Happy Sunday! Today’s blog post was inspired by a little activity that one of the local libraries did recently. Patrons were invited to take a tag and write the titles of the books for which they were thankful. The tags were put on display, as well as some of the books. Such a fun idea, especially for a book worm/word nerd like me! So I’ve adapted the idea and here we are…

photo credit: FCPL Facebook page

Books are such a wonderful part of my life! I am thankful for the following books, and I’m including a little explanation with each. This list is in no particular order. A couple of these books are my favorites, and all are books which have left an impression on my heart at some point in my life.

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar— Let’s just start with how beautiful the illustrations are! Great use of colors! The story itself is so wonderful, as we see the (literal) growth of the caterpillar, and its transformation into the colorful butterfly. I kid you not, there are a total of three copies of this book in my house. Two of the copies are in English, and the other is in Spanish.
2. James and the Giant Peach— Sometimes I wish I had even just a tenth of the imagination that some writers have. Roald Dahl was one such author with an incredible imagination.
3. The Babysitter’s Club series— Teenagers being paid to babysit, forming a club with their friends to do so, dating boys for the first time, navigating early adolescence… This series spoke to my awkward “tween” self. I kept a few of the books, and now they grace the shelves of my classroom library.
4. The Phantom Tollbooth— I read this when I was younger and a lot of it went over my head. There are just so many hidden and not-so-hidden jokes in the language. I read it again a few years ago and loved it. The play on words is the best!  I am grateful to my 6th grade teacher of long ago, Mr. Hatter, for suggesting that I give it a read. This one is also now in my own classroom library.
5. The Undomestic Goddess— This book got me started on reading all of the other books by my favorite author, Sophie Kinsella. She’s such a fun and talented writer! Oh and I have some small, exciting news for you, dear blog readers: I won a contest that Kinsella had on her Facebook page recently! I was one of three people to win a copy of one of her books (one that I don’t yet already own), as well as a box of chocolates. Yay me!
6. Harry Potter series— This muggle is absolutely fascinated with the magical world of Harry Potter: the books, movies, theme parks, everything! One of the coolest things ever was touring the studio in England where many of the actual movie scenes were filmed. I got to see some sets, tons of props and costumes, and other components of the films. The books are so well written, and I just cannot get enough of them!
7. Man’s Search for Meaning— I read this one shortly after my older brother passed away from cancer, while my heart and my faith were both still very raw, broken, and aching. The author, Viktor Frankl, survived being in a Nazi concentration camp while all of the rest of his family tragically died. His memoirs, small wisps of hope throughout his ordeal, and wise words helped me to get through my grief.
8. Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives— Being raised Catholic, my understanding of the afterlife had always been simplified as heaven or hell. Of course I had knowledge of the belief in reincarnation and such, but otherwise I didn’t think much of the afterlife. This book did an amazing job of sparking some creative curiosity in my thoughts about what happens after we die, without necessarily compromising my beliefs. A terrific friend of mine, who always has the best stories to tell and books to discuss, suggested this one to me.

What books are you thankful for? I’m always looking for good suggestions for my to-read list. Thanks for stopping by! ❤