So, here's the thing about book series: I love them. Really love them. In fact, I'm reading so many of them at the moment that I had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of them all. Here's the other thing: I tend to languish in the middle of multiple series without ever actually completing any of them. That's why TTT prompts like the one we have today—Top Ten Completed Series I Wish Had More Books—are kind of tough for me. I managed to come up with ten for my list, but the majority of them, no surprise, are middle grade and YA series that consist of only a few installments. It's a lot easier to finish a MG trilogy, for me at least, than it is to complete an adult series with 20+ books in it!

Do you want to chat about your favorite series with a bunch of other passionate book lovers? Of course you do! You can get in on the TTT fun by clicking over to That Artsy Reader Girl, then making your own list. It's a good ole time, I promise.

Top Ten Completed Series That I Wish Had More Books 

(covers are for the first book in each series)

1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling—I'm betting this series is the first one that came to a lot of people's minds for this topic. I adore the world of Harry Potter and would love to sink back into it via more novels, be they prequels, a spin-off series, whatever...just not screenplays!

2. The Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson—Up until yesterday, I thought this YA series featuring a teenaged true crime aficionado who uses her unique skills to solve cold cases, was complete at four books. Then, I noticed a new installment being promoted on NetGalley. Yay! I love this series, so I'm thrilled it's going to continue on. Even though it doesn't really fit this prompt, I'm keeping it on the list because I'm so happy it's not over.

3. The London Shades series by Maureen Johnson—Speaking of Johnson, I'm still irritated that she hasn't finished this YA series about a young woman who gained "the sight" when she almost choked to death in her school cafeteria and subsequently became part of a London "ghost squad" that investigates supernatural crimes. There were supposed to be four books in the series, but The Shadow Cabinet (#3) came out in 2015 and there's been no action since. All I can say is, this series better not be finished! I'm holding out hope that Johnson will pen that fourth book, even though I can barely remember who's who and what's what in the series. I'll happily re-read them all if Johnson can just do me a solid and bring the series to a satisfying close.

4. The Al Capone series by Gennifer Choldenko—This MG series is set in the 1930s and features a boy who lives on Alcatraz Island, where his father works as a security guard. I loved all four of the books in the series and would gladly read more adventures starring the lovable Moose Flanagan.

5. The Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer—I'm not sure how many installments were planned for this YA series about an orphaned girl who goes from living rough on the streets of London to becoming the most notorious pirate on the high seas, but her adventures ended with the death of her creator in 2014. The series is all kinds of entertaining. I'm sad that Jacky Faber's tale had to end and that Meyer will never write another book.

6. The Good Girl's Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson—Although I didn't like the direction this story took in the last book, I still very much enjoyed the trilogy as a whole. I would read more books about Pip, especially if they were in the upbeat style of the first two installments. 

7. The Gold Seer Trilogy by Rae Carson—I adored this YA historical/supernatural series about a young woman with the ability to sense the presence of gold. Her adventures kept me totally enthralled. I would love to read more of them.

8. The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness—It's been a long time since I read this YA trilogy (well, three full books and three novellas) of dystopian thrillers, so I honestly can't even remember what the books are about. I only know that I loved the trilogy when I read it and would gladly reengage with its characters and their world.

9. The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May—This adult mystery series set in the Outer Hebrides features Fin Macleod, one of my favorite May characters. More books featuring him would make me very, very happy.

10. The Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani—I loved all four of the books in this series and would gladly read more featuring the same setting and characters. The novels are full of warmth and charm. I'm definitely going to need to re-read them at some point.

There you go, ten series I wish would be extended. Have you read any of them? Which series do you wish had more books in them? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

 

My favorite Top Ten Tuesday prompts are those dealing with seasonal TBR lists.  I enjoy them so much that I started my Summer 2020 list early.  To see the adult books I'm hoping to read this summer, click here.  Today's Part Two list will deal just with children's books, including YA and MG.  I'm going to feature new and upcoming titles because I've discovered some intriguing-looking ones that I really, really want to read. 

Before we get to that, I want to mention two things.  First, TTT is hosted every week by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.  Click on over to her blog to get all the deets on this fun weekly meme, as well as reviews, giveaways, etc.  Second, after this TTT discussion about how different readers use Goodreads, I decided to revamp my TBR lists on the site.  I deleted the 5000 books on my main TBR shelf and started over from scratch!  Then, I sorted all of the books I want to read into lists according to genre, setting, topic, etc.  I put the titles I'm most excited about in want-to-read order on a "Top 100" list, in the hopes that I can keep the list manageable.  If you want to check out my new and improved TBR lists on Goodreads, feel free.  The link is on the left sidebar.

Okay, here we go with Top Ten Books on My Summer 2020 TBR List (Part Two):


1.  Splinters of Scarlet by Emily Bain Murphy (available July 21, 2020)—I was blown away by Murphy's inventive debut, The Disappearances when I read it back in 2018.  I've been waiting and waiting for her sophomore novel and it's finally (almost) here.  I can't wait to dive into this book about magic and a mystery.   


2.  Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte—Inspired by the real deaf community that thrived on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th Century, this MG novel is about Mary, a deaf girl who has grown up feeling secure in a community where nearly everyone is deaf and knows sign language.  When an ambitious scientist arrives on the island determined to get to the root of its prevalent deafness, Mary becomes a science experiment in the hands of a cruel captor.  What will happen to her and her unique community?  Sounds like a fascinating book.


3.  Orphan Eleven by Gennifer Choldenko—I enjoy Choldenko's books, especially her Alcatraz series, so I'm always excited when she comes out with a new book.  Her newest concerns a mute orphan who joins the circus, where she has to find her voice again in order to work with the animals.


4.  On the Horizon by Lois Lowry—I love historical fiction, so I'm definitely intrigued by Lowry's newest.  The MG novel concerns two infamous events—the bombings of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.  Based on Lowry's personal experience growing up in Hawaii and historical research, the book takes an intimate look at how both events changed the lives of those who experienced them firsthand.


5.  Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk—Another historical, this MG novel is set during the Great Depression.  Because of economic hardship, Ellie and her family have to sell everything they have and move to a remote mountain location.  As if things aren't bad enough already, her father drifts into a coma after an accident for which Ellie is blamed.  To heal her father and soothe her guilt-ridden soul, she goes in search of a magical hag who can mend all kinds of hurts. 


6.  The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte—This YA underwater dystopian sounds compelling.  It concerns Tempe, a teenage girl who dives deep into the water that covers her world to search for treasures in the remains of the drowned cities of old.  She needs to earn enough to pay scientists to bring her dead sister back to life.  Her sister took a secret to her grave and Tempe is desperate for answers.  I'm in! 


7.  All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker—This MG novel features a young artist whose father, an art restorer, goes missing leaving behind only a cryptic note.  There's no one she can turn to for help, so she sets about solving the mystery of her missing father and the painting that seems to be linked to his disappearance.


8.  Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz—Greg over at Book Haven featured this YA survival novel on his blog last week.  You better believe any book billed as LOST meets Stranger Things is going to get my immediate attention!  Naturally, it concerns a group of shipwrecked survivors and monsters both human and not.


9.  Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams—I don't know why, but I find cults super fascinating, so the premise of this YA novel caught my attention.  Admittedly, the main plot (a teen girl comes to realize she lives in a cult run by a megalomaniac and wants to escape with the Outsider boy she's fallen in love with) sounds fairly generic, but as a Type 1 diabetic, I'm intrigued by the book's subplot involving the heroine's diabetic brother.  In a community where medical intervention is outlawed, is it a sin for the MC to secretly break the rules in order to procure insulin for her sibling? 


10.  A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson—The murder of a teenage girl by her boyfriend still haunts the town in which it happened.  Pip knew the killer as a kind guy who would never do something so heinous.  For her senior project, she decides to investigate the murder.  In doing so, she finds new information that could exonerate the boyfriend.  Her digging has unearthed some dark secrets, however, secrets someone would kill to keep buried forever.  I can't resist an intriguing mystery and this one sounds like just that.

There you have it, ten MG and YA books I'm hoping to read this summer.  Which are you hoping to get to in the next few months?  Do we have any in common?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!