Just like everyone else in the reading world, I have strong preferences when it comes to certain genres and subjects. I gravitate towards those genres naturally, although I really do try to branch out every now and then to broaden my mind and my horizons.
Recently Suzanne (HI SUZANNE) wrote about twenty ideas for lists of twenty, and I thought I’d steal one of the lists for a blog post. Who doesn’t love a list? Then I came across number 5: twenty of my favourite book series. I realized then that not only could I not list twenty favourite book series, I’m not sure if I’ve even READ twenty book series in my entire life.
This, I think, goes back to genre. Mysteries, fantasy, and sci-fi all seem to lend themselves nicely to becoming series, but the books I tend to read do not. I could only think of two series that I have read as an adult: the Lucy Barton series, and the Rosie series.
Both of those I really loved, but for very different reasons. Lucy Barton is just such a stark, beautifully written series and I became invested in her character immediately. I just found out that Elizabeth Strout has published a Lucy Barton/ Olive Ketteridge mashup and I am torn between ordering it immediately or putting it on my Christmas list. If my husband is reading this right now, he’s probably taking notes.
I loved the Rosie series for being funny and warm-hearted, and I will note that this is a rare case of the books getting better as the series progresses. It’s also a rare case that I love not one but three books with a male author.
Now, as I have said many times, I am not a person that enjoys mysteries. I have tried, lord, how I have tried. I have become at peace with the idea that mysteries are just not for me. It may surprise you to know, then, that this has not always been the case! When I was a child, I was completely obsessed with The Bobbsey Twins Mysteries.
My mother tried to get me interested in Nancy Drew, but I would not have it. I would not read about that titian-haired heroine. Give me Bobbsey Twins or give me death.
These two books in particular were very formative back in 1982. When my younger brother was born that year, I read the Adventure in the Country and spent the entire summer pretending our backyard was a farm. I would go outside in the morning and pretend to feed chickens, milk cows, ride horses, and – in a strange twist, given my extreme distaste for them now – I gathered a pile of small white rocks together which, in my extremely active imagination, were a nest of mice.
The Tagalong Giraffe was also formative in that it instilled in me a lifelong desire to visit Africa and see giraffes in the wild. My husband is in the midst of planning such a trip, to take place in a couple of years, so stay tuned for that. I hope to have my very own tagalong giraffe adventure, minus the poachers, which is a key plot point in this book.
Of course I loved the Little House on the Prairie books which are somewhat horrifying to read now, given everything we now know about the idea of manifest destiny, the treatment of indigenous people, and how the terrible droughts were actually caused by misinformed farming practices that uprooted all the native grasses. I mean, I was six when I started reading these, so I really wasn’t all that discerning with regards to the politics and human rights and environmental atrocities of the settlement of America. I just loved the idea of a corncob doll, a single cake and a tin cup in my Christmas stocking, and, weirdest of all, having a pig’s bladder as a balloon.
I have a hot take regarding the Anne of Green Gables series: with the exception of Anne’s House of Dreams, which is dramatic and also GRIM, none of the subsequent books can hold a candle to the first one. This is in direct opposition to my beloved Emily Starr books, in which the first is not great, Bob, and then the last two are fantastic. I think it compares to the Rosie books, in that the third is probably the best.
Little Men and Jo’s Boys were written after Little Women and Good Wives – the latter of which is now merely considered “part two” to Little Women – and they definitely did not appeal to me much. Little Women is one of my all-time favourite books; probably I disliked the other two because they focused on boys, and who wants to read about them? Certainly not me. I didn’t then and I don’t now, honestly.
When I was in Grade Five, the Sweet Valley High books were all the rage. I could not get enough of Elizabeth and Jessica; a huge source of angst for me was that these books were not readily available at the library. I would scan the paperback rack weekly, but rarely were they there. Instead, I ended up reading the Cheerleader series, which was inferior in my ten-year-old opinion. I was absolutely thrilled to get this box set one Christmas. I mean, look at that cover art!
The books that I did not ask for at Christmas, because they were forbidden, were the VC Andrews series. Girls of a certain age, you know what I’m talking about. Flowers in the Attic! What could be a less appropriate book for eleven and twelve year old girls? I’m sure that if we dug deep we could find one, but it would be hard. If, for some reason, you never read Flowers in the Attic, let me give you the plot synopsis: a woman is trying to get back into her parents’ good graces after a marriage which they disapproved of. She was written out of the will, but is trying to get her inheritance, and so she hides from her rich father her four children from that star-crossed marriage. How does she hide them? She enlists the help of her mother, the children’s grandmother, to hide them in the grandparents attic, where they are starved and neglected and, in the case of the older two children, subject to a sexual awakening in which they have actual intercourse. With each other. So, incest. If that’s not disturbing enough, the grandmother blames the girl for tempting her brother (ew) and so pours tar on her head (what), and then attempts to poison all of them by putting arsenic in powdered doughnuts. One of the younger children dies from eating the doughnuts, and somehow the other three escape, but the details are as blurry as the vision of the child eating the arsenic treats. Clear in my mind, though, is that the older girl goes back later and pours hot candle wax on her grandmother’s head, to get back at her for the tar incident. I mean. It’s so wild and the only thing more wild is that we were all reading these. What I wouldn’t give for an hour to chat with VC Andrews; how fascinating to be the writer that came up with this whole idea.
Weekly Reading
Speaking of reading!
The Bee Sting. My dear friend Maya (HI MAYA) had recommended this book to me, in spite of the fact that it is written by a male author. What can I say, Maya knows me well. She was sure I would love it and she has never steered me wrong yet, so I put it on hold at the library. When I went to pick up this doorstop of a book I gave Maya a long-distance side-eye. It had better be good, I thought, if I’m going to invest the time into 649 pages! But lo, Maya was right. I was hooked right from the beginning and I have to say, this is a brilliant literary novel. Absolutely brilliantly written, with four POV in distinct and unique writing styles. Also, the book goes from third person close to second person for each POV, and I find that remarkable. I almost never see second person! This book is a wild ride, following a highly dysfunctional family with an incredible backstory; there were twists and turns – some I saw coming, some I sure didn’t. The ending is stunning. Absolutely stunning. The character arcs, everything is so well done. This takes place in postcrash Ireland and hops timelines, it delves into very important subjects, and most of all, ties together in the most startling of ways.
Speaking of my bookish friends, my good friend Steph (HI STEPH) is having technical issues with her blog. If you follow her you will probably think that she hasn’t published any posts since July but my friends, this isn’t true! There is some problem that is keeping her blog from being updated on The Old Reader AND Feedly, so why don’t you do what I did and pop over there to subscribe. That way you won’t miss a thing! And if you don’t follow Steph, why don’t you? She has two brand new kittens and a newly empty nest, so why not send her a little internet love.
Suzanne had another prompt about things we did twenty years ago, but not now. That’s an easy one for me: baby care. I was completely mired in baby care twenty years ago. And I can tell you exactly what I did nineteen years ago today, and that was bringing this guy home:
It was my younger son’s birthday yesterday and we had a great time celebrating. My parents had come for the weekend so we hosted a big dinner with both sides – complete with cake!
So it was a busy weekend and it looks to be a busy week ahead! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. xo
Oh, happy, happy birthday to that delicious little morsel! How quickly they grow! (And I bet there’s not a morsel fo that luscious looking cake left… too bad!)
Nicole, this post was such a delight! I laughed and laughed about your white stone mice! What?! I would be hard-pressed to think of a series I’ve read too (other than the Lucy Barton), but my childhood was full of completing various ones! Did you ever get into Enid Blyton as you are at least nominally a child of the British empire? Also, it gave me so much joy to see your well-worn copies of _Eight Cousins_ and _Rose in Bloom_ because I loved that series.
Oh, and _The Bee Sting_! I’m so glad you enjoyed it–it stayed in my head for months! (And heart-eyes emoji here for the other little sign you left out for me.) Strangely the new book I’m obsessed with also has to do with bees… It’s _Mad Honey_ by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan.
I never did read any Enid Blyton! But oh how I loved Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom. Even though there’s the whole “which cousin will marry Rose” storyline, I still really love Rose in Bloom – that book introduced me to the idea of philanthropy!
Now, here’s my question: I am not a huge fan of Picoult – but this is a book that’s co-written? Hmmmmm….maybe I’ll look into it.
I didn’t know if you’d see my reply on my page, so I thought I’d hurry to say–I get where you might be coming from re. Picoult. She can be heavy-handed about “issues,” but her heart is in the right place, so I usually don’t mind.Her work is very fast-paced, so sometimes that’s a nice change for me.
She is a fast-paced writer for sure!
That cake looks AMAZING. Yum. You are the Queen of Cakes.
Bobbsey Twins were a huge part of my childhood. My mom read them to me out loud, especially in the summer. Bert and Nan, Freddie and Flossie. What a blast from the past. My kids didn’t like them at all, and as an adult I realize they’re quite dated, but they still hold a very special place in my heart. There is an updated Bobbsey Twins series that we own and the kids have liked that better. (Set in modern times).
Nancy Drew was the formative series in my young life. I read through the complete series multiple times. My daughter has ZERO interest in them which breaks my heart just a bit, but what can you do? I’ve donated most of my Nancy Drew books, except the ones my grandmother inscribed to me (she would give me a fresh stack of Nancy Drew books for my birthday and at Christmas for years.
I read the Tom Hardy series. And Honey Bunch and Norman. And Trixie Belden, but never got really in to any of them.
The Boxcar Children was something I read in the summers from the library where we had a summer cottage. We had no running water or electricity so…I had a lot of time on my hands and I read so much. What happy memories. My kids have adored this series and we own a lot of the books.
Harry Potter. I grew up as these were being released. Played a big role in my tween/teen years.
Anne of Green Gables. I mean. I’m a Canadian girl. Of course I love these. The first three books (but especially the first) are divine. The rest I could skip, to be honest. They just get so dark and depressing.
Little House. I liked the show more than the books, but have read this series a number of times, most recently all the books to my kids during the start of the pandemic.
Babysitter’s Club. I read some of these growing up and loved them and now my daughter is just getting through a stage of loving them.
Sweet Valley High. YES! I was addicted to these books and can still remember a few scenes from some of the books. I think I must have read these behind my parents backs? I know they would never have approved.
I’ve never read a VC Andrews book and I’m very glad I didn’t read the book you discuss. Ugh!
Oooh I did like Trixie Beldon, but I never read many of those books. Like, maybe two?
I liked the Little House books better than the show but do not get me wrong – I also loved the show. There is a podcast, now defunct, called Gen X This Is Why, where they recap episodes of LHoP and it is WILD. It’s so fun, two sisters and you get such a good sibling vibe with them.
Happy 19th to your little baby!
For adult series, I’m Team Lucy Barton, and lately I’ve been obsessed with an Amish murder mystery series by Linda Castillo. I’ve read something like four of the books back to back. I’m about to finish one, and then I’m forcing myself to take a break to read a new book that just came in on Libby.
For Kid series, I still own my Little House books. I’m team Nancy and never got into the Bobbsey Twins, but we can still be friends. I remember being obsessed with Anne and Little Women at the time, but I barely remember them now. I think there’s a good chance we’ll do these for CBBC, so I’m holding off on rereading until then. Two other series that come to mind are Ramona by Beverly Cleary and Anastasia by Lois Lowery.
Good times!
It’s funny – I never liked Ramona or any of the Beverly Cleary books! Isn’t that odd? I did try to read them but didn’t like them.
I had forgotten about Sweet Valley High! I had to hide those and the Babysitters Club books from my mom. I’m not sure if she had issue with the content or just thought they were below my reading level? But I loved them!! Nancy Drew was the best and I just can’t believe you didn’t read those books. As an adult, I’ve read almost every Elin Hildebrand book because they are just the perfect go for a walk and listen to book…plus she talks about all the places where I grew up so I’m attached. I’ll have to read those Rosie books next. And I will never read Flowers in the Attic omg ewwwww.
I’ve read a couple Elin Hildebrand books and really enjoyed them! But I haven’t read enough to really know the characters or anything.
Oh, your tiny newborn son!!!! He’s so precious! You mentioned on my blog yesterday that it was his birthday and I thought “I hope she made a cake!”
BOOKS. I loved The Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew. And the Little House books, and I read Sweet Valley High and DEFINITELY read all the Flowers in the Attic books!!! Your quick synopsis of it was so horrifying, but yes, that’s exactly what happened. I remember at one point in my teenage years thinking how much harder it had gotten to find a good book. It just seemed so easy as a kid- there were all sorts of great things to read. I guess as we get older we get a little more discerning, and wouldn’t consider Flowers in the Attic “great,” ha ha.
I’m kind of sad I wasn’t younger when the Harry Potter books came out, but they still stand as the greatest series of all time, in my adult life for sure.
Jenny, I am tempted to reread it to see the insanity once again. I will keep you posted!
And you KNOW I had cake on the brain!
I borrowed the V.C Andrews books from my babysitter and read them secretly. My parents would have never let them in the house. They are pretty awful in retrospect. Can you believe novels are still being written under her name when she died almost 30 years ago?: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Neiderman
Our bookshelves would have a lot in common when we were children–except I still liked Jo’s Boys.
Whoa whoa whoa really??? That’s really something! I had no idea a) that she was dead so long ago and b) that books are still being published! This is nuts!
Thanks, Nicole! That was so sweet. I’ve been so vexed by this and thinking of reaching out to people individually but at the same time it felt kind of presumptuous so I haven’t done it.
I had a few Bobsey Twins books as child and BT in the Country was my very favorite. I read it over and over. Turns out I had an old copy with some problematic language about the black housekeeper which I discovered when I tried to read it to Noah. I found myself having to edit as I read and didn’t try reading it to North. I’m assuming it’s been fixed in current editions.
Beautiful cake.
Thanks again!
Anytime, my friend, I hope the issue gets fixed and soon!
I haven’t touched the books for a while so maybe I’ll have to look and see if there is any language in there that is problematic. My copies would have been from the late 70s/ early 80s so maybe they were updated.
Oh, that photo of you with your sweet baby! ❤️ And that cake!! Wow!!
I’ve never read anything by VC Andrews – and I think it’ll stay that way! I loved the Little House books, and Anne of Green Gables. I agree with you that the first one was the best. I never could get into Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.
TWINSIES!!
Hahaha I wonder what I would think if I read one of those VC Andrews books today!
What a delicious looking cake and such a sweet pic of you and your little peanut! Awww!
Ok, first, thank you for the synopsis of Flowers in the Attic, because I’ve always wondered what that was about. I’m glad I never read it as a teen. I think my worst choices then were Sidney Sheldon books.
I also love all Strout books, but wasn’t as fond of the Rosie series. I read so many series as a child. I’m surprised you found Bobbsey Twins books because they seemed old when I read them! I did love Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books, too. I also remember a Ginny and Geneva (best friends) series by Catherine Woolley that I was obsessed with. My daughters loved Babysitters Club, but didn’t really get into Sweet Valley High. And this is funny, but none of my kids had any interest in Harry Potter books. They were like the only ones of their generation to not care for it.
Oooh Sidney Sheldon – I didn’t read much of that but I did read a couple Danielle Steele novels. She is an incredibly prolific writer but I’d be hard-pressed to tell you any titles!
I didn’t read Hardy Boys but my brother did. I also have never read a Harry Potter. I tried to read the first one and I DNFed it within about ten pages.
Happy birthday to your son! And look at YOUNG Nicole with that adorable squishy baby!! What a sweet photo!
I don’t read many series either but I have read many of the ones mentioned in this post. My favorite series is the Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series. I typically don’t like mysteries but I love those books because of the cast of characters!! There is a series on Prime but I can’t bring myself to watch it as I don’t want it to ruin the mental image I have of all the various charming characters.
I also read V.C. Andrews. Gosh those were weird books. I don’t remember much about them besides the girl getting whipped and having terrible sores on her back from the whipping? I don’t think my mom had any idea what those books were about. Overall my mom was quite oblivious to what I was reading overall. She was too busy taking care of 5 kids and working, though.
Lisa, yes. You are remembering correctly! I think that was also Flowers in the Attic. There was some weird shit going on in those books.
And thank you! I also love that photo.
Oh how cute he is!!!!! Such a bundle!!! I always boggles my mind to think how amazing our bodies are: to host this creature, grow them, give them nutrition, then expel them and then they become these PEOPLE. Rainn was purple and slimy, and now he is this long-legged 4 year old who can be a little s**t sometimes. Oh the time…
I got Lyra some book series to get her into chapter books: Ivy and Bean, Amelia Bedelia, Star Friends, The Unis series, Tree house series… She is a bit resistant because maybe it’s too early for her…
Also, that cake looks divine. YOU ARE SO GOOD at baking!!!
Thank you so much!
Isn’t it crazy how fast time goes! Now he’s 19, 6 feet tall, and all grown up!
Did you ever read Babysitters Club? I used to enjoy the Wakefield twins, but they were so beautiful and I was never going to be tall, blonde, and thin, but I could be a dork who ran a babysitting club.
I read all the VC Andrews books! All of them. My Sweet Audrina still tortures me to this day. Why did we let children read these books?!
MY SWEET AUDRINA. What a book. SO CRAZY.
Engie, I was just a tiny bit too old for Babysitter’s Club, by the time they were published I had moved on – to VC Andrews and books like Elvis and Me.
OK, first off, happy birthday to the kid and wow does that cake look good!
As to series, yeah, I can think of a lot I read as a kid, all or in part (Mom shopped yard sales and book sales, so sometimes I only had a couple of a series): Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Cherry Ames, Boxcar Children. Definitely Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables!
I was an adult when Harry Potter came out and enjoyed the series, though the author’s more recent descent into full-on bananapants has sadly tarnished it in my mind. Other kids series I enjoyed as an adult are The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall, and Nevermoor, by Jessica Townsend.
As to adult series, depending on how you define it: the Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers, and soooo many sci-fi fantasy series: Murderbot and the Raksura books from Martha Wells, the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs, The Others series from Anne Bishop… so, so many.
Thanks so much C!
I guess I define a series as three or more books that are connected? That’s what I’ll stick with.
I have never heard of most of those series!
Oooooooohhhhh loook at sweet baby Nicole and her sweet baby!!!! I love how he is folded up into a little loaf. Adorable — happy birthday! The cake looks magnificent.
LOVE this post about favorite series — especially since it dipped quickly into series from The Past. If I had to limit my favorite series to 20, it would have to be divided into two separate lists, Series from The Past and Series from Adulthood. I wonder if I have 20 series in YA/Middle Grade books alone???? (I did read the Bobbsey Twins, but I was much more of a Nancy Drew fan. Titian-haired Nancy and plump Bess and athletic George — and of course distinguished Carson Drew, lawyer, and the endless supply of convertibles… A delight!)
Also we are book twins! I finished The Bee Sting last week! It was SO GOOD! I couldn’t stop listening to it. Although I have to admit that now I’m struggling a little to remember the ending. Also I want to ask you why you think it’s called The Bee Sting. Like… I get that “the bee sting” was a central event in the book, but also, is it metaphorically significant ENOUGH to be the title of the whole book?!?! I don’t know. Let’s discuss.
It’s SO funny I wasn’t into Nancy Drew! It feels like I SHOULD have been, it seems like it would be up my alley, but no.
I DO WANT TO DISCUSS THE BEE STING. What a work of art it was.
I was just reading Suzanne’s post the other day, trying to figure out which prompt to use! I had saved it for her ideas.
I read all of the Little House on the Prairie books to Anna when she was little.
Growing up, I didn’t read many series books. I didn’t enjoy reading very much. My friends did, but I did not. I’m making up for it now. 😊
I love that picture of you with your baby son. I love seeing pictures of us when we were in different stages of our lives, before blogging.
It’s such a good post for prompts and you can bet I’ll be using it again!
Thanks so much, I love that photo a lot.
I loved the Little House books SO MUCH as a child. And I put off reading Farmer Boy for ages, because it was about a boy, but later I caved and read it and LOVED it, possibly mostly for the descriptions of food. But also the milk-fed pumpkin, and training his own animals, and pouring water to save the crops from frost, and building an ice house for the watermelons, and the kids being left on their own for a few days and eating not quite ALL the sugar, and I guess I have veered back to food.
Anne of Green Gables: I loved it so, so much. Then I tried the other books, and did not like them. I know lots of people love the whole series, but for me the magic was absent after book one. Same with Little Women: first book (first two books, I guess, but in one book so it seemed like one book) was enrapturing; subsequent books, no interest.
V.C. Andrews: I had a friend who had two much-older sisters, and they had acquired these books, and they loaned them to my friend who loaned them to me. I had never read such things. Absolutely bonkers. I could not believe what I was reading. Flowers in the Attic. My Sweet Audrina. All the others blend together in my mind.
I remember being obsessed with a series of high-school romance books (written with a middle-school audience in mind, I believe), where half the book was from HER point of view and half from HIS point of view; you flipped the book over to read the second half.
OMG the food descriptions in Farmer Boy! They are so good. Also, remember the whole whipping thing at the school, that was NUTS. Anyway, the food! I read that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote that in response to her very hungry childhood, which is very touching and sad. I forgot about the part that they ate NOT ALL the sugar!
I REMEMBER THOSE BOOKS TOO!!! The flip books! What were they called? I must find out.
Oh my that sweet little baby – my heart… Happy birthday to him – and what a gorgeous cake you made him. I LOVED the Bobbsey Twins but also loved Nancy Drew. I pretty much loved every book I could get my hands on as a kid. I aged out on Sweet Valley High but my daughter read them all. I must admit I have never really read a book series from book one through. I remember my now-deceased aunt telling me about Flowers In the Attic and how good it was, but I never did read it. Now I’m wondering about my sweet Aunt Rose. I guess she had a dark side I never knew about.
Oops also meant to say the neither link you shared for Steph’s blog worked for me. Both said ‘problem loading page’.
Thanks so much, Pat, I’ve passed that on to her. I can see it but I hear some people can’t – maybe that’s the issue!
Hi, Pat. Thanks for trying to read. Would you mind trying again and posting here if it doesn’t work? My wife, who maintains the site, made a repair today. I think there are multiple issues, though, so it may only work for some people, depending on which issue was stopping the page from loading.
nope sorry still not working. I tried googling the name of your blog but still, sadly….no luck
Hahahaha Aunt Rose had a salty side, it seems!
I don’t know why I didn’t like Nancy Drew, but I was Bobbsey Twins all the way!
Happy birthday to that sweet little baby who is now a grown ass person!! That cake looks amazing; are you willing to share the recipe?
The only series that I can think of that I’ve read as an adult is Harry Potter. As a child, of course Nancy Drew, The Bobbsey Twins, etc.
Of course I’ll share! It’s a mash-up though. It’s this recipe, but I make layer cakes instead of cupcakes, and I make the chocolate frosting: https://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/nicole-macpherson-meatless-mummy-con-carne/20130909/pot-of-gold-chocolate-cupcake-recipe
The middle layer is a raspberry sauce (1 cup raspberries cooked with a teaspoon each of cornstarch and water, plus a tablespoon of white sugar) and also chocolate ganache, which I use 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup coconut milk. I add a ring of frosting around the edge, and frosting on top, then top with more ganache!
GOD I miss the babies.
I read all the Bobbsey Twins books too, but I also read Nancy Drew, until my cousin said something snarky about them that was also very true, and I could never un-see it after that, THANKS A LOT MICHELLE. I also read Trixie Belden, courtesy of my older-than-my-mom babysitter who had a bunch of old books in her basement. Give me a plucky girl detective any day.
I’ve only read the first Rosie book, and I didn’t feel like it needed any sequels, but with this recommendation I guess I need to revisit that.
When I saw the cake pic out of the corner of my eye I thought for a moment that the rasperries on the icing thingies were gnomes, which seemed so appropriate for you.
Oh, and how the hell DID we all manage to get our weird little hands on the VC Andrews books? (also, I thought she whipped the grandmother, not poured wax on her, but I really don’t want to revisit all that to find out for sure).
First off, WOW on Flowers in the Attic. I never read it, the only thing I know about it sometimes people will say they read it and it scarred them. I think I was the perfect age for it, too. I was 13 when it came out.
Favorite series for me…
I loved the Little House books SO much. I still have the set my mom bought when I was 8 or 9. I got started with Farmer Boy, because of Almonzo’s love for horses.
I also loved the Narnia books SO MUCH. First one I read was The Horse and His Boy, for obvious reasons. My favorite is probably The Magician’s Nephew, though I loved The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe almost as much. Not so fond of the Silver Chair, and don’t get me started on The Last Battle.
Oh, The Black Stallion books! There were so many in that series. I loved them all.
I read all (maybe?) of the Anne of Green Gables books, but it’s been so long that I only have a vague memory. Most of what I remember is from the TV show I guess.
I used to really like the Encyclopedia Brown books. There was a small series, maybe 4 or 5 books, about two sisters, Amy and Laura, that I really loved. My mom was the best mom, and SUCH a voracious reader, she would read whatever I read. So she read these books, and we would talk about them and laugh together and make up songs. Maybe I need to write a post about that. We also enjoyed reading the Paddington Bear books.
As an adult I got sucked in to reading the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series. Both were fine, but I don’t love love love them like some people do.
I remember Encyclopedia Brown, but I didn’t read them. Do you remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books?
I also never read Narnia but I read one of the Black Stallion books.
I’m kind of surprised you didn’t read Flowers in the Attic, I feel like it was such a thing for girls our age!
I don’t think i’ve ever read a series. It would be great to have a series so it kind of ensure the next reading experience will be a good one and comforting.
Can you say a bit more about the Lucy’s series? what do you like about it? is it fast? slow? plot or character driven? does it get better over time? I’m intrigued.
did you make that cake? looks so good!
Coco, the Lucy series is extremely character-driven, in fact I’m not even sure there is a plot! It’s about a woman who has overcome poverty, and all the people that were in her small town growing up. It’s very moving!
I did make that cake! It was yummy.
What a delicious baby AND CAKE. Happy birthday to your amazing son. (love that pic)
I don’t remember reading any series of books then, or now. I think I had one Nancy Drew book; also, I’m not into mysteries. Believe it or not, I did read Flowers In The Attic, was horrified as a young person, but as an adult, completely forgot the horrors and advised my child to read it. Lolo was astounded at the book and couldn’t believe I said she should read it. Have I mentioned that my memory does occasionally go blank? 🤣
I can understand why you would want a balloon made out of a pigs bladder; they’re all the rage.
Hahahaha Suz! “Here Lolo, you’ll like this!” That’s so funny. I actually want to reread it now and terrify myself anew.
Sorry to hear of Steph’s internet issues. The internet is great until it isn’t.
I did not read The Bobsey Twins. I did, however, read The Happy Hollisters. I believe it was a similar concept. Loved those books – but I am not currently into mysteries. I never read Flowers in the Attic. I had no idea of the horrifying content. Sweet mother, how awful.
The Bee Sting sounds excellent. Happy birthday to your son. The cake and the company sound delightful.
Thanks so much Ernie! I haven’t heard of the Happy Hollisters! There seems to be a lot of mystery-style series for kids for sure.
Happy Birthday to your baby boy… all growed up. I like the photo of you two. Your childhood books are a delight to see. I remember reading the Bobsey Twins but thinking back on them I now wonder how politically correct they’d be now? I adore Nancy Drew. I bet she’s timeless.
Ally, I’m a little nervous to revisit them because…well, I think that perhaps they don’t age well!
Awww…I love the picture of you and younger-son baby! Happy birthday wishes to him!
I don’t remember reading a lot of series books when I was younger — but maybe my memory is just bad. LOL My dad read a lot of short stories so I tended to read similar things. My late MIL loved and gifted me books from her favorites that became mine, too –like The Cat Who series (by Lilian Jackson Braun) and the alphabet series by Sue Grafton. I agree that mystery lends to series more; I have read my fair share of those. My son loved silly/funny books so the Amelia Bedelia series and the like were his favorites (and mine! LOL)
~M~
I remember reading a couple of Amelia Bedelia when I was a kid – I think she was the one who was totally literal when she interpreted instructions? Very fun!
Series fiction was my JAM as a kid. I was into The Baby-Sitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, the Gymnasts, Sleepover Friends, the Saddle Club, Nancy Drew, and OMG the Love Stories series had my HEART. I think this is where my love for romance novels comes from, lol. I would gobble up those little paperbacks like they were candy.
Have you read any of the Sweet Valley books as an adult? I tried the first one a few years ago and OMG, those girls are TOXIC.
I still read lots of series today, too! Like Lisa, I love the Inspector Gamache books and most romances are part of a series and I have a bit of completionist in me so I like to read them all.
I did read one several years ago – I think it was the one where Jessica dates a COLLEGE BOY (the guy with the moustache) and I laughed throughout. It was so 80s in its weirdness.
I read a few of those VC Andrews books and yes, so inappropriate. I did read a few Nancy Drew books, and also a few of the Enid Blyton series. I do read fantasy, SF and crime so I regularly read series as an adult.
Crime, fantasy and SF do lend themselves well to series! It must be fun for you to look forward to the next book.
I love the photo of young Nicole! Also you can tell we grew up in the same era because most of those books you mentioned (SVH, Little House, Anne etc) were the ones that I also grew up reading, including VC Andrews. If my parents only knew what they were about, I wonder if they would have stopped me. My Mom would not let us watch R rated movies, and I feel like VC had some R rated material! I will never forget the slow arsenic poisoning!
It was definitely R rated! Or at least PG 13. But I’m pretty sure there were some (incestual) sex scenes in there. MAYBE I’LL REREAD IT.
There was definitely incest, but I don’t recall her going into graphic detail (?) but maybe we all need to reread it! Flowers in the Attic: New CBBC book?
Oh, you and your little baby. I love it. Happy birthday to your son. Where did 19 years go???
Thanks San!
Had a long comment, but the gist is – I have found MY PEOPLE. Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, The Dark is Rising, LHOTP, A Wrinkle in Time, HP, Emily of New Moon, Anne… I could go on. Thank you for starting this conversation, you wonderful woman. <3
Aw, thanks Anne! Hope you are well.
Books are a very valuable thing. My mother loves to read, and her birthday is coming up soon. I plan to buy her an interesting novel, and also a beautiful hayloft graphic for the living room and maybe some sweets. I’m sure she’ll be happy with that 🙂
I am sure she will! What a nice idea.