Let's Talk: Top Three Favourite Series

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.