Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Top 10 on Tuesday: Books I'm thankful for

Hope everyone's holiday was full of good things of all varieties!  I'm not done being thankful, though, so I thought I'd share a list of (some of) the books I am most thankful for.

Hard Times, by Charles Dickens.  I read this in college, and was astounded at my love of and enjoyment in reading a classic.  A valuable lesson.

Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood.  I also read this in college, in a modern Canadian literature course.  Thank you, Dr. Thacker, for showing me that you can have intense, deep discussion about modern authors, too.  (This lesson has served me very well in the last 10 years of book club reading!)

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman.  My mind was blown the first time I read this book--Gaiman is a master of thinking outside of a box most of us never knew existed.  (Bonus: this title is being optioned by HBO to turn into a series sometime in 2013.  So excited!)

The Stand, by Stephen King.  One of two books I brought with me during a summer in France.  Little did I know I'd wind up reading it twice!  (Long story.  I'd have been lost without it, though.)

Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett.  I read a lot during my college years, most of it for my classes.  This title came to me in paperback form on a holiday break, a gift from a friend's dad.  It solidified my love of historical fiction, and reminded me why I love to read for entertainment.

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.  A childhood favorite, this was one of the first "big" books that I read to myself.  I love it as much as an adult as I did as a kid.

People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks and The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield.  Books both, in part, about book lovers.  Both should be required reading by anyone who considers him/herself to be a bibliophile; these felt like epiphanies for this reader.  (Both are also quite excellent in audio format, too.)

How to Eat, by Nigella Lawson.  I admit, I love the Domestic Goddess, and have been watching her since her Nigella Bites first aired on E! here in the US about ten years ago.  This is my ultimate go-to cookbook for basics, and she has never let me down yet. 

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  Of all the things to be said (and I've said them here and in the library, at length) about this, I am most thankful for Stockett's ability to move me, even when I knew what was going to happen.  That's a gift.

What books are you thankful for?

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