Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Book Round-Up. I love reading book series/serials and since I just finished one I’ve been reading for the last couple years, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about some of my all-time favorites. They’ve ended, of course, and I’ve mourned their loss, my quiet sobs echoing off my bookshelves. I’ve listed the first book in the series for you to get a jump start. Please note: the genres are varied but I highly recommend them all.
Beginning of a Hero (Legends of Windemere Book 1) by Charles E Yallowitz (Fantasy)
Every hero must take the first courageous step into adventure. For Luke Callindor, it’s more of a blind stumble.
Depending more on bravery than common sense, Luke sets out to protect a royal heir who is attending the prestigious Hamilton Military Academy. With a demonic assassin in the shadows, the determined warrior will have to think on his feet to defend his charge. If only he waited long enough to find out which student is the hidden noble.
With Luke’s dream on the horizon and a deadly enemy on his path, how will he transform from a reckless adventurer to a true hero of Windemere?
The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Book 1) by J. R. R. Tolkien (Fantasy)
Sauron, the Dark Lord, has gathered to him all the Rings of Power – the means by which he intends to rule Middle-earth. All he lacks in his plans for dominion is the One Ring – the ring that rules them all – which has fallen into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.
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.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s great work of imaginative fiction has been labelled both a heroic romance and a classic fantasy fiction. By turns comic and homely, epic and diabolic, the narrative moves through countless changes of scene and character in an imaginary world which is totally convincing in its detail.
Dune by Frank Herbert (Science Fiction)
Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides—who would become known as Muad’Dib—and of a great family’s ambition to bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol (Children's Literature)
A Civil War sword...
A watermelon stabbing...
Missing roller skates...
A trapeze artist's inheritance...
And an eyewitness who's legally blind!
Theses are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Double Love (Sweet Valley High #1) by Francine Pascal (Teen/YA)
Who will Todd choose—the glamorous Jessica or the gentle Elizabeth?
Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are identical twins—beautiful, blonde, perfect—but they couldn't be more different from each other. Elizabeth is friendly, good-natured, and kind, and the complete opposite of her clever, conniving sister. Jessica believes the world revolves around her…and the problem is that most of the time it does. Jessica always gets what she wants—at school, amongst her friends, and especially with boys.
This time, she's got her eye on Todd Wilkins, the good-looking star of Sweet Valley High's basketball team—and the one boy Elizabeth really likes. Now the twins are in a game of double love, with Todd as first prize. Will Elizabeth fight for the Todd? What will Jessica stoop to in order to get what she wants? Can the bonds of sisterhood stand up to the pangs of a broken heart?
Welcome to Sweet Valley High… the beloved series by Francine Pascal.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie (Mystery)
Hercule Poirot solves his first case in the Agatha Christie novel that started it all, now in a fully restored edition that features a “missing chapter” along with commentary from Christie expert John Curran.
Who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorp and how did the murderer penetrate and escape from her locked bedroom? Suspects abound in the quaint village of Styles St. Mary—from the heiress's fawning new husband to her two stepsons, her volatile housekeeper, and a pretty nurse who works in a hospital dispensary.
With impeccable timing, and making his unforgettable debut, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is on the case.
The Black Lyon (The Montgomery/Taggert Family Book 1) by Jude Deveraux (Historical Romance)
A Classic Love Story of a Fearless Lord and the Woman Who Tamed Him
Darkly handsome and rich beyond imagining, the bold English conqueror was called “the Black Lyon” for his lionlike ferocity. He had no match among enemies, or women . . . until he met Lyonene, the green-eyed beauty whose fiery spirit equaled his own.
Through a whirlwind romance and stormy marriage, she endured every peril to be by his side, until vicious lies and jealousy drove her into danger. Now only the fierce Black Lyon can save her—for he alone has the courage to destroy the ruthless plot threatening to shatter the bond of love the Lyon and his lady vowed would never be broken . . .
Lucifer's Daughter (Princess of Hell Book 1) by Eve Langlais (Paranormal Romance)
It drives my dad nuts I’m such a goody two shoes, but the fact that I’m a virgin makes smoke pour from his ears. See, I’m determined to save myself for love, but daddy dear, more commonly known as Lucifer, just wants me to stop being an embarrassment. Would it kill you to sin a little?
Maybe he’ll get his wish because I met an intriguing hunk last night in my bar. Could he be the one? He certainly melts my panties like marshmallows over the coals of Hell, but do I dare trust him? My last boyfriend thought he’d gain infamy by killing me. He’s infamous all right. Dad had him mounted on a wall, his version of modern art titled, ‘Touch my baby girl and die’. Cute in a twisted way.
My love life isn’t the only thing I've got to worry about. There’s someone threatening the denizens of Hell, and while my daddy says to not worry my pretty little head about it, I an involved because whoever is behind the attacks keeps coming after me.
Bring it. I’m not afraid. Being a princess of Hell means that sometimes I have to grab a demon by the horns and slap it around. It’s what keeps my ass looking great.
Nothing in my life is ever simple, and I blame that on my dad, Lucifer. Assassination attempts, hellhounds, and a rebellion in Hell? A piece of cake compared to the turmoil in my heart. No one ever told me love would be the toughest battle of all.
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Historical Fiction)
In Marion Zimmer Bradley's masterpiece, we see the tumult and adventures of Camelot's court through the eyes of the women who bolstered the king's rise and schemed for his fall. From their childhoods through the ultimate fulfillment of their destinies, we follow these women and the diverse cast of characters that surrounds them as the great Arthurian epic unfolds stunningly before us. As Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar struggle for control over the fate of Arthur's kingdom, as the Knights of the Round Table take on their infamous quest, as Merlin and Viviane wield their magics for the future of Old Britain, the Isle of Avalon slips further into the impenetrable mists of memory, until the fissure between old and new worlds' and old and new religions' claims its most famous victim.
What are some of your favorite book series you’ve read? Share in the comments below and don’t forget to share using the buttons below. See you next week!
MRS N, Book Addict