Top Ten Tuesday

Today's Top Ten Tuesday list asks for “Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me”.

I have so many books on hand which I want to read and I'm not the least bit reluctant to buy books that I want, so it's a bit difficult to come up with much of a list. If a book is to be shared with family members, I'll choose to purchase the Kindle version. Books to be shared with my friends at BookObsessed are printed on paper, but often bought at second-hand stores. That leaves me with two other classes of books. First are the books that I really want to read—but only once. These I try to get from the library. And the second are books that I want to own. So, with those categories in mind, here's what I'd like to receive from Santa. Note that some of these are pre-orders since they are due to be published in the next couple of weeks.

1. Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau is the second in a young adult series which began with The Testing. Set in a dystopian future, some reviewers have compared the series to The Hunger Games. I'll admit that there's a decent similarity, but this is definitely not a rip-off. Since this book is due to be released on 7 January, I'd love to see it headed to my Kindle on publication day.
   
2. Another book which would be a pre-order is The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card. It's also the second book in a series, and also aimed at the young adult marketplace. There the similarity ends. Card has crafted a remarkable fantasy set in contemporary times, but drawing upon the mythology of the Norse gods. I look forward to receiving a copy in February.
   
3. Borderline is the 15th in Nevada Barr's mystery series set in various National Parks in the USA. This volume is set right here in Texas in Big Bend National Park. I'd love to catch up with this series in 2014, so finding this book in my Christmas stocking would make me very happy.
   
4. I'm not so patiently waiting for The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, sixth in Alan Bradley's marvelous series starring precocious pre-teen Flavia de Luce. Fortunately, my library has already ordered The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches and its due to arrive just after the beginning of the year. (This feels a little bit like cheating since I'm already on the wait list.)
   
5. Phryne Fisher is the protagonist in Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood. I just discoverer this series when the first book, Cocaine Blues was a freebie at Amazon. Coincidentally, my local PBS station was broadcasting the Miss Fisher Mysteries BBC series based on these books. I would love to receive the Kindle version, but I'm willing to simply request it from the library.
   
6. The Prodigal Nun, a Sister Agatha mystery by Aimée and David Thurlo, has been on my wishlist at Amazon for a couple of years. It's the fifth book in the series of six and I think I'd like to complete the series in 2014.
   
7. In 2013, one series that I've particularly enjoyed has been the Molly Murphy Mysteries by Rhys Bowen. I'm ready to read book #11, Hush Now, Don't You Cry, so I'd be thrilled if it arrived for Christmas. (However, given that there's a copy available at my local library, I can easily pick it up on Boxing Day.)
   
8. Another series that I'd like to resume reading is the Kris Longknife military science fiction adventures. I'm ready to read Kris Longknife: Intrepid, the sixth book in the series. (Sometimes, however, I feel like I should go back and re-read the previous book when it's been so long between books.)
   
9. I'm probably one of the very few who hasn't read Inferno by Dan Brown. Since I very much enjoyed The Lost Symbol, I guess it's time that I got around to reading the next one in the Robert Langdon intrigue series. It's not yet available in paperback, so I'll hope for a Kindle edition or borrowing it from the library.
   
10. Amazon lists this book at the top of the Recommended for you list, so I'm going to include Fifth Gospel by Adriana Koulias as the tenth book on my holiday wish list. It appears to have a similar theme as the Magdalene Line trilogy by Kathleen McGowan, so I hope that I'll enjoy it.
    

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week one of the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish posts (and answers) a new Top Ten list. Book bloggers are encouraged to join by posting answers on their own blogs, linking to The Broke and the Bookish, and adding their names to the Linky widget.