You know that book that you will recommend to anyone who’s just starting out with their literary journey. That book that you can read and reread and reread until someone’s reading a passage to you and you know exactly what’s coming next, what happened before, and how it comes back to bite the characters in the butt come the second book. 

Today I’m going to share with you guys my top series/books that will suck you in and leave you begging for more.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes Of Olympus/Trials of Apollo (Rick Riordan)

Rick Riordan has been my favourite author for years, and chances are you’ll be hearing a lot from me about Rick and his many series and endeavours relating to Camp Half Blood and the Percy Jackson series. He created this series for his son who was struggling with ADHD and dyslexia, and now it’s a world renowned series with spinoffs, movies (that suck), and more. The three series grouped together here are all technically one big storyline with similar characters and are all based on and around Greek mythology. It’s a pretty famous series already, but let me explain for those of you who have not read it yet. 

The first series (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) follows the story of Percy Jackson himself, who is a demigod (half human, half Greek God). He is the son of Poseidon, meaning he has power over the water (as well as some other cool abilities). He, along with most of his other demigod friends that he meets along the way, have ADHD and dyslexia, since the series was made for Rick’s son. There are five books in this series that all tell the story of how Percy and his friends help defeat Kronos the titan (a being who came even before the gods). You may sometimes see this series abbreviated to “PJO”. 

The second series (Heroes Of Olympus) follows multiple points of view all throughout the series. It follows (mostly) nine demigods: Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Reyna, and Nico as they try to stop the primordial goddess Gaea from awakening. Gaea is the Greek personification of the Earth. So if the earth literally woke up and had a mind of its own… things would get pretty hairy pretty fast. This series is sometimes abbreviated to “HOO”. 

The third series (Trials of Apollo) follows the god Apollo after he has been cast down as a mortal by the name Lester Papadopoulous. Apparently ancient dead Roman Emperors have come back from the dead and are trying to get power and immortality. Apollo/Lester, along with demigod friends that help him get used to his newfound mortality, have to stop the emperors from obtaining this insane power. And this series is sometimes abbreviated to “TOA”. 

Magnus Chase and the Gods Of Asgard (Rick Riordan)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (MCGA for short) is not based on Greek myth, but rather Norse Myth. You might already be familiar with the Thor movies, including characters such as Odin, Loki, Thor himself, and many more that reference this mythology. 

After living on the streets since his mother’s death, Magnus dies in his first battle at the age of sixteen and is brought to Valhalla, the afterlife for those who have died a heroic death. He learns he is the son of the Norse god Frey, god of summer, abundance, and wealth. This gives him special abilities that few on Earth (or any other of the nine worlds) have. Each of the three books in this series have their own plot and are very easily distinguishable, but are also part of one big storyline. It has a very diverse cast and very loveable characters, from Halfborn Gunderson, the barbarian, to TJ (Thomas Jefferson) Jr, who died in the American Civil War and is the son to a freed slave and the Norse god of war, Tyr. Each are unique characters with developed backstory and great personalities… 

Honestly, you cannot convince me that there is any series out there more perfect than this one. If you’re starting out in the Rick Riordan universe, this is a must-read — and highly underrated!

The Kane Chronicles (Rick Riordan)

I’ll have to admit, the Kane Chronicles is not my favourite out of all the books Rick Riordan has written, but it is still a great series, intriguing and easy-to-read. 

The Kane Chronicles, or TKC for short, is based on Egyptian mythology, and follows Carter and Sadie Kane on their adventures. Since the death of their mother, Carter and Sadie have been living very vastly different lives. Carter travels around the world with his father Julius Kane, a renowned Egyptologit with many secrets. He is mostly homeschooled and is never in one country for too long. Sadie, on the other hand, lives a calm life in Britain with her grandmother and grandfather. Carter is the more responsible, quieter, older sibling who would rather not rush to do anything and think it out first. Sadie is a wild child, adorned with combat boots and colourful hair. Planning is not a very often-used word in her vocabulary. 

An accident at a museum in which their father mysteriously disappears, they are introduced to a world of magic and deities long thought to be forgotten in history books. Turns out the gods of Egypt are alive and kicking in the modern world.

But if the gods are alive, so are the monsters… and the demons… and Apophis, the chaos snake that could bring about the end of the world… 

The Lord Of The Rings/The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Where do I even start with how incredible this series is?

I’ve talked about my love for Tolkien’s works in my Classics post so if you want to read my recommendation there you can. But in a nutshell, The Hobbit is the prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. 

The Hobbit is about Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, going on an adventure with a wizard named Gandalf and twelve dwarves, to reclaim the dwarves’ homeland at the Lonely Mountain, which is unfortunately inhabited by a dragon. Along the way, Bilbo finds a magic ring which can turn him invisible, which we end up learning the significance of in the LoTR trilogy. 

The Lord of the Rings is about Frodo Baggins (Bilbo’s nephew) who inherits Bilbo’s ring, and learns from Gandalf, who by now is an old friend to the Baggins family, that this is the one Ring Of Power. It was created by Sauron, a Dark Lord who sought power over all Middle Earth. This ring corrupts all those who have it until they essentially cannot live without it. Frodo, along with eight other members of the Fellowship of the Ring, has to throw the ring into the ‘fires of Mount Doom’ to end Sauron’s reign of fear. 

Middle Earth has such a rich history, so much so that sometimes you forget that one person, J. R. R. Tolkien created this series that has now become an international phenomenon and a classic loved by many. 

Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery)

This Canadian classic series has eight books:

• Anne of Green Gables
• Anne of Avonlea
• Anne of the Island
• Anne of Windy Poplars
• Anne’s House of Dreams
• Anne of Ingleside
• Rainbow Valley 
• Rilla of Ingleside

The story is set in the late 1800s on Prince Edward Island. It’s become such an international hit that there is now the Green Gables heritage site in Cavendish, PEI as well as a historic site for Lucy Maud Montgomery’s childhood home. 

The first book is about how Anne Shirley is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert by accident. They wanted to adopt a young boy to help Matthew on the farm as he got older, but through word of mouth and a big mixup, they ended up with Anne. Matthew, being the sweet older gentleman that he is, is immediately charmed by Anne. Marilla, on the other hand, would rather send her back.

After Anne finally gets to stay, the story continues, with Anne’s life in Avonlea and in Green Gables as she falls in love with the shores of PEI, while she tries her best to get Marilla to love her, and to be worthy of staying at Green Gables. It’s a story about an unexpected family and finding a home where you might least expect it. 

So there you have it! My top five book series recommendations. If you check them out to read, great! I can’t wait to hear about what you think! If it’s not your style, that’s fine as well! 

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Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska