Book series I've read.

The week before last I wrote about book series that I hadn't finished yet, but this week I'm going to share the ones that I have finished.

I have a love-hate relationship with series, I guess. If I love the stories and the characters, then of course I love getting more than one book about them. But I'm the sort of person that if I start a series, I'm going to want to read all of the other books immediately after that, if at all possible. Because with most series if I go months or a year between books, I feel like I forget things and need to start the series all over again. So reading a series can take up a pretty big chunk of time, and by the time I'm almost finished, I'm usually anxious to start reading something else.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

I love this series so much. It's one of those that I avoided for the longest time because of all the hype...I thought it was impossible that it would live up to all the good things I'd heard. But guess what? It did. I loved the first book, liked the second one a lot, and the third one was pretty good but definitely my least favorite of the three. These are by far my favorite dystopian books, and I tend to compare all other dystopian to them. Which is unfortunate, because that's a very high standard for others to live up to. :)

Matched, by Ally Condie

I'm not too crazy about this trilogy. I loved Matched when I first read it. When I reread it later, it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered. I read the other two because I was interested enough to continue, but overall these stories are a bit bland.

The Books of Bayern, by Shannon Hale

I love these books! The Goose Girl is one of my favorite books. I read it years and years ago, and bits of the story were stuck in the back of my mind, though I couldn't remember the title or author. Then one day I stumbled across it again and realized there was a sequel. Years later, there are four books total in the series. I read the whole series last year (I think?) and it's awesome. Though The Goose Girl is still my favorite, I really loved Forest Born, too.

A Charmed Life, by Jenny B. Jones

I read these books way back in...2009? 2010? Anyway, I absolutely adored them. These books, along with some historical fiction by Deeanne Gist, were the driving force behind me getting back into reading Christian fiction. Just look at those covers! Jenny B. Jones' books can make me snort-laugh like no others. I'm way overdue a reread on this series.

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

 

These are my favorite books ever (tied with Pride and Prejudice). I wrote about the series here. What more can I say about the best books in the known universe?? :)

 

The Giver Quartet, by Lois Lowry

The Giver was the first dystopian book I ever read. I had never read anything like it before and I still remember the shock I felt when I realized things were not as they seemed (example: the infant's "release"). Last year I reread it and read the other three books for the first time. This is a really good series! While Gathering Blue was one of the slower books, I enjoyed it because the main character works with fiber arts: embroidering, dyeing, etc. Son felt different from the previous three somehow, but it tied them all together beautifully and I thought it was a perfect conclusion.

 

Across the Universe, by Beth Revis

This is a really enjoyable YA sci-fi trilogy. I've never been a big sci-fi fan, and the first book, Across the Universe, was probably my first introduction to the genre (I read it before I met the Doctor. :). There's plenty of mystery and deception going on in these books, and I was really satisfied with the final book. I went through a time where the third book in all of the trilogies I was reading was such a huge letdown, so when I read this series (and The Giver Quartet), I was so pleased to have an awesome ending. But the cover change...ew. Was that really necessary? Obsessive people like me want the covers of their new books to match. :) And they changed them up just before the third book was released.

 

Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter! I reread the whole series again a couple of summers ago...I think in preparation for the midnight premiere of Deathly Hallows: Part 2. My decision to do that was sort of last-minute, and I reread the series in less than a month. :) I'm anxious to revisit this series again very soon. It's just a big reading commitment. I love these books, and no matter how many times I read them, they're always entertaining and clever, with lots of emotional moments mixed in. These are the books that I've been reading for the longest amount of time and still reread fairly often...I started reading Harry Potter when I was about nine, I think. All of my copies are first edition hardcovers, except for the first one, but I'm looking for that, too. (I've found several first editions at Goodwill, but they were always really beat-up and I want one in good condition.)

 

The Wives of King David, by Jill Eileen Smith

I have to be in a certain mood to read Biblical-era fiction, so I don't read it very often. I found these books at the bargain bookstore and the used bookstore, and though I enjoyed certain aspects, they weren't favorite reads by any means. I'm debating keeping them, because I don't think I'll ever reread them and they're taking up valuable bookshelf space. :)

A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket

I loved these books when I was younger! They are that perfect blend of melancholy, creepy, and over-the-top dramatic with plenty of clever (and sometimes dark) humor. When we had the summer reading program at the library, I used to check out a stack of these books because they were so much fun and built up my list quickly. :) Not only do I love the stories and writing style of these books, but I adore the illustrations and the cover designs and the alliterative titles and the fact that they get thicker as the series progresses. :) And the characters! There are some of the characters and plot lines from these books that I remember vividly even though it's been years since I read them. Once again, I really want to reread these soon. {I bought the last three or four new as they were being released, but I bought all of the others in a used/bargain bookstore that used to be in the mall, and incredibly I somehow managed to end up with 1st editions of all of them.}

Fools Rush In, by Janice Thompson

This is a great series. It's contemporary, which I don't read an awful lot of in Christian fiction, but there are tons of references to old songs and films (even the titles are song references!). Of course I loved that. But I also loved the big kooky family that is featured in this series. And the romance is definitely sweet. :)

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart

This is a really good middle grade series (well, really trilogy because the last book is a prequel), especially if you like something clever with mysteries and adventure and a tiny bit of Lemony Snicket-style flair. The second one, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, was my favorite.

The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Oh, goodness. The Lord of the Rings. :) I went through a phase in middle school where I was an absolute LOTR fangirl, and I still enjoy the stories. But honestly...in my opinion, this is the most difficult series ever to get through. I've read the trilogy through only once so far (it was on my list of 2013 resolutions to reread it...haven't done that yet). I've read The Hobbit several times separately. I can't even tell you how many times I've started LOTR but not finished. :) When I start, I'm all pumped and I can do this. Then I get bogged down by Tolkien's obsessive details and my attention starts to waver. I think I've read The Fellowship about three times, and started it probably four or five more times. I've made two reread attempts that got me through The Two Towers, but I've only finished The Return of the King once (that one time I read the whole trilogy). Lord of the Rings, why are so stinking hard to finish reading?

Getaway Girls, by Laura Jensen Walker

This series revolves around two of my favorite things: books and traveling. Well, I don't actually do much traveling, but I enjoy it when I do and I love reading about travel. :) The stories involve the members of a book club, and I really love the book recommendations and quotes scattered throughout. I also like that at least two of the books involve travel to Europe. I like the group of core characters that are featured in these books. I read these just as I was getting back into Christian fiction, and I remember loving them. But I'm curious as to how I'll feel if I reread, because last year I reread one of this author's books that I remember loving several years ago, and it was rather disappointing the second time around.

Little House series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I only read three or four of the Little House books as a kid...you might remember I read most of the series for the first time back in spring of 2011. I loved the stories and couldn't figure out why on earth I hadn't read them all earlier. :) By the way, my comment earlier about matching covers obviously doesn't apply to Goodwill finds, as you can see with my copies of these books. :)

Well, I think that's it! I honestly didn't think I owned all of the book series I've read, but I can't think of any others besides these that I've finished...

What series have you read?

Until next time,