If your favorite authors came to you and said, "What would you like my next book to be about?" what would you say?  Which themes would you suggest?  What settings?  What kinds of characters?  This week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt asks us to answer this exact question.  It's such a fun topic that I couldn't resist joining in.  If you want to get on this bandwagon (and you totally do), click on over to The Broke and the Bookish to learn how.  I know I'd love to hear your take on this topic.  In the meantime, here are the Top Ten Things on My Reading Wishlist:

1.  Adoption—Adopting my daughter was such a huge, pivotal moment in my life that I will always be interested in discussions of this subject.  I'm fascinated with stories about birth mothers, birth fathers, adoptive mothers, adoptive fathers, adopted children, their siblings, and everyone else involved in the process.  Interracial adoption is relevant to my situation, so of course, I'm especially interested in that side of the issue.  Fiction, non-fiction, whatever—I just want more books about adoption.

2.  Bi-racial and African-American main characters—Along the same lines, I'd like to see more heroes/heroines who look like my beautiful, bi-racial daughter.  She lights up whenever she sees a brown-skinned, curly-haired child on t.v.—I want her to find the same kind of connection in books.  I think stories about kids/teens of color exploring their racial identity are fantastic, but I'd also love to see more novels where race isn't the central theme, more stories where they're just ordinary kids/teens solving ordinary kid/teen problems.

3.  Arizona—I am, admittedly, kind of an Arizona hater.  After moving here from greener, moister climes, I have little love for the desert in which I live.  It's boiling hot, bone dry, and dirt brown.  Not my favorite climate or landscape.  And yet, I see some great setting potential here—how about a survival story that takes place in the Grand Canyon?  Or a murder mystery set during a houseboating trip on Lake Powell?  Or an action/adventure in the desert, with its extreme weather and threatening wildlife?  Surely, there's a story lurking around here somewhere ...

4.  Teens facing crises of faith—I know novels about religion are hard-sells (unless, of course, they're about polygamous Mormons, fanatical cults, etc.), but I'd love to see more stories about teens grappling with their beliefs about God, especially if they differ from those of their parents.  I also enjoy novels about religious people, especially teens, struggling to be "good" in a world full of temptation.

5.  Cults—I admit, I find these kinds of books endlessly fascinating.  Why?  I have no idea, I just do.

6.  Obesity/weight issues—Most YA novels are, at least in part, about self-image.  I'd like to see more of them about kids who are obese/struggling with weight.  It's an important topic and one I think would resound with readers of all ages.

7.  Stay-at-home moms—I know we don't seem like the most exciting characters in the world, but I think some great books could be written about SAHMs.  Just think of all the potential conflicts for a novel: kids, husbands, boredom, identity crises, neighborhood mysteries/dramas, etc.

8.  YA murder mysteries (no supernatural abilities involved)—Is it just me or is the market seriously lacking in classic murder mysteries for teens?  And I don't mean the kind that are solved through supernatural means.  I'm not even talking about "kid detective" stories necessarily, just contemporary murder mysteries that teens solve or help to solve.

9.  Books/reading—As a bibliophile, I always love reading about books.  I love stories set in bookstores, stories where book worlds collide with the real world, stories about characters who love books, etc.

10.  Original post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels—Seems like an oxymoron, I know.  I still love this genre, but it's getting so stale.  There's got to be a new and different take on it out there somewhere, right?  Right?

So, that's what's on my reading wishlist.  How about yours?  And, have you read any good books that fit into the categories I've listed?  I'd love any recommendations.

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!