Reading Time: 3 minutes

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week we will share a list based on the topic provided by The Broke and the Bookish.

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.

My reading wishlist wasn’t that hard to make. There are a lot of issues present in books that I wish were addressed more or at the very least need to be a part of mainstream reading.

1. More pregnant or single mom Happily Ever Afters (HEA)

I love books where the female protagonist is pregnant or has a kid and running from something; only to have a rough-edge man come into the picture and show them that not all men are mistrustful, children hating pricks.

2. The Victorian era in all it unhygienic glory 

I love the time period because of the rules and structure. But when you get down to it, how are all the main characters, their friends and family so hot, with perfect white teeth? Why are we not getting the sordid smelly truth? Mr. Darcy looking at you…

Also, not sure why I like books from the Victorian era since there weren’t any Black people of higher social status *sigh* no room for me in Queen Victoria’s England.

3. “Bitches”

I want to read female protagonists who are real and unapologetically themselves and if that means they are labelled as a “bitch” then so be it. But I want more than that. I want the conversation to center around why they’re labelled as a bitch. And more importantly, that there’s nothing wrong with being labelled a bitch. We need to take back the term and make it ours.

Sophie Price from Fisher Amelie’s Vain is a bitch I can get behind!

4. Imperfect Characters

Sometimes I get tired of reading about a character that looks “perfect”, you know, skinny, zero snaggle tooth or a hair out of place? I want a character that portrays a real everyday person in all our imperfect glory!

5. The Hearing Impaired

Ever since I started watching the show Switched at Birth and after having read Colleen Hoover’s Maybe Someday I’m starting to see the lack of representation and diversity in books.

Maybe Someday gave me a whole new perspective on experiencing love with a person who is hearing impaired.

How cool would it be to have a book that mirrors real life (RL)?

6. Better New Adult (NA) books

Next up on my reading wishlist, if NA as a genre actually bridges the gap between Young Adult (YA) and Adult genre. And, actually depicts the real-life struggles of everyone who is trying to find themselves and their place in the world. I question, why characters so well off or why are they’re all white or the myriad of issues normal people deal with. Yes, it’s fiction but there can be some realism thrown in without completely ruining the story.

7. Accurate Historical Romance

Wouldn’t it be great if we read a historical romance that was historically correct? A history lesson wrapped up in a really good book, now that’s what I call learning! Except, maybe not because as a person of colour there is no way I’d be presented to the ton, plus I’m not too fond of back doors (servant entrances).

Clearly I think we as readers should expect more from our authors. And, authors of marginalized groups should have space next to mainstream authors so their books and their voices penetrate a predominately white book industry.

That’s what’s on my reading wishlist, what about you? What is on your reading wishlist? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Happy Reading!