10 Great Book Series

Happy St. Patty’s Day, everyone! (and Evacuation Day to Bostonians). We’re one holiday closer to Spring!

This March 17th finds me engrossed in the Night Watch series of books – a great series that’s gotten me thinking about my favorite series of winters past. Without much ado, here are 10 of my faves:


10. His Dark Materials (3) by Philip Pullman. I wasn’t crazy about the plot of these books -- in fact at many points I lost interest in what it was the characters were running to or from – but the elements Pullman got right made the whole series worth reading.

9. The Twilight Series (4) by Stephenie Meyer. I didn’t think this series would be for me, since it’s billed as romance, but after I saw the film I couldn’t wait to read the books. Admittedly, the first few are a little slow, but in the end all my questions were answered and then some. What I love about these books is that they’re not above admitting that yes, living forever and having superhuman abilities would be pretty freaking awesome.

8. Harry Potter (7) by J. K. Rowling. Reading the Harry Potter books, at times I wished I could push Harry out of the way and just explore the world the books were set in, without Harry, Ron or Hermione. In every book there were new inventive characters and locations, completely absurd yet completely believable. The world is so vivid 100 more books could be set there without Mr. Potter needing to make an appearance.

7. The Foundation Books (7) by Isaac Asimov. One of my first forays into sci-fi reading, these books have a special place in my heart. It’s hard to believe the original book - Foundation - is 50 years old!

6. Frankenstein’s Children (?) by Richard Pierce. I loved these books in 8th grade. About a young girl who will do anything to bring her boyfriend back from the dead.

5. The Vampire Chronicles (?) by Anne Rice.

4. The Fell Books by M. E. Kerr. Another of my 8th grade favorites. Part Dickens, part Salinger. What public school kid doesn’t love reading about a mysterious private school?

3. Peanut Butter and Jilly (?) books by Dorothy Haas. These came in my book-orders when I was a kid. They’re about two best friends with coordinating nick names. In my favorite book in the series they have a Halloween party with foods that feel like body parts (spaghetti for brains, grapes for eyes, etc.)

2. Coffeehouse mysteries (7) by Cleo Coyle. These one-sitting cozies include recipes for fancy coffee drinks.

1. The Night Watch Series (4) by Sergei Lukyanenko.


What are you favorite book series? Feel free to leave them in the comments, or post to your blog.