Top Ten Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Books

In honor of turkey day, today's Top Ten Tuesday by  That Artsy Reader Girl,   is: Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Books. Thinking back to how many books have passed through my hands I realize how lucky I am to even have access to books, when there are people who don't have the same privilege. Here are ten reasons why I am thankful for books.

1. Escapism. An opportunity to go somewhere new.

2. Education. You can always find something to learn in the right book.

3. Perspective. Every storyteller has their own 'voice' and provides the chance to see the world through someone else's eyes.

4. Comfort. On a bad day the right words can wrap around me like a warm blanket.

5. Busywork. On a slow day it's something to do.

6. Happiness. Boy, do they make me happy, from the scent to the words, from the hardcover to the soft pages.

7. Mood. What mood are you in, what mood do you want to be in, what mood do you need the book to convey... Every book had the ability to trigger an emotional and/or psychological response... And that's positively pharmaceutical.

8. Time spent with new friends. Kind of corny, I know, but everytime I go off adventuring with new characters it feels like making new friends.

9. Time spent talking with old friends. From the book club to the street you've always got something to talk about.

10. Imagination. Mine and the author's. They dreamed a dream and wrote it down for us... But take my 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 and it all amounts to my imagination. My ability to go on an adventure with new friends and feel good or bad or excited or sad (hopefully not all at the same time) with the voice of somebody else at my ear encouraging me to keep my eyes wide open...It might be in my head, but its as real as oxygen.

If you have any books you no longer read, please consider donating them to readers in need. The American Library Association has this nifty list of Donation Programs or just donate to your local library.

I hope everyone has a warm and happy Thanksgiving, with their loved ones and their books.