I too must admit that I have not read the Ya-Ya Sisterhood series either. I think I like the color combinations, but not necessarily the imagery. Something about the juxtaposition doesn't work for me. But I think as a series the covers work well together. Again, I haven't read them so maybe there is something about colorful clouds and vintage imagery that goes with the story, but I'm not particularly drawn to it. I know people love the books though!
As far as my favorite series, I much prefer reading children's literature to any other kind of fiction. I'm not sure what that says about me, but I resonate much more with the themes found in children's literature than in books written for adults. My favorite series by far is Harry Potter. The themes of life and death, love, friendship and bravery ring very true for me. And the best part about the whole series was that I felt like it lived up to all the expectations that I held for it as I worked my way through the books. I remember being afraid before the 7th book was released that there was no way that Rowling would be able to tie up all the loose ends, will in the gaps, answer the questions and still have the end be satisfying and fulfilling, but unbelievably, it was. I felt a tremendous sense of contentment when I closed book 7.
In the US, Scholastic published the Harry Potter series. The books were illustrated by Mary Grandpre. The illustrations are beautiful and intricate, but still appeal to children and really bring out key themes and elements of each book. In the UK, however, Bloomsbury published the series. They published a children's version and an adult version, which I loved! I loved that they stopped to consider the audiences that were reading these books. It's not just a series for kids! Even now, if Scholastic published an American adult version of the series, I would totally buy them.
