My Book Wishlist.

Literary agents often post their Manuscript Wishlists (or MSWLs) for querying authors to learn more about their tastes in books. Looking though agents’ MSWLs always makes me think about my own reading wishlist. So, here it is: everything I look for when choosing my next book to read.

Please note: I am not a literary agent; please do not query me. This is merely meant as a way to get to know each other. And I’m always open to book recommendations!

Fantasy

  • Epic fantasy with well-developed characters and themes relevant to modern times (The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda, Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang)

  • Fantasy with unique and well-developed magic systems (Mistborn, Warbreaker, and The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson, Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong, The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy)

  • Intricate worldbuilding where the focus stays on the story and characters and the world is slowly revealed alongside the story (The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson, The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse)

  • Unique takes on mythologies that are currently underrepresented (The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas)

  • Unique romantasy stories, especially LGBTQ+ and/or a BAMF FMC falling in love with cinnamon rolls (any gender). I love bad@ss FMCs, but I’m getting really tired of the super powerful FMC being paired with a MMC who’s somehow even more powerful than her – if she’s a BAMF, I want her paired with a cinnamon roll – let’s see those soft edges behind the prickly exterior

  • Dragons (The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose, The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini)

  • Witches (Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow)

  • Not really interested in: urban fantasy, gangs / the Mob / organized crime (thieves’ guilds excepted), Vikings / Norwegian mythology

Science Fiction

  • Science fiction that focuses on character growth – bonus points for a strong voice (The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir)

  • Science fiction romance where character growth and the relationship are the main focus (The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer, Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray, Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell)

  • Near(ish)-future dystopian (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Legend by Marie Lu)

  • Extremely-distant-future dystopian (Heaven Breaker by Sara Wolf, The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O’Keefe)

  • Interesting takes on time travel (The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow)

  • I am here for ALL the science fiction horror! (S.A. Barnes)

Horror

  • Horror with a solid character arc –> when I reach the end, I want to look back and agree that all the danger and terror were worth it for the MC’s arc

  • I am both terrified and fascinated by zombies (The Girl with All the Gifts / The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey, Train to Busan (film), World War Z (film))

  • Stories where at least some of the danger comes from being in a remote and enclosed space, like underwater caves, deep-sea shipwrecks, or derelict spaceships (From Below by Darcy Coates, Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes, The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling, The Cave (film), Sanctum (film))

  • Twisty, psychological horror that makes me reevaluate everything I thought I knew

  • I LOVE the found footage trope (Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie)

  • Not interested in: jump scare or slasher

Cozy

  • Cozy stories with strong seasonal vibes – I want those stories that I’ll re-read every year when I’m getting excited for the changing of the seasons (Greenglass House by Kate Milford, The Pumpkin Spice Café and The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore, A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney)

  • Cozy stories that make me crave a certain food or drink (Murder on the Rocks by Karen MacInerney, Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker)

  • Cozy romance with genuine character change (Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore)

  • Cozy mysteries with tight pacing and cozy vibes (How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols)

Historical

  • Historical stories with a speculative twist (The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner)

  • Dual / multiple timelines that feed each other (The House Between Tides and Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine, Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Rose Code by Kate Quinn)

  • Reexaminations of time periods or historical figures that reveal new depths that weren’t taught in school (Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys)

  • Historical nonfiction with a similar writing style / pacing as Erik Larson (Dead Wake, Isaac’s Storm, The Splendid and the Vile, etc.)

Others

  • Fast-paced thrillers with jaw-dropping twists (Never Lie by Freida McFadden, If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio, The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha)

  • Multiple POV’s with at least one unreliable narrator (The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, The Twelve Days of Murder by Adreina Cordani)

  • Stories that make me ugly-cry in the absolute best way (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, anything by Eliot Schrefer)

Niche Requests

  • Anything that comps to Sleepy Hollow (2013 television show), or really anything Len Wiseman would direct (Underworld, Lucifer)

  • Anything that comps to the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who (television)

  • Retellings of Mary Shelley’s Frankentstein, especially if: the twist is that the female characters have actual agency, the Creature grows beyond his obsessive tendencies, or Victor takes initiative and forges a positive character arc for himself

  • Any speculative fiction that touches on the Titanic, Atlantis, or Ancient Egypt

  • Ghost ships (nautical or space, like Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes or Triangle (film))

  • Atmospheric settings along the lines of: The House Between Tides and Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine, The Whistling by Rebecca Netley, Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Hard No’s

  • Rape / non-con

  • Not a huge fan of age gaps, but if I can ignore it, then okay, I guess

  • Romantic relationships with large power gaps

  • Gratuitous sex or violence

  • Conflict based entirely on gender, sexuality, or race – I’m so sick of this being the only obstacle a character faces –> I want to read worlds that I would actually enjoy visiting and feel safe inhabiting

  • Animals in danger – I don’t care if they end up okay, I’m not going to be able to concentrate on the story until I know for sure that they’re safe

All books and movie posters shown or mentioned on this page are the property of their rightful copyright owners. I have no claim to them, and share them only as a form of recommendation for other potential readers and viewers who may love them as much as I do.