Category Archives: Reading order

Some book seriess are really long and it gets difficult to know which is the proper order to read them. Sometimes there are prequels, other times the publishing dates makes are not in chronological order…  all this makes us confused, wondering what is the best order to read certain saga. As a result, we may even give up trying to start reading new series. It’s time to stop that, if you want to know the proper reading order just check here!

This category is pretty simple and straight forward.  If you want to know the best order to read a certain saga just stay tuned.

lady hardcastle books in order

Lady Hardcastle mysteries in order

Get ready to solve some mysteries because we finally have a list with all the lady Hardcastle books in order by author T.E. Kinsey. This series tells the story of a widowed retired woman who moves to the country to live a relaxed life, but instead, she’ll end up solving crimes, can it get cooler than that?

If you enjoy thrillers with witty and humorous dialogues then this is your cup of tea, because this is exactly what you will find in this series. Did I mention that the Lady Hardcastle mystery books take place in Britain during early 1900? well, they do!

Lady Hardcastle books in order by  T.E. Kinsey

This series by T.E. Kinsey is composed of eight volumes, each of them telling a self conclusive story. However, we strongly encourage you to read the Lady Hardcastle mysteries in chronological order, because this way you’ll have a better understanding of the setting and the characters involved in these novels. Here you have them all:

These books are also available in Kindle and audiobook format.

Now that we told you the order of the Lady Hardcastle books don’t miss these series

There are never enough crimes to solve, don’t you think? you’ll have to wait a bit more until you accompany lady Hardcastle and her maid Florence to a new crime scene, so here are some similar series you can read meanwhile:

The previous suggestions have a similar tone to the lady Hardcastle books. Also, there’s the Darren Street series if you feel like reading a legal thriller 

If you’d rather read about a detective series, taking place in our times, then you should read the work of Joseph Finder, here’s a list with the Nick Heller novels in order.

What is this series about?

lady hardcastle mysteries in order

The streets of London are getting too chaotic for old Lady Hardcastle so she decides it is time to retire and move to the country, where she will be able to live a peaceful life together with her maid Florence.

However, her relaxed life will not last for long and it seems that fate has different plans for her, because a corpse has been found in the country and Lady Hardcastle suspects the police in charge of the investigation is not going in the proper direction. It is time for her to embark on her own investigation, Flo will accompany her, and her knowledge in martial arts will soon prove to be very useful.

This historical mystery series has a great combination of puzzle-solving, well-crafted characters, and charming dialogues. A powerful combination that will make you have a great experience. Also, here there is not the typical cliche in which the police play a dumb and clueless part, instead, it has a more interesting take.

A list with all Lady Hardcastle books in order of publication

At the beginning of this post, we suggested you read the series chronologically. The following list shows the Lady Hardcastle series in order of publication (which in this case equals the chronological order shown earlier).

Lady Hardcastle books in order

Lady Hardcastle – T.E. Kinsley

Ingredients

  • Thomas & Mercer

Instructions

  • A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle book 1)
  • In the Market for Murder (Lady Hardcastle book 2)
  • Death Around the Bed (Lady Hardcastle book 3)
  • A Picture of Murder (Lady Hardcastle book 4)
  • The Burning Issue of the Day (Lady Hardcastle book 5)
  • Death Beside the Seaside (Lady Hardcastle book 6)
  • The Fatal Flying Affair (Lady Hardcastle book 7)
  • Rotten to the Core (Lady Hardcastle book 8)

This cozy mystery series is published by Thomas & Mercer, while we can’t tell for sure, we believe that there will be more Lady Hardcastle novels in the near future (the last volume was published in 2022). 

When it comes to solving mysteries it is mandatory that we mention the work of Arthur Conan Doyle because it turned out to become a huge influence in the genre. And you are lucky because here you can find the Sherlock Holmes stories in order, you’ll love them!

Have you already decided how you will read this series? will you follow our advice and you will read the Lady Hardcastle mysteries in order of publication or will you just read the book whose blurb captivates you the most? we are thrilled to know! so leave a comment and tell us.

darren street series in order

Scott Pratt’s Darren Street books in order

Get ready for a cool legal thriller trilogy, we have a list with the Darren Street series in order. Written by Air Forces veteran Scott Pratt, this is a page-turning series with very intriguing plot lines and realistic characters.

You will root with this criminal defense attorney turned into a rogue in no time, so let’s start!

Darren Street series in order by Scott Pratt

This series is composed of 3 novels, author Scott Pratt passed away in 2018 so it’s unlikely that there will be more books in the series unless his work is commissioned to another author. Here are all the Darren Street books in order:

You can also get this series in audiobook, in case you are more into that format. Also, it might be worth mentioning that these novels can’t be read as a standalone, because events taking place in the previous novels have a heavy impact on the plot and there are a lot of references to them.

Now that we told you the order of the Darren Street series don’t miss these books

There are many superb legal thrillers out there, and we’d like to help you to discover them all, and here’s a good start for that purpose. We made a shortlist with 3 series that you should read once you have finished Scott Pratt’s Darren Street books:

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Our first recommendation is no other than the first volume of one of the most popular works by Scott Pratt, the Joe Dillard series, a great story following another defense attorney.

If you visit our blog regularly, you may already know some of the books we just suggested because we mentioned them quite recently. This is the case of The Nick Heller series by Joseph Finder, a story full of twists following a private detective.

Also, what if your kids are interested in what you are reading? Maybe Scott Pratt’s Darren Street series might be too much for them, but here’s a list with the Theodore Boone series in order, these books are written by John Grisham and center on a boy who wants to become a lawyer.

What are these books about?

scott pratt darren street books in order

This series follows Darren Street, a brilliant criminal defense attorney who ended with corruption in the district attorney’s office. But this clean-up came with a high price for him, because there’s someone who is after him, and, as a consequence, Darren is accused of a murder he has not committed.

The 3 books in the series are a Wall Street Journal bestseller, and they have been translated into many different languages.

Author Scott Pratt died in a diving accident in 2018, his son, Dylan Pratt, announced he would be finishing the projects his dad was working on. He didn’t mention any unfinished works related to this series by the way.

A list with the Darren Street series in order of publication

We recommend you read the Darren Street books in order of publication, we listed them this way at the beginning of this post, however, here goes this list including all the novels in the series in case there are new novels in the future.

Darren Street series in order

Darren Street-Scott Pratt

Ingredients

  • Thomas & Mercer

Instructions

  • Justice Redeemed (Darren Street book 1)
  • Justice Burning (Darren Street book 2)
  • Justice Lost (Darren Street book 3)

You will be captivated by this series if you enjoy legal thrillers with lots of mystery and suspense. Also, these books have also been praised for the realism of their characters and the unexpected plot twists.

Do you enjoy video games? then don’t miss this post with the Diablo books in chronological order, yes, there are many volumes based on this popular franchise owned by Blizzard!

Have you started reading the Darrent Street series? If so, leave a comment telling us what aspect of these novels you enjoyed the most: was it the plot? its characters? tell us! we are more than intrigued!

edgar and ellen series in order

Edgar and Ellen books in order

It’s time to talk about this tale about two naughty twins who always pay the price for their antics, yes, we got a list with the Edgar and Ellen series in order, and your kids are going to love it. These books, written by Charles Ogden, tell the stories of two twins who enjoy being naughty, luckily there’s a moral in every book of theirs, being mean bears bad consequences.

The Edgar and Ellen books are heavily influenced by American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe in many ways. But we’ll talk about it later, let’s see how many books are there in this fun series and how you should read them first.

The Edgar and Ellen series in order by Charles Ogden

This series by Charles Odgen is composed of 12 volumes, the last one was published in 2009 so it seems like there won’t be more books. We recommend you read the Edgar and Ellen books in order of publication, here you have them all following that recommendation:

The cover of the books might seem too dark for some parents, but be aware that this series is not scary at all. It’s just about two naughty twins who live in a mansion.

Now that we told you the order of the The Edgar and Ellen don’t miss these books

Do you enjoy children’s book series whose style is very similar to Tim Burton’s art? that is, the use of black and the prominence of darkness which makes it look so gothic…Here are 3 suggestions that your kids will enjoy:

The ivy pocket book series tells us the story of a character of the same name who lives quite an adventure. This story is set in the Victorian Era, and it has lots of humor.

There’s also the Ghoulia books, which center on a zombie girl! the illustrations of these books have a dark tone similar to the Edgar and Ellen series.

Is there any book series that you find would be a great addition to this shortlist? leave a comment with your recommendations!

What are the books about?

This series follows Edgar and Ellen, two orphaned twins who live in a creepy mansion in the town of Nod’s Limbs together with their pet, which they decided to call Pet and who happens to be a hairball with just one eyeball.

Their favorite hobby? to prank the villagers of their town. However, every single one of their pranks will backfire, will they learn the lesson? seems like never will!

We mentioned earlier that this series was influenced by Edgar Alan Poe. Not only the names of the two kids (Edgar y Ellen) are a derivation of the author’s, but also the atmosphere of these books is based on Poe’s work. And, if that was not enough, there’s a living bust of the author who lives at the twin’s mansion and who happens to have his own section in the books.

There’s a tv series based on the characters, however, the plot of this adaptation loosely resembles the original source. While in the books Egar and Ellen happen to be quite evil (they even enjoy seeing how others suffer) this is not so in the tv show, in which they are just mischievous.

These books are written by author Charles Ogden, who is often described as an avid camper and fisherman, however, this is just a pseudonym used by several authors hired by Star Farm Productions, an entertainment company that creates content for children.

A list with the Egar and Ellen book series in order

As said before, this series seems to be concluded, but you never know (maybe there will be new releases in the close future? we can’t tell, but if that’s the case we’ll add them to the list). So here’s a list collecting all the books in the Edgar and Ellen series, they are displayed in order of publication. 

Edgar and Ellen series in order

Edgar and Ellen – Charles Ogden

Ingredients

  • Aladdin

Instructions

  • Rare Beasts (Edgar and Ellen book 1)
  • Tourist Trap (Edgar and Ellen book 2)
  • Under Town (Edgar and Ellen book 3)
  • Pet’s Revenge (Edgar and Ellen book 4)
  • High Wire (Edgar and Ellen book 5)
  • Nod’s Limbs (Edgar and Ellen book 6)
  • Mischief Manual (Edgar and Ellen book 7)
  • Hot Air (Edgar and Ellen book 8)
  • Frost Bites (Edgar and Ellen book 9)
  • Split Ends (Edgar and Ellen book 10)

The Egar and Ellen books have a reading level of grades 3-7, and a Lexile measure of 960L. They are addressed to children between 8 and 12 years old, but there are also lots of references to Poe’s work that an older audience will enjoy.

Fans of these books will also enjoy Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan, so check out those too.

Have you started reading the Edgar and Ellen series? if so, tell us which one of the books in this collection is your favorite. Also, would you like to have Pet as your companion?

the penderwicks series in order

The Penderwicks book order

Do you want to enjoy the story of the most charming family ever? you better! because we got a list with the Penderwicks series in order. This multi-awarded series is written by author Jeanne Birdsall centers on four sisters and their widowed father, and we have not the slightest doubt that you will be rooting for all of them before you get to the third chapter of the first novel!

The good thing is that while this series is addressed to children, it tells one of those stories that will captivate you as an adult as well. But be aware: the Penderwicks books might make you cry, and also make you laugh.

The Penderwicks series in order by Jeanne Birdsall

You should read The Penderwicks books in order of publication, the series is composed of five volumes and we collected them all for you. You can get any of the 5 books by clicking on their cover:

Do you want to get the complete collection? then you should get this superb box set that collects all the books in The Penderwicks series. It has a rating of 5 out of 5 stars of Amazon, which proves that everyone who bought it was happy with their purchase.

This series has been praised for the imperfection of their characters, that is, they are perfect for being flawed, which means, they are humans we can relate to. Who likes to read about perfect people, right? Boring!

Now that we told you the order of the Penderwick series don’t miss these books

We are more than sure that you, or your kids (maybe both), will devour Jeanne Birdsall’s The Penderwick series in no time. Therefore, we made a shortlist of book suggestions that you will enjoy as well since they have the same tone and are addressed to the same audience:

If you are seeking fun Liz Pichon’s amazing series is one of the best choices you can make, here you will find the order of the tom gates books, there are lots of them by the way!

What about a story of the funniest pig ever? then don’t miss the Mercy Watson series, because it is just hilarious.

Also, don’t forget that you can leave a comment with your suggestions!

What are these books about?

the penderwicks book order

These books tell us about the Penderwick family, composed of Mr. Penderwick,  a widowed man, his four daughters, and their dog. Each of the volumes tells us a different story concerning this adorable family. 

In the first volume for example they will make a trip to the Arundel Cottage, in which they will make the most interesting friends. Meanwhile, in the second book Mr. Penderwick starts considering dating a woman, but his daughters won’t think that’s a good idea.

As a side note, each of the four girls of this family has a similar personality to the main characters of the classic Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Author Jeanne Birdsall has won several prestigious awards.  In fact, the first volume in the series won the  National Book Awards in 2005 for Young People’s Literature

A list with the Penderwick series in order

This series is concluded, and here is a list of Jeanne Birdsall’s Penderwick books in order. While it’s true that each of the volumes tells a self conclusive story, we believe you’ll have a greater experience if you read this series in publication order:

The Penderwicks series in order

The Penderwicks – Jeanne Birdsall

Ingredients

  • Yearling

Instructions

  • The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (The Penderwicks book 1)
  • The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (The Penderwicks book 2)
  • The Penderwicks at Point Mouette (The Penderwicks book 3)
  • The Penderwicks in Spring (The Penderwicks book 4)
  • The Penderwicks at Last (The Penderwicks book 5)

Published by Yearling; Reissue, The Penderwicks reading level is grades 3-7 with a Lexile level of 800L.  It’s addressed to children between 8 and 12 years old, however, a more mature audience will enjoy the vicissitudes of this funny and lovely family.

the penderwicks books
The Penderwicks books

Also, we believe your kids will find The Timmy Failure books incredibly fun, so if you want them to have a great time reading don’t let them miss that series as well.

Have you started the Penderwick series? if so, leave a comment telling us which of the 4 daughters is your favorite! are you like Rosalind? or maybe your personality is more like Skye?

alex mcknight series in order

Alex Mcknight series books in order

We hope you are ready for some crime fiction because we have a list with the Alex McKnight series in order, a bestselling saga written by author Steve Hamilton. This is the story of a tormented man who can’t get away either from his past or his ability to solve crimes.

He collected all the books, and we also have some great suggestions for you to read once you have finished these amazing novels.

Alex Mcknight series in order by Steve Hamilton

We recommend you read the Alex McKnight book series in order of publication. However, each of these volumes center on a different case that this former Detroit police cop will have to solve, so you can read them as a standalone novel. Here you have all the books:

Our latest addition to the list, the Riddle Island, is a 29-page short story that can only be read on your Kindle or as an Audiobook. However, it might be worth mentioning that this story will leave you hanging because it happens to be the first chapter of the next Alex McKnight book, so it’s for you to decide if you want to wait until the novel gets released instead.

Now that you know the order of the Alex MCKnight series don’t miss these books

We thought it would be great to select some similar books to the Alex McKnight series so you can add them to your TBR list so to never wonder what to read next, here are our 3 suggestions:

Our first suggestion is Night Work, a standalone thriller also written by Steve Hamilton. In this novel, we follow Joe Trumbull, a parole officer, who happens to have a quite similar background to Mcknight. Her wife was strangled a few years ago, and now 3 other women have been murdered in a similar way and he happens to be one of the main suspects.

Also, if you enjoy detective stories you’ll definitely have a blast reading one of the most popular series by bestselling author James Patterson, here’s our list with the Alex Cross books in order.

What are these books about?

The Alex McKnight series center on a former Detroit police cop who moves to the town of Paradise to find some rest and peace after being shot on several occasions. This place seemed to be the perfect place to rest, Alex thought, but he gets fed up with his relaxed life too soon and when he gets offered a job as a private investigator he will not be able to not accept it.

The main character of this series is a tormented soul, he lost his wife in hand of a serial killer,and his first job will bring los fantasmas del pasado, pues hay un asesino en la ciudad, y su modus operandi es muy similar al de aquel que acabo con la ivda de su esposa.

But not all is grimness because there’s room for lots of humor in these pages. The first novel in the Alex Knight series was awarded several prestigious awards as is the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author.

A list with all the Alex Knight book series in order

This series is not concluded, its last volume was released in 2020 and it happens to be a short story that happens to be the anticipation of the next novel in the series. Here you have a list with all the Alex Knight books in order.

Alex Mcknight series in order

Alex Mcknight – Steve Hamilton

Ingredients

  • Blackstone Publishing

Instructions

  • A Cold Day in Paradise  (Alex Mcknight book 1)
  • Winter of the Wolf Moon  (Alex Mcknight book 2)
  • The Hunting Wind  (Alex Mcknight book 3)
  • North of Nowhere  (Alex Mcknight book 4)
  • Blood is the Sky  (Alex Mcknight book 5)
  • Ice Run  (Alex Mcknight book 6)
  • A Stolen Season  (Alex Mcknight book 7)
  • Misery Bay  (Alex Mcknight book 8)
  • Die a Stranger  (Alex Mcknight book 9)
  • Let It Burn  (Alex Mcknight book 10)
  • Dead Man Running  (Alex Mcknight book 11)
  • Riddle Island (short story)

Here you have the Nick Heller series in order, a story about a  former Special Forces soldier who works as a private investigator. A must-read if you enjoy thrillers.

Have you started reading the Alex Knight series? leave a comment if you have read any of these books already, and tell us which one is your favorite (with no spoilers please!).