Book series for teenagers and adults

I enjoyed writing my earlier posts about books so much that I've decided to make these posts a recurring one. My book recommendations are not meant to be comprehensive guides because I will only recommend books I've read myself. But if you're shopping around for ideas, I hope you will find my posts useful.

This entry is also about book series but since none of these books are actually considered children's fiction, they are more suitable for teenagers and adults. But I guess you can introduce them earlier or later depending on the reading level of your kids.

1) The Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend

This series is a collection of diaries of a boy starting from when he's almost 14. It's a wonderful, thigh-slappingly comic satire of life in the UK from the 1980s. Adrian Mole is an unlikely hero - he's your typical teenager who agonises over his looks, girl trouble, parents who don't understand him and an uncaring world in general. When you read the diaries, you can actually picture the protagonist in your mind. The writing is so deadpan that it's effortlessly funny. I first read this when I was 13 and it has been a favourite on my bookshelf ever since, especially when I'm looking for a light read that'll make me laugh.

Sue Townsend started off with two books but later continued the series due to its popularity. There are six books in the series (the first book in my picture is a compilation of the first three volumes). By the sixth book, Adrian Mole is an adult, still luckless and grappling with the controversy of Iraq.

2) The Frank McCourt series

If you're like me, with a melancholic streak, you'll love Angela's Ashes. McCourt's memoirs of his own life growing up in a devastating poor, Irish family with an alcoholic father will tug at your heartstrings and release the tears. In his opening statement, he writes: "When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood."

Angela's Ashes is a worthy winner of the Pulitzer Prize. The writing is simple, crisp and heart-breaking. McCourt went on to write two succeeding volumes of his life, into adulthood - 'Tis and Teacher Man. Both great reads but neither can match the mastery of the original book.


3) The Empress Tzu Hsi series by Anchee Min

I'm not sure if two books can be considered to constitute a series, but I wanted to introduce books set in the Asian culture. I was just commenting to a friend that too often, our kids read books about Western characters, study Western music and are exposed to Western art. It's important to keep in touch with our Asian roots.

These two books trace Empress Tzu Hsi's (widely regarded as China's most ambitious and infamous Empress Dowager) rise to power. In an age and country where women have zero status and are completely subservient to men, it is facinating to read how Tzu Hsi clawed and manipulated her way to the top.

4) The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien

The ultimate fantasy series. Tolkien created an entire world named Middle Earth, with its own detailed history, characters and chronology of events. The book series is an enchanting read though long in parts. But I think the movie series has revived interest in the books and enabled readers to better visualise the characters and scenes. If you can, also read The Hobbit, which is a book on its own (and easier reading for younger readers) but gives a good preview to the events in Lord of the Rings.

My first book is a different edition from the other two because a friend borrowed my original one and never returned it, which annoys me tremendously. It's such a discourteous habit.

5) The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith
This is the only book series here that I don't own, but it's worth recommending because it's such a fun read. Set in a laid-back community in Botswana, the series revolves around a "traditionally-built" lady, Precious Ramotswe, who is also Botswana's only lady detective. Mme Ramotswe uses her wisdom to help solve her clients' problems and bring happiness to those around her. Unlike other detective stories, these have no gore, violence or sensational crimes, yet the stories are far from boring. The characters are delightful and their personalities intricately revealed one layer at a time, so readers are kept glued to every word.

There are currently 9 books to the series (starting with The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency) but Smith is still adding to the collection.