embellish either).
5.
Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon (8 books and counting)
This series follows Claire as she
travels back in time through history (mainly in Scotland/England and America).
I highly recommend these if you like a long and involved series. The last two
books have dragged, but the first 6 are excellent. I haven’t seen the TV series
so I don’t know how they compare. Like A Song of Ice and Fire, it can take
several years for the next book in the series to come out, but just like
Martin, Gabaldon has written short stores in edited volumes. Fun fact: They
even contributed to the same volume, Dangerous
Women.
Honorable
Mentions: The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Cormoran Strike Novels
by J. K. Rowling, Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich (very easy beach
reads), The Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Trilogy by Laini Taylor (inventive, but begins to drag), Millennium Trilogy by
Stieg Larsson (aka The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
The Book Series I’m Currently
Reading:
Splintered Trilogy by A.G. Howard (published
by Amulet Books)
This series
follows Alyssa Gardner as she tries to break a family curse. She and her mother
can hear bugs, flowers, etc. talk, and this curse has landed Alyssa’s mother in
an institution. Alyssa’s great-great-great grandmother is the Alice who inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. To break the curse, Alyssa must go back into Wonderland
to tame its unruliness. It wouldn’t be a young adult series without a love
triangle, and Splintered is no
exception. I’m excited to see what develops…
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