Top 5 Wednesday: Books I’m Thankful For

Hosted by the Top 5 Wednesday Goodreads Group

 

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and with that an entire moral conundrum. The very foundation of the holiday (happy pilgrims and natives working together) is based on a lie. It pretty much celebrates colonialism. It also glorifies overeating (which I have never understood how that relates to this day in particular). It also weirdly promotes toxic family dynamics. But… it’s also a day that reminds us to slow down and think about what we’re thankful for. It encourages us to appreciate our weird families. So, while not my favorite holiday, I can’t totally write it off. And that brings us to today’s Top 5 Wednesday topic: the top five books you’re thankful for. This can be for any reason, big or small. Some of my answers may be incredibly obvious, but I can’t change what means something to me. Let’s get started!

 

1. Harry Potter by JK Rowling: I’m just getting the most obvious out of the way first. As much as I dislike JKR, this series was a huge part of my childhood. It got me through high school, gave me a world to retreat into. To this day it remains a core part of my personality. I still get something new out of it every time I read it. This series will always mean everything to me.
2. Virgin by Radhika Sanghani: This book could not have come into my life at a more perfect time. It follows Ellie Kolstakis, a twenty one-year-old English major and virgin. And I was, at the time, of all things, a twenty one-year-old English major and virgin. Like Ellie, I felt really insecure about it. Unlike Ellie, I didn’t go searching desperately for a boyfriend to deflower me. This sounds like a toxic ideology (and it is), but you have to understand that this book is a lesson for girls who think like Ellie. Ellie eventually comes to understand that there is nothing wrong or shameful about being a virgin at twenty one. Through Ellie, I came to understand this too. My inexperience did not and does not make me abnormal or a pariah. It just hasn’t happened for me yet. And I thank Ellie for showing me that.
3. Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year by Demi Lovato: When this daily self-help book came out, I needed some guidance. I had just started attending my local university and working at my first job. I was riddled with anxiety and just felt like I couldn’t function as a person. This book helped me keep perspective. It’s not a miracle book, and I didn’t make nearly as much progress as when I started seeing my therapist about a year later, but it gave me some direction. And it meant so much coming from a voice I love, respect, and admire. Demi was already such an inspiration for me (and still is to this day), that having her by my side every day for a whole year really made an impact. Everything Demi does inspires and changes me, but this was a concrete thing I could point to. I love her and thank her every day, and will be doing so for years to come.
4. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare: I’m just thankful for how this series touched me like no other series before it had. It’s so beautiful and moving, and it really changed what I expect out of YA. I’m so glad this series exists, and to this day it’s still the only example of a perfect trilogy I’ve ever read.
5. Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab: This is my adult Harry Potter. It gets me in the same way Harry Potter got me as a kid. It’s so magical and amazing, and I’m so grateful I was able to find a Harry Potter counterpart for adult me. They’re like perfect bookends for a messy life.

 

What are some books you’re thankful for? Tell me about them in the comments!