Thankful Thursday

Happy World Book Day! I miss the fun of dressing up for school, and wondering why some kids were dressed as things from films and not books...

...Like me and my friend Jessica here. She was Jessie from Toy Story 2 and I was a dalmation (101 Dalmations) that resembled a cow. Not my finest hour.

There was a time, however, when I dressed in some pretty impressive attire as a ladybird from The Bad-tempered Ladybird and the one every nineties kid did at some point – Hermoine Granger.

Today, as a 21-year-old adult no longer in school, I wore a jumper and leggings, standard day-wear for me, but I enjoyed working through some World Book Day themed stories at work and taking a look at the website (which is just brilliant). And, I thought about how thankful I am for books. 

I have loved books since before I can remember. I would love them still as much as I used to had I not succumbed to peer pressure in believing MSN and Myspace were more interesting and important. But I'm getting there. I still love books. Here are a few of my favourites...

When I was little

Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson. Mainly because of the title, but I remember enjoying this book so much I read it more than twice, at least.

When I was a teenager

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. My friend lent this to me in the summer of 2008 when we had finished our GCSEs and had that long, long summer of relaxation and zero responsibility. I had a mattress for a bed and a stack of books to read next to it. This was one that stayed with me.

When I was at university

Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain.  I had to get this one in somewhere. Not fiction, but still fantastic and one that I recommend to all of you. This book should be read by everyone everywhere. It was a true eye opener for me as well as a great comfort. It was the basis for my dissertation, and the inspiration I drew from this book is unparalleled. 

Recently

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.  A beautifully written book with an incredible story, matched with an equally fantastic film.

What I'm reading now

How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran. I am about a quarter of the way through this book (it's very easy reading so I should finish it soon) and although I am a little late to the party, I am enjoying the rare paragraphs of knowledge Moran writes – I'm not keen on her anecdotal autobiographical style of writing, but her views on how to be a woman are interesting so far.

These are just a few of the many books I am fortunate enough to have read. I think I take the fact that I can read for granted all too often. So, today I am thankful for that, and thankful for the books, the writers and the people who bring it all together to give me the pleasure of reading, and getting lost in, a story. What are you thankful for?