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May 2023 Question of the Month

It is said the best way to turn a child into a lifelong reader is to introduce him or her to a series he likes. Statistically most life-long readers have a series from their childhood they loved although that is not always true. Personally, mine was the Nancy Drew books. If you read book series please list your five favorites series and let us know if you completely finished them or not. For me the attraction of a series is that I get attached to the characters and don't want them to be gone. I want to know what happens next in their lives.


Dune - I have only read seven of these books, so there are still some to look forward to.
Hamish MacBeth - I have only read the first of these so I am excited about the other 35 I have yet to read.
The Emily books by L. M. Montgomery - I have read 1 of 3
The Chronicle of Narnia - I read all seven straight through barely able to put them down in 2006 I loved them.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - I read them all laughing the whole time.

Discworld
The Biography of Dom Manuel by James Branch Cabell - Its a bit messy, more a Mythos than a Series i suppose, but 5 left i think around 22 or so total.
White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland - The only Urban Fantasy i read, own all 6 books read 4 so far.

Edit: Also Dragonlance and Mary Poppins.

I am in the middle of so many series! Mystery, Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Horror and even General Fiction series. My earliest experience with series was probably the Hardy Boys books, but I also read several others including Three Investigators, Narnia, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Conan and others. I've finished some series, abandoned others, sometimes due to lack of interest, sometimes due to just drifting away from them. I'll probably abandon the Anne Rice Vampire series soon - I've read the first four books and I'm getting tired of it - but I'm trying to finish series if I like them, and not go past the first book if I don't like it.

Right now some of my favorite series (all series that I'm in the middle of)
Cartel trilogy - Don Winslow
Kingsbridge series - Ken Follett
Earthsea series - Ursula Le Guin
A Song of Ice and Fire (also known as Game of Thrones) - George RR Martin, and hopefully he gets around to finishing it someday
Philip Marlowe series - Raymond Chandler
Big Sky series - AB Guthrie
Bernie Gunther series - Philip Kerr
Continental Op series - Dashiell Hammett
Ender's Game (first couple books and the first book in the related Shadow series are terrific, others are just OK) - Orson Scott Card

Some series I finished that I really enjoyed:
Hannibal series - Thomas Harris (at least the first two - the last two were not quite as good)
Sprawl trilogy - William Gibson
Nexus - Ramez Naam

There are others that are really good, but those stand out more than others for now.

Lynn wrote: "May 2023 Question of the Month

It is said the best way to turn a child into a lifelong reader is to introduce him or her to a series he likes. Statistically most life-long readers have a serie..."

I'm answering the question with the assumption that the series are not limited to childhood favourites.

Since joining GR, my prized series have been :-

-The Pizza Lovers mystery series, by Chris Cavender
This series is not well regarded. The writing is trite and the dialogue is often cheesy and not lifelike. The books belong to the cozy mystery genre. I thought that being the first modern cozy to have been read by me, the novelty will have worn off upon rereads. But no, I kept enjoying the first 5 books in this 7 book series.

- The Jaine Austen Mystery series by Laura Levine
This series is better than the Chris Cavender ones. But I'm rating it second because ever since the death of her husband, author Laura Levine seemed to have parted ways with her muse. All of her books beyond the first 9 ones are very weak. I remain a fan but will not read any more of her latest books. Book 1 in the series is average. But books 2-9 are absolutely jaw-droppingly good. The mysteries are better than almost anyone's work except Christie's . Levine is - was - also much funnier than any author in any genre I have read.
-The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson
I like the first two books in the 4 so far released. The next one will be released on September 2024. My most anticipated read by far. I gave book 4 1 star though. Go figure.
- For nonfiction, I recommend The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro. There are 4 books here. Four huge books, both in pages and in scope. The first two books are great (the 2nd one, Means of Ascent is the 4th best book I've ever read). The 3rd one, which won a Pulitzer, I had to DNF. Haven't read the 4th one, but will do so this very year. The 5th and final installment might get published during Caro's lifetime, or might not.

Honourable mentions go to The Famous Five series, the Find Outer series, both by Enid Blyton, The Agatha Christie books about Poirot and Marple, The Three Investigator series by 'Alfred Hitchcock', The Flower shop Mystery series by Kate Collins, The Ellery Queen mysteries by Ellery Queen.

Harry Potter is a great series, but I think they are too universally liked for me to include it in my contributive efforts to share my experiences.


Last Movie: My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981) 4/10

Luffy wrote: "...-The Pizza Lovers mystery series...the dialogue is often cheesy..."

HAHAHAHA I see what you did there Luffy.

My favorite series has been the Expanse series. It was wonderful.

Not May yet, but I will jump in.

Anyone who knows me well could tell you the top of my list is Mary Stewart's Arthurian Saga. I am asking to be buried with these books just in case I can go on reading them again in the grave.

Poldark - Graham Winston (worth every minute)
Madd Addam - Atwood (best distopian)
The Raj Quartet - Paul Scott (the best history of the Raj in India)
The Smiley Novels - John le Carre (so much more than spy novels)
Chronicles of Barsetshire - Trollope
Lonesome Dove - McMurtry (best western ever)
The Tide Trilogy - Elizabeth Ogilvie (a very sweet story of Maine)
The Big Sky - Guthrie (how the west was really won)

Sara wrote: "Not May yet, but I will jump in.

Anyone who knows me well could tell you the top of my list is Mary Stewart's Arthurian Saga. I am asking to be buried with these books just in case I can go on rea..."

Oh I forgot about the Arthur series by Mary Stewart. I read that so long ago. It is great. I also like Poldark, and Le Carre's spy novels.

I am always begging people to read the "Merlin books".

I see some on Sara’s list that I would also choose.

The Merlin saga, of course!

Poldark as I am currently in the middle of.

The Big Sky

Little House on the Prairie -Laura Ingalls Wilder a childhood favorite

These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 - Nancy E. Turner

My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante the 4 Neapolitan Novels

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Luffy wrote: "...-The Pizza Lovers mystery series...the dialogue is often cheesy..."

HAHAHAHA I see what you did there Luffy."

I didn't do that on purpose. Didn't notice the connection.


Last Movie: My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981) 4/10

Sara wrote: "Not May yet, but I will jump in.

Anyone who knows me well could tell you the top of my list is Mary Stewart's Arthurian Saga. I am asking to be buried with these books just in case I can go on rea..."

So many highly recommended series I don't know yet. Although, Lonesome Dove is absolutely fantastic. Thumbs up for that one!

I'm not a huge fan of series in general, but I love Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the subsequent books. C.J. Sansom's Dissolution series is also great. But my favorite by far is the The Master of Verona series which I am still completing.

I order of how much I would recommend them to someone who have not read anything:

Harry Potter Forget all the external circus. Just the books. Imagine reading them for the first time knowing nothing.

Richard P. Feynman: I have almost read everything by him by now and including a semi-autobiographical book by a student Feynman's Rainbow. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" is fairly much a series.

Ender’s Game series: 3 first book are very, very good. Then quality (and goodreads rating too) drops off.
Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide. All three book are somewhat different from each other. Seventh Son (Tales of Alvin Maker, #1) is a fantasy series. The first 3 books are great. I skipped it after book 5 (2 stars).

Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold:
The series started in 1986 and has slowly been dripping since then. Favourites (but do not start with those):
Memory(Vorkosigan Saga, #10) I have read this one 3 times. Very rare for me. (Not even Harry Potter...)
Barrayar(Vorkosigan Saga, #7).
A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga, #12)
She was way ahead of technology in many cases. For example meat is gown in vats. Eating meat from dead animals is considered gross. Cetagandan is an offsping from humanity doing genetical experiments on themselves.

Sherlock Holmes: I have read all the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle: 56 short stories and 4 novels.

The Forever War series by Joe Haldeman. Read once quite some time ago. 5 stars is: I must own and will re-read them some day.

Wheel of time-series A big sigh here. I have not read the whole thing and I have grown allergic to series not finished. I started reading around when book 4 came. Since then I spend a lot of time reading summaries when a book came out. Then disaster struck: The author died with still a few volumes unwritten. It has been finished since then by Brandon Sanderson (and it is a common joke that he will finish the A Game of Thrones-series. Because of my allergy to unfinished series I have not even started A Game of Thrones.)

I see people mentioning Narnia. I read the series a few years ago as an adult. The first book was OK (3 stars), but the later books - wow - they are bad. I forced myself trough the series, and gave book 7 The Last Battle just 1 star. First in 2 years. When you say Narnia: Did you read then recently? All of them?

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I see people mentioning Narnia. I read the series a few years ago as an adult. The first book was OK (3 stars), but the later books - wow - they are bad. I forced myself trough the se..."

I read most of the seven books since joining GR. They were special when I was a kid. But they haven't weathered time well, not in my mind. I dare not reread The Last Battle and what it implies for Aslan and the afterlife. I did give The Horse and his Boy 1 star.


Last Movie: My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981) 4/10

The Horse and His Boy. 2 stars from me. It was quite predictable, but I liked the relation horse vs boy and who had the upper hand... hoof. It could have been worse.

J_BlueFlower wrote: "The Horse and His Boy. 2 stars from me. It was quite predictable, but I liked the relation horse vs boy and who had the upper hand... hoof. It could have been worse."

The joke could not be more apt though :)


Last Movie: My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981) 4/10

Narnia would also be on my list. I absolutely love them and read them to my children when they were young and I will read them to my grandchildren!

I also have to add the Civil War trilogy starting with The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War by Howard Bahr. I just finished The Year of Jubilo: A Novel of the Civil War and will read The Judas Field: A Novel of the Civil War next month.

And of course, Harry Potter. I read them as an adult after my children read them. JK Rowling is amazing to create that world.

Ila wrote: "I'm not a huge fan of series in general, but I love Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the subsequent books. C.J. Sansom's Dissolution series is also great. But my favorite by far is the The Master of Verona series which I am still completing."

Had the Sansom on my TBR, but had to add Master of Verona...it sounds like something I will LOVE.

There are some wonderful suggestions here already!

I'm not much of a series reader, but when I thought about it, there have been some trilogies that I really loved.

I did enjoy the Narnia books as a child, and also The Wonderful Wizard of Oz series.

But here are my five:
1. Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys, which have held up for me as an adult.
2. The House of the Spirits trilogy by Isabel Allende
3. Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset
4. The MaddAddam Trilogy: Oryx and Crake / The Year of the Flood / MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
5. Wolf Hall Trilogy- Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (I still have to read the last one, but KNOW it will be my all-time favorite series, so have to include it.)

Lori wrote: "Narnia would also be on my list. I absolutely love them and read them to my children when they were young and I will read them to my grandchildren!

I also have to add the Civil War trilogy startin..."

Good selection of books there! Would love to read one or two from your list.

Kathleen wrote: "There are some wonderful suggestions here already!

I'm not much of a series reader, but when I thought about it, there have been some trilogies that I really loved.

I did enjoy the Narnia books a..."

I would like to read quite a few of these books. I feel rudderless sometimes with the lack of classics like Wolf Hall in my tbr.


Last Movie: My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981) 4/10

I read a few young adult series, because the students were reading them and I wanted to stay current so to speak.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and the rest of the series.
The Harry Potter series by J. k. Rowling

I am not sure I would recommend these for adults. Some love them, some don't.

I loved the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. It was a creative retelling of several fairy tales. Fairy tales with robots in space. LOL. Just up my alley. This is a very specific taste though. There was a very dedicated group of teenage girls at school who appreciated them.

Lynn wrote: "I read a few young adult series, because the students were reading them and I wanted to stay current so to speak.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and the rest of the seri..."

I loved the first book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder. It was so simple yet possessed such quality. I thought Scarlet was not as good.


Last Movie: My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981) 4/10

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I see people mentioning Narnia. I read the series a few years ago as an adult. The first book was OK (3 stars), but the later books - wow - they are bad. I forced myself trough the se..."

I read them at the age of about 43. I was recovering from surgery. My teenage boy went to the library and got a stack of assorted books. I read all of the Narnia series in a month of bedrest recovery. I loved them even as an adult. I appreciated the allegory.

I'm not really a series fan. But I loved the The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. At present I'm reading In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, and I feel that'll be something I'll enjoy.

I have something like 40 series that I am currently reading...asking for my favourites is therefore asking for a long list, but here are some:

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (currently rereading)
Chalet School Girls by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters (currently rereading for about the 4th time in my life)
Falco by Lindsey Davis (currently rereading for the 3rd time)
Discworld by Terry Pratchett (I have 2 still to read and I've been putting them off for ages, because I don't want to get to the end)
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope (I've just completed the series, but know I'll reread it)
Kinsey (Alphabet) series by Sue Grafton (read at least twice)

I'm currently inhaling the Slough House series by Mick Herron.

My series in progress list is message 2 in this thread if anyone is interested (it's very crime heavy): /topic/show/...

Iain M. Banks's Culture series
/series/4911...

Balzac's Comedie Humaine (just the 90 books!)
/series/5670...

oh and I just read the first of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book Of The Fallen series and am already buying up the others...
/series/4349...

Carolien wrote: "I have something like 40 series that I am currently reading...asking for my favourites is therefore asking for a long list, but here are some:

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery..."

I'd like to thank you for introducting me to a crime series, namely Anderson and Costello, by Caro Ramsay :)



Last Movie: Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988) 5/10

Darren wrote: "Iain M. Banks's Culture series
/series/4911...

Balzac's Comedie Humaine (just the 90 books!)
/series/5670...

oh and I just..."

You read Balzac and the Malazan series? That incredibly difficult for most readers!



Last Movie: Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988) 5/10

Luffy wrote: "Darren wrote: "Iain M. Banks's Culture series
/series/4911...

Balzac's Comedie Humaine (just the 90 books!)
/series/5670......

You read Balzac and the Malazan series? That incredibly difficult for most readers!"

I've only made a small dent in both series so far, but am confident that I will continue to enjoy them going forward :oD

I have completed and will agree with others:
Lonesome Dove series
Wolf Hall series

I have finished and I really enjoyed but I don't see mentioned here:
Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again
Amgash series (also by Elizabeth Strout)

I haven't finished but I love so far:
Chronicles of Barsetshire

Mysteries
I have read many different mystery series which I enjoyed enormously, but they usually tend to go off the rails after several books.
None are great all the way through but I liked:
Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny
Thomas Lynley series by Elizabeth George
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear (not finished yet)
Kincaid & James series by Deborah Crombie
Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton

Darren wrote: "Luffy wrote: "Darren wrote: "Iain M. Banks's Culture series
/series/4911...

Balzac's Comedie Humaine (just the 90 books!)
/series/5670......"

Balzac is wonderful. I'd even add Zola's La Fortune des Rougon series. I'm still reading it but it's fantastic.

I was going to mention Zola's Rougon-Macquart series too Ila - well reminded!
I've read a couple (Germinal and Therese Raquin),
and I'll be reading La Debacle next month,
and I also have on my radar La Bete Humaine, L'Assommoir and Nana
think there are about 20 of them altogether:
/series/4044...

I tend to peter out before a series is done, but if what I’ve read so far and LOVED and want more of is as follows:

1) Murderbot by Martha Wells. Absolute gold.

2) The Touchstone Trilogy (which is five books now and PLEASE I WANT MORE) by Andrea K Host

3) The Women of Genesis by Orson Scott Card. I loved Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow, but the rest of that series was ‘meh� for me. This series was vibrant and each book was amazing. Still waiting on the next ones�

4) The Spellsong Cycle by L. E. Modesitt, both the first four following Anna Marshall and the second set of three following her protege. Amazingly written by a man, from a female POV, with how she has to face sexism. Very ahead of it’s time.

5)Manga and Manhwa series, because I have to: The Dark History of the Reincarated Villainess, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen. Spy X Family.
Villians are Destined to Die.

Forgive me, my app won’t let me read rest of what I’m typing.

Wow, there are so many series here that I have not read or even heard of. This has been a good topic.

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I order of how much I would recommend them to someone who have not read anything:

Harry Potter Forget all the external circus. Just the books. Imagine reading them for the first time ..."


J-Blueflower said: "Sherlock Holmes: I have read all the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle: 56 short stories and 4 novels."

I also really like Sherlock Holmes, but I haven't read quite that many. I have read about half of the short stories and three of the novels. For some reason, I did not like them at all when I was younger, but now they really appeal to me.

I have too, Lynn. Totally forgot to add to my list. I loved Harry Potter series in my twenties. But when I tried rereading them two years ago, I couldn't read beyond book 5!

I just finished my first book in Rougon-Macquart series and want to try more. I'm beginning to warm to Zola. :)

In no particular order (except the top one):

1. Winnie the Pooh + The House at Pooh Corner, by A. A. Milne - These stories create happiness and I read these often. But I have never read the last story in which, or so I'm told, Christopher Robin grows up and leaves the Forest.

2. George Smiley books, by John Le Carre - I have read 4 or 5 of these. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley's People are outstanding.

3. Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson - I've read the entire trilogy. He does get a bit bogged down with scientific detail from time to time, but in general a compelling series.

4. Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon series, by L. M. Montgomery. Both series have some really outstanding books and some clunkers. But the outstanding books are what I remember.

5. Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma - Generally the only manga I read. Pure joy.

Wobbley wrote: "In no particular order (except the top one):

1. Winnie the Pooh"

Yes! Could be fun to read it again. Please nominate it next time. The stick dropping at bridges.... done! And again with the children....

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Winnie the Pooh ... The stick dropping at bridges.... done!"

Yes, nearly 100 years later, and Pooh Sticks is still played. A few years ago, I was in England, and my traveling companion and I came to a small bridge over a small river. We played Pooh Sticks. As we were walking away, a woman and young girl were arriving at the bridge, and the little girl said: "Mummy, let's play Pooh Sticks!" Wonderful!

Some series I’ve enjoyed that I don’t think have been mentioned yet:

Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Children of violence beginning with Martha Quest by Doris Lessing
Canopus in Argos beginning with Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta by Doris Lessing
Sevenwaters beginning with Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
The baroque cycle beginning with Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
The Riftwar beginning with Magician by Raymond E. Feist
Thursday Next beginning with The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

I too like Kathleen like the Involuntary Trilogy of Isabel Allende:
Daughter of Fortune, Portrait in Sepia, and The House of the Spirits

All the Miss Marple novels of Agatha Christie--12 of them.

Janelle wrote: "Some series I’ve enjoyed that I don’t think have been mentioned yet:

Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Dune by Frank Herbert
[book:The Hitchhiker's..."

The Baroque works are the latest series that I really want to read, but they might be too much for me.



Last Movie: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado, 2022) 3/10

I read them a while ago Luffy but I loved them! They are huge books.

Janelle wrote: "Some series I’ve enjoyed that I don’t think have been mentioned yet:

Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Dune by Frank Herbert
[book:The Hitchhiker's..."



I listed Dune and The Hitchhiker's guide, but I forgot about Artemis Fowl. I bought the first 5 books for one of my boys when they first came out. I really liked them, too. I am not sure how many there are in the series now, but the moment has probably passed on that series for me.

During my childhood, I was a big fan of the Polyanna series.

In my childhood, I was a Nancy Drew fan. Later on it was the Dragonriders of Pern series. Still later on it was Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee series as well as Brother Cadfael.

I was a big Nancy Drew fan myself in my school days, Michele, and also a Famous Five fan as a child.

Looks like I missed this thread. Reading all the posts reminded me of so many favourites.

Top favourites mentioned already:
Harry Potter
Sherlock Holmes
Twilight Saga
Famous Five
Poirot & Marple
George Smiley
Foundation Series

Series I love that are not mentioned above:
Cormoran Strike
Rabbi Small Mysteries
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - In progress
Lord Peter Wimsey
Thursday Murder Club