I don’t really dwell that much on what happens after books end, because rarely do the ones I wonder about get any kind of sequel. So I had to really think about this one. There are definitely some books that, if I had any say, would have sequels (or even just a quick resolution to a few lingering questions). Here they are.
   
   
   
I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and it did have a good ending. But I’d still love to know what happened years down the line. I’d like to know how things turn out, and what they do next. But mostly I’d just love to spend more time with these characters. I just finished This Is Going to Hurt. I think Kay has at least one other book, but I think it’s still a medical themed one. I’m not sure if he’s done anything about what happened next in his life, but I would be curious to know how things turned out, if he’s happy now, what it’s been like sharing all of the info he did in this book, and if he ever misses being a doctor. I can’t really say much about The Lincoln Highway because I don’t want to give things away, but let’s just say there are a few threads that don’t fully resolve and I’d love to know what actually happened. Maid is similar to This Is Going to Hurt, in that I’d just like to know where Land is now, what her life is like, how things have changed and how she and her daughter are doing.
   
   
   
I believe there is an epilogue in The Martian, but I’d like more. Like Cerulean, mostly I just want more Watney because he was one of my favourite characters and I loved hanging out with him. I’d also like to know how he does after more time passes. What happens in his life? Does he get cancer (I feel like I’ve heard there’s a lot of radiation on Mars)? Does he suffer any long-term mental health issues from the trauma of the experience? I just have so many questions. Ducks, Newburyport was a challenging book. I definitely wouldn’t want another thousand page book in the same style. But I would love a more traditionally structured update on the main character and what happens to her. I Capture the Castle was one of my favourite books when I was a kid. I was perfectly happy with how the book ended, but I would like to know what happened to Cassandra when she grew up, in particular if she became an even more successful author than her Dad, because I suspect she did. Guernsey I can’t really say specifically what I’d like to know without spoilers, so let’s just say I’d like to visit the characters again to see how things turned out.
   
   
Love, Nina is an odd one. I actually don’t care that much about the title character, but I would like to know more of what happened to the family she nannied for. The mom was hilarious. There are lots of Trixie Belden sequels. But I would like to know what happened to her when she grew up. Did she become a detective? Did she travel the world? Become a feminist trail-blazer? I feel like she probably continued solving mysteries in some form or another! And A.J. Fikry is another that I just loved so much I’d love to revisit the characters on down the line and find out how things turned out for them.
That’s it for me this week! What about you guys? Which book did you most want a sequel or epilogue for? Have you read any of my picks, and if so did you feel like you wanted more?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.
I would adore more from The house in the Cerulean Sea. 🙂
Right??? I’m really hoping that might actually happen – I feel like of all of these, that one is the most likely!
Guernsey was on my list too. I just want a little more time with everyone!
YES!!!!!
I’m not really an epilogue person. I do always wonder what child characters I love would be doing as adults but then at the same time, I think it’s hard to do because you want the character to be the same person that your readers originally fell in love with but people change a lot as they grow into adulthood and you can run the risk of the character seeming like a stunted adolescent: case in point, the final Montague siblings book by Mackenzi Lee follows the youngest sibling of the protagonists of the previous two books, they are a good 15/16 years older than their younger brother and so are in their mid thirties or so by his book but they still act exactly the same as they did when they were teenagers.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/06/14/top-ten-tuesday-372/
Yes, that is a very good point. It’s a difficult balance to master – keeping the essence of the character as they were but allowing them to have evolved. I do think some kids’ books back in the day were fairly one-dimensional, so I feel like Trixie Belden, for example, could easily have become a female detective who traveled the world solving mysteries and be a grown up, but not have to change all that much. It wouldn’t be overly realistic, but I think most readers of the original series wouldn’t have minded! Books that have more depth to the characters and more realistic portrayals, on the other hand, wouldn’t work as well. There are definitely some I read as a kid I’d never want to know what they were like as grown ups because it would have just ruined the whole thing!
I loved reading Trixie Belden books growing up. And now that you mention it, I would love to know what she did after high school.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/books-mentioned-in-a-recent-read/
Right? I like to imagine her as an early female detective or traveling the world having crazy adventures. I can’t imagine her growing up to have a boring job or settle down and be satisfied as a home maker. I mean of course she might have, but in my imagination her adventures never stopped!
Ooh, Maid is a good choice! The woman who wrote that book worked so hard.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-that-should-have-been-epilogues/
She definitely did. One of those rare instances of hard work and not losing hope paying off, I hope. She certainly deserved for life to get more stable!
Great picks! Come to think of, Trixie Belden reminded me of Nancy Drew. I used to binge her books, but I think she remained a teenager through ALL of them!? It would be good to know what these teenage detectives are up to these days. 🙂
Yes, there were similarities. I felt more attached to Trixie though because she wasn’t so… perfect. Like Nancy had crazy adventures, but at the same time I always pictured her with a perfectly matched and pressed outfit with a tidy hairdo, you know? Trixie… she could be in rumpled dungarees and not even have brushed her hair most of the time. I felt more of a connection to the mess! I believe they both remained teens throughout the series, but I don’t really know for sure.
I enjoyed your reasoning. I liked House In The Cerulean Sea and wanted to know more (I can’t believe I didn’t put it on my list!). I also wasn’t sure if books would have a sequal so that made it hard too!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/06/14/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-wish-had-an-epilogue/
Thank you! Yeah, I think that’s the one I actually have some hope might get one – the rest are total fantasies! I loved it so much and am already looking forward to re-reading it! I hope you have a great week as well!
Great list and nice spin on this week’s prompt. I love reading your explanations and thoughts on why these books should get an epilogue and a sequel.
My TTT: https://herseriallife.com/top-10-books-i-wish-had-epilogue/
Have a great week 🌈
Thank you! I felt like some needed an explanation or they would be a little out of place! I did have a bit of a hard time with this week’s prompt, so many aren’t really obvious picks!