TOP TEN TUESDAY | CHARACTERS I’D LOVE AN UPDATE ON/BOOKS I WANT MORE OF

This week’s prompt turned out to be harder than I expected, but I managed to come up with some good ones! Some are characters I’d like to check in with, some are real people I’d like to catch up with. Some are just books I’d like to crawl back into and stay a while!

               

I’d love to know how things went for the Queen after the end of The Uncommon Reader! I imagine her still with her nose buried in a book. And honestly, it’s not so much one of the characters from The House in the Cerulean Sea I’d like an update on, as that I’d like to spend more time with any of them or just in that world. Shuggie Bain wasn’t the easiest book I read this past year, but it was one that has stuck with me. Though I’m not eager to dive back into such a dark world, I do wonder what happened to Shuggie after the end of the book. I loved Catalogue Baby. It’s such an open, honest, painful account of Myriam’s journey into motherhood, and it is such an important piece of work. I really want to find out what her life has been like since it ended. Fortunately for me, I have been told a sequel is in the works, so hopefully I’ll get my wish soon!

               

I loved The Martian. I’ve read it twice now and loved it just as much both times. But I do keep wondering what happened after the end of the book. I won’t say any specifics in case you haven’t read or watched it yet, but a lot happens in this book, and I would love to know what life is like back on earth once its events are over. The Pull of the Stars was an emotional book, but one that I was completely drawn into. I’d love to find out what happens to Julia Powers after the book ends, but even more than that I want to read an entire book about Dr. Kathleen Lynn, who was an intriguing character we didn’t get to learn enough about! I know Ducks, Newburyport was a very long book, and I doubt most people would want more. But I would – perhaps not in the same format – but I’d like to get to know the narrator better and find out how her life goes after the book ends. I loved Shirley Jackson’s memoirs. So full of hilarious parenting foibles and disasters, and a general sense of bafflement at how to cope with being a grown up who is responsible for tiny humans. I recognized that feeling. I’d love more.

         

I really recognized parts of Ben Watt’s memoir about his time spent in hospital with a rare condition that resulted in severe illness, multiple surgeries, and permanent medical challenges. His description of what it’s like to be in the hospital under those circumstances, of the unique rhythms and instant intimacy of shared patient rooms, the slippage of time, the overwhelming feeling of waking up and realizing that the person you were last time you were fully conscious is gone, and you have to come to terms with what life is now, with all its new limitations. It’s a lot, and so hard to describe. Watt does a brilliant job. It’s a book anyone who has been in a similar situation should read if they’re looking to feel less alone, and anyone who has a loved one going through a serious and traumatic medical issue should read it to understand a bit better what it’s like for them. My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is such an emotional and difficult book. But Mark and Giulia seem to find a way to weather the hurricanes that hit them, and I’d love to know how they’re doing now. I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It’s one of those quiet books that is warm and charming. I’d love to know what happened to Dawsey and Juliet and all the other Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society members!

Alright, that’s me for this week! I’d love to hear which characters you’d like to check in with! Did any of my picks make your list? Any books here you haven’t read yet but want to?

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.