Top Ten Tuesday (52)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books/Authors I’m Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday‘s on their site!

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It’s just about that time of year when I take a few minutes to realize something really important: My life is pretty great. WAY not perfect, but still great. Thanksgiving, to me, is a great time for a little extra perspective. Also, of course, THE time to recognize what you’re thankful for, the things that are just SO AWESOME that they need a shout out. For a big time reader like me, it goes without saying that books and authors would be some of the things I am most thankful for not only at Thanksgiving, but all the time. Every day.

Lord of the Rings/J.R.R. Tolkien

Because seriously. I was in college the first time I read these books (SUCH a cliche, no?) and I remember being completely absorbed. This was really the first taste I had of how excellent fantasy can be. The world-building, the characterization, the atmosphere: they were all so detailed and natural and gripping. These books and Harry Potter probably shaped my reading as an adult more than almost anything else.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

THESE kids! Just thinking about these lovable, awesome sisters gives me the warm fuzzies. Seriously. I sometimes think that this is one of those series that strikes a chord with me that other people just wouldn’t get, but I still adore them and the way they make crazy, quirky families seem so real and wonderful.

George R.R. Martin

I am beyond thankful for George R.R. Martin, friends, because he knows how to make my heart do all of the following, sometimes together: clench with fear, pound with anticipation, melt with swoons, stop with shock, break with epic sadness, and even occasionally grow. How can I not be thankful for all those feelings? For FAKE people in a FAKE place that doesn’t exist?! Amazing.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Friends, I remember being a humungous fan of these books when I was young. I still have all my copies. They either instilled in me my affinity for open spaces and prairies and tales about the pioneers heading west, or nurtured a natural love of these things that already existed in me. I know that there are perhaps some cultural ideologies and prejudices that might not stand the test of time, but the Ingalls family was one of my first bookish loves.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

AH! So, this book. I often feel like the memories we have of the books we read and loved to bits when we were young don’t always stand up. Something about being older dims some of the magic, I think. But CHARLOTTE’S WEB for me is always pretty special.

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Ok, so the reason I am thankful for this zombie book is because, well, it’s a zombie book. I’m not terribly down with the zombies, friends, as you perhaps might notice from the LACK of them on this blog. But I’m so glad that this book exists because it got me to read outside my comfort zone AND enjoy myself to boot. That’s thanks-worthy for sure.

Harry Potter

DUH. I don’t feel like I need to explain this. Life-changer, right here. BIG TIME.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This is another book that I have to be thankful for because it isn’t a genre that I always gravitate towards: science fiction. Granted, this book is also a fairy tale retelling and I ALWAYS gravitate towards those. But still. And I can always be thankful for a book that’s totally fresh and clever and gripping. CINDER is all of that.

Diana Gabaldon

You know why I’m thankful for Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander series, friends? Jamie. Freaking. Fraser. Before I read this book, I didn’t understand the appeal of Scottish men, or gingers. But Jamie Fraser is a lesson in surprise hotties, and you know what else? He basically doesn’t get any LESS hot as he ages. I mean, this series is also awesome because of the history and the drama of course, but really Jamie is a great character. He’s a huge part of why I love this series.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I just reread this book for I think the fourth time. (I know. I have the rereading bug really badly.) It is literally always AMAZING. I’ve never once read it and thought that parts, now that I knew what was going to happen, dragged or were boring. I’ve never reread this book and skimmed a single word. NEVER. I wish Thisby was a real place because I would go there and live forever.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

SIGH. I really can’t think of a picture book that I love quite like this one. Because even as an adult, it doesn’t make me feel like a doofus for still getting a little misty around Christmas time because, yo: I feel the magic, friends. I am a huge sap for the holidays, and THE POLAR EXPRESS makes me glad I can still be a kid at heart.