I love a good series. Not the television kind, I mean the kind you read. When I have finished a good book, one that truly captures my imagination, I sometimes flip to the front and start it all over again. (And yes, that counts as two books on my tally sheet!) With a series of books, though, I don't have to re-read; I just go on to the next book.
I am about to embark on a new series (new to me anyway), Margaret Frazer's Sister Frevisse mysteries. The Novice's Tale is the first one. I was wandering through the Gold room on Sunday looking for a new murder series and I went past Janet Evanovich (hooray for Stephanie Plum!) right to the "F"s. Hmmm, I thought, historical mystery. It took me a few minutes to figure out which was the first in the series ? I have to start at the beginning. I hate to realize that I'm in the middle of series. Then I read the first one and I already know too much about the main character. I want to discover that she loves him at the same time that she discovers it and not know that in a few years they'll have twins!
I have another historical series at my bedside right now: I just started Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series and I cannot believe it took me so long to get around to it. I am loving it. I just finished the second one ? Sharpe's Triumph. Cornwell is a great writer. The books are set in the 1800s and based on real English army battles in (so far) India. He's created a memorable hero in Richard Sharpe. Sharpe was an orphan and a thief before he was recruited into the King's army. We watch him survive, thrive, and, as the second book shows, triumph.
I think there are at least a dozen Sharpe books, and almost as many Sister Frevisse books, so my November is all planned out! Now, about December...