Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday—the weekly challenge from That Artsy Girl! This week’s topic is Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings or Bookish Wishes. It’s Christmas Day, and although I didn’t find any of the books from my list under the tree, I did receive a Barnes & Noble gift card. That’s just as exciting, so I’m happy!
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Books I Hope Santa Brings
1 – What Feasts At Night (Sworn Soldier, Book 2) by T. Kingfisher
After the frightening events at Usher Manor, Alex Easton feels exhausted and wants some rest. Instead, to help Angus and Miss Potter, they travel to their family’s hunting lodge in the cold, damp forests. Easton hopes to relax, but upon arrival, the caretaker is dead, the lodge is a mess, and everything feels strangely quiet. Villagers say a monster from old stories haunts the place. Easton doesn’t believe in superstitions, but they sense that something is wrong in their home—or even in their dreams. I read the first book in the series, What Moves the Dead, so I’m ready for book 2.
2 – The Best American Essays 2025: A Premier Showcase of Critically Acclaimed Personal Essays by Jia Tolentino
This book brings together essays and personal stories covering a wide range of topics: war, fear, memory, disease, grief, animals, plants, poverty, abundance, the mind, loneliness, the fading of literature, art, pretense, and respect. I’m a fan of the Best American Series, so this collection is at the top of my to-read list.
3 – Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
Winifred Notty becomes governess at Ensor House, planning to teach and care for Drusilla and Andrew. The Pounds family is strange: Mr. Pounds acts inappropriately, Mrs. Pounds punishes Winifred, and the children are spoiled. Winifred struggles with her own dark impulses while passing time and waiting for Christmas, when she plans her revenge. Victorian Psycho is a dark, witty story about a chilling new antihero.
4 – Alchemised by SenLinYu
Helena Marino was once a talented alchemist, but now she is a prisoner in a land run by cruel necromancers. She has lost her powers and her memory, and her captors think she is hiding something. Watched by the High Reeve, Helena must figure out who she is and what secrets she holds.
5 – The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
A camp counselor discovers that a thirteen-year-old has vanished from her bunk. Her family owns the summer camp, and her brother also disappeared under similar circumstances fourteen years before. As the search unfolds, hidden truths about the Van Laar family and their community emerge.
6 – The Antidote by Karen Russell
As a huge dust storm sweeps through, the town struggles with the Great Depression, drought, and long-buried secrets. The narrative follows a secret-keeping witch, a farmer, his orphaned niece, a chatty scarecrow, and a photographer with an enchanted camera. The book explores lost history and offers a warning about climate change and forgetting the past.
7 – The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
On the verge of ending his life, nineteen-year-old Hai is interrupted by an elderly widow with dementia. Left with few options, he becomes her caretaker. Through their unexpected friendship, Hai finds new meaning, healing old wounds, and rebuilding ties with his family and community.
Bookish Wishes
8 – Greatest Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Deluxe Hardbound Edition) by Edgar Allan Poe
This collection features Poe’s finest stories of gothic horror and the macabre. His dark, imaginative tales remain endlessly captivating.
9 – Wuthering Heights (Special Edition) by Emily Brontë
When Mr. Earnshaw brings home the orphan Heathcliff, the lives of his children, Catherine and Hindley, are changed forever. Catherine and Heathcliff grow close, while Hindley’s jealousy leads to tragedy. Wuthering Heights follows two generations of the Earnshaw family, exploring love, revenge, and forgiveness in this English classic.
10 – The Count of Monte Cristo (Chartwell Deluxe Editions) by Alexander Dumas
This enduring story of treachery, vengeance, and redemption has fascinated readers for generations. Set in the early 19th century, this epic adventure follows Edmond Dantès, a young man wrongfully imprisoned, as he embarks on an unforgettable quest for vengeance against those who conspired against him.
What are the top ten books on your Christmas wish list?
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