Avalon

Who doesn't love Arthurian legend? Seriously - knights of the Round Table, chivalry, Merlin, swords stuck in stone. The whole nine yards.

Avalon tells the story of Arthur's reign from the point of view of Morgaine, Arthur's half-sister, who was taken to the island of Avalon as a child and raised to become a priestess. In a fertility ritual gone bad, Morgaine is set-up with Arthur and she has his child, Mordred.

And that's where the similarities mostly end. More than a love story about humans, this series is a love story about a place and its culture. A tribute to the power of females in a time when females had little power, this series celebrates women and explores the eventual merging of Celtic and Christian beliefs.

The series spans the years surrounding Camelot, and contains a prequel, but it is recommended that you read the books in the order they were printed. There are also additional titles in the series, but they are written by Diana Paxson, not Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Don't get me wrong, this is an entertaining read, but be warned - you might learn something in the process!

For grades 9 and up.

The Dune Chronicles

Often seen as the godfather of science fiction, this series, set in "a galaxy far, far away," features the world's humans, who have spread throughout the interstellar empire, in competition with each other for a substance called "melange."

Melange, which makes interstellar travel and other important functions possible, is found only on the planet Arrakis, where the main character, Paul, heir to the House of Atreides, is about to assume rule of the planet and its problems, not the least of which are the giant sandworms that actual make the substance. The series spans the life of Paul, who becomes Emperor, and his children as they alternately rule poorly and try not to make the same mistakes prior generations did.

The son of Frank Herbert, the author, created a prequel series to Dune.

For grades 9 and up.

Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mysteries

A loner, Kinsey Millhone, twice divorced, has few people she's close to and has essentially cut herself off from her relatives, who Kinsey believes distanced themselves from her after her parents died in a car accident. Even though Kinsey has developed a great friendship with her neighbor and landlord, Henry, the most fulfilling relationship she has is with her job - she's a private investigator - and even that can be rocky, what with getting shot at regularly and all!

The titles in this series move from A-Z, and Kinsey's character becomes more and more likable as we run, drive, and dive for cover with her through the alphabet. And since you've known your ABC's for awhile now, you'll note that there are only five titles pictured here, which doesn't take you through U is for Undertow, the most recent Kinsey Millhone book to have been published.

For grades 9 and up.