I have started to plan my reading year for 2021. I realized that I have read quite a few first books in a trilogy or series and had not read the second book.  I usually don’t read all the books in a trilogy or series right away. I don’t know why but it’s a quirky reading habit of mine.  However, I have let several years passed since I read that first book.  Well, I’m going to rectify that next year.

I have noticed that second books (especially in a trilogy) tend to get overlooked.  It is usually the bridge book to the final book of a trilogy or the set-up to a long series.  Also, the second books tend to get criticized harder, if the first book was a critical and commercial success.  Why is that?   I’m not sure.  I think about my second novel in the Diondray’s Chronicles Trilogy, Diondray’s Journey and the same fate applies.   Well, I’m going to take a closer look at second books in 2021 and my blog image is showcasing some of those books I’m going to read.

The second books on my 2021 reading list covers Literary Fiction (Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami), Science Fiction (Bright Shards by Meg Pechenick), epic fantasy (Saint Camber by Katherine Kurtz), YA Fantasy (Written in Starlight by Isabel Ibanez, The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin, & Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel Jose Older), YA Dystopian (Criminal by K.B. Hoyle), Mystery & Thriller (Red Death by Walter Mosley & Crypt of Bone by J.F. Penn), and Christian Fantasy (Son of Truth by Morgan Busse). These books cover a variety of genres and will provide a wide perspective for my upcoming reading year.

I would like to ask what are some of your favorite second books in a trilogy or series?  Do you plan on reading any second books in 2021?  If so, what are those books?  And do you think that second books get overlooked?