Ramblings of an over-caffeinated nerd

Top Ten Tuesday is a ongoing book tag hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. The topics are set well in advance (which I love btw) so there’s plenty of time to add them to your blogging schedule.

Today’s topic asks us to discuss book series we’d like to catch up on and boy, do I have a few! I hope you enjoy this post and do let me know if your Top Ten Tuesday post is up.

The Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell

More commonly known as The Last Kingdom series thanks to the hugely popular TV series, the Saxon Chronicles is a historical fiction saga spanning 13 books. I read the first few books way back in 2016/17 and was very into them. I began watching the show when it was still a BBC production (before they cancelled it and Netflix took it over from series 3 onwards), and picked up the first few books. It’s been a very long time since I’ve read any of these so would probably have to start back at the beginning again.

Age of Madness Trilogy (World of the First Law) by Joe Abercrombie

This is the third and final trilogy in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law universe. It’s also in my 3 Trilogies I’d Like to Read in 2026. We’re nearly 3/4 the way through 2026, I need to get reading!

Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

This is a weird one because currently only the first book in this trilogy is out. Threads of Power is the continuation trilogy for Shades of Magic – one of my favourite fantasy trilogies ever. The Fragile Threads of Power was published back in 2023, I own it and I still haven’t actually got around to reading it. I’m not sure when book 2 is due out, I would guess next year as book 1 has been out for nearly 3 years now.

Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer (reread)

I started a reread for Twilight back in 2022/23. I got all the way up to the last 100 pages of the third book Eclipse before giving up. I loved New Moon but Eclipse was a SLOG. I would like to carry on with the reread if I can muster the will. Perhaps I can make it a series on my BookTube channel to keep me motivated 🤔

BeaSTARS by Paru Itagaki

I own this manga in its entirety, all 22 volumes, but have only read up to volume 8 or 9. I really like this series and how it dissects the awkwardness of being a teenager and finding your way as you grow into a adulthood. Paru Itagaki’s artwork is wonderful and I connect a lot to the way she conveys emotions in her illustrations, especially in Legoshi’s bold shyness.

The Bloodsworn Saga by John Qwynne

Another series I’ve read book 1 of but then didn’t continue reading for literally no reason. I actually own the first edition signed hardbacks Waterstones had up for pre-order. 🙃No excuses.

The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way & Gabriel Bá

The first two volumes of The Umbrella Academy are so special to me. I adore these comics. There was an entire decade between Volumes 2 and 3 which I think is partly to blame for me putting off reading the newer stuff. I guess I’m worried I won’t like the new story arcs. So far, Volume 3 is finished, there is a spin off for one of the main characters which came out during the Netflix show’s run and last year another spin off released, called The Umbrella Academy: Plan B.

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

I read Interview with the Vampire many years ago as a little baby bat after being gifted it by my Mum (she read it in the late 80s). This book has an interesting history. Anne Rice writes speculative fiction in a literary voice which made her book a very hard sell initially. Of course it did eventually get published and has amassed a huge cult following over the past 50 years!

I read this when I was 17/18 – this is when I was still getting into reading so found the writing style very challenging but it was definitely worth it. It’s easily one of my top 5 favourite books ever. The Vampire Chronicles is another huge series, spanning 13 books, but has an unofficial main trilogy in the first 3 books. I own all of these after collecting the American mass market paperbacks on my trip to the East Coast of the US back in 2023. It would be cool if I could get to this “trilogy” at some point next year.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

I know I said at the beginning of the year I would be catching up with this series, with plans to finish it this month. It hasn’t happened, oops.

The Dark Knights of Steel by Tom Taylor & Yasmine Putri

This is a 12-issue limited comic series which explores what the DC Universe in a medieval-inspired fantasy world would look like. I read volume 1 (the first 6 issues) last year and liked it enough to pick up volume 2, never got around to finishing it though.