It feels appropriate, as we approach my birthday in March, that I should talk about all the books that I want since I’m not actually able to buy any of them because there are eight books that I have already preordered, and I just literally do not have room for more. This doesn’t meant that my family & friends won’t buy me books, and I may just have to send them this list for reference, but I’m not going to be buying them, sooooooo here are ten books that I really want right now! And no, this does not include the thirteen books that are on my “to buy for Pride” list, so it really just sounds like I need to read a lot in the coming months.

Admittedly, I can’t really remember what Dustborn by Erin Bowman is about other than it’s got Mad Max vibes? And honestly? That’s enough for me. Just say Furiosa, and I’m onboard. And no, I don’t believe this is a Furiosa story, but a really fast glance at the summary tells me that I was right in thinking it had Mad Max vibes–what, did you think I was actually going to read summaries, who do you think I am, I don’t know what a single book I read is about until about 75 very chaotically confused pages–and I’m always going to be head over heels in love with desert stories, so I’m down.

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is exactly my kind of book. I guarantee, whenever I actually get around to reading this, that I’ll five star the heck out of it. Contemporary romance is usually an easy swing to five stars anyway, but combine it with fandom, and I just start to short circuit. One of my most & least favorite things in the world is the fact that we talk about fandom now. When I grew up, you hid it from everyone, including your friends, so it terrifies me that it’s being shouted about, but I also love it, and the very self-insert vibe that this story has will destroy me.

There’s a few middle grade reads on here, and, honestly, I’ll be putting together a list of all the middle grades I want to read soon because there are just so many, and I always forget to prioritize them, but Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan is definitely at the top of that list. Again, this is one that I don’t totally remember what it’s about, but the cover is just drop dead gorgeous that I’ll read it no matter what.

Hey, look! Another dark, angsty fantasy! My fave! Do I know what The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie is about? An all-powerful god and some ravens, I’m pretty sure, but don’t quote me on that. I’ve read the summary enough times that I know it piques my interest, but I can’t keep summaries in my head, so I can’t remember what it’s about, just that I know I want to read it. Plus, it’s adult fantasy, which I’m always trying to convince myself to read more of, so hopefully I’ll grab this one soon!

Ahhh, yes, one of my favorite subgenres of the contemporary romance–making them so millennial, it hurts. Gods, and I hate the word millennial, I really, really do, because it’s just got the worst connotations with it, but I’m also 100% down for something like Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, which is just, without a doubt, something that someone my age wrote. Tweet wars between rival local, family-run restaurants? GIVE IT TO MEEEEE.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks is another middle grade that I’ve been dying to read, and after seeing a lovely review over at Sophie’s Corner recently, I know that I need to pick this one up soon. I mean, complex familial relationships and cooking? Are we sure I didn’t write this? This just sounds like it’ll be an absolute delight while also delivering a hard-hitting punch of emotions.

I read the first book in the Love Sugar Magic series earlier this year, so I’m dying to get my hands on A Sprinkle of Spirits by Anna Meriano. It’s absolutely everything I want in a book–and have written into my own–Latin witches, lots and lots of baking, and creative magic. This story is so adorable in so many ways, but it’s also so full of heart and wonder, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

The amount of times that I have put The Final Six by Alexandra Monir in my cart and taken it back out is absurd. At this point, I think I am just truly waiting for someone to buy it for me, and I don’t understand why! I’m almost guaranteed to love this. It’s about space, it sounds like it’s primed for angst, and it’s relatively short. I’ll fly through this, thoroughly enjoy it, and then immediately want the sequel. And yet, here it sits, on my TBR, sadly being added & removed to cart over and over again.

The same could honestly be said for Fireborne by Rosaria Munda, too, though this one was definitely more one that I picked up & put down in a physical bookstore more than added to cart. I want so badly for dragons to come back into mainstream media, too, so I should be chomping at the bit at the sound of dragon riders, damn it, but here we are, again, with me just going, “ehhhhh I could do some angsty dark YA instead”. WHY MARY WHY!

I’m always trying to find more short story collections, and Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love by Various sounds right up my alley! Thought I don’t always have a lot of love wrapped up in cooking (baking’s a different story), I adore how much every single culture revolves around its food. So many of my books have just endless food scenes, too, and I love the idea of an entire collection wrapped around them.

Much like Amina’s Voice, the cover for Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga just speaks to me on such a soul level–there’s no way to not read something jacketed by a cover that beautiful. I don’t know why, but it’s reminding me of Sparrow by Sarah Moon a lot, and I feel like it’ll totally break my heart in all the same ways, so I’m really eager to get my hands on this!

Have you read any of these?