Top 5 Tuesday || Books I’d Like for Christmas

We’re a week and some away from Christmas, Shanah @ Bionic Bookworm Blog has decided today’s the best day to share the five books at the top of my wishlist! We’ll see if my family gets me any of these, or if they just turn me loose with a B&N gift card instead. 😂

Stone Mad by Elizabeth Bear

I’ll have to reread Karen Memory before I pick up Stone Mad, but Elizabeth Bear left a HUGE impression with Karen Memory, and I so badly want to sink my teeth into the rest of her work. She’s a hero of speculative fiction, and she also has a Best Of anthology coming out in 2020, if I understand things correctly. Truly a force to be reckoned with (and enjoyed)!

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Trail of Lightning, and now that I have access to a library once more AND I have a job, I’m trying to use that flexibility to get more authors of color on my shelves. Plus, there’s monsters and gods and humans all forced into confrontation with one another, and I am SUCH a sucker for that kind of thing!

What the Woods Keep by Katya de Becerra

Combining the inheritance of an entire house, mystery elements, and a touch of the paranormal, What the Woods Keep feels like a dream for my brain, which likes to be ten steps ahead of the mystery at all times. I so badly want to puzzle this one out, learn the full shape of it, and maybe get a little spooked along the way. As bad as I am with horror, I do like a little bit of a creepy factor!

American Hippo by Sarah Gailey

This is a bind-up of two novellas about feral hippos and conmen, written by one of the folks on Twitter that I find to be both incredibly eloquent and outrageously funny. Basically, if I don’t get this as a gift, it’s going to be my first purchase of the new year.

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

Time and again, I’ve seen this recommended on Book Twitter by people I trust, and even though it sounds like it’s going to be a day time only read unless I feel like not getting a wink of sleep, I want it SO BADLY. There’s a paranormal element, faux-documentary style inclusions, and what feels like an overall mystery flavor to me, judging by the summary. How could I ever say no?

So, what books are you hoping for this holiday season? And yes, pre-orders totally count!