| THESTRAIGHTDOPE | Cecil Adams series of books about questions that torment everyone |
| DOPE | "The Straight ___" (longtime Cecil Adams column) |
| ACQUIESCENT | Stress about question that is the first stage in someone consenting |
| BOOKWORM | Reserve thing that torments enthusiastic reader (8) |
| PEA | Legume that torments a princess in a fairy tale |
| WRITERS | Block that torments authors |
| KATHYREICHS | American author of a series of books about forensic investigator Temperance Brennan |
| IMPONDERABLES | David Feldman's series of books about trivial mysteries of everyday life |
| WOMBAT | Ruth Park wrote a series of books about a muddle-headed version of this Australian marsupial |
| BATHROOMREADERS | Uncle John's aptly named series of books about all types of trivia and arcane knowledge |
| BUDSOF | First of a series of books about the Larkin family, by H.E. Bates (3,7,4,2,3) |
| MAY | First of a series of books about the Larkin family. by H.E. Bates (3,7,4,2,3) |
| DARLING | First of a series of books about the Larkin family. by H.E. Bates (3,7,4,2,3) |
| THE | And 19,20 and 12. First of a series of books about the Larkin family. by H.E. Bates (3,7,4,2,3) |
| ANTON | A series of books about Chekhov, say |
| ANTHOLOGY | A series of books about Holy Tonga (9) |
| ABSENT | A series of books about bovine disease is missing (6) |
| WILLIAM | Just ___, series of books about an unruly schoolboy (7) |
| ASCOT | A second set of books about head of Cheltenham racecourse |
| ANTONYMS | A set of books about unknown, empty metaphors that have contrary meanings (8) |
