Top Ten Tuesdays #116: Thanksgiving

Ten Things & Books I’m Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review.

This week’s TTT is a Thanksgiving Freebie where you can talk about books or things you’re thankful for. I wanted to combine the two (I’ve done this in the past, where I’ve talked about books, people, and authors I’m thankful for, as well as which characters I’d spend Thanksgiving with). It’s been a shitty month, to say the least, so I hope putting together this positive post puts a smile on our faces. These are in no specific order! (Do you really think I like pumpkin-flavored things more than my friends? Actually, hmmmm…..)

Chris

   

I’m always, always thankful for Chris. I love spending time with him and having a partner who makes me laugh every single day. Whether we’re just sitting on the couch watching a movie or doing separate things (reading and video games), going out on a hike, spending time with friends or family, or heading out on some kind of adventure… we always know how to have the best time. We’re almost always on the same page and hope for the same things out of life. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s been four years and other times it feels like it’s been so much longer.

Family

I’m always thankful for my family. I wish my dad was around on Thanksgiving (they usually go up to Maine) so I could see them too, but I’m happy to have multiple families to visit. We always spend the morning with my mom, stepdad, nana, and uncle. My mom’s a Cowboys fan and they always play on Thanksgiving, so we rush home to watch football ASAP. This works out perfectly for heading over to Chris’s parents house for Thanksgiving with his family. I’m happy to have so many people to care about, especially at this time of year.

These Books I Read in 2016

I want to highlight some of the books I’m most thankful for from 2016 so far because obviously I need book love here. They may not all be “favorites” for the year, but I’m thankful for each of them for different reasons.

Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn because it started my year on the best foot
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes because it was exactly what I needed (no romance)
Dreamology by Lucy Keating because it was what I hoped it’d be once I hyped it up
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid because her books are so powerful and thought-provoking
Caraval by Stephanie Garber for being magical and addicting and wonderful
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne for being some of the best hate-to-love romance ever

Friends

It goes without saying at this point how much I love this show, I think. I’ve talked about it enough and refuse to think too hard about it, since I get teary-eyed. This show is incredibly important to me for so many reasons. Watching this show can essentially pick me up from any mood. It’s the first thing I go to when I’m sad, and the first thing I go to when I want to be even happier. It’s gotten me through the worst times and I’ll never tire of it.

Pumpkin

I thought it was appropriate to include my love for pumpkin of all kinds when I used the pumpkin pie image for the number five. It’s the perfect time of year to do and eat all things pumpkin-related. I need to get some pumpkin recipes going on Pinterest because I bought a can of it the other day and can’t decide how I want to use it. I did see a crockpot PSL recipe that looked good… Some of my favorite things?

• Pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin spice coffee/lattes
• Going pumpkin picking
• Pumpkin ice cream
• Pumpkin cheesecake
• Spicy pumpkin curry soup

Pizza, Coffee, and Mexican Food

? These are a few of my favorite thingssss ?  I love pizza more than I could explain. A good slice from New England Pizza with a side of wings, a beer, and ranch dressing? Seriously, I’m in heaven just thinking about it. (I wrote this post a week ago and we ended up having this for dinner because I just needed it at that point.) Coffee is my go-to every morning of course, so I have to make sure it knows how much I love it. Mexican food and margaritas are the biggest issue for my diet and usually my largest craving. If I start thinking about eating at a Mexican restaurant, I can’t stop until I’ve done it within the week. I love it so much. There are obviously many more foods I love (crab rangoon, Chris’s mom’s egg rolls, chicken or shrimp caesar salad, chicken parm, sushi, etc. – I love food), but these foods and drinks are always on the brain for me.

Slump-Breaking Books

My book slump from the past couple of months has been frustrating, to say the least. I read 7 books in October – a record low since I started my blog – and got addicted to way too many TV shows to even make time to read. There were a few recent books that really broke me out of my sump and I’m so thankful for them right now! My reading mojo is back. I’m not pushing myself too hard to read when I’m not in the mood, but I’m enjoying the reading time I’ve been able to carve out before work and before bed. (Also grateful Chris has been back into Skyrim so I have even more reading time, hehe.) Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler was the first book to really get me going again. It was the perfect, easy, fluffy read for me to start and finish within 2 days. I spent a good portion of one night making headway (finally) on Heartless by Marissa Meyer, and also finished The Amateurs by Sara Shepard in a couple of days. Her books are known to bust me out of any slumps because she has an addicting, suspenseful writing style. Reading her books is like coming home for me. Major thanks to these two books for getting me on track!

(Real) Friends

I think I mentioned in a previous wrap-up that my group of college friends and I have had some interesting times lately. We had a falling out with one of our friends, but since then? We’ve been closer than ever. I’m so happy to see them and make plans with them. All of the boyfriends/fiancees get along so well too! I’m grateful that we all have busy lives but still take time for each other, even if it’s just doing some wedding planning in a group message. Much love to Cassie, Alaina, and Natasha. (The picture above is from the beginning of our Freshman year of college back in 2009. The “seven years ago” thing from Timehop is freaking me out because HOWWW?)

Fall and Winter

I always talk about how September is my favorite month, but I thoroughly enjoyed October and most of November. Chris and I have been taking advantage of the mild weather with a lot of hiking and time spent outside. The views and colorful trees of New England make all the effort worth it. I’m loving our new routine of taking a hike then visiting a local restaurant and/or brewery. We’re trying to explore our state (and one or two on the border) while we’re here. Now that I finally have my own skis too, I’m actually excited for winter. I want to get out on the slopes and see if I still remember how to do it. I’m ready for the snow, the holiday lights and decorations, the Christmas tree, the hot chocolate, and the hibernating while watching football or reading books. I love summer as much as the next person, but fall and winter are creeping up into my favorites pretty quickly and easily.

Book Twitter and Blogging

I know that book Twitter has its fair share of drama. It’s hard to log on lately because the pain of the election comes back fresh all over again. BUT, the important conversations happening over there – especially now – are unparalleled to any I’ve seen on other social media pages. My Facebook is a bomb waiting to explode and my personal Twitter makes me want to throw my phone across the room. I’m so glad that bookish people come together for the important things and hopefully it’ll make a difference. Along those same lines, I’m grateful for book blogs! I love you guys and reading your posts makes my day a little better. Thank you for the recs, the comments and the fangirling. I have no idea what I’d be doing with my time if the blogosphere didn’t exist.

 Thank you for being here <3

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