[Top Ten Tueday] Books I'm Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish. A prompt is given each week, and I hope to do it every week so I always have something going up on Tuesdays. This week I am talking about ten books I'm thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving here in the US.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 

My Nanny read these with me and it became a huge part of how we bonded. Besides our love for Betty Boop, we loved reading together. Especially these books. I have no doubt they shaped me into a better reader but they also are one of the reasons I became so close so quickly with my Nanny. Plus, like many Harry Potter fans, I think this series really helped shaped me into the reader and person I am today.

Faith Comics by Valiant Comics 

This comic series is one I picked up this year and I absolutely love it. To see a fat girl be not only the main character, but to be the hero (and a superhero on top of that!) is something  I cannot express how thankful I am for. And her weight is never brought up once. She is competent, strong and fierce and I love her so much.

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy 

Honestly I feel like Ramona Blue helped me kind of come to terms with my bisexuality/romantic identity. I have known it for since I was a pre-teen, but it's something  I kind of pushed down. Especially after getting married to my fiancé because I didn't want to confuse anyone. I felt like because I was marrying a man, it didn't matter. But something in Ramona Blue made me realize it was a part of me I didn't want to hide, no matter who I was marrying. So this book means a lot.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green 

The main character, Aza has OCD and anxiety/depression. Although I don't have OCD, her anxiety and depression spoke to me in a way I don't think I've seen in another book. Her mind spirals were ones I related to which completely surprised me. Not that I related, but how strongly I related. It was like John Green had plucked it out of my head and wrote it down. I'm thankful for it because it's a reminder that despite how isolating mental illness is, it showed me I'm not alone.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 

This was one of the first high fantasy books I read in 2015 when I decided I would dedicate that year to getting into fantasy. Which became my favorite genre. Rothfuss's amazing writing and story telling made fantasy books less intimidating to me and I am so grateful for it because maybe I wouldn't have some of my favorite fantasy books without first reading The Name of the Wind.

 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by  Lewis Carroll

Before Harry Potter, this was the book I'd have in my backpack at school that I'd read in between classes and during recess. My mom read this book to me when  I was younger and I absolutely loved it. I liked the idea of being able to escape in a strange world with a talking cat. The Queen of Hearts definitely scared me a bit, but I still loved it.

The  Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

This book came out earlier this year, and honestly I am super grateful for it. Becky Albertalli is an amazing writer who writes amazing characters. I wish I could take this book back in time and give it to sixteen year old Heather because she would have really loved and related to the main character, Molly. I think am most grateful for this book because it was almost like Becky Albertalli plucked my thoughts and even some of my experiences and stuffed it into a beautiful story.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

There is something in this book that touches me in a way no book has before. I have never experienced the kind of feelings I get when I read this book with any other book. I am not sure what it is but I suspect its one of two things. One being the writing, Sáenz is a beautiful writer who writes with such compassion or it's Ari, a character I didn't think I'd ever relate to, but I do.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

This book is such a comfort for me. I have read it so many times and every time I do I love it. Gaiman's writing has always given a folktale/fairy tale kind of feel to it and this is no exception. It's so much fun and because I have so many great memories reading it, every time I do it's familiar and safe. Despite being a bit creepy and dark.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 

I know this book series gets a lot of slack and honestly I understand some of the criticisms. But I think Twilight deserves more credit then it actually gets, especially when it comes to young adult readers and watchers of youg adult book to screen adaptations. I remember how small the young adult section of the book store was when I picked up Twilight for the first time 10+ years ago. Without Twilight who knows what the young adult shelves would look like today, and would we have all the young adult book to movie adaptations we have today? I think the Twilight franchise definitely played a part in all of that and I'm grateful. .

Thanks for reading!