Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.

~Groucho Marx

I love a good book. When I want a quick light read, I usually grab a mystery or maybe one of the classics likes Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte.  However, when I'm in the mood to read (I mean REALLY read) I have to reach for a series. What I love about a good book series is the character and plot development. When you reach the end of the last book you feel like you've actually been somewhere, and you know each of the characters that were there. As I've thought about the book series I've read and loved, they've almost all been fantasy! Fantasy takes you out of the ordinary and brings you into the unbelievable............... if the author is awesome! These are some of my favorites.

The Harry Potter Series, JK Rowling - When you're talking about fantasy series, it's hard not to start with this one. When the books first came out, I was extremely slow to get on board. The controversy surrounding it (rumors of dark magic for kids) had me somewhat repulsed. Then, when the move came out my husband and I found ourselves watching it at our local dollar theater one evening when we were bored. I loved it! That Christmas he surprised me by getting the set, and I decided to tryand read them. (I didn't want to hurt his feelings!)  By the end of the week I had read through all four books in the set.  Later, when my father came to visit and asked what he could get me for Christmas (having put off his shopping 'til the last minute) I begged for the fifth one. JK Rowling creates a world of magic that exists alongside our own that is completely believable.  I love the themes of friendship, courage, and good overcoming evil that are evident throughout each of the books. The characters that Rowlings creates are lovable and real.  I'm so glad I finally decided to give them a try.  Two thumbs way up!

Twilight, Stephenie Meyer - This has to be the most resent and obsessive literary crazes. What I love about this series is the reinvention of the vampire. I know there are many that disagree with me, but (not being a Goth or vamp fan to begin with) I really appreciated the struggle this new "breed" presents as they try to overcome what they believe to be wrong, and become something better. I love Stephenie Meyer's ability to connect emotionally with her audience and bring background stories and depth to many of her characters. Although I didn't want to read these either at first, by the second book I was hooked. I even hub about each chapter in the first book at http://hubpages.com/hub/Twilight-A-Chapter-a-Day-Challange. The themes of love and the main character's struggle to figure out why she is unique, where she fits in, and who she will choose to love are themes that everyone can relate to in some form.  Meyer's way of dealing with these conflicts and the paranormal world of vampires (and also were wolves) has me reading and re-reading this series.

Fablehaven, Brandon Mull - This is a children's series by Brandon Mull that is not as well known as the first two I mentioned, but it is also very good. The story centers around two children who discover their grandparents live on a preserve for magical creatures of every kind. There are trolls, fairies, witches, imps, and brownies, to name a very few. I love the difference in the two children. Kendra is a 14 year old girl who follows the rules and tends to hold back and think before she acts. Her brother, 10 year old Seth, disregards the rules to act on his impulses, and he tends to get himself into trouble. As the series progresses the children find themselves deeper entrenched in this magical realm and eventually they find themselves fighting against the evil forces that are trying to over throw it and bring darkness to the world. The fifth book is set to release in March of 2010.

The Original Shannara Series, Terry Brooks - A friend of my mother’s brought her a bag of books to borrow when I was a teenager. In it I found the The Wishsong of Shannara.  I read it and loved it!   It wasn’t until I was an adult that I discovered it was the last of three. The friend who told me this had them and lent them all to me, and I quickly devoured them. Instead of following the same characters throughout these books, the author writes about a family line and how magic was introduced into it. It reminds me of The Lord of the Rings in many ways.  There are dangerous quests and an all knowing magical guide through them. Instead of a wizard though, this guide is an accient druid. Like LOTR it has gnomes, dwarfs, wraiths, elves and men. I love the genealogy aspect (the following of different generations) and the different ways the magic manifests itself in each one. This series produced prequels and several sequels, all of which are on my to-read list.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Rick Riordan - My oldest son and I read these together and we loved them. The movie Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief is actually coming to the theaters February 2010. These books are about a boy who finds out that he isn't quite normal. Percy discovers that he is part god and in fact, the Greek gods that he has learned about in school are still around. He is sent to Camp Half-Blood (a summer camp for demi-gods) where he trains and goes on quests that lead him to save the world (Of course). When you read the first book it's hard not to compare it with Harry Potter, but as you get further into the books they pull away from the Potter comparison and take on a life of their own. The characters are well developed and the humor is sarcastic and witty. I also really enjoyed the many Greek legends and myths that Rick Riordan manages to pull into the story lines. My son loved them so much he is now reading any mythology book he can get his hands on, and he is waiting (not very patiently) for the movie to come out next year. I'm pretty anxious as well!

A Wrikle in Time Quintet, Madeline L'Engle- Many of you have probably heard of A Wrinkle in Time, but did you know it's part of a Quintet? These books are a different kind of series. Somewhat like the Shannara Series, they focus on an entire family, and the timeline skips around quite a bit. Each book is a story in itself, and they really don't have to be read in any particular order. Madeline L'Engle was very much like a female C.S.Lewis. The stories are imaginative, well written, and carefully woven with traditional Christian values. After A Wrinkle in Time isA Wind in the Door.  This story brings Meg and Calvin together again as they travel inside Charles Wallace to save him from an unexplainable illness. I still enjoyed this book, but out of the four books it's probably the hardest to follow. My favorite of the series is the third book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. It features Charles Wallace as a teenager. He is sent on a mission of sorts to again go through time and space in order to explore and change the past of a political dictator who is threatening the world with nuclear war. Next, the twins Sandy and Dennys are the main characters of Many Waters.  This book has the boys going back to the time of Noah, right before the big flood.  They learn that there are angelic beings still on the Earth at this time.  Some of them are good and are trying to prepare the people for the fool.  Then some are bad and are leading the people astray.  The concept is very different and interesting.  The last in the series, An Acceptable Time, is about Meg's daughter Polly.  She discovers overlapping circles of time that lead her and her friend back 3,000 years. They fight for their lives amongst an Native American tribe.  I loved this book series. Although it's a light and easy read, (L'Engle was mainly writing for children and young adults) it can also be very thought provoking at times.