Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Best Series Books of 2009

I've been meaning to recommend these as part of a GREAT BOOKS I READ IN 2009 post, but I don't think that post is going to happen.  January is almost over, and I read way too many great books last year.  No, I mean it. One of my older sisters tried to talk me to going to a 12-steps type program for my reading addiction, but I'm not willing to kick the habit.  In this post, I am only going to tackle a few of my favorite series books, and I am only going to post one picture from each series.

Easy Readers - the ELEPHANT AND PIGGY books, by Mo Willems.  If you have a child learning to read, especially a boy, you'll want to check these out.  Funny books are the best!

I Will Surprise My Friend! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)

YA Science Fiction - the DRAGONBACK ADVENTURES, by Timothy Zahn.  I almost didn't pick these up because I wasn't crazy about the cover on the first one (that still isn't the way I picture the characters), but I knew I liked Zahn's writing.  I can't recommend these enough.  I loved Draco, the warrior poet.  He was one of those characters you want to hang out with, and he's not even the main character.  I loved the plot loops and the way Zahn resolved them.  I will read all six of these books again. This is the first one.

Dragon and Thief: The First Dragonback Adventure (Dragonback (Quality))

Children's/YA Fantasy - PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan.  There are six of these as well.  I went into this series skeptical, and I'm still marveling over the man's ability to incorporate mythology without getting bogged down in it.  There were no bogs.  The stories were extremely fast paced, but I still connected with the characters and understood what was going on.  Everyone I've recommended this series to has loved it, especially the boys. My favorite in the series was THE SEA OF MONSTERS, but I've always loved THE ODYSSEY. This is a picture of the first book.  

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

If you've read any of these books already, or if you pick them up, let me know what you think.     

7 comments:

  1. I'll have to check out the Timothy Zahn books. Thanks for the reccomendations!

    And I love the other two ones too.

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  2. I've read a few of Mo Willems' books to the kids and they enjoyed them. I'm currently reading the Percy Jackson series and love them so far. I'll have to try the Timothy Zahn books. I'm always looking for some good books to read. I get a bit panicky if I don't have at least one book on my nightstand to read. :)

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  3. You're welcome, Jackee!

    Rorie, I think our library has all of Zahn's books shelved in the adult fantasy/sci-fi section. I'm not sure why. Maybe they haven't read them.

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  4. Oh, Myrna. Didn't you know I already have a stack of books on my end table that I'm trying to finish? Looks like I'll have to add a few more... :)

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  5. I loved the Percy Jackson series! I finished all of them in about 2 1/2 weeks! I actually borrowed the last one from your niece, because the waiting list at the library was too long!

    I will have to check the others out, thanks for the info.

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  6. Krista, if you haven't read these, you should add them.

    You're welcome, Maile. Did Kim tell you I gave her the last one for her birthday? She was so excited that she read the whole thing at my house, with Jeremy trying to steal it and then calling dibs when she was done.

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  7. I loved the Percy Jackson series and so did both of my kids. We've marked our calendars for the day the movie comes out. We know it won't be as good as the books, but we're still excited to see it.

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