Top 10 books is easy, but book series is a little bit more of a challenge! In the end I could only come up with nine!
9) The Animorphs by K.A. Applegate (I read these as a kid and went back years later to wonder in horrified fascination at how terrifying they were. These books were chock full of gore, horror, war, torture,despair and innocent children trapped in nightmare situations. Jesus, how did anyone let their young kids read these??? I’m glad they did though, because they were also kick-ass awesome)
8) The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters (I have to admit I haven’t read all of these, but I find them so entertaining. Kick-ass Victorian action couple excavate in Ancient Egypt and also solve murders. What more could you want? They’re very silly and melodramatic, but a ton of fun to read)
7) Miss Marple/Poirot by Agatha Christie (not sure these count as they’re really just self contained stories that just happen to have the same protagonists each time, as with most detective stories. But I adore them and read some of them again and again even knowing the endings)
6) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein (I know a lot of people find the books very slow, but I really enjoyed them. The movies will always be incredible, but the original story itself is really worth a read)
5) The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (ok yes these books have a LOT of issues, but I’ll admit it…I still enjoy the hell out of them. Magic! Explosions! Monsters! Badass long coats!)
4) The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (the later ones start to get a little meh, but I can’t think of another series - with the exception perhaps of Discworld - that just bursts with so much creativity and fun. The series is surreal and over-the-top but the main character of Thursday always keeps the story grounded, and these books are just a joy to read for any book lover)
3) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (although - blasphemy of blasphemies - I do actually slightly prefer the movies, the book series was great. It took a simple premise and really worked with it, and it’s one of the few YA franchises I can not only tolerate but really enjoy)
2) Discworld by Terry Pratchett (I can’t think of any author who has made me laugh as much, or who has taught me as much as Terry Pratchett has. My sense of humour and a lot of the way I look at life comes from him and his wonderful stories)
1) Harry Potter by J.K Rowling (What can I say? Great characters, an incredible epic story. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me a whole bunch of friends. I’m part of the Potter generation and a proud Ravenclaw. Glad to know that Hogwarts will always be there to welcome me home)