By: Godfreyna Canja
There are a lot of things we’ve done to pass the time during this seemingly never-ending quarantine. We’ve binged watched all the shows we can, played popular online games, danced and goofed around on TikTok, and even Masterchef-ed like Gordon Ramsay by cooking any trending dish we could manage. Yet here we are, still indoors, keeping up with our online classes or working from home, but running out of ideas how to keep ourselves entertained and grounded during this crisis. While we’re all missing the great outdoors and waiting for the moment we can all go out again to hug our friends or travel to our favorite places, we forget that we can actually be transported to different worlds, even from the comfort of our own homes.
The joy of sitting back with a warm cup of tea (or my personal drink of choice, an ice-cold glass of coke) and reading a good book can take us to any distant land, magical dimension, futuristic fantasy, or whatever place exists within the author’s imagination. Here are High Five book series recommended by bookworms you may want to revisit for a trip to their fantastical worlds!
Lui, 22 from Rizal, recommends The Selection and Anne of Green Gables! Both series feature headstrong female character, and as Lui aptly puts, “though the types of courage and challenges they face vary, they still exude the same determined mindset of never backing down from a fight. I’d re read the over and over I’d like to take inspiration or be motivated by their strength especially during trying times.”
The Selection Series by Kiera Class is every girl’s fantasy come to life. Taking you to the fictional kingdom of Illéa, where girls from across the land participate in the Selection, a competition to win the heart of the gallant Prince Maxon!
“The story is a modern-day fairy tale, a love story of a prince and a commoner, yet the story of Ameica is a breath of fresh air. Much different from the typical damsels in distress characters. For me, The Selection is a definite must re-read before this year ends!”
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery revolves around an oddly delightful orphan girl with extremely romantic views and a huge imagination. Anne’s adventures, mishaps and quests for finding a kindred spirit leaves one to nostalgically look back on their own childhood and how different we have seen the world before.
“Anne encourages the readers to look at things with a silver lining and make the best out of every moment, whether good or bad. It is a captivating and humorous read that features a little girl in the little Prince Edward Island on rural Canada.”
Kass from Quezon City, who is also an aspiring writer herself, would love to re-read Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.
Training at Camp Half-Blood to fight mythical monsters has always been a dream for us who grew up following Percy Jackson and his demigod adventures. And with an upcoming live action series on the way, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan is back in the forefront of pop culture – all the more reason for us to revisit this awesome series that could be enjoyed by both adults and children. “I’d love to reminisce the feelings I had during highschool when I was reading this series! Reading Percy’s adventures is always fun however young old you are!”, shares Kass.
Victoria, 20, from Manila, loves to re-read the Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella. Like in previous years, she wants to re-read this hilariously witty series about the crazy encounter of certified Shopaholic, Rebecca Bloom, before the year ends! This series features a young, driven woman with a (unhealthy) love for shopping. As she gets into different kinds of trouble because of this, she finds unique and hilarious ways to deal with it. Victoria states, “Becky might seem an airhead and a ditzy girl but she’s actually smart and very talented. She shows time and time again that she can bounce back from any challenges she faces— granted she may have created those problems herself! The series teaches you a lot of things and while it the humor is top-notch, it can unexpectedly make you cry your eyes out from the emotional parts of the series.”
Of course, I wouldn’t miss to share my own recommendation! One of the series that I always get back is The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Not the most enticing title, right? Yet A Series of Unfortunate Events remains one of the best written works of fiction that brings dark themes to children’s stories. It’s been over a decade since the series has ended, but I still can’t get enough of the sympathetic and unlucky Baudelaire orphans, the evil Count Olaf, and of course the elusive VFD.
I believe that one of the many reasons that A Series of Unfortunate Events remains to be one of the most readable books for all ages is that it is beautifully and tragically written, with a mystery that leaves you entranced. Every clue the Baudelaire orphans find and every answer they get leaves them and the readers with even more questions, leading them deeper into the mystery. Unlike authors who do this for the sake of prolonging their series or as a stalling tactic until they come up with a satisfactory conclusion, Snicket managed to pull it of masterfully, giving us a mystery worth solving and a series that is definitely worth re-reading! A Series of Unfortunate Events may seem overwhelming at first with twelve books in the series, but I assure you a week or two is enough to finish this classic as you can never put it down when you start!
Bonus: Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
No need for explanations, because every Potterhead probably re-reads these once a year. We definitely can’t get enough of the Boy Who Lived, which is why it deserves an honorable mention here as one of the most popular and most read and re-read fantasy books in the last three decades.
Will you be re-reading any of these series? Do you have any series suggestions for the bookworms out there? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!