Sunday, May 30, 2010

Serious about series

Not too long ago I reread all the Harry Potter books. It was such a joy to have a month or 6 weeks of books all set in the same world with the same characters. I think that's the appeal of the series--familiarity. If the writer can pull it off without the reader feeling like he's reading the same book over and over.

Right now I'm reading The Invisible Mountain by Carolina de Robertis (Did you know May was Latino Books Month? By the way, the paperback of The Invisible Mountain is out this August). When I'm done with my current TBR pile (see last week's post), I'm thinking I'd like to read another series, and I'm looking for suggestions. Anybody have any good ideas? Series by black authors not required, but definitely appreciated.

Series seem to be most common in genre works, though Trisha R. Thomas has her women's fiction series featuring her protagonist Venus. The sixth (sixth!) is out now, Un-Nappily in Love. And Pearl Cleage often writes in her novels about characters in Atlanta's West End neighborhood, with characters from different books mingling together.

Can anyone think of any other commercial or literary fiction that's a series? What do you all think is the best:

Romance series?

Fantasy/sci-fi series?

Paranormal series?

Mystery series?

Other categories?

10 comments:

giovanna said...

i'm sure you've read it, but tananarive due's Living Blood trilogy is mesmerizing me with its depth, subtlety and intelligence. i cannot imagine that her mystery series (written with stephen barnes and blair underwood) is less than great, either.

giovanna said...

shite, i just saw you have a guest review of the latest. i just made an ass of myself! :(

Ernessa T. Carter said...

I adored Steven King's DARK TOWER series. The first book is a little hard going (all prologue and in my opin can be skipped), but after that, it's really awesome and has one of the best black female characters of all time. Sadly other than that, I can't think of another series that I love other than TD's.

evelyn.n.alfred said...

If you are willing to go the sci-fi route, then choose Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler. It's a collection of three stories.

In the YA realm, perhaps the Lemony Snickett series; it will keep you busy.

Carleen Brice said...

Before I was finished I accidentally posted this the other night instead of saving it as a draft. Sorry for any confusion!

Rich said...

If you like fantasy, try George RR Martin's 'Song of Ice and Fire' series, which begins with A GAME OF THRONES (soon to be an HBO series!). Mind-blowing stuff with a huge cast of characters in a richly-detailed world.

Read in Colour said...

I really enjoyed Grace Edwards' short lived Mali Anderson series about a black female detective in Harlem.

I'm also a big fan of the Tamera Hayle mysteries by Valerie Wilson Wesley and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.

giovanna said...

re: mysteries. nicola griffith has a series with the lesbian sleuth aud torvingen whose first two books i really liked (i left the third half way through, though i know many people loved it). they are called The Blue Place and Stay. very good analysis of a tormented psychology, and very engaging thrillers. i also love the mickey haller two-novel series, by michael connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer and The Brass Verdict. sassy loser character who is also a tremendous winner. very lovable and funny. strangely, i don't like connelly's harry bosch books at all.

hey carleen, do you have any thoughts about the various walter mosley series(es)? i take you have read at least some of them? i only know easy rawlins and love him so much, i don't want to spoil my love for him by reading about his fictional brothers.

paltry contribution, but there you have it.

Doret said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Doret said...

Take 2

As much middle grade fiction as I read, I haven't read the HP series

I've heard The Invisible Mountain was really good. Though I never got around to reading it.

One of my favorite mystery series is The Tess Monaghan series by Laura Lippman. I love the characters and the writing.