This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is “Ten Favourite Books from Ten Series” (submitted by A Hot Cup of Pleasure).
I have limited this to one series per author and have only included series where I have read most or all of the published books. I’ve linked to my reviews where available.
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- Version 1.0.0
1. Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series: A Murder is Announced
2. Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife
3. Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles: The Disorderly Knights
4. Anthony Trollope’s Chronicles of Barsetshire: Doctor Thorne
5. Sharon Bolton’s Lacey Flint series: The Dark
6. Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters: The Shadow Sister
7. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series: Dragonfly in Amber
8. Andrew Taylor’s Marwood and Lovett series: The Royal Secret
9. Anthony Horowitz’s Horowitz and Hawthorne series: Close to Death
10 M.M. Kaye’s Death In… series: Death in Kashmir
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What do you think? Have you read any of these series – and if so, do you disagree with my choices?
She Reads Novels 
I’ve read some of these – 1, 4, 6. 8 & 9. I loved them too. I haven’t read the Katharine Parr book, which I must get round to sometime. The only book in M M Kaye’s Death in series I’ve read is Death in Berlin.
I find Katharine Parr the most likeable of Henry’s six wives, so it’s not surprising that I enjoyed that book the most. Death in Berlin was actually one of my least favourites from the Death In series – I loved most of the others!
I haven’t read any of the Outlander series and only one of the Lymond chronicles but loved the others. A Murder is Announced is on my TBR for this month as part of the ReadChristie challenge.
I struggled to choose my favourite Miss Marple book, but A Murder is Announced is one I particularly enjoyed! I’m not sure if I’ll have time to read a Christie book for the challenge this month, but I’ll try to fit something in.
They don’t take long to read so I’m sure you can squeeze one in somehow 😃
I’ve only read the first three books of the Outlander series but of those, I’d agree, Dragonfly in Amber is my favourite too!
The first three books are the best – once the action moves to America in the fourth book, the series seems to lose its way a little bit, in my opinion. I thought Dragonfly was the most emotional, particularly the ending!
I have read all of the Miss Marple books. I really like her ‘down to earth’ and commonsense approach to the mysteries. I read the first 3 of the Outlander series then lost interest as the venue moved to America. I really enjoyed the ones set in Scotland. My favourite was Outlander followed by Voyager.
Lucinda Riley is one of my all time favourite authors. I have read everything that she has written. Sadly she is no longer with us but she certainly has left a wonderful legacy. I am planning a re read of her Seven Sisters books. Perhaps I will listen to them this time.
I think I still have two Miss Marple books left to read. I tend to prefer the Poirot mysteries, but Christie is always enjoyable. And yes, the first three Outlander books are the strongest, I think. I’ve struggled with the most recent ones, which seem to be getting longer and longer.
The above comment was posted by Paula Smith
I’m glad you were able to comment eventually, Paula.
I love both Sharon Bolton’s Lacey Flint series and M.M. Kaye’s books. Death in Kashmir is probably my favorite, too, though I do also really love Death in Cyprus. And I still need to read The Dark. It’s sitting on my shelf gathering dust, which is sad. I need to rectify that. 😀
I hope you enjoy The Dark whenever you find time to read it. I really loved that one! And yes, I liked Death in Cyprus too – it’s probably my second favourite in that series.
P.S. That’s my comment above… Lark@Larkwrites.blogspot.com. It wouldn’t let me add my info for some reason.
Thanks, Lark! There seems to be a problem with WordPress letting people comment today.
Good choices. I’ve only read the Trollope, but have read others by several of these authors.
Thanks. It was hard to pick favourites for some of these series!
Interesting choice of the the Trollope. I wasn’t that fascinated by Dr Thorpe – I think I found the political element just too wearisome. I really loved the first and the last books in the series the most.
It was either that one or Barchester Towers for me, but I did enjoy the whole series. I could cope with the amount of political detail in Dr Thorne, but find it a bit overwhelming in the Palliser series, which I’m still working through.
Great list. I’m slowly working my way through the Lymond Chronicles, and The Disorderly Knights is up next for me. I keep procrastinating because I know they’re not easy reads, but I also know that once I start I’ll be hooked.
It’s interesting: I love Outlander but Dragonfly in Amber was one of my least favorite in the series. I enjoyed it, but I found it more of a slog than I did for most of the others.
I also love the Horowitz and Hawthorne series, but I haven’t read Close to Death yet. It’s waiting for me on my shelf!
Here’s my list: https://franlaniado.wordpress.com/2024/08/06/top-ten-tuesday-best-in-series/
I loved all of the Lymond Chronicles, but I particularly enjoyed The Disorderly Knights as it sets up some important storylines and introduces a great villain! They’re definitely challenging reads, though.
Dragonfly in Amber is my favourite Outlander novel because I found it the most moving and loved the Paris setting, but I did enjoy all of the earlier books in that series. The most recent ones have disappointed me, but I still keep reading them!
I haven’t read the most recent Outlander book but I loved the 8th (Written in My Own Heart’s Blood), but other than that I agree I prefer the earlier ones. I loved the first and third. I found Dragonfly moving in the second portion, but I found a lot of the Paris stuff tedious.
I think A dragonfly in amber is also my favourite Outlander book. And about the Marwood and Lovett series I’m not sure which book is my favourite, The king’s evil perhaps?
The King’s Evil is a great book as well. I’ve enjoyed that whole series.
I’ve read all of most of the series and a few of all the other series except Lucinda Riley’s and Sharon Bolton’s. I think it’s hard to pick a favorite in a series, because they build on one another. I quit reading Gabaldon’s series after it arrived in America, but I think Dragonfly in Amber was the best. I loved the Dunnett series, but I’d hate to pick a favorite.
I think a lot of people stopped reading the Gabaldon books after they arrive in America. The first three books are definitely the strongest.
I agree.
Helen, as you probably already know, I also loved Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series, and I am now working my way through her Tudor Rose series.
Blessings, Jessica 💌
It was hard for me to choose a favourite from the Six Tudor Queens series, but I found Katherine Parr the most likeable of the six wives.
Ooo if forced to pick a favourite book from the series, I think it would be between Katherine Parr and Katherine of Aragon for me 😁