Why stop at one book when you can have a whole series? This list of the best book series for adults will keep you turning pages book after book after book after … well, you get it!
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As a book lover, you know that feeling when you get to the last page and have to say goodbye to your favorite characters. It’s like losing friends. You sadly bid them farewell and return to your real or virtual bookshelf for new friends – um, characters.
Fortunately, a book series can extend your time with your favorite characters and help you procrastinate that final farewell – unless it’s made into a movie or a tv series you can binge-watch on repeat. (Keep reading for more on that!)
What’s the best book series for adults?
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What’s the best book series to read now?
Beartown Series by Fredrik Backman
This series starts with a bang! You’ll be hooked by relatable troubled characters, a town obsessed with hockey, and Fredrik Backman’s descriptive writing.
Start with Beartown: A Novel, follow what happens in the characters’ lives in Us Against You, and finish with The Winners.
The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels by Philippa Gregory
USA Today calls Philippa Gregory “the queen of royal fiction.” She’s definitely earned this esteemed title with her multitude of highly entertaining, dramatically riveting historical fiction novels.
The Other Boleyn Girl is the perfect book to begin your journey into the royal world. It’s sold over a million copies and was adapted into a movie.
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
This post-apocalyptic fantasy has outstanding worldbuilding, epic plotlines, and vivid characters trying to survive the end of the world.
The incredible box set includes the bestselling titles, The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, and The Stone Sky.
Maddaddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood
The magnificent Margaret Atwood has woven a dystopian fiction trilogy of captivating novels set in a dark future where humanity hangs in the balance.
In this box set, you won’t want to put down the thrilling storytelling in Oryx & Crake, The Year of the Flood, and Maddaddam.
The Lady Sherlock Series by Sherry Thomas
This Victorian mystery series flips the script on the story of Sherlock Holmes.
In the first book in this series, A Study In Scarlet Women, Charlotte Holmes must clear her family’s name from suspicion of the mysterious deaths in London’s upper-class society.
Crossfire by Sylvia Day
This trilogy in contemporary fiction is a sophisticated, sweet, and enjoyable series. Get ready to be enthralled by Gideon and Eva’s love story.
In Bared to You, the whirlwind romance begins! You’ll be flipping pages wanting more drama, more exciting insights into the characters, and more “50 Shades” type entertainment.
The Loyal League by Alyssa Cole
Begin with An Extraordinary Union: An Epic Love Story of the Civil War in this highly acclaimed series written by award-winning author Alyssa Cole.
The series follows spies for the Union during the Civil War. While working to uncover a plot by the Confederate Army, the spies uncover a forbidden love. Suspenseful, sensual, and written in rich detail!
The Vampire Chronicles Collection by Anne Rice
You may know this series from the popular 1994 film based on the first book, Interview with The Vampire. While the film is wildly entertaining, the books add all the juicy details you may have missed.
This masterful collection includes Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned. If you’re a fan of vampires, you’ll love devouring this thriller series!
Best TV Series Based on a Book Series
The Sweet Magnolias by Sherryl Woods
Read it before you watch it on Netflix! This 11-book series by bestselling author Sherryl Woods follows a likable group of characters navigating the complexities of family, friendship, and the small town they call home.
Stealing Home begins the series with the story of Maddie Townsend. Maddie finds a new love interest as her best friends help her deal with the fallout of her husband leaving her for a younger woman.
The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman
This trilogy was originally a Syfy series, but now all five seasons of The Magicians can be streamed on Netflix.
When he was a child, now college student Quentin loved a book series about magic. However, recently, he’s learned that the setting of his favorite books are real. And he discovers magic is real. And, even better, he finds out he’s a magician!
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
First, read the captivating and endearing two-book series, Firefly Lane and Fly Away. Then enjoy the story again in the hugely popular #1 Netflix series.
This historical fiction series follows the lives of Kate and Tully from their friendship’s unlikely beginnings when they were teens in the 1970s through their tumultuous adult lives.
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Are you ready to enter the Grishaverse? Step into a series of novels that creates a world where kings and queens roam alongside thugs and thieves in an endless battle between good and evil.
The first novel, Shadow and Bone, is also the starting point for the Netflix series. Begin by reading the epic fantasy and then experience it in the series – a win-win!
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
This book series rocketed to bestseller and quickly became a Starz original series. The highly acclaimed series has scores of fans who revel in its storytelling, enchanting characters, and detailed history.
Begin with the story that started it all and witness the moment in 1945 when Claire Randall time travels by passing through a stone in the Scottish Highlands. She lands in 1743, where she becomes an Outlander.
Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Enter the regency-set world of the charming and powerful Bridgerton family in this eight-book series of romance novels. Then, revel in watching it on Netflix in a series created by Shondaland.
The first four books follow the eldest Bridgerton children as they manage the demands of high society and burning romantic attractions, all under the scrutiny of gossip columnist Lady Whistledown.
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
While it questionably qualifies as a series since this book is listed as “1 of 1,” there’s the hope for a second stunning novel and an HBO series. It’s currently labeled as in development for HBO.
Readers can’t seem to get enough of this story set in post-apocalyptic Africa, which follows the trials and tribulations of one extraordinarily remarkable woman.
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