What's in a Series?

So I was thinking about doing a post about my favorite series of books (which I have a lot of). I'm also thinking that it might have to be in two parts. I have such a large number of series of books that I have read and that I'm currently reading, that I'm not sure where to start. I think I'll start off with the ones that I've finished so far. I'll also post an overview of the first book in each series. So you can decide if you would like to read it or not :)

Of course this is the first series in this post. This was the first series of books that I was completely obsessed with. You all know what I mean. To the point where you had to have it the day it came out. You were so excited when you started it and then when it ended you were sad because the realization hit that you had to wait another whole year for the next one (was it a whole year? I can't remember, but you catch my drift). These books are so amazing I couldn't begin to explain them. You have to read them to experience the greatness that is Harry Potter.




Overview:

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley — a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years. But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry — and anyone who reads about him — will find unforgettable. For it’s there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter. Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Before you even say anything I know this is actually just one book broken up into three parts. I also know that The Hobbit is a prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Which you don't have to read The Hobbit to understand the other books. But I have to include these books for the simple fact that I'm in love with Middle-earth. The books are magnificent. They're overflowing with detail and adventure (the movies are also very good!). I know for most people that these books are slow going because of all of the detail. That may be true, but with out all of it you wouldn't get the feeling of what Middle-earth is going through at the time.

Overview for The Hobbit:
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

Overview for The Fellowship of the Ring:  
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

I really love books with Greek mythology tied into it. These books don't have a ton of that, but they do have some. It makes them so much more intriguing. Plus the main characters each get a book that's from their point of view. I really liked that also. There are thirteen books in this series. Which I know is kind of a lot, but they are so worth the time to read them all. 

Overview: Vanessa is being followed. She doesn't know by whom, and she doesn't know what they want. But she knows why.Vanessa has a secret. She can become invisible, but the problem is, she can't control it. And her worst fear is being discovered. Only her best friend, Catty, knows, and Catty is different as well. She can travel back in time -- and take Vanessa with her.

When I first started reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I wasn't as sold on it as I thought I should've been. But I kept reading and then I couldn't stop. It was crazy how fast the book goes after the first few chapters. The second and third book are the same way. A little slow in the beginning and the they catch fire and don't stop till the last book.




Overview: Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.




Of course i had to put this series in here. I loved these books. I was completely obsessed with them when I started reading them. I couldn't put them down. I was up until two or three in the morning reading them. The story is great and not only that the characters draw you in. They are so well written. You feel everything they feel. If you haven't read these books please do yourself a favor and buy them! (btw I'm so excited for Catching Fire the movie to come out this year!)





Overview: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

This series was so interesting. A very different vampire series. It has a lot of Russian elements in it. Like the name for the living kind of vampire,the dead kind of vampire, and the kind of half human / half vampire that protect them (read it and you'll figure out what I'm talking about.) are in Russian. No, you don't need to know how to read Russian to understand this book. It just has touches here and there of it. It's a beautifully written series of books. I would highly recommend these books. (I hear they're in talks of making a movie of these books!)

Overview: St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . . Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

The first time I read Eragon I could not get into it. I finally picked it up again, and fell in love with it. These books are so amazing. Elves, Dragons, Magic, Dwarves, and evil kings. The story is wonderful and the characters are wonderful. I've read this series more than once and every time I find something I missed the last time. They are long books, but they are so worth reading.


Overview: The simple life of a poor farm boy is shattered when he finds a polished blue stone in the forest and he is thrust into a perilous world of destiny, magic, and power.

 So I know some people are going to give me hell about putting this series on here, but I had to. I do like this series no matter what anyone else says. The movies yes are questionable, but come on even the cast members were making fun of the movies. Everyone has their own opinion on these books and that's just fine. The books I think are good.They may not be the best series I've read, but they aren't the worst I've ever read either.



Overview:

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.