How precious are Your thoughts to me, O LORD ... how vast is the sum of them!

Monday, September 22, 2025

Five Fall Favorites Day 1

 



It's the first day of Five Fall Favorites, a week-long multi-blog celebration of favorite books! Today I’m talking about the Books I Wish Had a Sequel. The first of these came immediately to mind because I have wished for it more than once. The others required some extra thought because most of the books I’ve read either have sequels, will have sequels, or are satisfactory standalones.







Christy by Catherine Marshall – This beautifully written Christian novel makes me wish Catherine Marshall had written more fiction in general, not just its sequel. Her only other novel, Julie (unrelated), was also a good read, but Christy, with its deep themes of faith and its gorgeous setting in the Great Smokies, has left me aching for a continuing story. Most significantly, the resolution to a very important piece of the plot is left to our imaginations. Oh, Mrs. Marshall, why did you never finish that sequel?


Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton – This novel is a recent edition to my hall of great books. Although the ending is satisfying, I cared about the characters and their land and wished I knew what happened to them in later years, especially the young people.

 

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell – Again, this one’s ending filled my heart, but in such a way that my love for it needed somewhere else—like hundreds of more pages—to go. We know what happens to Margaret Hale and John Thornton, but we certainly need to see more of them!

 

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens – Like North and South and Cry, the Beloved Country, Little Dorrit ended well but left me craving more. Two of my favorite literary characters, Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam, simply need more page-time.

 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – Maybe we don’t always want to know what happens to beloved child characters when they grow up, but Mary, Colin, and Dickon are full of such promise by the end of the book that I’d love to see the turns their lives would take in later years.


Here are the links to the other bloggers on my team, Team Walnut. Be sure to check them out for more recommendations!



And be sure to visit the hostesses' blogs by clicking on the links below:


Lastly, here is the link to the giveaway for all these fantastic books shown in the graphics below:






10 comments:

  1. Oh, yes, I think Christy could have a great sequel!! And TSG would be such fun too. I haven't read Little Dorrit yet but North & South I could also see with a good sequel... also I need to check out that Alan Paton book. Glad to see your recs again, Kelsey! <3

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    1. Thank you, Katja! This was a fun question to ponder. :)

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  2. I love The Secret Garden, it would have been amazing if there were more to the story with a sequel!

    Abigail @ https://authorabigailkay.wordpress.com/

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    1. It's interesting to imagine where a sequel would have gone, for sure. I especially would love to see what kind of young lady Mary grew up to be.

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  3. Ooo, I agree about The Secret Garden! I've seen an interpretation of what happens to the characters (and didn't like it), so I'd be so intrigued by a sequel. Thanks so much for joining, Kelsey!

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    1. Right! I want to see what Burnett thought! :)
      It was so fun to join again! It's been a few years. Thanks for all you do!

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  4. This is a fantastic list! I never thought of Christy, but yes, it ABSOLUTELY needed a sequel.

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    1. Thank you!
      I'm surprised her contemporary fans didn't clamor for it, haha. :) It took the TV show/movies to give us some closure. :)

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