Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Ten on Tuesday - In Series


This week's Ten on Tuesday topic is 10 Favorite Book Series.This one should be easy!
 In no particular order...
  1.  Anne of Green Gables - I loved this series as a child and am happy that they've remained favorites with rereadings as an adult.
  2. The Hero and the Crown - There are only two books in this series, but I love this one and The Blue Sword because Robin McKinley wrote excellent stories with strong heroines. 
  3.  Abhorsen series - This is another series with tenacious female heroines finding their way, and an interesting portrayal of Death as a river with seven gates. I was thrilled to find that Garth Nix had written a fourth book in this series, and Clariel is patiently waiting on my ipod.
  4. Harry Potter - When I was handed the first book in this series by my favorite independent bookseller, it was a magical moment. I was so anxious to read the next books in the series that I used to order them from the UK before Scholastic started publishing them simultaneously in the US. I love Rowling's imagination and ability to plot.
  5. The Indian in the Cupboard - These books captured and enthralled Oldest Son for several years, and I came to love them also. It's a series that I wish I had been able to read as a child to fully immerse myself in the magic and imagination.
  6. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen has my undying devotion because this is the series that got Youngest Son to enjoy reading. In elementary school he read when he was forced to, but it wasn't until we discovered Hatchet that he began to read because he wanted to. I love that Gary Paulsen responded to his readers with the third book in the series, offering an alternative ending. 
  7. My Side of the Mountain - I love this series because it's the one that kept Youngest Son reading. Who wouldn't want to run away, live in a hollow tree with weasel and falcon companions and use their wits for survival? I'd like to give it a try!
  8. The Magicians - I read the first book back in 2010, but then forgot about it. I recently read this interview with Lev Grossman, was very intrigued, so I've just finished a reread of The Magicians and am currently reading The Magician King. I wonder if I would enjoy books more if I had a better understanding of the author's thoughts and motivations? This interview certainly helped me understand the risks Grossman took with this series, and I greatly appreciate them and his take on fantasy.
  9. Cabin Pressure - This one might be cheating a little bit because it's a BBC radio series, but it is still a series, goodreads has listings for them, and they are a truly hilarious must-listen. You get to listen to Benedict Cumberbatch and John Finnemore is a creative genius. His writing and the acting of all four characters is perfect and perfectly funny, across all four seasons. Some details about the characters are revealed as the seasons progress, adding depth to the extraordinary comedy.
  10.  Redwall - anthropomorphized animals, the battle between Good and Evil, and wonderful descriptions of feasts and food make these great books. 
I just noticed there's a lot of YA on my list, but I'm not exactly sure why. I do know that I'm always glad to have more books to look forward to in a good series, and it's a real plus to start reading the series when all the books are published - no waiting for we impatient readers! What's your favorite series?


8 comments:

  1. THANK YOU for the Cabin Pressure recommendation! I love Benedict Cumberbatch (did you listen to Neverwhere on BBC?) - and the first season is only $3.45 on Audible. Keeping all those boy books in mind for later, I think I also need to check out The Magicians. I heard such mixed reviews, I wasn't sure it was worth my time.

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  2. Great list, Bonny! (I knew yours would be. . .) (My daughter could not read the Redwall series fast enough when she was young!!!) Although I've read several of the first-books-of-the-series on your list, with the exception of Harry Potter, I've not read any of them as a "series."

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  3. You've listed a bunch that I have never heard of so thanks for that! I missed out on Anne of Green Gables as a kid and I'm sure I would have loved it.

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  4. Almost everything on your list is new to me, but then I never had children to encourage! I think I'm going to investigate further!

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  5. I couldn't think of any series I've read other than the Little House books!! I had something else planned for my post today, anyway, so that's okay!! Thanks for broadening my horizons...

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  6. Dan couldn't read the Redwall series fast enough either! He did the most awesome map of that world in 6th grade. The teacher kept it but I sometimes wish we had!

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  7. Lots of good series - some I have never heard of. Thanks for the suggestions!

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  8. I read the first Magician book (or maybe I listened to it, don't remember) but I didn't pursue the series. The book didn't hang together for me, for some reason. But the Harry Potter series was such fun -- I was reading a chapter a night to Younger Son, and he would often read ahead the next day because he couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. Pretty amazing for a kid who didn't like reading all that much.

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