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Hey guys! So this week has been absolutely nuts with work and Thanksgiving prep, so I missed the Top 10 Tuesday for the 21st. But I really wanted to do this week's tag and it's my blog so nobody can stop me! haha! I was really excited to give a shoutout to the top 10 books I am thankful for, so without further ado, here they are:
These aren't in any particular order, as I am pretty much equally thankful for all the books on this list.
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerors Stone by J. K. Rowling. This is obviously a no-brainer, considering the inspiration for this blog but I have a few reasons why I am thankful for not only this book, but the whole series. The Harry Potter series was released in the US in 1998, when I was 6 years old. I remember my grandpa picked it up at a funky little bookstore on a recommendation from the shop owner and brought it home to read to my little sister, 2 cousins and I when we would spend the night at my grandparents house. He used to read it, doing different voices for all the characters and it was so magical and gripped me from the first chapter. I hadn't read many "chapter books" by that time but I begged my grandpa to tell me I was old enough for this big kid book and he let me read on my to my hearts content. He was always around to help out with the tricky words and I was so proud of myself for reading such a big book. It took me forever to finish, but I remember being totally enthralled with Harry's story and I'm pretty sure I read every day until I finished all 309 pages. After I finished, I felt like I was opened up to a whole new world of reading. I had mostly just read childrens books and really short chapter books up until that point and now I felt like I could take on anything I wanted to read. Reading this book for the first time, mostly by myself, was such a turning point in my life as a reader, it had to be #1 on my list of books I'm thankful for.
2. The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Ok I know this is a whole series
and not a single book, but I love every one of these books the same and couldn't pick just one (and again, it's my blog so there). This is another series that shaped my reading when I was a child. It was so fun to read! I think these were the first books I really got addicted to reading and just could not put down. Whenever I think about these books, I remember staying up past my bedtime with a flashlight, hiding in my closet and reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open. When I worked as a bookseller at Barnes and Noble and I was placed in the kids department, I would push the crap out of those books to anyone looking to buy a gift for young kids. If you haven't read the series, it doesn't matter how old you are, definitely give it a read. I guarantee you will be hooked from the first page.
3. The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper. Taking a pretty sharp turn from
childrens books in to adult, Tepper's book was the very first feminist novel I ever read. It was required reading in a sci-fi english class I took in college. It was also one of the first dystopian novels I read and I knew as soon as I finished, that this would forever be one of my favorite genres. This book was so prevocative for me and was really a turning point in developing the feminist viewpoints I have today. Plus this book is just so progressive for its time! Definitely an impactful read for me.
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Another required reading, this time in high school, and man am I thankful for this one! This was probably the book that made me fall in love with sci fi. The creativity and humor was just what I needed as a moody teenager and I raced through this one. Every charcter was so unique and engaging and hilarious. I couldn't put it down. I remember many sleepless nights staying up and reading this one. The movie for this was great but the book was even more fantastic!
5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Of course my favorite stand alone novel had
to make this list. I love Margaret Atwood and everything she writes or is associated with. She is a genius. Read all her books. That's all I have to say.
6. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares. This book made me feel some serious things! Hands down my favorite love story of all time. The cliffhanger at the end was heart wrenching. The main character basically can remember every one of his past lives and he can also remember falling in love with the same girl, although with different names in each and everyone of those lives. We follow him in his current life as the two fated souls find eachother while getting flashbacks to their past lives. It seems the two are meant to be together, yet in every life they are also devestatingly torn apart. This book was such an emotional story, but I also loved the authors take on our souls and fate. This one left me with a hardcore book hangover that's for dang sure!
7. Ready Player one by Ernest Cline. I freaking love this book! I finally got around to
reading it this year and I have been kicking myself for not reading it years ago when a coworker recommended it. She said "this book is right up your alley," And she was right! I am a huge nerd. I have no shame in admitting it. I am a comic book collecting, D&D playing, video gamer bookworm and Wade Watt's world was totally one I wanted to live in. It actually made me nostalgic for a time when I wasn't even alive. I mean that has got to take some serious skill. The amazing 80's references were so fun and I loved how the story took place in the future but made you want to go back in time at the same time. I just loved every second of this. I also listened to the audiobook version which was read by Will Wheaton, so I pretty much just never wanted it to end. I can't wait to see the movie adaptation and I really hope it does this amazing book justice.
8. Norse Mythology by Niel Gaiman. I am not a religious person and never have been. I wasn't raised in a religious home and my husband and I don't follow or teach our son a religion. But if I were to follow dieties of any kind, it would be the Norse gods. The stories of the Norse gods are so rich and vibrant and I love how flawed they are and the lessons their stories have to teach us. Niel Gaiman put so much research and time in to his adaptation of the ancient Norse myths that were told hundreds of years ago and he stayed so true to the original stories. This collection is so amazing and no matter what religion a person follows or doesn't follow, there are so many lessons to be learned from the retelling of these ancient tales of Odin, Thor, Loki and all the rest of the gods.
9. Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb. This is one of the first Batman comics I read when my
husband and I were starting to get in to comics years and years ago. I was always so intimidated to jump in to reading comics because I had no idea where to start and I didn't want to come in in the middle of an ongoing story line. Batman: Hush was the book of the month for our first or second month attending a comic book club and it was so great! I was officially hooked on Batman and all the Gotham City characters. It got me so excited to jump in to reading comics! I felt like the gates to this comic book world had been opened and I was ready for more. Reading Batman: Hush was definitely what kick started comic books for me and I am so thankful I read it.
10. Partials by Dan Wells. This was another recommendation by a friend that I was so glad I read. It is a great sci-fi post-apocalyptic story with fantastic characters and really twisty plot. I loved the main character of the story, Kira. She kicks some serious ass and didn't take shit from anyone. I loved how the world was illustrated in the duology and the science and tech was handled really well. The relationships the author built between characters and the questions that were raised about the meaning of being human were fantastic. This book has been one of my go-to recommendations for years and I just thoroughly enjoy it.
Well those are the top 10 books I am thankful for! I would love to hear about some that made your list. Share with us in the comments below. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and I'll see you in my next post!
Top 10 Tueday was created by The Broke and the Bookish.
