My favorite Bingeable Book Series
I love a good binge watch. There’s nothing quite so satisfying to me as the feeling of knowing the next episode is instantly available. I might not watch them back to back, but I know it’s there just waiting for me. I’m the same way with a book series. Finding a great new book and realizing at the end that I can immediately pick up the next one fills my heart with joy. So I thought I would share some of my favorite bingeable book series. Most of these are complete series that won’t have any new books coming out, but a few are still seeing new titles. The shortest is a quick duology, while the longest spans forty-one titles. Don’t worry, you don’t have to read them all to enjoy the series.
Ongoing Series
Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells This particular series is my most recent favorite and the latest book in the series was just released. All Systems Red is a short novella that starts the series and introduces you to the protagonist Murderbot, a self-aware security bot who has hacked its governor module to exert free will. Murderbot is delightfully awkward and I love it. The books are a great sci-fi read with enough drama and intrigue to keep things moving but with a lot of laughs to keep things from getting too dark. There are currently six books in the series with at least three more planned.
The Lady Sherlock Series by Sherry Thomas The Lady Sherlock series combines a few of my favorite things: the Victorian era, an outspoken lady protagonist, murder, intrigue. While the books in the series do harken back to the original Sherlock stories, these clever and witty adaptations stand firmly on their own as original mysteries. There are currently six books in this series, unsure how many additional books may happen.
Duologies and Trilogies
Sorcerer Royal Duology by Zen Cho Set in an alternative fantasy Regency Era London, the Sorcerer Royal duology is a mix of political intrigue, fantastical magic and forays into fairyland, witty comedy of manners, and a bit of scathing social commentary. The characters, both human and non, are delightful. The political shenanigans move the plot along. An oh, my very favorite, the slightly snarky gently biting witty dialogue. I was so sad to learn that this was originally meant to be a trilogy, but so happy it was at least a duology. I sincerely hope Cho dives back into this world in the future.
Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo If you’ve come across the Shadow & Bone series on Netflix, this may sound familiar. Six of Crows is a heist duology set in the Grishaversa and focuses on Kaz Brekker and his crew as they attempt a seemingly impossible heist. A number of characters from this duology show up in the Netflix series even though they aren’t present in the Shadow & Bone novels. While plenty of drama, destruction, and chaos show up in these books, the focus is definitely the heist so I find the books move along pretty quickly and make them an excellent choice for a weekend binge.
The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin What I love most about N.K. Jemisin is her world building. And I would happily recommend anything she has written to people who enjoy fantasy. In this particular trilogy, a lost heir is brought back to the fold and must learn to navigate the thin line between the gods and mortals inhabiting the kingdom. The world she’s created here is gorgeous and heartbreaking, fraught with danger but also incredible resolve. The characters are brilliant, the setting is decadent, the plot full of good vs evil, lovers and enemies, the struggle for survival over destruction. It will pull you and won’t let you go until you’ve devoured every last word.
To Infinity and Beyond – Series with 4 or more books
The Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger Vampires. Werewolves. A secret society. Victorian era London but supernatural. What is not to love? The Parasol Protectorate series is witty and charming, think Jane Austen but with monsters. I’ve reread this series a number of times because I just find them so comforting. A little romance, a little adventure, a lot of snark. In addition, Carriger has two other series, The Finishing School Series and the Custard Protocol Series, set in the same universe so once you fall in love with this world, you have plenty of books to entertain you. There are five books in the Parasol Protectorate series, four in the Finishing School series, and four in the Custard Protocol series.
The Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fforde Imagine a world where you can go inside books. Now imagine that not only can you go inside books, but you can take things out of books. And by things, I mean people. And there you have the premise of The Eyre Affair. Someone has kidnaped Jane Erye and Special Operative Thursday Next must find the culprit before they’ve stolen away more of literature’s greatest main characters. Light hearted, entertaining, a bibliophile’s dream. Fforde creates an amazing world, both the general world of the novels and the world inside the books. There are seven books in the series.
An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir An Ember in the Ashes is the kind of sprawling high fantasy story that I love. The story is told from the viewpoint of multiple characters, there’s an enemies to lovers storyline, inspiring victories and crushing defeats. The world building premise is inspired by ancient Rome so there’s very much that conflict of loyalty to the greater society versus loyalty to what you know is right. Most of the major characters go through such a journey over the course of the series that you may find yourself rooting for very different people by the end. There are four books in the series plus a prequel graphic novel.
Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett Oh Discworld. This is probably my favorite book series of all time and will always hold a very special place in my heart because it’s something that I got into because of my dad. The Discworld series contains forty-one books, but the books tend to fall into smaller mini-series type groupings that make it easy to read the ones attached to the characters you most love. Discworld is a sprawling comic fantasy series set on the Discworld, a flat planet that balances on the backs of four elephants who are standing on the back of a giant turtle. Pratchett parodies a variety of fairy and folk tales, great pieces of literature, while also including a hefty dose of satire to critique a variety of social issues. The Color of Magic is the first official book in the series, but you aren’t required to start there. Pratchett suggested readers start with Sourcery. Krzysztif K. Kietzman has created an amazing reading guide found HERE that shows different storyline groupings so feel free to jump in wherever strikes your fancy.
