Booking Through Thanksgiving

In the US, it’s Thanksgiving.  It’s still Thursday, though, and I’m glad there’s a new Booking Through Thursday up.  Happy Thanksgiving to all my US blog-readers celebrating the day.

Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.

Now, you may have noticed that the global economy isn’t exactly doing well. There’s war. Starvation. All sorts of bad, scary things going on.

So–just for today–how about sharing 7 things that you’re thankful for?

This can be about books, sure–authors you appreciate, books you love, an ode to your public library–but also, how about other things, too? Because in times like these, with bills piling up and disaster seemingly lurking around every corner, it’s more important than ever to stop and take stock of the things we’re grateful for. Family. Friends. Good health (I hope). Coffee and tea. Turkey. Sunshine. Wagging tails. Curling up with a good book.

So, how about it? Spread a little positive thinking and tell the world what there is to be thankful for.

Things I am thankful for- bookish 7

I am thankful for the books I’ve read that are so good I get swept into their world, spellbound til the very last page.

I am thankful for the fact that reading comes so easily to me, and was never a struggle to learn.

I am thankful for poetry.  Mostly Billy Collins, Elaine Equi, David Tucker, Andrea Hollander Budy, Galway Kinnell, and John Berryman.  But also, others I haven’t read yet.

I am thankful for being able to write book reviews and features, and having some of them published in the newspaper.  It makes me proud of myself and my writing.

I am thankful for bookstores small and large, near and far, though especially for the small, cozy bookstores run as labors of love by avid readers.

I am thankful for cookbooks.  Because it’s Thanksgiving and food is on my mind.

I am thankful for teachers and librarians, getting people excited about reading.

Not-Bookish 7

I am thankful that I enjoy my huge, loud, and loving family gathering.

I am thankful for pumpkin pie, stuffing, dark meat, microbrewed beer, and not having to peel the turnips.

I am thankful for my grandpa, who passed away a few months ago, and will always be remembered in the memories and stories my family shares.

I am thankful to whoever invented laptops.

I am thankful for my sense of humor, which is perverse, verbal, sometimes raunchy, and shared by almost everyone I’m related to.

I am thankful for chilly weather because it is an excuse to eat stew and wear fuzzy sweaters.

I am thankful for being able to recognize simple pleasures and whimsy in everyday life.

And you know what?  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone else, regardless of whether the day’s marked on your calendar for turkey and pumpkin pie.