Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thank You Authors!

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this day in the States, we celebrate Thanksgiving.  In our home, we take note of everything that we are thankful for every night at dinner or before bedtime.  On Thanksgiving Day, we pull out everything we have written down and read them during dinner.  It is our way of remembering the good things we have in life and to show our appreciation for those things.  Though we do something similar all year round, this is the time of year that we purposefully put it in writing.  To stay with this tradition, I have decided to highlight a number of authors that I have been thankful for here, in no particular order.  Enjoy!

Thank you Laura Ingalls Wilder for opening my eyes to the love of reading and beginning my first of many nights of reading late into the night!  I loved reading about a character that was closer to my age, living in and off the wilderness and land.  I will forever be grateful!

Thank you to Gertrude Chandler Warner for writing my all-time favorite childhood story, The Boxcar Children.  My fondest memories are those of my friends and I mimicking those responsible and independent children.  They were great role models to look up to . . . kind, respectful, thoughtful, resourceful, and so much more!

Thank you to Gregory Maguire for reminding me about my love of fairy tales and expanding my worldview through the universal stories.  Even as an adult, nothing beats picking up a childhood favorite (though it has many more adult issues involved!).

Thank you to Sandra Boynton for bringing beautiful stories into my children's lives.  Your stories have saved me many times in traffic, doctor's offices, grocery stores, etc. thanks to a bit of memorization and the very catchy verses that will probably never leave my mind.

Thank you to Stephen King for bringing my nightmares to life on paper and on the big screen!  (I really have no way of wording this better and he always keeps me coming back for more!)

And, last but not least, thank you to J.K. Rowling for bringing the wizarding world to life and allowing me to realize that there was so many worlds out there to explore if I just opened my mind a bit more.  In the best and worst of times, nothing beats jumping into the mind of Harry Potter and instantly embracing the comfort of the words, the world, and the unforgettable characters.

I really could go on and on, but I will leave it at that for now.  Which authors would you thank and why?  Please share!

12 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I would thank Neil Gaiman for writing some of my favorite books (Neverwhere, American Gods, and Good Omens) and being so crush-worthy!

    Would also thank Dean Koontz, for being so incredibly talented and writing such good books! I know that if it has his name on it, I will enjoy!

    Happy Thanksgiving Tif!

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  2. Alexia561 ... You have named two more great authors! I completely agree about Dean Koontz, but unfortunately, have not read enough by Neil Gaiman yet. I hope to change that in 2012!

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  3. What IS it about Stephen King? I am too much of a chicken to even be able to read some of his books, yet I would certainly acknowledge him as one of the greatest writers I know.

    I would thank Bill Bryson for giving me many hours of belly laughs!

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  4. This is such a fun post!

    I would thank Eve Bunting for writing stories that transcend age.

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  5. The Book Chook ... I have no idea, but his work fascinates me! I still have yet to read a Bryson book, but have a couple of my shelves. I need to get to those!

    Amy @ My Friend Amy ... I have not read any Eve Bunting as well. Gotta add her to my list, too!

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  6. I would definitely thank Gregory Maguire, Jasper Fforde, Charles Dickens, Salman Rushdie, L. Frank Baum, Diana Wynne Jones, Agatha Christie and so many others! They change my life with each book of theirs I read. I'm thankful to be a reader and I'm thankful to have great friends to share it all with!

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  7. Kristen M. ... Beautifully said! I just finished a graphic novel of The Wizard of Oz this weekend and plan to dive back into Maguire's Oz series in the next couple of weeks, so I definitely have these authors on my mind a lot this weekend (and have been thinking of you as I do!). I've discovered so many greats thanks to you! :)

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  8. That would have to be Dickens and I wouldn't even know where to start on "why".

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  9. What a fun post! I'd have to thank Agatha Christie for making me fall in love with mysteries.

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  10. Susan Bennett ... Sadly, I have not read any Dickens yet! I have him on my list, but have not gotten to him. I wish there were so much more time for reading!

    Carol ... Seriously, this post is showing me how much I NEED to read! I have not read Christie either! I need work on catching up!!

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  11. Aw, thanks for giving me credit for a few of those! I really wish I had kept track of who had introduced me to some authors. Although many favorites I've found on my own. I remember seeing Wicked in B&N and being so incredibly excited about it. Then I read anything else Maguire I could get my hands on!

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  12. Kristen M. ... You're welcome! I don't always remember who I get recommendations from, but I do try to keep track just in case. I've discovered a few good ones on my own too, but it is always nice to have someone else to chat with that loves it as much as you do! :)

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