Top Ten Tuesday: Ten books that make me grateful for book groups & book friends

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a Thanksgiving freebie — so we can each come up with our own take on something we’re thankful for this year.

A few years ago, my Thanksgiving freebie post was about books that make me feel thankful to my book group and bookish friends — generally, books I might not have read without the booklovers in my life either recommending them or picking them for our discussions. And now that several years have passed since I shared that list, it’s about time for a fresh look!

Here are ten terrific books that I ended up reading thanks to book group picks, friend/family recommendations, or recommendations from book bloggers:

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (review)
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest (review)
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle (review)
Cinder House by Freya Marske (review)
The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. Maclean
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (review)
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (review)
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (review)
The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir (review)

Wrapping it all up… as always, I’m so grateful for all my bookish friends! Here’s to another year of sharing our reading journeys!

What books or bookish things are you most grateful for this Thanksgiving week?

Please share your thoughts, and if you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

6Jul2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons Why I Love Reading

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Reasons Why I Love Reading. It seems challenging to break down into an itemized list why reading is such a dominant part of my life, but here goes:

1). Reading involves my brain, my emotions, my heart… it’s an immersive experience that makes me feel and makes me think.

2) I’ve learned so much from books! I love entering another time period through historical fiction, or learning about a place or a culture I might not otherwise encounter.

3) I can never be bored — I always have a book with me! Waiting on a long line at the store or the pharmacy? No problem — more time to read!

4) Bonding — Even if we have nothing else obviously in common, if I meet someone who loves the same book as me, we have plenty to talk about.

5) Flights of imagination — I love reading about fantasy worlds and feeling them come alive.

6) Getting to know favorite characters in a series. A well-written series can make me feel like certain characters are a part of my own life.

7) Living vicariously. Let’s face it, I’m probably never going to wield a sword or explore new star systems, but reading lets me feel as if I might, even if only in my reader’s brain.

8) Oh, the smarts! I’m adamant that reading makes us all smarter. Vocabulary, geography, scientific concepts — you name it, and I’m better at it because of reading.

9) The calming effect — sometimes, when times are tough or there’s just a lot of stress, opening a favorite book can feel better to me than meditation or even a nap. I can immerse myself in a beloved story or world and come out of it feeling refreshed and ready to face the world again.

10) Gaining empathy and understanding: Great novels let us into their characters’ hearts and minds. Walking in a character’s shoes and seeing how life feels to them is key to opening our hearts to people whose lives might not mirror our own.

Why do you love to read? Please share your TTT links!

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26Nov2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons I’m grateful for all the bookish people in my life

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a Thanksgiving freebie — so we can each come up with our own take on something we’re thankful for this year.

This time around, I thought I’d keep it simple and just talk about why I love having a book group and friends who love books. I’m not actually doing ten… just the top things that come to mind when I think about the bookish people in my life.

1. I’ve read so many books over the years thanks to my book group — books that I might not have picked up on my own, as well as classics that I might never have gotten around to without the group to motivate me.

2. I’m an introvert — but put me in a room or across a table from someone who’s a reader, and the conversation flows.

3. I’m thankful that my family members include people who love books as much as I do… and for those that don’t, they tolerate my bookish obsessions, which is nice too.

4. I’m thankful for all the amazing book bloggers I’ve met since starting my blog seven years ago! Thanks to all of you, I’ve engaged in fantastic discussions, considered new ideas, discovered so many amazing books, and have found a true community.

5. It’s thrilling to have friends who will geek out with me over the latest book in a series, or will share my terror that something bad will happen to a character I love.

6. I love having friends who will go with me to a used bookstore just because it’s there. Do we know how to have fun or what?

7. It’s great going to a silent reading party with people who will sit silently beside me and read their own books and not talk to me… and walk out when it’s done talking about what a great time we all had!

8. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without giving a big shout-out of appreciation to the public library, indie bookstores, and most especially, to the nonprofit organizations who focus on reading, books, and literacy. There are so many ways to share our love of reading while making a difference in the world! (Check out this list on Goodreads to get started.)

As a booklover, there’s so much to feel thankful for, this year and always! What books or bookish things are you most grateful for this Thanksgiving week?

Please share your thoughts, and if you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

17Sep2012

It’s survey time! Bookshelvers, unite!

Posted in The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I’m obsessing over my shiny new bookshelves. What goes on the new shelves? What stays on the old ones? Are some shelves more special than others? Which books belong together? Which books should never touch? I could spend hours, days, weeks searching for the answers to these important questions… and so I turn to you, o wise booklovers: Tell me all your secrets!

Thanks for sharing! Check back for results!