Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Books

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

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I may not be American but this week’s prompt for thankfulness should be something I do more than once a year, so I am grateful to take this time to list out reasons to be thankful.

While I am super thankful for many people and blessings I do not want to take for granted in my life, I am also thankful for books for a number of reasons. If you resonate with some of these reasons below, or you have additional items to add, please let me know as I want to hear from you!

1. Taught me English grammar and spelling as a child

I like to credit the fact that I figured out synonyms, homonyms, and basic grammar when I was fairly young due to the reading I did for fun with age-appropriate books. I’ve read English books my entire life and hopefully my grammar today isn’t so bad because of it.

2. Escapism

Life can be super stressful at times, so it’s nice to disconnect away from it even for just a little while. Perhaps this is why I love fantasy a lot as it REALLY brings me to another place unlike my own environment, but even escapism in a good contemporary works because of the feelings it invokes that differ from day to day.

3. Characters I connect with

I love a good book that brings characters I resonate with or feel so seen by what they experience. This has been something growing in recent years as more Asian MCs have become popular, and I can see myself in their cultural upbringing. However, this also includes general situations and feelings that a character goes through, like a breakup or loss that we universally experience and share.

4. Learning new perspectives from the characters or author

Authors come from different backgrounds, ethnicities and experiences, and I love how it shines through their writing. I learn so much from seeing through their eyes, and this makes me a better rounded and more empathetic person to those around me who lived through different things.

5. Beautiful art covers

While I’m not particularly artistic, I can definitely appreciate good art. I am so digging all the special editions coming out lately (not my wallet though!) and feel such a sense of pride looking at my small collection of beautiful book covers, sprayed edges and designed endpapers.

6. Travelling to new places even if it’s only on the page

I may not be able to physically travel to all the places around the world that I want to go to, but a book can sometimes transport me there while I wait. I love to see the place in my head as the characters experience it (or as the author had once experienced it), so it almost pacifies the wander lust until it may become a reality.

7. Memories made with books at the time of reading

I don’t know if this happens to you, but certain books I distinctly connect with the time period I first read it. I remember where I was sitting, what I was doing, how old I was at that time when I first experienced a particularly good book. I’m a super nostalgic person so these memories make me happy when I see the book on my shelf.

8. Connecting with a community full of book lovers

Last but not least, reading and books have brought me to a lovely community full of others who likewise share the same love. We may come from all streams of life but this one thread connects us and that is a beautiful thing to me. So thank you for being here with me!

What makes you thankful about books? If you resonated with these or there are others I have not thought of, let me know in the comments below!