Second Novels I Can't Wait For!

I never used to be much of an author follower. When I was younger the only author whose work I'd consciously seek out was Jacqueline Wilson, and while I've often read books by the same author, whether they're in the same series or not, I never used to be too interested in checking out an author's backlist. I don't know why - maybe for no other reason than that there are so many authors in the world I want to read as many as I can, or maybe for no reason at all. Maybe I just never used to notice.

Now, though, I'm a lot more eager to seek out an author's other work if I enjoyed one of their novels. Last year I read four debut novels that I adored and all four authors have a second novel coming out this year, three of which I've already pre-ordered and I'm eagerly anticipating, so I thought I'd share them with you for no other reason than that I think these authors deserve attention.

Hannah Kent's 2013 debut, Burial Rites, was the first book I read last year and it was exquisite. Emotional and haunting, Burial Rites is a fictionalised account of the last months of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland. It's historical fiction at its best, and if Hannah Kent can write so fantastically for her debut I can't wait to see what awaits in her second novel. Kent recently announced that her second novel, The Good People, will be released in October; it's more historical fiction, this time set in 19th century Ireland with the possibility of some Changeling folklore. I can't wait! I don't think it's actually coming out in the UK until 2017, but I'm going to try and get my hands on a copy this year if I can because I want it in my life. Check out my review of Burial Rites here.

If you were following my blog last year then you probably got sick of me talking about Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but when I enjoy a novel as much as I enjoyed her 2015 debut, Signal to Noise, I have to rave about it. Moreno-Garcia is also releasing her second novel in October, Certain Dark Things, and I'm so excited to get my hands on it! Also set in Mexico City, it features drug lord vampires. I'm sold. Check out my review of Signal to Noise here.

Published in 2014, Jessie Burton's debut, The Miniaturist, basically took over the publishing world and it's no surprise why. Like Burial Rites, The Miniaturist is historical fiction written so beautifully it's hard to believe it's Burton's first novel. Thankfully her second novel, The Muse, is coming out at the end of this month, so I don't have to wait quite as long for it! The Muse is also historical fiction, set in England in the '60s and Spain in the '30s - I listened to Burton read a couple of extracts from it here and I'm so looking forward to reading it. Check out my review of The Miniaturist here.

Becky Chambers' debut, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, was another of my favourite reads of 2015, and easily one of my favourite books of all time. It's definitely my favourite sci-fi book - it's the kind of sci-fi I've always wanted. In October Chambers is releasing A Closed and Common Orbit, which is set in the same universe as The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet but isn't a direct sequel, and I'm hoping to love it just as much. Check out my review of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet here.

Are you looking forward to any of these releases?