Let's Talk: Top Three Favourite Series

Friday, August 24, 2012




Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!
Question: What are your top three favourite series of all time, and why?

I've often said I'm not really a series person, and that's not entirely true. I do love a good series. Truly. However, I do feel that series are a bit overplayed these days. There are some series (ahem...Shiver) that don't really need to be series in my humble opinion, whereas other stand-alones would royally rule as series. That said, regardless of my differing opinions, there are some series that I just can't help but love, and I can say with the utmost certainty that they will always be favourites of mine.

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - Ok, let's be honest here, guys. Is any list really complete without Harry? That's what I thought. I actually didn't start reading the series until the third book's release because, frankly, I thought I was MUCH too cool to read some dumb kids' book. I ate my words. My little sister, bless her, wore me down and convinced me to read them, and let's just say I was so obsessed with Harry that I attended many a midnight book release party...like this:


My point is that Harry Potter stays a favourite of mine because it's so much more than just sorcery and magic. It's about the magic of honour, and friends and truth. Values like that and worlds like the one in those books are simply incomparable.

2. Redwall by Brian Jacques - I don't know too many YA bloggers that understand my love of this series or have even read the series. I started it on a whim when I was about 12 years old. My older sister carried around Martin the Warrior, and it was a huge book. I wanted to look smart and carry a big book, too, so I decided I would...and I might as well try it, too. I was hooked from a few pages in. There is such incredible world-building in those books, and while they don't necessarily follow the same characters, the world and the values and morals stay the same. There is a beautiful, magical fantasy in those books that I love to lose myself in to this day.

3. Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan - I like a lot of good series, but this one managed to edge out of the competition on sheer entertainment value alone. I was convinced by a fellow blogger to give the first book a go when I was still a fledgling blogger. I did, and I read the first four books in three days...then I had to wait for the final book to come out. They're fun, they're engaging, they're a bit magical and silly, but they're mostly altogether just true entertainment at its best. I urge you to pick them up even if you think you're far too old for a MG series. You'll be pleasantly surprised, I'm sure.

Oh, and my runners up would have to be The Hunger Games, His Dark Materials, Vampire Academy and The Lying Game.

19 comments:

  1. 1- Harry Potter (of course)
    2- Vampire Academy... and Bloodlines :)
    3- Percy Jackson
    I have not read the Redwall series, maybe sometime soon. and for some reason I was never the biggest Hunger Games fan. But I am forever in love with Percy Jackson... and Adrian Ivashkov :)

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  2. See, I'm in love with Dimitri ;) haha I hate vampires, but I love Vampire Academy!

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  3. Awesome picture. You look like Luna.
    I've said this a million times but I really must read Percy.

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  4. Yes! Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter. I need to get a HP tattoo...

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  5. HP is my all-time favourite. I'm saw your link on the FF and dropped in, looked around and followed. Very nice blog, by the way. You can find me at: http://todayinshenaya.blogspot.com/

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  6. Harry Potter makes all lists ALWAYS. I love the series so much, and I can reread it ALL the time.


    Also, I love Percy Jackson. And all of Riordan's other series. It's such a great way to combine fun adventures with mythological elements!


    I have yet to read Redwall, but now I think I must.

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  7. Gah, me too. I'm thinking a Dumbledore quote on my left forearm :)

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  8. YES, Alexa, you MUST read Redwall! It's such a brilliant series :)

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  9. We talk about Percy Jackson around here like he's a real member of our family. Seriously. It's crazy.


    Your questions are hard. Only three? I seriously raised my eyebrows at that. I went against the flow and didn't put HP on my list.


    And yes, you need to get on the Chaos Walking books. They're dark and dystopian/apocalyptic with war and revolution and a little love and sci-fi. Are people ever all bad? Can there be a little bit of good in them? Hands down the best series I've ever read. It slayed me. So good. DO IT.

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  10. Hi!
    I just came across your site and it is really lovely! I happily followed you and will enjoy reading your updates. You can find me over at Rainy Day Reads, www.rainydayreads.com It would be great if you could stop by and I would love to have a fellow book lover as a new follower.
    Christine x
    Rainy Day Reads
    www.rainydayreads.com

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  11. Found your blog via FF- new GFC Follower!
    My FF~Caitlin :)

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  12. Lovely new feature, I'll join you all on linky next week :-) and my favourite series are: Harry Potter; Game of Thrones (non - YA) and The Infernal Devices.

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  13. I. Read. Redwall. Like all the books. It got to the point where I'd read the whole series all the way through in elementary school, than just turn around and start reading it all the way through again. I liked the battles, the heroism, the food (LOL) and the fact that major characters DIED. That had such an impact on me, when every other book saved death for minor characters.

    However, I have to admit to myself that it's a series that didn't really age very well. Redwall and Mattimeo still stand out and are AMAZNG - but the others got formulaic - in a pretty bad way. Coming back to the series, I was bothered by how the "good" species were good, and the "bad" species were bad, no exceptions. Very nature versus nurture and i didn't like the message that sent.

    "Taggurung" was the book that killed Redwall for me, essentially. I was already troubled by "Outcast of Redwall" - which had a "bad" species, a ferret, raised FROM BIRTH by literally the NICEST MICE IN THE WORLD - who grows up into a POISONER of all things? How did that happen? Oh right, his tainted ferret blood. He's just born evil. Right.

    And then Taggarung happened, which had the opposite story - a "good" species (an otter) raised by a "bad" species (rats) - and I thought: a bad ass Redwaller? With tattoos? And a bad attitude? AW YISS. But no. He's always been good, he's informed of his real parentage in a convenient dream, and the minute he disagrees with his foster rat dad, his rat dad becomes evil and determined to murder him. Right. No fatherly feelings after raising him from infancy. Nope. None at all. No ingrained loyalty and love for your rat dad. Nope. Because you're a pure good otter and he's a nasty rat and that's just how it works. That's when I finally got rid of the series.

    Also - I really couldn't understand how owls become a "good" species considering they EAT pretty much all the other good species (moles, mice, squirrels, etc). Oh right. They eat oatcakes. Despite that awesome owl villain dude in Redwall. Consistency. Nope.

    Still - Redwall and the books did change the way I looked at writing and reading. I loved the different accents, and the details, and the adventures. If it had had an ounce of nuanced characterization, this would have been my favourite series.

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  14. Nice! your right about harry potter! it isnt only magic, but about love, friendship, and truth! Ive only read 3 books of percy jackson, now i really wanna finish them! Great post!
    - Farah @ Maji Bookshelf

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  15. Well I have two for sure:


    1. Harry Potter
    2. Hunger Games


    The verdict is still out on the third one but I am thinking maybe... The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Trilogy), maybe?

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