Thanksgiving: "We will sell our bracelets by the roadside; you will play golf and enjoy hot hors d'oeuvres."
Thanksgiving. American Thanksgiving. Which, let's be honest, is the only real one, because I don't think any of you Canadians double-crossed Native Americans after they taught you how to plant corn. JOKE'S ON US ANYWAY, because then we grew TOO MUCH and made it into fake sugar and it's in everything and making us lardmonsters.
But Thanksgiving.
I'm grateful for some book-related things. The fact that I had to explain my "Wilkie OMG" shirt to my roommate the other day, and that the explanation was "my book blogging friends" (which is obviously a thing) and I had the shirts made after we did a group readalong of a Wilkie Collins novel, and when you say it out loud GOOD LORD THAT IS THE NERDIEST THING IN THE HISTORY OF NERDDOM but there it is.
I'm grateful pretty much every damn week I'm in Chicago that libraries exist. The library is a giant free storehouse of information, entertainment, and, if you're lucky, escalators. I'm trying to think of a time before libraries, interlibrary loans and, of course, librarians, and that time terrifies me. Few things make me happier than plodding past a long series of shelves, clutching a piece of scratch paper with some call numbers written on it. Someone spent a mathematically significant portion of their life working on the thing you're about to retrieve. Thanks to the library, it's not only easy for you to access that thing – it also costs you nothing but time and energy. Time and energy you have deemed worthwhile to spend on it. Libraries are one of the greatest signifiers that we care about each individual, no matter what their social or economic status. May they reign forever and ever.
How can you NOT be grateful for this community? Looking at the things I read before I started blogging, it was pretty much an assortment of 19th century literature, Sarah Vowell books, and some scattered historical fiction/chick lit. I had no idea what new books were coming out, or what might be going under the bestseller radar but still a COMPLETELY WORTH IT book. I was never peer pressured into reading something (something which always turns out to be fantastic, by the way). I read so much more and such a varied group of things compared to before I started blogging. I never wanted to be part of a book club until we started readalongs here and the people offered such amazing insights that I became infinitely grateful to be sharing that experience with them.
Happy Thanksgiving. I heart all of you.
But Thanksgiving.
I'm grateful for some book-related things. The fact that I had to explain my "Wilkie OMG" shirt to my roommate the other day, and that the explanation was "my book blogging friends" (which is obviously a thing) and I had the shirts made after we did a group readalong of a Wilkie Collins novel, and when you say it out loud GOOD LORD THAT IS THE NERDIEST THING IN THE HISTORY OF NERDDOM but there it is.
I'm grateful pretty much every damn week I'm in Chicago that libraries exist. The library is a giant free storehouse of information, entertainment, and, if you're lucky, escalators. I'm trying to think of a time before libraries, interlibrary loans and, of course, librarians, and that time terrifies me. Few things make me happier than plodding past a long series of shelves, clutching a piece of scratch paper with some call numbers written on it. Someone spent a mathematically significant portion of their life working on the thing you're about to retrieve. Thanks to the library, it's not only easy for you to access that thing – it also costs you nothing but time and energy. Time and energy you have deemed worthwhile to spend on it. Libraries are one of the greatest signifiers that we care about each individual, no matter what their social or economic status. May they reign forever and ever.
How can you NOT be grateful for this community? Looking at the things I read before I started blogging, it was pretty much an assortment of 19th century literature, Sarah Vowell books, and some scattered historical fiction/chick lit. I had no idea what new books were coming out, or what might be going under the bestseller radar but still a COMPLETELY WORTH IT book. I was never peer pressured into reading something (something which always turns out to be fantastic, by the way). I read so much more and such a varied group of things compared to before I started blogging. I never wanted to be part of a book club until we started readalongs here and the people offered such amazing insights that I became infinitely grateful to be sharing that experience with them.
Happy Thanksgiving. I heart all of you.
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