SONG OF THE WEEK: Avid Dancer “I Want to See You Dance”

I’m constantly on the hunt for newly discovered authors. I will try just about anything. Generally, I have found that I can tell about ten minutes into an audiobook whether or not I’m going to want to devote another six to twenty hours of my life to it.

Usually, when I’ve tried about four or five books in a row with nothing special standing out, I’ll fall back on an old faithful series. There are certain ones that are failsafes. These aren’t necessarily ones I have devoured in a matter of days (Hunger Games, Twilight, Divergent, etc.), but ones that I have chosen not to be a greedy reader with and to allow to rest while I check out other books, knowing that I’ll eventually get to them.

Here are some of my favorites. Give any one of them a try for an easy but interesting read.

Body Movers series by Stephanie Bond. You’ve got to love the unique concept of a family in the dead body moving business. There’s also a love square — one lady with three possible suitors who continue their pursuits of Carlotta’s affection throughout the series.

Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Knowing True Blood wouldn’t last forever, I intentionally saved this series for when I needed an Eric Northman fix. The books are different enough from the show that I feel just familiar enough with the characters to have a good visual but am usually taken off guard at just the right spots.

Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. When I need to laugh really hard and often, I pick up one of these novels. The first book is the funniest, as that is when Stephanie is at her most clueless, but I doubt there’s a bad one in the bunch. With twenty-one books to date, this is the series that keeps on giving.

Stella Hardesty (A Bad Day for Sorry) series by Sophie Littlefield. Badass older woman anyone? Stella’s mission in life is to help abused women by dispensing her own unique brand of justice. She’s not a cop, so anything’s fair game.

Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. I’m convinced there has never been a more thorough writer than Lee Child. Settle in and be patient. The payoff is always worth it.