I enjoy a series if the books have a satisfying ending. I like for the characters or world to continue. I don't enjoy cliff hangers in novels. I was so angry at the end of Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star which ends with people literally falling over a cliff! I'm sure the author got a laugh, but it felt like a sucker punch. I had no idea the book did not end. Pandora's Star is only half of a novel. I really think this should be made clear on the cover of the book and not be surprise to the reader. I wonder about The Passage. Does it resolve or just stop in the middle of the tale?

For a literary (non-genre) series, how about Proust's Remembrance of Things Past?

Or Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time?

Or Faulkner Yoknapatawpha County novels?

Or Twain's interconnected Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer?

Or Robertson Davies' Trilogies?

Or Joyce's Stephen Dedalus books: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulyssess

Or Updike's Rabbit Angstrom books?

Or Robert Graves I, Claudius and Claudius The God?

Or Shakepeare's Richard III, Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2) and Henry V?

Or Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso)?

I was listening to the podcast today and thought I would comment on this topic. I love reading book series. I like getting involved with the characters (which I do with every book I read) and the story as each book progresses. I got involved with the Xanth series by Piers Anthony when I was in High School and read all the ones that were out at the time, back to back. Those books still are some of my favorites and I am in the process of re-reading the series.

For a non-sf/fantasy series (although still creepy), I would offer the different VC Andrews series (serii??)- The Dollanganger Series, The Casteels, etc. These are my guilty pleasure btw- I always have one I'm rereading.

Also- I don't know if anyone else has ever read these, but when I was in middle school there was a series put out under the publisher name of Sunfire, which were historical romances (rated PG) with girl's names as the title- Amanda, Cassandra, Victoria, etc. I loved these books, and I've been collecting them when I find them. Don't know if they really count as a series, but I love them.

Eric wrote: "For a literary (non-genre) series, how about Proust's Remembrance of Things Past?

Or Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time?

Or Faulkner Yoknapatawpha County ..."

Clearly, Ann and I did not think long or hard enough about this. :)

I suggest Donna Leon's series of mysteries set in Venice with detective Guido Brunetti. Brunetti lives with hs wife, a liberated woman who teaches English literature at the university, and their teen-age son and daughter. To date there are 19 books in the series. When I have finished the latest book in the series I miss Guido and his family and I can't wait for the next one. Leon's writing is clever and interesting.

(this is said with love and sarcasm) Thanks, people! My reading list isn't long enough!

(ooooo so many sound so delicious.)

Anyone a fan of John Connolly's Det. Charlie Parker series? He's 9 books strong and doing a darn good job.

I wish those Aubrey & Maturin books by Patrick O'Brien would come out as Kindle editions. I get thrown by all the nautical terminology, and it would be nice to just run the cursor up to the word and instantly get a definition on the bottom of the page.

Eric wrote: "For a literary (non-genre) series, how about Proust's Remembrance of Things Past?

Or Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time?

Or Faulkner Yoknapatawpha County ..."

My favorite is Trollope's Barchester novels.

Eric wrote: "I wish those Aubrey & Maturin books by Patrick O'Brien would come out as Kindle editions. I get thrown by all the nautical terminology, and it would be nice to just run the cursor up to the word an..."

+1 to that. I loved those books but had to carry a dictionary with me all the time I was reading it.

I have to put a shout out to Anne Rice for her series. The Vampire Chronicles and The Mayfair Witches set the standard for many of the popular novels we are seeing today.

For me it is the Donna Leon series that takes place in Venice. Three reasons:
1. Technical crimes aren't punished, justice prevails.
2. The city is itself a character.
3. The descriptions of meals are mouth watering.

How could I have forgotten one of my favorite writers, P.G. Wodehouse?

Arthur Conan Doyle.
Diana Galbaldo's Outlander series
Harry Potter
The Mitford series by Jan Karon
Merlin's Lost Years series by Tom Barron.

Melissa wrote: "Eric wrote: "For a literary (non-genre) series, how about Proust's Remembrance of Things Past?

Or Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time?

Or Faulkner Yokn..."

Or Burgess's Enderby novels

Angela Thirkell wrote a long series set in a series of small villages and estates in "Barsetshire," the same fictional county written about by Anthony Trollope. Be aware that the books written prior to WWII are largely cheerful and even comic, but many of the ones published during and after the war are melancholy.

I have recently gotten into the swing of reading book one of various series to give them a try. They are series that I have wanted to get into for a while, so I am starting at the beginning.

So far I have read The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, Dead Until Dark, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Guilty Pleasures, and Storm Front.


I am currently reading Destiny.

It is also to my pride to say that I have read every Doctor Who and Star Trek book that has ever been published.

Jarrod wrote: "I have recently gotten into the swing of reading book one of various series to give them a try. They are series that I have wanted to get into for a while, so I am starting at the beginning."

Jarrod-

I can't say I've read *every* Doctor Who and Star Trek novel published, but I sure have read a lot of them! I have two DW novels still on my shelf to read:
The Gallifrey Chronicles and The Infinity Doctors. Are they worth my time?

How about the always enjoyable Jan Karon's Mitford series? and the Lillian Jackson Braun "Cat Who . . ." books are light and fun to read.

As far as series go, my rigid requirements are that I have to read them from the beginning and I don't skip around. In the pre-internets days, I used to have to compare publishing years in the library catalog to see what the proper reading sequence should be (this is the face of obsession, people. Be afraid!) but now I can just go to a great site called Fantastic Fiction that will list all series for an author, in order.

A lot of mysteries are series. I confess that for a while I was into the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse books (Dead Until Dark, etc.) but they are starting to lose steam for me and I have to be in a frivolous literary mood to want to pick them up. I seem to like them more during the winter.

One of my favorite mystery writers, Denise Mina from Scotland, has written several trilogies. She seems to move on after 3 books about any set of characters. Garnethill: A Novel of Crime is particularly good and is the first in that trilogy.

Also, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was originally a trilogy. John Steinbeck wrote Cannery Row and a sequel called Sweet Thursday (ok, maybe that is not technically a series but I read Cannery Row recently and loved it with every fiber of my being.)

Jarrod, I like the Harry Dresden series ok (Storm Front) and I did like the Anita Blake series for the first 8 or so books (Guilty Pleasures.) It's been written and argued about ad nauseum so I won't rehash here but the direction of the series changed substantially a while back and many people including myself quit reading. If you like these, you might like another series called The Hollows by Kim Harrison. The first book is Dead Witch Walking.

See? Must. read. in. order. Also spines on book shelf must be aligned properly.

Vanessa I had to laugh. I'm exactly the same way in having to read the series sequentially. In fact I spent 45 min. yesterday trying to find the proper sequence for the Barsetshire books that Kathy mentioned. Glad you found Fantastic Fiction. Now I can breathe a little easier if I want to start a new series. It really is a scary obsession! :-)

FantasticFiction is the best site Andrea. Glad I'm not alone.

Michael wrote: "Jarrod wrote: "I have recently gotten into the swing of reading book one of various series to give them a try. They are series that I have wanted to get into for a while, so I am starting at the be..."

Doctor Who: The Gallifrey Chronicles was a nice endmark book, marking the end of the 8th Doctor line from BBC Books. I recommend it as it features Fitz, a great companion from the books.

Doctor Who: The Infinity Doctors is not what you expect it to be. By the title, you expect it to be a multi-Doctor extravaganza. Instead, it is a vague account of a Doctor (not sure exactly which one) back on Gallifrey.

Vanessa wrote: "Also, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was originally a trilogy."

I think that has more to do with the oddities of the Japanese publishing world that it really being separate books (sort of like how Proust's In Search of Lost Time is seven books or one huge novel, depending on how you look at it).

But my real point was to say, did you know the translation of Wind-up Bird cuts something like 25,000 words of the original text? The US publisher apparently dictated the book come in at a particular length. The translator did two versions, one complete and one edited, and they published the edited one. I have never really found much definitive info about what was cut, but most of it came from the second part of the book (the translator said those sections were made redundant/inconsequential by the beginning of Part III).

I really hope they release a revised version someday. Especially since it's all translated and ready to go! I get that in 1997, Murakami was still sort of emerging onto the scene in the US, but I think he's popular enough to warrant a special edition by now. It will be interesting to see what happens with his next book, 1Q84, also published in three volumes in Japan (and the author hasn't ruled out a fourth).

Joel - fascinating. I had no idea; I may follow up on this with the current (paperback) publisher. A revised edition is a great idea.

Wow, I didn't know any of that about Wind-Up Bird, Joel. I confess I haven't gotten around to reading Murakami yet but they did a story about him on a Podcast I listen to (PRI: The World in Words) and how is so beloved amongst his readers that they write him letters seeking advice on their lives. He seemed befuddled by it but said he felt like he had to try and answer them. The whole story charmed my socks off. I have got to read him soon.

Ann, that would be really cool! I love the Vintage editions of Murakami's novels. They do classy work over there.

Here's the interview where I learned about this, by the way -- a 10-year-old round table of Murakami translators, which I just noticed is actually hosted on the Random House site! Here's an excerpt:

"I did virtually all the cutting on WIND-UP, but I would have done none at all if Knopf hadn't told Haruki that the book was too long and would have to be cut by some number of words (I think it was around 25,000 words). Afraid that they would hire some freelancer who could wreak havoc on the novel, and filled with a megalomaniac certainty that I knew every word in the book--maybe better than the author himself--after having translated all three hefty volumes, I decided to forestall the horror by submitting my manuscript in two versions: complete, and cut. Knopf took my cut version pretty much as is."

Can I offer a British perspective to this?

There's a bit of a thing here at the moment for historical series. Best known would probably be Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series set during the Peninsular Wars though he's also written others about Vikings, the American Civil War and the Hundred Years war. Great page turning reads, always from the perspective of a relatively minor figure in the action.

Conn Iggulden has written a fantastic series called Emperor about Julius Caesar, and is now on a series about Ghengis Khan.

Manda Scott wrote a wonderful series about Boudica and has just written another set in Rome that follows on sequentially and uses some of the same characters.

There are lots of other writers I could mention here - Simon Scarrow, Robyn Young, Harry Sidebottom, Anthony Riches. Not sure how many of these are available in the States.

Also no-one has mentioned Jean Auel. I'm not such a fan of those myself but there's no denying their popularity.

Then there are CS Forester's Hornblower series.

I'm not sure how many there need to be for it to be considered a series. Is it like serial killers - three makes a pattern, or to be a true "series" does it have to stretch beyond a trilogy?

I like Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series (there have been five released in the US so far).

Mysteriousyarns wrote: "Can I offer a British perspective to this?

There's a bit of a thing here at the moment for historical series. Best known would probably be Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series set during the Peninsu..."

I just finished Wolf Hall. I heard that it is the start of a series. I certainly hope that it is, because I loved Wolf Hall.

Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael Series made me change my mind about both mysteries and series books. I love historical fiction and while these are mysteries, the sense of time and place (11th century England) with gentle Brother Cadfael as the protagonist, I enjoy their historical context and actually assign one for my high school World History students. I am repeatedly enchanted by Ellis Peters' literary prowess and every time a pick up one, it makes me take a deep breath and say, "Ahhh.." A Morbid Taste for Bones begins the series and the first few should be read in order because key characters that recur throughout the series are introduced but while I am like Vanessa and get rather obsessive about reading in order, the small libraries available to me dictated that I was not always able to do that. There are minor sub-plots that continue through the series but having no choice after the first 3, I enjoyed each on its own.

Brother Cadfael is Welsh and because many of the characters have Welsh names, I often recommend listening to especially the first one because the preponderance of Welsh names in this one made me stumble all over myself when I first read the hard copy. Then, I discovered the audio versions with Stephen Thorne's narrative and I became even more enchanted. Actually, Derek Jacobi also narrates this series and does a fine job. He also played the character in the BBC series based on the books. However, after enjoying the beautiful prose of Peters and finding myself lost in 11th century England while reading the books, my husband (who has read through the entire series at least twice) and I could not get through even 15 minutes of a television episode. It was too disappointing. This was the series that determined whether I would become and Audible listener or not. When I found a few volumes with Stephen Thorne narrating and they promised more on the way (a promise now fulfilled) I jumped right in and haven't looked back.

Another of my favorite series authors is Anne Perry. She has two different series set in Victorian England. Her research and sense of place keep me always coming back for more. While these are also "mystery" series, what keeps me coming back is the historical setting. She has a newer series set in WWI, I think, but I have not yet delved into that.

A much, much lighter series set in the Cotswolds of England in the mid 1900's is the Miss Read series. As an avid anglophile, I've enjoyed a number of these over the years when I needed a light read without the disfunction and harsh reality that so often fills today's novels.

Thanks for the British recommendations, MysteriousYarns and Lori. I've always been a bit of an Anglophile but that has intensified since I discovered BBC and Guardian podcasts.

I totally missed that Mystery series about Cadfael but I added the first book (naturally) to my "to read" shelf.

Just heard the podcast with the series update and wish I had written in sooner with my recommendation: The Josephine Bonaparte Collection. A Canadian author, gorgeous rich historical fiction, could NOT put these down.

Ann: Note on P.G. Wodehouse. It's pronounced "Woodhouse".

For anyone who's never tried his hilarious Jeeves and Wooster novels, I recommend Right Ho, Jeeves. I predict you'll deem it one of the funniest books you've ever read.

My favorite series is The Mortal Instruments Boxed Set: City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass.

On the 31st, Cassandra Clare is releasing the first in a prequel series, The Infernal Devices, in which, the first book is titled Clockwork Angel, and takes place in Victorian London, a sort of alternate history that relies more on steampunk technology.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo loved Book 1 through Book 3. Found the ending to be VERY satisfying. I didn't require the Hollywood/Fairy Tale "Happily Ever After" ending. Book 2 to 3 may leave you with a little cliffhanger but the entire triology is released now so that'll lessen the GAH I have to wait a year for the next book shouting syndrome.

Like Vanessa, I recommend the first couple book of the Anita Blake series but then it took a dramatic turn and I stopped reading.

Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, Return of the King -- can't go wrong there.

I don't know enough about the Wheel of Time series. I read until Book 3 and put it down. But devoted fans, I've read and heard were very happy with the whole series. I *THINK* the entire thing is finally finished??

Discworld Series. You can read in any order. And just be on a wild ride.

Sherlock Holmes is good. I've heard Agatha Christie's mysteries are great. No cliffhangers. Her mysteries typically can be read in any order.

Eric wrote: "Ann: Note on P.G. Wodehouse. It's pronounced "Woodhouse".

Damn! I think I knew that once.

@ Vanessa: Anita Blake series is good, but I agree with the change in quality in story past a certain point. Everyone who told me about it or that I've talked to said that it's not even worth reading past book 7. Personally, I didn't make it through book four. It was so repetitive with the other stories, she just added more swearing and vulgarity with each book. Not to mention, I just couldn't stand Richard. lol

@ Misty--I made it through Cerulean Sins and had to quit. I heard an interview with Hamilton where she said a man once told her on book tour that women couldn't write erotica and that's why she changed her series direction. I can't imagine that's true because that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard (and this from a person that still has trouble resisting the allure of a Double Dog Dare.)

You know what are good are the graphic novels based on the early books. Dialogue was never Hamilton's strong suit so that format suits her well. I was missing her work and picked one of them up in the library.

BTW, Richard gets way more annoying :)

@ Vanessa: lol MORE annoying? Is that possible?! And yes, I have the graphic novel for Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures, and love the art of it.

And yes, her supposed reasoning for the change is ridiculous. So she's saying one person's opinion is enough to make her lose confidence in her own style and writing? How did she ever make it this far in life then if other people's opinions matter to her that much? Writing is about you, not them. If someone doesn't like your writing, point out that there are thousands of others authors and books to choose from.

@ Tanja: I've also heard about the Discworld series. Aren't there some 30 something books in that series though?

In My school we've recently been assigned the first book of Pat Barker's regeneration series. The series is set in the first world war and details the lives of the war poets of the generation in particular Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.

This first book is set in the real-life Craiglockhart war hospital which was utilised for the purposes of treating wounded veterans' shell shock. Another truly brilliant character is the psychiatrist at Craiglockhart War hospital W.R Rivers whose conflicting opinions on the war provide an interesting sideplot.

Despite the scary tagline my teacher has attached "coursework" I found the first book really interesting and think this book would appeal to fans of historical fiction and literary fiction as these are real life persons. I'm not going to give to much away but thoroughly urge you to give it a go.

I can't wait to conjure up the funds for the other two in the series.

I also love the Millenium trilogy and dark tower series by stephen king.