I LOVE seeing all the ‘what I’m thankful for’ blog posts. But ya’ll know how I like to put my own spin on things, so I picked out the books I was most thankful for this year for my Thanksgiving post because books make me happy–duh! 🙂 I picked out several novels across different genres . . . and because I also LOVE quotes, I picked out a few to go along with each pick.
The Book Thief: Historical Fiction
“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
“It kills me sometimes, how people die.”
“Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.”
The Power of a Positive Mom: Nonfiction
“Focus on the hope in each person and every situation. God has not left you.”
“God allows certain unplanned adventures in our lives for reasons we may never know. He also provides the help we need to make it through.”
“Your kids are reading a book every day. Now wait a minute, you may be thinking, My kids aren’t even reading age yet. Or, My kids don’t like to read that much. Let me assure you, your kids are reading a book every day. The title is Life’s Living Lessons and you are the author. Our children are watching our actions and hearing our words every day. They are learning how to act and how to live as they read us. You are possibly the most influential book they will ever read.”
Clockwork Princess: Paranormal/Fantasy
“Sometimes one must choose whether to be kind or honorable,” he said. “Sometimes one cannot be both.”
“Life is a book, and there are a thousand pages I have not read. I would read them together with you, as many as I can, before I die -”
She put her hand against his chest, just over his heart, and felt its beat against her palm, a unique time signature that was all its own. “I only wish you would not speak of dying,” she said. “But even for that, yes, I know how you are with your words, and, Will- I love all of them. Every word you say. The silly ones, the mad ones, the beautiful ones, and the ones that are only for me. I love them, and I love you.”
“Gabriel’s green eyes sought Will. “It was demon pox, wasn’t it? You know all about it, don’t you? Aren’t you some sort of expert?”
“Well, you needn’t act as if I invented it,” said Will.”
Through the Ever Night: Dystopian
“Love was like the waves in the sea, gentle and good sometimes, rough and terrible at others, but that it was endless and stronger than the sky and earth and everything in between.”
“We lose and lose, but we’re still here. Shaking in place, afraid of doing something. I’m tired of settling for this because I don’t know if something better exists. It has to. What point is there otherwise? I can do something about it now. And I will.”
“Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame.”
Firefly Lane: Women’s Fiction
“That was the thing about best friends. Like sisters and mothers, they could piss you off and make you cry and break your heart, but in the end, when the chips were down, they were there, making you laugh even in your darkest hours. ”
“Thoughts – even fears – were airy things, formless until you made them solid with your voice and once given that weight, they could crush you.”
“Of course you can fall in love. You just have to let yourself. They don’t call it falling for nothing.”
Turtle in Paradise: Children’s Literature
“Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I’ve lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten. The only difference between grown-ups and kids is that grown-ups go to jail for murder. Kids get away with it.”
“Almost dying is awfully easy. It’s the living that’s hard.”
18 Things: Contemporary Coming of Age
*It may seem strange to pick my own book, but 1) I AM STRANGE! 2) It’s the one I’m most thankful for (outside of the Bible) because it reminds me of how far God has brought me to arrive at this place.
“Some days my grief only hurt a little, like being electrocuted by a tiny spark when plugging in something. Other days, my sorrow used a jackhammer to excavate my heart.”
“I can’t believe I spent most of high school stereotyping you as a simple-minded, snobby, backstabbing cheerleader.” Tammy took one last drag, then stomped out her cigarette on the ground. “Girl, neither can I. I mean I only stole your prom date, threatened to light you on fire, and slapped you in the face.”
“Dr. Judy crossed her arms over her chest. ‘There are no do-overs in life once you’re dead. All your friends have that YOLO saying backward. It should be YODO because really, you live ever day, but . . . You Only Die Once.’ I looked at Nate. A grim expression twisted his mouth and I wondered if he was thinking what I thought. Where’s the candid camera, because this had to be a joke.”
*What books are you thankful for having read this year? Oh, you don’t all have to point to 18 Things at once 😉 HAPPY THANKSGIVING . . . or as it’s come to be known this year, The New Black Friday. Personally, I don’t know what all the fuss is about. Dollar Tree is just up the street and keeps their prices at $1 allll year-long–right, kids?! Gobble, gobble!
B*E*A*U*T*I*F*U*L D*I*S*A*S*T*E*R!! My girlfriend mentioned it 2 me a couple of times ’til I gave in & checked it out & I had a yes-i-DO-like-green-eggs-and-h am moment! Read it twice, finished Walking Disaster & I’m “patiently” awaiting my preordered novella release of Wedding Disaster. This year, I’m thankful for this series 🙂
Also on my TBR list . . . might have to move it to the top! Or maybe I should wait till Wedding Disaster comes out first 🙂
I’m thankful for THE STORYTELLER by Jodi Picoult. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving, Jamie!
Back in 2007, I got on such a Jodi kick that all the books I read were by her, and then I think I got burned out.
What a lovely idea for a blog post. The Book Thief is on my to read list. I hope to get around to reading it within the next year!
Happy thanksgiving.
I didn’t really get into it until a quarter through the book, but it’s totally worth the wait for Max to come!
Jamie, your reason for picking your own book is awesome beyond words!
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Ninja Daddy 😉
Oh good. I had the awful realization last night I need more good books to read. I had to find characters I loved and struggled really bad. A lot of newer books don’t have memorable characters. Its so sad. I’m thankful for your list 🙂 Happy Turkey day and I’m so glad you’ve had a very blessed year. God always has a plan.
Yes, He does! Glad I could give you some new reading ideas 🙂
Jamie … have the best Thanksgiving ever. I love your list and that you put yourself on it is the bomb !! I am thankful for so many book, but three pop out because they were just a couple of weeks ago. Richard Matheson’s What Dreams May Come and Somewhere in Time and Eleven Minutes by Paulo Cohelo. I used Matheson in two posts so you might have seen those … also try a mystery or suspense by David Baldacci … The Forgotten 🙂
I do recall reading those posts and thinking I must read those books!
Jamie,
The quotes are great!
I’ve read a lot of MG books this year. I’m most thankful for Three Times Lucky, The Healing Spell, and Okay For Now.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yeah, I’m reading lots of MG too! I’m reading Legend, Janitors, Cinder, and The Girl Who Threw Butterflies with my classes right now. Okay For Now is on my TBR list!
I love all the quotes, including the tasty excerpts from 18 Things! Nothing wrong with giving people a sample. 🙂
Since I read all over the genre spectrum, my list may seem odd, because how can Night Circus, The Road, and The Other Boleyn Girl be the same reader’s favorites this year?
I just think of them as different courses of a delicious meal. 😉
Happy Turkey Day!
(And Clockwork Princess grabbed me with just those few quotes. Such wonderful writing!)
I need to read all those books you mentioned . . . Clockwork Princess was the last book in a trilogy, and they’re all AWESOME!
I’ve read all but two of those, and loved them…well, except for The Clockwork Princess. The ending killed it for me. I mean, I liked the story right up until the last couple chapters–although it was slower than the rest of the series.
A lot of what I read in the first half of the year were children’s, MG, and picture books for my Children’s Lit class. I’m probably most glad I read A Time for Courage: The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen, by Kathryn Lasky (from the Dear America series); The Fences Between Us, by Kirby Larson (another Dear America book, based on the real-life story of a Baptist pastor in Seattle who chose to accompany his Japanese-American congregation into interment); Kaleidoscope Eyes, by Jen Bryant (a novel in verse set during 1968, about three friends’ hunt for buried treasure); and Breaking Stalin’s Nose, written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin.