Top Ten Things on My Reading Wishlist

Top Ten Tuesday topic is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is my Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist (if you could make authors write about these things you would. Could be a specific type of character, an issue tackled, a time period, a certain plot, etc.)

1. Stories that explore ancient civilizations. Whether set in fantasy worlds or the real world, ancient cities left by a mysterious civilization have always really piqued my interest. Probably has to do with my love for Lovecraft, but it would be great to see a story featuring this topic that, while eerie, isn't straight-up horror.

2. More books featuring alternative paths/timelines. I loved Pivot Point, Before I Fall, and Life After Life, and I want more!

3. I'd like a literary retelling of my favorite fairy tale, The Snow Queen. And/or The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

4. More focus on plot, less focus on the love story! I don't mind love stories in books, but I hate when a book has a really intriguing plot that's forced to take a back seat to a trite romance. One of the reasons I loved The Hunger Games so much is because it managed to balance this so well.

5. More fantasy stories based in folklore from  other cultures. Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix is a good example of this, and I'd love to see more.

6. I want to see more girl-group superheroes, a la my old favorite show, Sailor Moon! I feel like most of today's stories feature one girl with exceptional powers standing alone (or with a boyfriend), and I'd like to see a story that explores the dynamics of a team of extraordinary girls working together to accomplish extraordinary things.

7. Magic at boarding school, as seen in Harry Potter, Gunnerkrigg Court, and A Great and Terrible Beauty. Maybe it's because I never went to boarding school myself, but I love the idea of a group of friends uncovering secrets away from parental supervision.

8. More books featuring characters in their early-to-mid-twenties! Sixteen was a magical age, but I don't see why twenty-six can't be, too. To say nothing of the story possibilities inherent in the college years. I like the idea of the New Adult genre, but so far the label seems like a way to add more sex to the stories, and there just doesn't seem to be much variety in the genres.

9. Kinda ties back to number 6, but I'd like to see more stories with strong friendships between female characters. There are a lot of books that would sadly fail the Bechdel test; either the female friend is more like an accessory than a  character, or other girls in the book only serve to antagonize the female protagonist.

10. As a huge fan of Northern Exposure, I'd like to read a book of a similar tone set in Alaska. I've never been there but I'd love to visit, and what I've seen of the state in photos it looks beautiful.