The Lord of the Rings series. This year my project is to read the full narrative of Middle-earth by piecing together a chronology from the volumes outside the "core" of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." It took a while to construct the outline of what I wanted to read, separating narrative from commentary, and I've been reading a chapter or so a day. It's been a fantastic experience. The slow pace lets me appreciate the depth of Tokien's mythos in a way I never have before, and it's a pleasure to read a series that I first began reading as a child. A good series should endure for a lifetime!
There are three series that I've read in their entirety, and they're all very different from each other — and awesome.
Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn: There are 8 books in this mystery-romance series so far; the 9th is coming out this spring. Veronica is a Victorian-era lepidopterist (butterfly hunter) with moxie and a very sharp hat pin. She and her (handsome) colleague Stoker get into all kinds of adventures. They're best read in order.
Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva: These are page-turning stories about found family masquerading as spy novels. The espionage stuff is GREAT, but the thing that keeps me coming back is Gabriel's team of friends and family. The relationships evolve over the the course of the books in really interesting ways — much like the Gamache series. Each book usually takes place in different cities around the world, so it's fun for armchair travel, too. I've re-read the whole series twice, and I don't think you need to read them in order — but it's rewarding if you do.
Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George: She's an American author but she writes VERY British mysteries mostly set in London, but sometimes heading out into the English countryside. Inspector Thomas Lynley is an Earl (!) — handsome, eloquent, well-mannered — but he's more interested in solving crimes and restoring justice than living a posh life. His work partner is Barbara Havers, a working-class woman with an enormous chip on her shoulder. This is another series where the crimes are very well constructed, and/but the characters are the reason to hang around. I've also re-read this series twice. These can definitely be read out of order — the latest is 'Something to Hide' and it's a fantastic look at race relations in modern London with a compelling, heart-rending crime. (But if you read them in order, it's like knowing these people over the course of decades, which I find very satisfying.)
The crimes in the Lynley series are pretty dark, but it’s also very rewarding to go along for the ride with the characters. I’m VERY invested in Tommy and Barbara after 21 books. 😊 Elizabeth George is really great at immersive settings, too. Hope you give it a try!
A definite yes on the Gabriel Allon series. A friend of mine told me about them; she’s read them all. I’ve only read a few, the last being Portrait of an Unknown Woman, which talks about the value of art and our perceptions of the same.
If you want to do a fun little Gabriel Allon reading project, there are three books where Gabriel teams up with the Pope (!), and I thought they were really good. The first one is the Confessor (Book #3), then The Messenger (#6), and The Order (#20).
Ditto on Gabriel Allon. I find inspector gamache not as satisfying, though. The head-hopping style is very frustrating! That said, there is a quality to the characters that keeps me coming back. Mel, you got me started on Lynley and I’m 4 books in now...
YES! Those early Lynley books are some of my all-time favorites. I love the way Elizabeth George shifts the focus around from Lynley to Deborah and St. James — and all of them are people I like to spend time with. 'For the Sake of Elena' (#5) is so good. You're right in the spot where I feel like the series really started to fire on all cylinders. Number 12 — 'A Place of Hiding' — is another great one... set on the island of Guernsey. The audiobook is fantastic. OK. I'll stop now :-)
I agree: The more recent ones don't have the same spark for me that the earlier ones do, but I did think that 'Something to Hide' from 2022 was really good, even though it, too, was long. (Although I love a doorstopper novel ;-)
The thing I was struck with was how much the writing quality improved over the first three books. It seems like she really started to hit her stride by book 3, and as you said, she also is very good at shifting the story between main characters. Last thing (and then I really will stop), Elizabeth George knows how to crush the ending. That's my biggest takeaway from her so far. You can deliver an OK book, but if you nail the ending, all sins (OK, most sins) are forgiven.
Agree with all of this! Warning: I HATED (so much) 'With No One as Witness' and 'What Came Before He Shot Her' (#13 and #14)— so I just pretend they don't exist. 'Careless in Red' (#15) is good :-) Now I'll definitely stop. ;-)
OK, I can't let this rest. The FIRST LINE of Lynley Book 1 is: "It was a solecism of the very worst kind." What?! What in the absolute f*&% does that even mean? I remember looking the word up and I STILL don't remember what it means. I think that is the worst first line EVER. I almost stopped reading right there, Line 1. No, I told myself, Mel says this series is great!! So I kept on...you were right. As I said before, George knows how to stick the landing with the ending. (Side note: I looked it up again. A solecism is a breach of etiquette or grammatical mistake.)
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan - it's a little overlong, but I really adore the characters and the worldbuilding. I like that Jordan lets the high fantasy descend into its realer consequences at times (Dumai's Wells, gunpowder weaponry) without getting too dark. And, unlike the other fantasy series I'm going to mention, I get an ending.
The Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell - Wellington's Peninsular War is such an interesting piece of history, and Sharpe is a great vehicle to explore this era. I especially love the section at the end of each book that explains what really happened vs. where Cornwell added the fictional touches.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin - I love the ruthless logic in these books but I am getting impatient. There are so many great characters driving the plot in this world.
I used to read Reacher too, but at some point the journey to a destination I knew was coming stopped being worthwhile.
I love the Sharpe series too. He writes so well about war and the battles especially without it ever getting boring and his characterisation is brilliant. Great adventure stories at heart, not just military history.
I love Tana French — I've only read two of the Dublin Murder Squad and have been considering starting over and going through the whole series. She has a new standalone coming in March.
I thoroughly enjoy the Dresden Files. Butcher does an excellent job of developing both the main character and the world overall as the series progresses!
One of my friends recommended The Red Rising sage last year, I’ve now read the first 3 in the series and it is a good page-turning adventure to break up what I normally read about. It’s also one of those series that as I’ve read, I keep thinking “I can’t believe this isn’t a TV series yet” as the visuals and drama from the book seem perfect for an adaptation.
Hi Jeremy, I also love a good epic. Currently reading Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. Today (23 January2024) is also the release day of book 14 for another series I’ve been really enjoying, especially as an audiobook. The Starship Mage series, sci fi fantasy mix by Glynn Stewart.
Nice — I actually DNF Mistborn, but it might have been me and not the book. I'm gonna get through GoT first and then I'll consider Stormlight again, especially given the new one coming this winter.
Would definitely recommend Mistborn series. It a bit of slow start but picks and then is gripping to the end. Partly while I started Storm light Archive system is because a new is due out.
Know what you mean such a good series, so far. I’m just on book ‘three’ Oathbringer. Brandon’s imagination for varying magical systems is first rate. I can’t think of another author with so many series to their name with and each with a different magical system. Not to mention the science fiction based stuff as well!
I’ve read 9 (of nearly 20) so far and I just can’t stop. I actually tend to shy away from series because I like to read widely, but in this case I just can’t break away. Setting & Characters are both 10/10.
Nothing is better than the Anne of Green Gables books.
Yes! I go back and read them every few years!
Never read 'em! My daughter is just learning to read on her own — maybe we'll slowly tackle these together.
Slow Horses by Mick Herron at the moment!
Strong agree. Love the show, too.
Second! I mean, third! Love the slow horses.
It's absolutely brilliant - the humour throughout it is so good. Love the characters and dialogue.
The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey. Also (much older and totally different genre) the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett.
Second the expanse!
I've only read the first three Expanse books. I'll finish at some point, I suppose. It felt like a fairly natural stopping point. :)
By design Jeremy - the 9 books are 3 trilogies! Gotta keep going!
Ditto on The Expanse series, some of the most creative, character-driven SciFi I’ve read.
The Lord of the Rings series. This year my project is to read the full narrative of Middle-earth by piecing together a chronology from the volumes outside the "core" of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." It took a while to construct the outline of what I wanted to read, separating narrative from commentary, and I've been reading a chapter or so a day. It's been a fantastic experience. The slow pace lets me appreciate the depth of Tokien's mythos in a way I never have before, and it's a pleasure to read a series that I first began reading as a child. A good series should endure for a lifetime!
Great idea for a project! Love it.
I'm a huge fan of Louise Penny's Ganache series. Have read them all and always waiting for the next one!
There's a new one coming this fall; I'm hoping to be fully caught up by then. :)
There are three series that I've read in their entirety, and they're all very different from each other — and awesome.
Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn: There are 8 books in this mystery-romance series so far; the 9th is coming out this spring. Veronica is a Victorian-era lepidopterist (butterfly hunter) with moxie and a very sharp hat pin. She and her (handsome) colleague Stoker get into all kinds of adventures. They're best read in order.
Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva: These are page-turning stories about found family masquerading as spy novels. The espionage stuff is GREAT, but the thing that keeps me coming back is Gabriel's team of friends and family. The relationships evolve over the the course of the books in really interesting ways — much like the Gamache series. Each book usually takes place in different cities around the world, so it's fun for armchair travel, too. I've re-read the whole series twice, and I don't think you need to read them in order — but it's rewarding if you do.
Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George: She's an American author but she writes VERY British mysteries mostly set in London, but sometimes heading out into the English countryside. Inspector Thomas Lynley is an Earl (!) — handsome, eloquent, well-mannered — but he's more interested in solving crimes and restoring justice than living a posh life. His work partner is Barbara Havers, a working-class woman with an enormous chip on her shoulder. This is another series where the crimes are very well constructed, and/but the characters are the reason to hang around. I've also re-read this series twice. These can definitely be read out of order — the latest is 'Something to Hide' and it's a fantastic look at race relations in modern London with a compelling, heart-rending crime. (But if you read them in order, it's like knowing these people over the course of decades, which I find very satisfying.)
I also love the Veronica Speedwell series! Based on your description of the Inspector Lynley series, I'm definitely interested in checking it out :)
The crimes in the Lynley series are pretty dark, but it’s also very rewarding to go along for the ride with the characters. I’m VERY invested in Tommy and Barbara after 21 books. 😊 Elizabeth George is really great at immersive settings, too. Hope you give it a try!
Silva has been high on my list for a while — appreciate the push to move him up even higher. :) Thanks Mel!
A definite yes on the Gabriel Allon series. A friend of mine told me about them; she’s read them all. I’ve only read a few, the last being Portrait of an Unknown Woman, which talks about the value of art and our perceptions of the same.
If you want to do a fun little Gabriel Allon reading project, there are three books where Gabriel teams up with the Pope (!), and I thought they were really good. The first one is the Confessor (Book #3), then The Messenger (#6), and The Order (#20).
Good idea, thanks
Ditto on Gabriel Allon. I find inspector gamache not as satisfying, though. The head-hopping style is very frustrating! That said, there is a quality to the characters that keeps me coming back. Mel, you got me started on Lynley and I’m 4 books in now...
YES! Those early Lynley books are some of my all-time favorites. I love the way Elizabeth George shifts the focus around from Lynley to Deborah and St. James — and all of them are people I like to spend time with. 'For the Sake of Elena' (#5) is so good. You're right in the spot where I feel like the series really started to fire on all cylinders. Number 12 — 'A Place of Hiding' — is another great one... set on the island of Guernsey. The audiobook is fantastic. OK. I'll stop now :-)
I loved the earlier Lynley books but I am finding the later ones way to long for my taste.
I agree: The more recent ones don't have the same spark for me that the earlier ones do, but I did think that 'Something to Hide' from 2022 was really good, even though it, too, was long. (Although I love a doorstopper novel ;-)
The thing I was struck with was how much the writing quality improved over the first three books. It seems like she really started to hit her stride by book 3, and as you said, she also is very good at shifting the story between main characters. Last thing (and then I really will stop), Elizabeth George knows how to crush the ending. That's my biggest takeaway from her so far. You can deliver an OK book, but if you nail the ending, all sins (OK, most sins) are forgiven.
Agree with all of this! Warning: I HATED (so much) 'With No One as Witness' and 'What Came Before He Shot Her' (#13 and #14)— so I just pretend they don't exist. 'Careless in Red' (#15) is good :-) Now I'll definitely stop. ;-)
OK, I can't let this rest. The FIRST LINE of Lynley Book 1 is: "It was a solecism of the very worst kind." What?! What in the absolute f*&% does that even mean? I remember looking the word up and I STILL don't remember what it means. I think that is the worst first line EVER. I almost stopped reading right there, Line 1. No, I told myself, Mel says this series is great!! So I kept on...you were right. As I said before, George knows how to stick the landing with the ending. (Side note: I looked it up again. A solecism is a breach of etiquette or grammatical mistake.)
HA! I'd forgotten that's the first sentence. I'm glad you were able to hang on.
I love, love, love, love, love the Thursday Murder Clib series.
I've heard great things!
Me too! So fun.
I'd say my top 3 lately have been:
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan - it's a little overlong, but I really adore the characters and the worldbuilding. I like that Jordan lets the high fantasy descend into its realer consequences at times (Dumai's Wells, gunpowder weaponry) without getting too dark. And, unlike the other fantasy series I'm going to mention, I get an ending.
The Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell - Wellington's Peninsular War is such an interesting piece of history, and Sharpe is a great vehicle to explore this era. I especially love the section at the end of each book that explains what really happened vs. where Cornwell added the fictional touches.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin - I love the ruthless logic in these books but I am getting impatient. There are so many great characters driving the plot in this world.
I used to read Reacher too, but at some point the journey to a destination I knew was coming stopped being worthwhile.
I love the Sharpe series too. He writes so well about war and the battles especially without it ever getting boring and his characterisation is brilliant. Great adventure stories at heart, not just military history.
Michael Connelly’s Bosch and Mickey Haller series.
Never read them.. thanks Susan!
Gamache, of course.
Martin Walkers Chief Bruno
Jo Nesbos Harry Hole
Donna Leon set in Venice
Alexander McCall Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie.
Tana French.
Second Harry Hole!
I love Tana French — I've only read two of the Dublin Murder Squad and have been considering starting over and going through the whole series. She has a new standalone coming in March.
Definites on Hole for a bleak Scandanavian feel and Tana French for her long psychological studies.
My adult self would say Elena Ferrante Neapolitan series. When I was way younger, I blazed through series.
Gosh those are great. Read 'em all in a fury a few years ago.
I thoroughly enjoy the Dresden Files. Butcher does an excellent job of developing both the main character and the world overall as the series progresses!
Nice, never read those! Adding to my list.
One of my friends recommended The Red Rising sage last year, I’ve now read the first 3 in the series and it is a good page-turning adventure to break up what I normally read about. It’s also one of those series that as I’ve read, I keep thinking “I can’t believe this isn’t a TV series yet” as the visuals and drama from the book seem perfect for an adaptation.
Oh nice, that's high on my list! Glad you're enjoying it.
Master and Commander
"The lesser of two weevils...."
I have the trilogy, unread, on my shelf. :) I'll definitely read them at some point.
I read that entire series the year we lived overseas. I still have them all lined up on my shelf!
Hi Jeremy, I also love a good epic. Currently reading Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. Today (23 January2024) is also the release day of book 14 for another series I’ve been really enjoying, especially as an audiobook. The Starship Mage series, sci fi fantasy mix by Glynn Stewart.
Nice — I actually DNF Mistborn, but it might have been me and not the book. I'm gonna get through GoT first and then I'll consider Stormlight again, especially given the new one coming this winter.
Would definitely recommend Mistborn series. It a bit of slow start but picks and then is gripping to the end. Partly while I started Storm light Archive system is because a new is due out.
I was going to say Stormlight Archive as well, and Sanderson’s Cosmere Universe as whole. Haven’t been sucked into worlds like that since I was a kid.
Know what you mean such a good series, so far. I’m just on book ‘three’ Oathbringer. Brandon’s imagination for varying magical systems is first rate. I can’t think of another author with so many series to their name with and each with a different magical system. Not to mention the science fiction based stuff as well!
The Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger
I’ve read 9 (of nearly 20) so far and I just can’t stop. I actually tend to shy away from series because I like to read widely, but in this case I just can’t break away. Setting & Characters are both 10/10.
I've read about 9 of those as well. I also really enjoy Krueger's standalone novels, FWIW.
Clearly, I need to look into this series!