And I Go Back To The 90's All The Time

Okay. Enough Taylor Swift pun-titles.

Just kidding. I've got a million more where that came from.

One thing I realized today was that 3 of my favorite series were all published in the 90's/early 2000s. Then the more I thought about it, I realized that the same 3 were the only series I reread, multiple times, for fun.

Every now and then (mostly during the scorching Manila summers), I hit a lull, reading-wise and I start turning to familiar, comfortable reads. Sometimes I just miss them so much that I just pick em up, even though I'm the midst of a violent tug-of-war by at least 5 books, all vying for my attention. And those familiar reads are, in no particular order: J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books (no duh), Tamora Pierce's Immortals Quartet, and Meg Cabot's The Mediator series.

To be honest, I haven't read the entire series as many times as people think. I've gone over each book at the least, twice, at the most, five. That being said, there are some passages that are permanently marked in mind: The time Harry got a lemon lolly at the zoo, Ginny's valentine to Harry, Fred and George promising a toilet seat to Molly, Harry's adorable "Wangoballwimme?" to Cho Chang...

I can't stop fangirling over Tamora Pierce's books. I feel like one day, I'll just have to plop down and post a 100-paragraph post on the awesomeness that is her Tortall Saga. What I love the most about it is how it stretches over generations (The first series has Alanna as the protagonist, and the third is narrated by her daughter, Aly) The Immortals Quartet is just 1/5 of the Tortall story, but it's my favorite, because of two words: Numair & Daine. They are my OTP. I shipped them even before I knew what OTP (One True Pair). I remember back in my freshman year of high school, when I was reading the last book for the first time, being so overpowered by a case of kilig-giggles, that I had to stop reading, because I was in the middle of the Reedley lobby. 

Possibly the most-read out of all three. Fun fact: The Mediator is part of the reason I dislike Twilight. It's actually a very petty reason, but when you're in 7th-grade, these things matter. The last book of the Mediator series (which was published before Twilight) was also named Twilight, and I just so happened to be reading it when Twilight-mania arrived. I pooh-poohed the new Twilight, saying my Twilight was better. And there it is, for the world to know: the trigger that sent Salve Villarosa into a manic hate-frenzy toward sparkly vampires.

The Mediator is about a girl, Suze, who can see ghosts. And it's her duty to send them on to the next spiritual stage: heaven, hell, purgatory, the next life, what have you. The books are hilarious and sweet, and 13 years after the first book's publication, still pop-culturally relevant.

I've yet to find a new addition to these legendary books, but with the new bundle of books I've lugged home, here's hoping.