Top Ten Tuesday: The Books I’m Hoping to Find Under the Christmas Tree

Behold, all the weird and remarkably un-festive books I decided to ask for this Christmas. Seriously, what is wrong with me? I appear to have forgotten that novels exist while making this list.  TTT, as always, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Under My Thumb: Songs that Hate Women and the Women that Love Them by Rhian E. Jones
I’m all for hardcore analysis of song lyrics so this book about songs whose popularity suggests people haven’t actually listened to the lyrics sounds perfect. There’s an essay on a similar theme in Jessica Hopper’s collection of rock criticism which I enjoyed, so I’ve got high hopes for enjoying this too.

Harley Quinn: A Celebration of 25 Years by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
I love Harley so I’m hoping to find this beautiful-looking book on Christmas morning.

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin
I think I have been claiming I’m desperate to read this all year but now it’s out in paperback so I’m far more likely to actually do it. I’ve read nearly everything Jackson wrote this year so I’m interested to read about her.

The Lady and Her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Real-Life Dr Frankensteins and the Creation of Mary Shelley’s Masterpiece by Roseanne Montillo
I’m probably going to teach Frankenstein next year so I’m trying to accumulate fascinating books about it to dazzle my students with my astounding contextual knowledge.

We Chose to Speak of War and Strife: The World of the Foreign Correspondent by John Simpson
John Simpson is the BBC’s World Affairs editor and has reported on major global events for fifty years. I reckon he might know some stuff.

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Dr Ibram X Kendi
The title makes it pretty clear what this is about; I’m a history buff and I’ve read a lot this year about race in the USA and the UK, so this sounds fascinating.

A Secret Sisterhood: The Hidden Friendships of Austen, Bronte, Eliot and Woolf by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney
Another book I’ve been meaning to get hold of for ages. I always see Christmas as the ideal time to ask for books I have deemed too expensive to buy myself. That’s the true meaning of the season, right?

The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature by Viv Groskop
Ironically, I hated Anna Karenina, but this book about what Russian literature tells us about life sounds cool.

Batgirl Volume 2: Family Business by Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher and Babs Tarr
I was lent the first book of this new Batgirl series by someone who, very inconveniently, did not have the second one, hence its inclusion here. My daughter is really into the DC Superhero Girls and I really like showing her these books as a way to show her that interest can go on as long as she likes.

Frankenstein Dreams: A Connoisseur’s Collection of Victorian Science Fiction, edited by Michael Sims
More 19th century-related geekery. I am intrigued by this.