
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. I think this week’s topic is awesome! If only there was a book genie or a fairy book godmother, I would wish for these:
To earn money by reading or by blogging about books. Seriously, I feel like I keep saying on Twitter or Goodreads that I wish I could just read the whole day instead of go to work. Wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to worry about going to an office and contributing to society because I can just earn money by reading?
To have a book-related job. Okay, if I can’t get my first wish then I would love to have a job related to books. Some of you may say that I could make this a reality but I really wouldn’t know how to do it since I work in a completely different field (I make a point of not talking about my job in my blog) and I don’t have the background for it. If I didn’t have to worry about having the capital or making a profit, I would love to run my own book cafe. I love good food, coffee and tea… add books to that mix, then I would be a very happy person.
To burn calories while reading or blogging. Who wouldn’t want to be fit? It’s just that most of the time, I would rather read than exercise. The most exercised part of my body are my eyes because I’m always reading either books or a computer screen.
To meet my favorite authors in person. I would probably faint from excitement if I ever get to meet some of my favorite authors face to face, like Megan Whalen Turner, Elizabeth Wein, Laura Florand, Ilona Andrews, Robin McKinley, Kristin Cashore, etc. (I actually made this list for a previous TTT but it can also go on and on) I would love to have some sort of conversation with them, if possible. And also to get signed and personalized copies of their books as souvenirs!
To meet blogging buddies from other countries in person. I have met awesome people through our shared love of reading and while it’s been fun to get to know them through the internet, it would be even better if I get the chance to see them in person. I’ve tried to do that wherever possible, like I’ve done meet ups with bookish friends in Manila, Singapore, Los Angeles and Munich. But there are so many other bookish friends I’ve been communicating with for years and still have never laid eyes on.

Shakespeare and Company in Paris, which I got to visit last year
To visit as many amazing libraries and bookstores all over the world. I don’t get to do it as often as I would like because of budget constraints but I love to travel. And part of the fun of traveling is coming across cozy bookstores and gorgeous libraries. I would love to visit more of them if I can.
To have my own beautiful personal library. Like Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. If I ever get around to buying my own place, I would love to have a library in it. With gorgeous hardwood shelves, enough natural light during the day and a comfy couch or armchair.
To have the ability to erase a particular memory so I can read a book for the first time. As much as I love rereading old favorites, there’s something to be said for falling in love with a book for the first time. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets jealous of other people who haven’t read my favorite book.
To have any book that I want to read whenever I feel like reading it. I read based on my mood. Sometimes, even when I have already so many books in my TBR pile, I don’t pick them up because I don’t feel like reading them. I would like to have access to any book that I’m currently in the mood for. This wish would include books that haven’t been written or published yet. Like the next book in the Queen’s Thief or Lion Hunters series.
To have a stronger and more developed selection of titles written by Filipino authors. More and more Filipino titles in the genres I read are being published but I would love to have more of them. Like how I keep saying I wish the Filipino YA scene would become as well-developed as the Aussie YA market, where there are so many amazing titles to choose from (e.g. some of the Aussie YA authors I love are Melina Marchetta, Andrea K. Höst, Fiona Wood, Vikki Wakefield, Cath Crowley, Kirsty Eagar).
Sigh, now I wish the book genie was real! I would love to have some of these wishes granted. What about the rest of you, what would you wish for if there was a book genie?