August 6, 2013

Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the bloggers of The Broke and the Bookish. Today we're discussing top ten books we wish had sequels.

Well, this is a bit of a challenge for me. I like standalones. I tend to prefer them to series, to be quite honest. But there are a few stories that I would love to be continued in one form or another, so here is my abbreviated list on books I wish would have continuations, and what form I'd love for these continuations to take.


The Direct Sequels (by which I mean a story not merely set in the same world but that is a continuation of the first book's characters and their lives):

The Indirect Sequels (by which I mean a story set in same world but focused different characters):
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

And that's all I've got. Please let me know what books top your lists in their need for a sequel!
author image

Amanda

Amanda loves few things better than sitting down with a cup of tea and a book. She frequently stays up far too late, telling herself she just needs to finish one more page. When she's not wrapped up in the stories of others, Amanda works as a children's librarian in a public library.

24 comments:

  1. I am always SO happy to find a good standalone that I can't think of many books that need sequels…

    How are you enjoying Fourth Comings? I just finished the entire series….

    Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. True! But I figured companion novels (indirect sequels) I'd still be okay with.
      And I really enjoyed Fourth Comings! I finished the whole series now as well. I'll be eager to compare thoughts. :)

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  2. YES to Archangel! I desperately want more of those characters, not so much their world. And I'd love another story set in Thisby, though I doubt it would compare adequately to TSR - that book is perfection bound up and published. :)

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    1. Exactly! And another book set in Thisby probably wouldn't be as good, but if it didn't feature the same characters at least it would invite quite as much comparison/scrutiny as if it did.

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  3. I really prefer stand-alones, too. I almost always have to go back and read the first book again by the time the second one is released which drives me crazy. I love Margaret Atwood and would love to revisit almost any of her books. The Handmaid's Tale is a great one. Great list!
    Natflix&Books' TTT

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    1. Part of the reason I started writing and reading reviews is actually to refresh my memory before continuing on with a series. I just don't have time to re-read earlier parts in series right now. It is definitely frustrating! And I love her works too; I need to read more of them!

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  4. I know what you mean about standalones. I've been on a bit of a rant lately about how books nowadays always seem to come as part of a series.

    That made this week's topic quite difficult for me as well, so I went with sort of sequels!

    Here's my TTT.

    Sarah

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    1. The rant about series? That's like my constant refrain. :)

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  5. YES YES YES to The Scorpio Races! I want to go back to Thisby so badly. But I agree that I feel settled about Sean and Puck and would love to hear from someone else this time. Heather @ Flyleaf Review raves about Sunshine and I'd still like to read that one. I haven't opened The Hanmaid's Tale in ages, but I'm not sure whether that's a world I'd like to revisit? It was my first dystopian read though so it definitely will always be meaningful to me.

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    1. Exactly how I feel. And haha Heather's enthusiasm for that book definitely influenced my pick. :) The Handmaid's Tale is pretty bleak, but at the same time it's quite fascinating.

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  6. I really need to read Blackbird Winter. My friend said she loved it and recommends it to fans of The Diviners (that would be me!) Thanks for sharing! http://wp.me/pzUn5-1BN

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    1. Well, both are about spiritualism and a similar time period, so I think the recommendation makes sense.

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  7. I loved In the Shadow of Blackbirds! I don't know where the sequel would go though I would be scared that I wouldn't like the direction it went in but I would definitely be up for reading it! Her writing is amazing!

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    1. A sequel or a companion novel, I'm not picky. I just want more in that time period!

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  8. Yep, Sunshine and The Scorpio Races are on my list too! And I STILL really want to read Vessel. Shadow of Blackbirds is sitting on my Kindle unread (bows head in shame...) Super list, Amanda!

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    1. Please read Vessel! I need more friends to fangirl over it with me. :)

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  9. Oh, I love how you've broken this down into companion novels and direct sequels. I feel like my commenters might have been less confused if I'd done it that way!

    I considered The Handmaid's Tale, but the ending was too good. A companion novel lets it stand but gets more of the world. Love that idea.

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    1. It helped me actually come up with more than 2 answers to this questions haha. I actually don't remember the ending of The Handmaid's Tale, but it was such an interesting world that Atwood set up that I'd like to have the opportunity to explore different facets of it. Exactly!

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  10. I would absolutely read more set in the worlds of The Handmaid's Tale and Sunshine... but I believe there IS a new book coming out set in Sunshine's world, Shadows, to be released this fall! Great choices. :)

    Lisa
    My TTT

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    1. I thought Shadows is a similarly created world, but still a different one? I'll have to look into it further.

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  11. I like that you've split them into categories! That probably would have made it easier for me to think up my own list. Most often, I find standalones work just perfectly fine as that, and don't need a sequel at all. The Scorpio Races and On the Jellicoe Road come to mind for me. But I WOULD love another book just to revisit the characters or worlds again. I agree with In the Shadow of Blackbirds, mostly because I want to know what happens to Mary Shelley next. Great choices, Amanda! :)

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    1. Oh, I agree. I was using this prompt as a challenge. If some books had to have a sequel, what ones wouldn't I mind quite so much? But standalones are always preferable in my mind. :)

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  12. Yeah, I know what you mean because lately I've been feeling like there are too many sequels. Sometimes it's not so much a sequel you want, but a return to the storyline and characters you loved. Indirect sequels or companion novels work well for that, as well.

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  13. I'm excited to see In the Shadow of Blackbirds on your list - I bought this a month or so ago but haven't read it yet. Excited that it was a book that you wanted to spend even more time with!

    I also loved The Scorpio Races, so I'm really happy it's also on here. I included it on my list, too! I seriously want more of Thisby.

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