Spend Your Summer With a Series
We all know the feeling of finishing a great book and wanting more. When you choose a series you can stay with those characters and in their world longer. Instead of sadness, reaching the end of the book will leave you with excitement and anticipation for the next one. Below are suggestions across several genres of series we think you'll love.
Mystery
Charlie Mack Motown series by Cheryl A. Head
Set in Detroit, this series features a female, queer, Black private investigator who bring an outsider perspective to the criminal justice system.
Bury Me When I'm Dead, Wake Me When It's Over, Catch Me When I'm Falling, Judge Me When I'm Wrong, Find Me When I'm Lost, Warn Me When It's Time
Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
Part police procedurals, part psychological thrillers, smart but tormented detectives solve dark crimes in Dublin with each book narrated by a supporting character from the previous one.
In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbor, The Secret Place, The Trespasser
Detective Galileo series by Keigo Higashino
Physicist Dr. Manabu Yukawa—also known as Detective Galileo—consults with Tokyo police to solve complex murder cases.
The Devotion of Suspect X, Salvation of a Saint, A Midsummer's Equation, Silent Parade
Cozy Mysteries
First Edition Library Mystery series by Marty Wingate
The curator of an exclusive English society housing classic mystery novels investigates murder in this charming cozy series.
The Bodies in the Library, Murder is a Must, The Librarian Always Rings Twice
Ice Cream Parlor Mysteries series by Abby Collette
Browyn 'Win' Crewse runs her family’s ice cream shop, Crewse Creamery, in small town Chagrin Falls, Ohio and solves crimes with the help of her friends and tight-knit family.
A Deadly Inside Scoop, A Game of Cones, A Killer Sundae
Noodle Shop Mysteries by Vivien Chien
After losing her job, Lana Lee returns to wait tables at her family restaurant's in a shopping plaza outside Cleveland where she gets drawn into solving crimes in her community.
Death by Dumpling, Dim Sum of All Fears, Murder Lo Mein, Wonton Terror, Egg Drop Dead, Killer Kung Pao, Fatal Fried Rice, Hot and Sour Suspects
Sci-Fi
Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Character-driven, action-packed series about a self-hacking robot searching for the meaning of life.
All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, Fugitive Telemetry
Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
A post-apocalyptic fantasy set in a one-continent world, the Stillness, where each fifth season is another apocalypse to survive and the planet itself is a weapon.
The Fifth Season, Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky
The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades, explored only in a series of expeditions dispatched by a secret government agency called the Southern Reach. So far these expeditions have returned with more questions than answers.
Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance
Romance
The Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert
In this critically acclaimed series of sparkling romcoms, three quirky sisters secure their very own happily-ever-afters.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Take a Hint, Dani Brown, Act Your Age, Eve Brown
Matched to Perfection by Priscilla Oliveras
Three very different Latina sisters. Three dazzling talents with ambition—and passion—to burn. And in this warm-hearted, romantic series three chances to figure out if the path to success can also lead to lasting love.
His Perfect Partner, Her Perfect Affair, Their Perfect Melody
Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods
Focusing on female friendship as much as romance, this series takes place in the tight-knit Southern town of Serenity.
Stealing Home, A Slice of Heaven, Feels Like Family, Welcome to Serenity, Home in Carolina, Sweet Tea at Sunrise, Honeysuckle Summer, Midnight Promises, Catching Fireflies, Where Azaleas Bloom, Swan Point
Historical Fiction
Loyal League series by Alyssa Cole
A thrilling historical romance series of Black spies working for the Union during the Civil War exploring the untold role of people of color in the fight to end slavery.
An Extraordinary Union, A Hope Divided, An Unconditional Freedom
Rosalind Thorne Mystery series by Darcie Wilde
An historical mystery series set in early 19th-century London featuring the charming and resourceful Rosalind Thorne, a woman privy to the secrets and scandals of high society.
A Useful Woman, A Purely Private Matter, And Dangerous to Know, A Lady Compromised, A Counterfeit Suitor
Ibis Trilogy by Amitav Ghosh
Preparing to fight China's nineteenth-century Opium Wars, a motley assortment of sailors and passengers establish family-like ties that eventually span continents, races, and generations.
Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, Flood of Fire
Horror
African Immortals series by Tananarive Due
Supernatural horror with elements of Afrofuturism, this series follows a sect of Ethiopians who have traded their humanity in exchange for immortality.
My Soul To Keep, The Living Blood, Blood Colony, My Soul To Take
The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin
A security breach at a secret government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. A night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.
The Passage, The Twelve, The City of Mirrors
The Taker Trilogy by Alma Katsu
A unique, epic series about love and loss, betrayal and redemption following Lanore as she enters a hidden world that exists outside the boundaries of time.
The Taker, The Reckoning, The Descent
Young Adult
The Nsibidi Script series by Nnedi Okorafor
Sunny Nwazue, an American-born Nigerian doesn't fit in. Her world changes when she discovers she has magical energy flowing through her and she learns how to harness it. As a member of the secret Leopard Society, she must confront her destiny.
Akata Witch, Akata Warrior, Akata Woman
Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty
Follow Jessica through every step (and misstep) from her life as a high schooler, to her years in college, and a twenty-something stumbling towards adulthood.
Sloppy First, Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, Perfect Fifths
Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.
The Inheritance Games, The Hawthorne Legacy, The Final Gambit (coming Aug. 2022)
Tip!
It can sometimes be hard to figure out the order of books in a series. For the series above, we've listed the titles in the order they were published. For many other series in our catalog, you can see the book order by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Series summaries adapted via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources.