Well, I spoke too soon!

     Just when I thought I had my winter reading all set...just when I thought I'd found my series to read...well, I spoke too soon!
     Today our director showed me the books she ordered with the Joanna Rosner Estate gift.  Ms. Rosner's gift was to purchase only mysteries and the books have started coming in.
     On our "New Books" shelves and our "7-Day-Loan" shelves are more books than I could possibly read during just one winter-sitting.  I may have to extend my series reading far into the summer.  And look at some of what I'll be reading.

• Nancy Atherton writes the "Aunt Dimity" series.  Aunt Dimity is a ghost and signs of her appear in every book.  The new one on our shelf is Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon.  But, I've read all this series and will move on to another.
• Emilie Richards is the author of the "Ministry is Murder" series.  We have the book A Truth for a Truth.  This is a new series for me and is now on my must-read list.
• Jennifer Chiaverini writes lots of books about quilts.  I've been watching her list grow over the past few years, but haven't begun any yet.  The Rosner gift has purchased The Lost Quilter, Circle of Quilters, The Runaway Quilt, and The Aloha Quilt.  We have lots of quilters in town who will really enjoy these books.
• Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant write the "Gourmet Girl" series, books about the doings of an executive chef.  We have Cook the Books on the shelf with recipes included.
• Ellen Crosby has a series of "Wine Country Mysteries."  If you're a wine-lover, these are your books.  The one on our shelf is titled The Viognier Vendetta.
• The Laura Childs "Tea Shop Mysteries" I've read from first book to last.  However, she also has a "Scrapbooking" series and we have her book Fiber and Brimstone.
• Gail Fraser's books were introduced to me by our director.  She writes "The Lumby" series.  This is another series I've followed from the first book, and now I get to read the latest, Lumby on the Air.  Just checked it out!  Guess what I'll be doing all weekend!

     So, you see, there's just so much to read here at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library.  What with all the new books purchased with the gift from the Estate of Joanna Rosner, we are so excited about what we have to share with you.  Come check them out today.  But beware.  If you're a series-lover, they might go fast.

Maybe I've found my books for winter reading

     For quite a while now I've been thinking about starting a series.  I like reading about a person or a group of people and following them through a series of several books.
     I did that with the Laura Childs "tea shop" mysteries and with Alexander McCall Smith's series about "The Number One Ladies Detective Agency."  And there were a good many more series before that. 
     There's something comforting about reading a series.  It's like going home and being on familiar ground.  In the tea shop mysteries I learned all about Charleston, South Carolina, the historic sites and festivities, the little shops and restaurants, as well as a ton about the different kinds of teas.  In the detective mysteries, I learned about Africa and Botswana, the customs and dress, the beauty of the land, and the politeness of the people.
     Yesterday I wondered if I'd found my books for winter reading.  The best way for me to be sure was to log onto the Pines Catalog and see how many of the books in this special series we have here at our library.  Also, if we don't have them, can I get them through our Interlibrary Loan System.
     Sure enough, after all that checking, it looks like I have a winner.  I'm going to start the Fairacre series and the Thrush Green series, both by Dora Jessie Saint, best known by the pen name of Miss Read.
     Saint is an English novelist, by profession a schoomistress, using a pseudonym derived from her mother's maiden name.  Her series of novels centered on two fictional English villages, Fairacre and Thrush Green.  The principal character in the Fairacre books, Miss Read, is an unmarried schoolteacher, a sharply severe yet compassionate observer of village life.  Her books are laced with gentle humor and subtle social commentary, as well as observations about nature and the changing seasons.  She retired in 1996 and in 1998 was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature.
     Her first Fairacre book was published in 1955 with the last in 1996, understandably titled "A Peaceful Retirement."  There are 20 books in this series.
     The Thrush Green books first began in 1959 with the last published in 2009.  There are 13 in that series.
     That's a total of 33 books in both series.  Don't you think I've found my books for winter reading?  Maybe even into the early months of spring.
     If you'd like to begin a series, why not stop by the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library and talk to a few of us who like to read series about quilts, needlework, English ghosts, candlemaking, and lots of other topics.  I'm sure there is someone here to help you.
(Source: Pines 2000-2010, Wikipedia Dictionary)

Some Of Us Are Hung Up On Series

I just love a good series and, as we all stood around the other day talking about books, it's obvious that many of us
do.
For the second time in two years, I'm reading (or should I say re-reading?) Alexander McCall Smith's series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. At the same time, I'm reading the Lumby series by Gail Fraser. I had already worked my way through the Monica Ferris needlework mysteries and the Laura Childs tea shop mysteries, and even Patricia Sprinkle's genealogy series. And, just today, our director told me about the Harmony books by Phil Gulley...so I put that on my list to read.
Some of my friends have read Jan Karon's Mitford series, and one of the ladies in our "Happy Bookers" reading group is reading about Mrs. Jeffries and the Inspector in Emily Brightwell's Victorian mysteries.
There are so many series to read and often a large number of books in each series.
M.C. Beaton has two series: one about Hamish Macbeth (all titles beginning with Death of a ...) and another about Agatha Raisin (which all begin with Agatha Raisin and ...). There are 26 books in the Macbeth series and 20 in the Raisin series.
In fact, people are often encouraged to check out more than one book in order to read them in chronological order. As they begin reading the last one they have, they order the next few in the series. Keeps the reading going and makes for a happy reader.
I suppose the next series I'm going to read will be all the Elm Creek Quilts books (there are 16 of them) by Jennifer Chiaverini.
Now, don't think we are leaving the guys out of reading series, because we aren't.
James Patterson has the Alex Cross books (and there are 16), while James Rollins has the Sigma Force (only 6 books, but I bet there'll be more). And Vince Flynn writes about Mitch Rapp (10 books) and the Wheel of Time (12 of them) series is written by Robert Jordan.
With the weather as lousy as it's been lately in many parts of the States, including here, it seems like this is a very good time to read a series. Pick one, there are so many to chose from, and sit back with a good cup of hot tea and read, read, read.