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Monday, November 25, 2013

Top Ten Bookish Things I'm Thankful For


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1. My bloggy friends
More than anything, I'm thankful for my blogging friends. I'm not even going to list all of you, because I'll forget someone/don't want to rank you accidentally/there are so many! But I mean YOU, if you're reading this. YOU, YOU, YOU. YOU ARE THE BEST. I'm so thankful to have made so many friends through blogging with whom I get to fangirl on Twitter (and who let me fangirl and don't run away screaming. "Oh, God, Gillian's screaming about book boyfriends and puns in all caps again. Just... back away slowly. Maybe we can subdue her with chocolate"). I'm thankful to have gotten to meet some of you in person, and I'm even more thankful that I get to meet more of you next year! WHAT HAVOC WE WILL WREAK.

2. Authors
Obviously, there would be no books without authors. So I'm thankful to all the talented people who write the characters and stories we love. But mostly, I'm thankful to the awesome authors who interact with their fans through Twitter and Tumblr and the like. I'm thankful to authors who make us all feel like one big community, and who remain friendly and accessible and awesome.

3. BEA
BOOK EXPO AMERICA. It was maybe the greatest experience I've ever had, no exaggeration. I'm so thankful that it exists, that I got to go, and that I get to go next year. NYC, get ready for me! Me and my two suitcases are coming for you!

4. J.K. Rowling
FOR ALL THE THINGS. For showing me and so many others what magic was, what fandom was, for making us readers at a young age, an old age, and any age, for creating a world we could all escape to whenever we wanted.


5. Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce's books sparked my love of fantasy and feminist lit (and for writing the first romances I ever swooned hardcore over). You keep writing kick-butt ladies and kick-butt kissing scenes, Tammy.

6. Jane Austen
I would literally have no middle name without her (my middle name is Elizabeth after Lizzy Bennet. Hollaaaa). Okay, I would, but it would be something far less awesome. Her words and her books occupy a huge portion of my heart and helped shape me as a reader.

7. The blogosphere
YOU GUYS. You guys make everything about this worthwhile. What could be a stressful, time-consuming, exhausting experience is made wonderful and enriching because of all the wonderful bookish people in it. I'm thankful for all of you!

8. The inventor of gifs
I'm a little mad at you for insisting it's pronounced "jiff" (No.), but seriously, there would be no way at all to express my bookish feels without your blessed creation. The entire internet thanks you.

You're still wrong about how it's pronounced, though.

9. Publishers, publicists, agents, editors, book designers, assistants, copy editors, marketing people, etc.
Basically, anybody at all who contributes to the production and distribution of books, who so generously give out books to bloggers and treat them so wonderfully and create the things we love. I'm thankful for you and your hard work!

10. My UPS man
For continuing to bring me book packages that weigh as much as well-fed children.

11. The barista at the Starbucks I go to to read and write reviews
For not even flinching that one time I asked him to add two shots of espresso to my Venti dark roast (it was that kind of a day). (I am not thankful for your co-barista, whose eyes widened in alarm. I am so sure I'm not the first person to ever do that.)



12. Katniss Everdeen, Suzanne Collins, and Jennifer Lawrence
Thanks for showing that women and women-led, women-starring media can dominate pop culture and be seen as legitimate. Also, for making the braid I force my hair into on days it won't cooperate cool.

"Oooh, cute Katniss braid!"
"Thanks, I haven't washed my hair in three days!"

 

24 comments:

  1. Awesome list!!! I love how you said all the people who contribute to books being published - I feel the same way :-)

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  2. I love how authors are now interacting more with their fans and the bloggers/reviewers. It's so much fun to be part of that. And I too, am grateful for Tamora Pierce, for not only creating kick ass female characters, swoonable mages, but also introducing fantasy and fantasy worlds.



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  3. I love your list :-) I agree with many of the things on your list. Especially the blogosphere, bloggers are awesome! :-)

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  4. I love your list! The UPS man is the best - though after a really, REALLY package-heavy day a little while ago, they've since sent a totally new guy to my neck of the woods.

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  5. So many wonderful things to be thankful for!! I'm so glad I discovered blogging and met awesome bloggy friends! So funny that I didn't even know book blogs existed not too long ago!

    Also. I say jiffs and people yell at me for it every time. ("it's pronounced graphic not jraphic!") I'm trying to change, I swear! haha

    BEA sounds amazing, I'm planning on going next year!!

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  6. That is awesome that your middle name is for Elizabeth Bennet. P&P is my favorite book ever. And seriously, JK Rowling and Jane Austen! Love them so much.

    Also, Gifs are totally amazing. Although I usually pronounce it with a soft g sound. :)

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  7. Your list is AH-MAZING
    YES GIFS ARE AWESOME! And don't even get me started on Jennifer Lawrence <33


    OUR TTT

    Doris @ OABR

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  8. Love your list! I completely agree with every single one of them! I would love to go to BEA but unfortunately I live on the other side of the world :P

    Kyra @ Blog of a Bookaholic
    My TTT!

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  9. This list is brilliant! But that last item is amazing! I'm so glad that The Hunger Games has brought so many cool women to the forefront of our culture too!
    My TTT

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  10. HEEEEE, YES. Blogging friends are THE BEST, and I'm so happy that I have met so many lovely people over the past three years. I haven't met anyone in real life yet, aside from my bff/co-blogger, but it'll happen eventually. JKR ERMEHGERD. She would have been on my list if I had done it this week instead of Tatum. I adore your list.

    Books of Amber

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  11. Aw, awesome list Gillian :D Thank you for sharing. <3 I adore you.

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  12. BAHAHAHA, you are write about GIFs. He needs to get over that and accept facts.

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    Replies
    1. You need to turn off unknown commenting, because I keep doing this by accident. *cries*

      *waves*

      It's Christina again.

      Proof: HAN KYUL AND EUN CHAN = OTP OF OMG FLAILS AND LET'S GO WATCH SOME GOONG LATER BECAUSE MORE FLAILS.

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  13. How much do I love that Tamora Pierce is on this list? LOADS. I also love that she and J.K. Rowling are side by side. Those two women definitely made a big impact on my reading life, and I'm happy to know they did the same for you too. I'm also glad we got to (briefly) meet at BEA. I hope next year we actually get to hang out and have a conversation and eat sweets and stuff!

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  14. Yay! Thank YOU! For being a consistent, and great, and funny, reviewer and blogger! And for making me wish I had the dough to go to BEA. :P
    (seriously, can't they have one on the West Coast? Maybe in Seattle, or Portland? *lesigh*)

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  15. Great list that was fun to read. Thanks for sharing all the bookish things you are thankful for :)

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  16. Gillian I am so so thankful for you! I remember the day we hung out at the Disney store and freaked out over stuffed animals and the music and basically I just think you're awesome. Also, I love that we both put JoRo because YES SHE IS THE QUEEN.

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  17. Brilliant list! J.K. Rowling deserves all sort of thanks for so many things... Btw, loved that Ten GIF!! YAY for my fave Doctor!

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  18. We BOTH put JKR on our lists. She is the queen of all things. Yes, the bloggy friends was a really big one for me. Initially when I started this blogging thing I was nervous that I would be going into something very clique-y. I wasn't popular in high school and in fact was bullied constantly, so to be welcomed into a community like this was truly amazing.I put authors on mine too. Especially the authors who take time out of their day to connect with their readers. That's really cool.Of course Katniss Everdeen and her creator Suzanne Collins. They have taught young girls & women to be strong and brave and that you don't need a significant other to do the right thing.

    BTW you rock Gillian <3

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  19. We are grateful the Post Office released Harry Potter stamps last week, among other things. :)

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  20. I don't do TTT, but if I did, I think we would share many list items this week. (Authors! JKR! The blogosphere! GIFS!!!) but mostly I am thankful for all of my book friends I have made this year. You are the most awesome of the awesomest things (in both a general all of you and a you specifically sense) and now I must go and fend of the tree branch headed for my mushy, sentimental eye.

    (Special shout out to the bad hair day Katniss braid. That hairstyle was a gift from the gods.)

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  21. GILLIAN!! I will always send you virtual chocolate and I hate that I can't just pass you the real thing. You're genuinely one of my most favourite people. (If that isn't English, I'm sorry.) I love you and your blog and the way you language and I want to give you all the tackle hugs.

    That co-barista is THE WORST. How dare he (?) judge you! There's a third way to pronounce gif (my way obviously). That would be the guttural, soft g. (Think: "j" in Spanish.) Still better than the jiff pronunciation. Scoundrels.

    I love that you thanked everyone who's involved with the publishing of a book. HELL YES to authors. Obviously, Rowling. I put Alanna on my Christmas list because you love it so much. Elizabeth May is going to make it on this list very soon, if I can help it. I'm going to give you these tackle hugs now.

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  22. Haha, love this list so much! I say gifs not jiffs, I must admit ;-)

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