Top Ten Tuesday 11.20.12

Top Ten Books/Authors I Am Thankful For

1.) Dr. Seuss- Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish- I can remember carrying these with me everywhere when I was just beginning to read and reading out loud to anyone who would even pretend to listen. I credit these with sparking my love for books.

2.) The Harry Potter Series- Not a very original choice, but I was 7 when the first book was released and 17 when the last one came out. I literally grew up with Harry and his friends. And many friends were made through mutual Harry Potter love.

3.) Gone with the Wind- I watched the movie for the first time in the sixth grade and instantly fell in love. As soon as my grandmother told me that there was also a book version I immediately asked my mother for it. I have read it countless times through the years and I can pretty much guarantee that Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley, and Mellie will never, ever lose their places as my number ones.

4.) Sarah Dessen- My sister gave me a copy of the The Truth About Forever for my 16th birthday. I spent the rest of high school reading every single other Sarah Dessen book I could get my hands on. This Lullaby is currently one of my top favorites. Dessen will continue to always be my go-to for a cute, well-written contemporary.

5.) Danielle Steel- I grew up seeing all the pretty Danielle Steel hardbacks on my grandmother's bookshelves as a child. Unfortunately, I was told for years that I wasn't "old enough" to read them yet. I waited and waited to finally be allowed the privilege and one day I was. My grandmother even picked out certain special ones for me. Danielle Steel gave my summers many, many, hours of reading enjoyment.

 

6.) Twilight- I resisted Twilight so much when it was first released. I was a true-to-life-straight-up-contemporary kind of girl. I would never like vampires. But then when my best friend wouldn't shut up about these stupid books I finally decided to try them. So thank you Stephenie Meyer for introducing me to and gently breaking me into this fantastic world of paranormal.

7.) Janette Oke- According to Goodreads Janette Oke is my most read author with 20 books. My grandmother was also the one to introduce me to her stories. I learned so much about strength, courage, love, faith, and hope through her series and stand-alones alike.

8.) The Little House on the Prairie Series- I'm thankful to the main series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the many spin-offs that followed. These are the books I devoured through elementary school and did an amazing job of nurturing my love for reading and historical fiction. I can't wait to read these stories to my own children one day.

9.) The Hunger Games- Like Twilight, I'm so thankful for a book that broke me out of my contemporary comfort zone and introduced me to a whole new genre and a whole new world full of fantastic books. Thanks to The Hunger Games I got to move on to Divergent, Delirium, Incarnate, etc. I probably never would have if it weren't for Katniss first. (:

10.) Last, but not least, I am so thankful for Book Bloggers!!! Book blogs introduced me to a whole brand new world of bookish things. I have discovered so many new books and so many new genres that I would have missed otherwise. Book blogs have been the best (or maybe worst?) thing to ever happen to my reading list.

And I'm so thankful for a wonderful boyfriend who understands that going to a library book sale on our anniversary is a perfect day, that I'd rather have a brand new e-reader for Christmas over jewelry, and listens patiently to my crazy, borderline obsessive book tangents.