These are the series that never end.
Yes, they go on and on, my friend.
Some people started reading it not knowing what it was
But they’ll continue reading it forever just because
These are the series that never end…

When was the last time you heard that little ditty? Whew, that takes me back. Back to a simpler time when book series didn’t stop at just three. They just kept going and going and going and…well, you get the idea. Here are some of my favorite series that I’m still invested in after almost 20 years. Feel free to join me in the insanity.
 

First published: 2000
Number of books: 17 + various short stories and graphic novels
Complete listing of titles: The Dresden Files

I love me some Harry Dresden. A wizard advertising for work in the Yellow Pages in Chicago? Um…yes please. I just realized that’s how old this series is – we don’t even have the Yellow Pages any more. Whew. I didn’t start reading about Harry until 2005, so I was a little late to the game, but once I was in, I was never out. Come for the magic, stay for the sarcasm.
 

First published: 1993
Number of books: 30 + various short stories and graphic novels
Complete listing of titles: Anita Blake series

When I was in college, my friend and I always (and I mean always) watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But it wasn’t until I started working at NPL that I found out about Anita Blake. She was like a grown-up version of Buffy. This series is really long, and it changes quite a lot from the beginning to where we are now. I almost gave up in the middle, but I’m glad I hung in there. Anita is always a fun, sexy time.

First published: 1994
Number of books: 30 + various short stories, crossovers, and graphic novels
Complete listing of titles: Stephanie Plum series 

The nice thing about this series is that until recently, the author has numbered them in the title so it’s easy to tell where you are in the series: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, etc. When everything else falls through, Stephanie ends up working for her cousin Vinny as a semi-competent bounty hunter. Needless to say, hijinks ensue. I feel like the quality of these has maybe declined in the past couple of years, but I love Stephanie so much; I’m still here for her. Plus, I have to see how the love triangle between her, Joe Morelli, and Ranger works out (#RangerforLife).

First published: 2005
Number of books: 21 + various short stories and spin-off series
Complete listing of titles: BDB series

I pretty much hit on BDB right away. I mean, I was already reading Anita Blake, what’s one more vampire series? But in this case, the vampires are the good guys. They are on the front lines, saving their race from the evil, and baby-power smelling, Lessening Society. I almost lost this one in the middle as well, but I’m glad I hung in because it is definitely back on track and better than ever. I’m not saying this series has gone on for a minute, but one of the upcoming books features the child of an OG couple. Don’t skip the spin-offs. They are worth the time.

First published: 1995
Number of books: 58 + various short stories
Complete listing of titles: In Death series

Yes. You read that right. This series is almost 60 books deep. And I have enjoyed almost all of them. JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts) puts out two of these babies a year, and there has been no midseason slump. Homicide detective Eve Dallas spends her days solving murders in NYC in 2059. It’s fun. It’s futuristic. I started listening to this series in my car because I needed something to keep me out of trouble in traffic. Now, 60 books later, I’m still excited when I see a new title. Eve is great, but I love me some Peabody. 

All of these series are still going. I thought that Harry Dresden might be done, but Jim Butcher recently announced that he’s started a new book. When I read these, NPL had most of them, but if the books are no longer with us, just use ILL to request your missing book. Some, like In Death, I did on audio, and I know that James Marsters (aka Spike from Buffy) reads the Harry Dresden books. However, print is good too. Whatever you pick, you can’t go wrong with any of these long-running series.

Also if you are looking for a way to get your Summer Reading Challenge numbers up, what better way to do it than to start a series with 60 books in it.

Happy never-ending…

:) Amanda