Top Ten Reasons I'm Thankful For Books
Main linkup post at That Artsy Reader Girl here. Short-n-sweet today.
1. VICARIOUS ROMANCE, BABY. There's nothing like swooning over text about a great couple, or even just a great love interest, in ways that give a similar but distinct high from watching one on film.
2. They are the BEST interior decor (even if they do spread like kudzu).
3. They let me travel without the hassle of plane tickets, maps, packing, etc.
4. They help me process things -- whether personal or a news story that hit me unexpectedly hard, sometimes I need to experience a version of it through the safe lens of fiction to settle my feelings.
5. They have DEFINITELY improved my vocabulary (and I'm sure my spelling isn't hurt either).
6. In audiobook form…they motivate me to clean/exercise even more than music did. (Because I can listen to music while doing anything on the computer, even writing or working -- but for a story I need singular mental focus, which pairs well with needing a distraction from the mundane physical tasks).
7. They're the reason public libraries, in all their beauty and comfort and freely accessible space, exist.
8. Movies/TV do this too, but similar to number 4, books are really great for giving you a safe way to experience the catharsis of sadness and crying without anything bad actually happening to you or other people. I know some people say they never cry at books, but…let me tell you, COULD NOT BE ME.
9. They're an excuse to collect bookmarks! A whole industry of beautiful and inexpensive art in miniature.
10. And perhaps the best of all: they're kind of the reason I'm married. Because after a lifetime of basically No Contact with the male portion of the species, this guy at work noticed me bringing in different books every week to read on break, was impressed, and used that as his opening to strike up a conversation.
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I'm probably skipping next week, BUT I have a post scheduled to go up on Thanksgiving featuring the books I'm most thankful I read this year -- be sure you come back for that! (I debated making it an official TTT post, but I wanted to post it sooner, lol)