Fabulous Series'

I'm a huge fan of series' - I love the idea that even though I've finished a book, I haven't finished with the characters or their stories. There are so many series I've read that I could never even remember, much less recommend, them all but here are a few that are worth the additional investment.

Harry Potter: I'm sure no one is surprised by this choice, as it's rather obvious, but J.K. Rowling's world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry comes alive throughout the seven books in this series. I won't rehash the plot since I doubt there's anyone on earth who hasn't already heard it all. I will leave you with this - don't think that if you saw the movies, you know the story. It simply isn't true - the books are way too long and full of detail for any movie to completely address. (Titles: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows)

Lord of the Rings: Another no-brainer although in this case, I feel like the movies are pretty true to the books, so you probably have an idea of what J.R.R. Tolkein was writing about. Any land full of Elves, Hobbits, Ents and Orcs is going to be entertaining, and the trilogy really draws you in. If you aren't sure if you're ready for the entire world of Middle Earth, start small with The Hobbit. If you like it, and I think you will, you'll be ready to join Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mordor. (Titles: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King)

His Dark Materials: Some of you may be familiar with the first book in this trilogy, The Golden Compass, thanks to the recent movie release. Unfortunately for you, the movie kind of ruined the story for me. Philip Pullman tells of worlds superimposed, for lack of a better word, on top of each other. People are living in these words simultaneously but with slight differences, and there are small portals between the worlds. Although technically a young adult series, it has deeper themes addressing religion and friendship, which are applicable to readers of all ages. (Titles: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass)

Twilight: A rather new phenomenon, the Twilight series is the love story of a human and a vampire and all the craziness that that entails. Bella Swan is a high schooler who moves from Arizona to Forks, WA to live with her dad. There she meets Edward and Jacob, the two boys who love her. Unfortunately for them, she can only love one back, despite the concequences. And there are consequences. Stephenie Meyer is considered by some to be the next JKR and the third book in the series, Eclipse, even knocked HP7 off the number one spot at Amazon last summer. The fourth, and final, book in the series just came out and I wish I could say that I liked the ending, but I haven't read it yet. I'll be sure to update this when I do! (Titles: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn)

Outlander: This series was only supposed to be 5 books long. Then six, then seven, now eight! But the story itself is so compelling that I certainly can't fault Diana Gabaldon for continuing the series. Whenever someone asks me about these books, I never know quite how to explain them...are they Historical Fiction or Sci-Fi or Romance? Well, I guess the most honest answer is that they're all three. Claire is a nurse who is on a delayed honeymoon with her husband in Scotland after WWII when she decides to take a morning walk to some standing stones. As she nears the stones, she hears an odd sound; as she gets closer to investigate, she walks under the stone and passes out. When she wakes up, she's still in Scotland, but 18th Century Scotland. There she meets Jamie Fraser - the man she would eventually marry. I won't go into further detail here, but while the original premise is a bit odd, falling through time, it all works within the confines of the novels and though the books are huge, they're so engrossing. (Titles: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, Book 8)