I love to read and tend to churn through books so fast that sometimes a good series is the only way to handle my turnover rate. I was the kid who skipped the first 5 chapters of Babysitters Club books because I didn't have time to waste on all those repeat character descriptions. What I haven't managed is to snag one of these mugs from Lenny Mud. My family is hereby on notice for Christmas.

I've been on a cowboy theme lately, having read Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy awhile back. Then I realized I'd never seen the Lonesome Dove movie series, and naturally decided to read the books first. I'm reading them chronologically per the story and not by when Larry McMurtry penned them. Woodrow Call and Augustus McCray aren't perfect men, but they've got my heart.

Dead Man's Walk, Comanche Moon, Lonesome Dove & Streets of Laredo

I've mentioned before how much I love period dramas, and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is like period drama-reader crack. Scotland, history, fascinating details, and soft core romance (risque for me until I read Fifty Shades of Grey. Don't even go there). I don't know why I hadn't read Gabaldon earlier -- Outlander is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. There are seven novels in the series, so far. When you read one of the books, you'll know why it takes her 3-4 years to write each one.

If you haven't read Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest), you should. Be prepared for a political thriller with some graphic sexual torture, though it is central to the story. Be patient with the Swedish proper nouns, which are packed full of consonants and take time to distinguish with our English reading brains.

By now everyone's read The Hunger Games. If you're eschewing these books out of anti-trend sentiment, get over it. They're well written, exciting, and heart-breaking. Good writing can be found in the YA class, you know.

(Side note: Twilight is not well written, though it is entertaining.)

(Mumbled note: Shades of Grey is not well written and is horny. I mean corny.)

What is your favorite book series?

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