Us Against You
Okay, so this isn't a series exactly (but maybe there will be a third, to turn it into one, who knows?) but rather a follow up to Beartown - but I had to mention it here because this pair makes for such great reading. Definitely need to start with Beartown (one of my favorite reads of 2017, by the way - review here), and then this story picks up right in the aftermath, following how this small town in the woods of Sweden grapples with the divisive incidents, both collectively and individually, following many of the same characters (but introducing a couple of newcomers). Hockey again is at the forefront, but again it's not just as a sport, but as an identity for a small, struggling town, how it's the thing that brings people together, or is the ticket "out" for some, and so on. I don't want to give away anything from either plot, so I won't say more, except to say that I loved these books - both have the same heavily foreshadowed storytelling style, which for me served to make them very compulsively readable. 4/5 stars
Rich People Problems
I loved reading Crazy Rich Asians - it's just such a fun romp, with these outlandish characters and their ostentatious wealth, but still a pretty good romantic comedy storyline overall - in fact, a plot that I was discussing with my mom as actually quite reminiscent of Jane Austen, the way that it's this small society set, and their concerns about money and marriage and status. So I of course wanted to read more once I finished it. But then I thought the second book (China Rich Girlfriend) was just okay, so I didn't have a lot of momentum going for book #3 - until I saw the movie version (SO good!) and got all gung-ho about it again. Unfortunately I was a bit let down again. I just don't find very many of the outrageous side characters as compelling as the main ones (Nick, Rachel, cousin Astrid), and it seemed like there were just so many side characters to keep track of in this one, that I just found the book a bit over the top yet also kind of boring at the same time. I think once the romantic tension of Nick and Rachel's romantic relationship is resolved, it feels like just a lot of wacky stuff happening, not as much of a cohesive story. It's like a TV series that has gone on too many seasons and loses its luster. So. All that to say: definitely recommend Crazy Rich Asians in both book and movie format, but this might not be a series to continue unless you're super into it, in my opinion. 2.5/5 stars
Lethal White
Ahh, J.K. Rowling (writing here under a pseudonym, of course) - she definitely has the ability to write a series where I finish a book and go, "ahhhhhhh how long do I have to wait for the next one?!" That was definitely the feeling I had when I finished book 3 in the Cormoran Strike detective series, and so I got my hands on this book 4 as soon as I could when it was released this fall. I also tore through it - I haven't shirked responsibilities to read this much for a while - and now am antsy for the next, of course. I thought the plot of this one was quite complex, with all of the current, historical, political, etc. elements that went into the detective case at the center of the story, which begins when a mentally ill boy bursts into their office, raving about an apparent murder he witnessed as a child. There's a lot to pull together in this plot, and I think it's done quite deftly, with addictive pacing. But what got me compulsively turning pages even more was the character development and personal lives of private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott, which picks right up where book 3 left off - they're both dealing with relationship issues, PTSD issues, and a whole lot of juicy tension between the two of them. This is a series where you probably should start at the beginning, to get the back stories of the characters and their development, since they're pretty well into the category of "character-driven mysteries" that I love, but fair warning that I found book 1 a little slow. It was good enough that I kept going though, and then I got really into the series with book 3 (sensitivity warning: creepy serial killer aspect that I had to skim portions of), and now book 4 (intense pace, but not too gory/yucky). 4/5 stars
Persons Unknown
As clearly established, I love a good detective series, and part of what makes it good in my mind is when the detective's personal life or past plays into the story just as much as the mystery they are solving (and also it helps if the detective British/Irish - I'm a sucker for these books!). In the case of this series about Detective Manon Bradshaw, I find them especially interesting because they've got a late 30s female protagonist who is struggling with her feelings about how while she is working herself ragged for her job, her biological clock is ticking... She just feels like a real, solid person, with real-life concerns. In this book, the follow up to Missing, Presumed (which I also enjoyed), Manon is now a single mom with an infant and an adopted pre-teen, and she's juggling caring for her kids, pursuing a potential romantic relationship, and, oh yeah, being a detective with long hours and lots of office politics (she's stuck on the cold case desk these days). When a murder happens near her home, she's already trying to scope things out, but then when her adopted son gets accused of the crime, things get really personal, and her loyalty to her family is pitted against her relationship with colleagues. Love the characters and the plot, but also how it delves into issues of motherhood, family, race, and more. I would say read Missing, Presumed first so you get the whole backstory and get to know Manon, and then this one is even better, so you have that to look forward to! 4/5 stars
The Thousandth Floor
This YA series takes place in an imagined New York City of 2118, where the residents of a 1,000-floor, mile-high skyscraper go about their lives with robots, genetic engineering, foods, etc. of the future - but the same social stratas, teenage relationship/parent drama, jealousies, deep dark secrets, and so on still exist. I admit that I haven't actually watched the series Gossip Girl (yet - it's on Netflix though - should I??), but from what I imagine of it, I think this series is kind of a futuristic Gossip Girl type thing with these Manhattan high school girls. You get a mix of YA angsty romance, page turner, and sci-fi (on the accessible level of something like Ready Player One or Artemis, rather than something totally sci-fi), and it all makes for quite a fun read, perfect for sitting by the pool with on our Palm Springs vacation. Loved the mix of characters and the pacing; I just didn't love the ending (in a ahhhh why does it have to turn out like this?? way, rather than a this is bad writing kind of way), and that leaves me with a little dread of what the characters are going to have to overcome in terms of relationships in the next book, so I haven't gone there yet... but I do plan to read books 2 and 3 eventually! 3.5/5 stars
Looking for other series to get into? In the detective category, my all-time favorite is Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series. I also enjoy Louise Penny's Armand Gamache mysteries (though I will say the earliest books in it are a little slow). One in the category of "fun romp" is the Kopp Sisters series. And companion set in YA land that I super love is Julie Murphy's Dumplin' and Puddin'. Oh, and I can't leave out Harry Potter - counting down to when I can read these books with Hendrik and relive that magic of my youth.
What are your favorite series that I should start in on?
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