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The Books I'm Grateful For

This Thanksgiving Eve I find myself thinking about the books I'm grateful for. Inspired by the Book I'm Most Thankful For series over at Teen Writers Bloc and Suey's post over at It's All About Books, I decided to put together my own list of the ones I wouldn't be me without. I already have my Beloved Bookshelf tab on this page, but when I think of the ones I'm most grateful for, I think of specific times in my life and the way that particular book or series literally changed the course of things. For the better.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--Because they were all just words on a page until I read this book. This book I get choked up just thinking about. Still.

The Nancy Drew series--Because it's a family obsession and when it got to me, it linked me together with my mom and dad and the children they were in a real and lasting way.

The Hero & the Crown, The Blue Sword, Beauty, The Outlaws of Sherwood, Deerskin, Sunshine . . . ahem, well, you get the picture--Because finally, finally I felt as though I'd found the kind of girls who were like me. Stubborn, wary, wistful, a bit out of step with the world around them. But strong in a way I wanted to be.

The Song of the Lioness quartet--Because every single character owned a piece of my heart by the time I was finished and that hold has never loosened over the years. Not one iota.

Middlemarch and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall--Because they changed the way I thought about women writers and fueled my creative and academic imagination in ways I could never have foreseen. Also, one Will Ladislaw.


84, Charing Cross Road--Because it remains the most touching memoir I've ever read and because it was the first gift my future husband ever gave me and it demonstrated just how well he knew me. And loved me.

The Harry Potter series--Because it was and is sheer wonder from start to finish. It was my first real reading aloud experience and it continues to bring my family together over and over again with its magic, humor, and charm.

What about you? Which books are you particularly grateful for this year? Happy Thanksgiving!
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  1. Melissa (i swim for oceans)11:43 AM

    I'm particularly thankful for Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle. After all these years, it's still a favourite of mine :)

    Be sure to enter my international blogoversary giveaway going on now!

    http://tinyurl.com/2faa8j3

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  2. Kitten2:10 PM

    Well, since your list could have been my own list, I think it's time for me to try Middlemarch. That much overlap is uncanny.

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  3. Holly2:40 PM

    I would say Persuasion, but maybe that's because I just finished rereading it. I think I enjoy it more with every reread.

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  4. Misti2:52 PM

    The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. I think I was in 4th grade when my teacher read aloud to us The Book of Three. When he finished I instantly borrowed it from the library and from there finished the whole series. That first book (and entire series) opened up a world and people to me that I never knew could exist in my ordinary life. To this day, they are precious to me.

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  5. Chachic5:21 PM

    Happy Thanksgiving, Angie! :) I love your post, so many good books in there. I like how you listed your McKinleys, they really are wonderful, aren't they? I wonder if you've read Pegasus.

    As for books that I'm grateful for, I'd have to say Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia and the Queen's Thief series.

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  6. danya11:17 PM

    Some great picks here! I love Beauty, and Song of the Lioness was the series that got me hooked on YA fantasy, so it's special for me too :)

    I would have to agree with Misti about Chronicles of Prydain...epic. Books I'd add include Ella Enchanted, Pride & Prejudice, Sorcery & Cecelia, and Crown Duel. I have re-read each of these so many times I have lost track!

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  7. Nomes1:34 AM

    oh - i agree with the narnia books - and now my kids absolutely adore them.

    i loved the famous five when i was growing up.

    also, a series called Elizabeth Gale by Hilda Stahl

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  8. Evert5:13 AM

    Ooh I'm thankful for the Harry Potter series, Chronicles of Narnia, and Little Women! ;)

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  9. Anonymous6:34 AM

    Happy Thanksgiving! This is great to think about. I'm definitely thankful for Harry Potter and Ender's Game. They are both essential to my book obsession. :)

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  10. Anonymous8:55 AM

    Great post! When I think about books I'm thankful for, it's mostly the books that got me through childhood. For me it was the Oz series, Dr. Seuss, Judy Blume, EB White, and Madeline L'Engle (to start with...)

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  11. Tiffany M.12:09 PM

    I love the books you're thankful for, and want to read the ones I haven't met yet. ^^

    The books I'm thankful that just automatically come up include:

    The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. I didn't know books could be that way, either.

    The Ordinary Princess by M.M.Kaye. This was an older favorite that made me realize it was okay to want and be happy with the simple, real things instead of trying to fit a mold.

    To Kill and Mockingbird and The Book Thief. These books are about different times, written differently, and by different authors, but I constantly throw them together. Each one of these books hit me, and stayed with me in a way that still effects me today. I find more and more similarities in the message offered in each book, and each one has a special place.

    I have others, but those are at the top of the list!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  12. Katy2:39 PM

    I'm with you on Nancy Drew, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, and Harry Potter! All great choices!

    I'm also thankful for A Wrinkle in Time, which really boggled my mind when I read it as a girl. I re-read that one several times.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  13. Charlotte3:29 PM

    Thanks for sharing! I hope you and yours are having a lovely Thanksgiving!

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  14. Jen10:16 PM

    Oh I agree 100% and more about The Song of the Lioness books. They've just stuck with me for, let's see, over ten years now. And I still love them. With all my heart.

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  15. Steph Su10:48 AM

    Will Ladislawwww <3

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  16. Karen W.7:51 PM

    I so love the idea of books we're grateful for. I'm truly thankful for ALL books -- the good and the bad -- and my love of reading. I think it has saved my life and kept me sane over the years. :)

    I could list hundreds of books that have especially meant a lot to me, but I'll just say CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. The book and movie (original) make me very happy to this day. :-)

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  17. Raspberry9:20 PM

    Great list - I agree on all of them. MANY overlaps there....:)
    I'm a big fan of Little Dorrit, one of Dicken's best works if not his best. Although I think I understand it better after seeing the movie that was recently made. (Incredible.)
    Jane Eyre. Of course North and South.
    I read Count of Monte Cristo over and over in High school. Never liked American authors much but Hawthorne...has a way to me.
    Aw, I could go on and on. I'll stop. Great post. :)

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  18. LinWash10:40 AM

    I'm always thankful for any book by Robin McKinley and Sharon Shinn. I'm also thankful for YA books that make me laugh out loud like Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. In a stressful time, humor helps!

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  19. Anonymous8:12 PM

    I agree with Nancy Drew. How I loved that series as a kid. My favorite were when they had two endings and I could pick my favorite. I love that.

    ReplyDelete

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