The Bookish Things I'm Most Thankful For
Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I've been thinking about all the things I'm thankful for even more than usual. But don't worry––I'm not going to get into a sappy love fest about my friends, family, and partner, so I'll just tell you about the bookish things I'm thankful for.
- I'm thankful I live in a city with one of the best library systems in the country, so I have an amazing selection and I rarely have to wait long before getting the books I want. (Shoutout to Columbus Metropolitan Libraries!)
- I'm thankful my city has multiple indie bookstores (shoutout to Two Dollar Radio Headquarters and Gramercy Books!), as well as several Half Price Books locations.
- I'm thankful my entertainment budget allows me to buy a reasonable number of books.
- I'm thankful my city is home to several super talented authors (shoutout to Hanif Abdurraqib and Ruth Emmie Lang!) and that authors from other places travel here on their book tours (shoutout to Sherman Alexie and Anthony Doerr!).
- I'm thankful one of my favorite publishers is based in my city. (Shoutout to Two Dollar Radio!)
- I'm thankful there's a Little Free Library on my street.
- I'm thankful my dear partner is building us a Little Free Library for our front yard for my Christmas present.
- I'm thankful for Book of the Month, without whom I'd be woefully behind on new releases. (Use my link if you sign up and we'll both get goodies!)
- I'm thankful my collection of signed books is growing. (Amazingly, I added FOUR signed books to my collection just last week after going to two author events.)
- I'm thankful I have a back yard where I can lay on a blanket and read outside (when it's warm).
- I'm thankful I only have to walk a half mile to get to a quiet coffee shop, so I can read with a change of scenery and tasty beverages.
- I'm thankful I have bibliophile friends who always recommend books I end up loving.
- I'm thankful I have a partner who not only supports my reading habit with his dollars and giving me quiet time to read, but who reads just about as much as I do.
- I'm thankful I've had the time and space to read more books than I ever have this calendar year.
- I'm thankful I get nearly all the ARCs I request.
- I'm thankful I have a good relationship with magazines who will publish my book reviews.
- I'm thankful the Off the Beaten Shelf Facebook group is growing and is a bright, positive corner on social media. (And is one of the few reasons I have not to delete my Facebook account.)
- I'm thankful for all the wonderful book nerds I've met through the two book clubs I run, Silent Book Club Columbus and Bad Girls Book Club.
- I'm thankful for Litsy and the lovely book nerds I've met there. (I'm "offthebeatenshelf.com on there, if you want to connect!)
- I'm thankful for the Book Riot Slack channel where I feel like I've found my people all over the world.
- I'm thankful for all the things books have taught me and the ways books expand my mind to be a more loving, empathetic person.
- I'm thankful for the comfort and hope books have brought me when I've felt down, especially this past year.
- I'm thankful I've found my passion in life and that it's something readily available, easily accessible, something I can do almost anywhere, and something that I'll rarely, if ever, be mocked for enjoying. Not all non-readers have it so easy.
I'm sure there are more things I'm forgetting (there's always more to be thankful for, right?), but those are the big ones.
And last, but certainly not least, I'm thankful for YOU. Whether you're brand new to my blog and this is the first post you've read or whether you've been following me for years, I appreciate you letting my little book blog be a part of your world. For those of you celebrating, I'll be wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving this week.
