Top Ten Books I'm Thankful For

I'm at it once again - Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and the Bookish. I slightly missed out posting this one on time (silly me - I was mostly done it, but forgot to post). So, here's my list of books that I am thankful for, and briefly why.

1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontё
Why: This was one of the first real times I felt my moral character was represented anywhere. The strength of character in Jane was something I admired, and loved.


2) Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Why: Being the odd one out myself, Charlie was a comfort. He saw the world in his own unique way, and appreciated things differently than everyone else, and that was something I could really relate to.

3) The Giver by Lois Lowry
Why: One of, if not my first dip into dystopian fiction - a genre which I quickly fell in love with.

4) The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
Why: This book is so beautiful that it makes me cry. It is so simple, but sweet and sad, and I truly love it.

5) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Why: Although I initially fell in love with Austen's stories through the 1995 Pride & Prejudice mini-series, this was my first Austen read. Although not often the popular choice of heroines, I have always loved Fanny for sticking to what was the right decision for her and her conscience.



6) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Why: I know, this is kind of a cheat...but I adore Shakespeare. His work opened up a whole new world for me which I had only previously glimpsed.

7) City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments Series) by Cassandra Clare
Why: After university I was in a huge reading slump. I had barely read any fiction, and was stressed at trying to put in all of this effort for an intense novel. I decided on a whim to pick this book up, and devoured it. Not only did it help me get back into reading, it gave me a whole new perspective on YA literature that I had become a bit jaded towards.

8) The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Why: Heartbreaking, hopeful, and profoundly important. I smiled, I cried, and above all, I will never forget.

9) Phoebe the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin
Why: If you want a heroine for young girls to look up to, Phoebe is it. Based on a true story, I loved the aspect that there was this real girl allowed to do something important like the grown-ups, and wasn't treated like she was unimportant. She was allowed to spy!

10) If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss
Why: Although this book faces a lot of controversy, it is entirely what gave me the inspiration to start creatively writing as a child. The delightful imagination of Dr. Seuss has always filled me with happiness.