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I’ve been hooked on book series ever since I read Little Women and its sequels when I was in third grade. That was followed by lots of Little House on the Prairie, Babysitters Club, and Sweet Valley High. I’m still a binge reader and I love finding a good series where I can escape into the past or a different world, and spend time with cast of interesting characters.

My favorite series probably aren’t too hard to guess: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Outlander, Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings. I love series for younger readers like Percy Jackson and a Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as lighter, funny series like Shopaholic and Stephanie Plum.  

Here are some book series I’ve been obsessed with this year. 

Crazy Rich Asians

I’ve been revisiting Kevin Kwan’s chronicles of high society in Singapore, Hong Kong and China for a book club, and it’s still just as fun on round two. Crazy Rich Asians reminds me of an Austen plot where the ordinary girl is thrust into fancy society, there are extravagant dinner parties and weddings, and everyone is super judgey, obsessed with fashion, food and inheritances. *

When I first listened to the series, I was just floored by the wealth and excess. I was bummed at how Rachel gets sidelined in most of Rich People Problems. But the second time around, I’m really loving the secondary characters: Oliver T’sien, Eddie Cheng, Shang Su Yi, Kitty Pong, and, Eleanor Young’s squad. I find them so much more interesting than Astrid Leong. I just want that lady to sit down and read some of my favorite girl boss/inspirational type books and get away from all the crazies in her life.*

I love audiobooks when I’m reading books set in other countries since it’s cool to hear the accents and pronunciations of words in other languages. Alamak is now my favorite word in Singlish. My only issue with the audiobooks on this series is the change in narrator. I enjoyed Lynn Chen’s performance of Crazy Rich Asians, so I was thrown off when Lydia Look took over in China Rich Girlfriend. The series also makes me hungry – even though I have no idea what most of these dishes are. There’s a lot of food. *

The Broken Earth 

N.K. Jemisin’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy series is like nothing I’ve ever read. I don’t even know how to adequately describe The Fifth Season, and its sequels, The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky. This is a world where society has been divided into castes to ensure survival. There are some people who have gifts or powers and are feared for their abilities. Every few years the world is rocked by catastrophic “seasons,” which devastate this world and turn communities against each other and even their own members. *

I love that this story is filled with strong women and complex relationships. My favorite is Essun, a mother with many secrets who is on a journey to find her daughter amid the arrival of the latest season.

Magic, history, nature and beings exist in unexpected ways. The narration switches between characters, but also points of view, putting you into the character’s shoes. Environmental and race issues of our world are woven into the world of the Stillness. 

It might be a challenging series to read or listen to, but I think it gets easier and increasingly fascinating as you discover more of the world and relationships that N.K. Jemisin has created. 

Throne of Glass 

My oldest niece is a big reader and she kept telling me I needed to read Sarah J. Maas’s books. I started with Court of Throne and Roses series, and then I dove deeply into the world of Throne of Glass. This series is one of the most addictive I’ve ever read. It’s another series where I love the characters and world. Each book expands the world and creates more mysteries. *

This series starts with Throne of Glass, in which Celaena Sardothien, a prisoner in the kingdom’s treacherous mines, is entered into a competition to earn the title of king’s assassin. Sounds a bit Hunger Games, right? 

But each time I thought something was kind of derivative, Maas threw in a twist. There are love triangles that just fall apart, characters who seem random but end up being my favorites (I’m looking at you, Manon Blackbeak), shocking deaths that will make you very angry, and many more surprises in these thousands of pages. The books are long, but I read them all very quickly on my Kindle.

The books in order are: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower at Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash.

The world is medieval and magical, although the king of Adarlan has found a way to stop magic. Yet the characters have a modern sense of humor and snark. It’s one of these series where you’ll laugh and cry hard, fall in love with characters and pick up the next book as soon as you’re done with one. I also highly recommend reading Maas’s collection of novellas, Assassin’s Blade, before you get to book six, Tower of Dawn. (I didn’t think I’d like Tower of Dawn, ala Feast of Crows because it focuses on characters taking a different journey, but it was one of my favorite parts of the series.)

Celaena is another fascinating hero. The first book introduces just how smart and deadly she can be. While at the same time the girl loves her music, puppies and fashion. She’s passionate, loyal and mysterious. Her talents and passions grow or are revealed as the story progresses. 

I really think there is nothing Celaena Sardothien or Sarah Mass can’t do. 

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What are some of your favorite book series? Comment below if you’ve read any of these books and let me know if you have some good suggestions for books I should check out next!

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Robin Cabana loves to nerd out about Star Wars, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Disney and so much more. She has a pug named Penny and lives in New Jersey.