It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: thankful freebie. I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but I can’t help getting caught up in the thankful spirit that’s been going around in the book community lately. 2019 has been a year of… a lot. A lot of everything. In many ways I feel like this year has been one of extremes with either many high-highs and many low-lows, which has been incredibly trying. This basically means that I’ve been a hot-emotional-mess for 90% of the year, including right now! But before I become even more emotional, let’s get to what I’m thankful for this year. As this is a freebie, I’ve decided to keep it simple and write a list of all the bookish and non-bookish things I’m thankful for. Of course, I’ll try to keep it as bookish as possible 😉 Here we go:
ONE. I’m thankful for the new bookish friends I’ve made this year. I’m going to make myself sound like a real loser here but it’s been a long time since I’ve made any new friends over the internet and IRL. It’s hard, yo. When I hit my late twenties/early thirties, I realized that making new friends is an effort that I’m happy to put in, as long as I’m not the only one doing it. Maybe I’m just not cool enough and maybe I’m just boring; whatever it is, it’s just been sucky. Then I started meeting all of you who had the same love for books as I did, and it made me realise that even though I’m not the coolest person, at least there are people out there I can still connect with. BOOKISH PEOPLE ARE THE BEST KIND!
TWO. I’m thankful for the support and encouragement I received from the book community when I started my book blog and bookstagramming. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine having more than 10 followers on my blog but here I sit with 320 followers and it’s incredible. I’m so thankful to everyone who encouraged me to keep going, even when you didn’t know you were doing anything special. By coming back to my blog, by engaging with me and by putting up with my paragraphs-long comments (lol I’m sorry) all the time. I’m so, so thankful for you all!
THREE. I’m thankful for the ability to purchase new books, buy book boxes, get signed and limited editions. It’s tough being an international blogger — especially when you don’t have a library! I buy all the books I read (or get them as gifts from friends/family although that’s rare) but I know a lot of people can’t do that. I’m definitely privileged and I am thankful for it because otherwise this probably wouldn’t exist!
FOUR. On that same vein, I’m thankful for the chance to receive e-ARCs. Even though they’re limited in number and scope, to even be able to request reading something in advance is something I’d never imagine being able to do before this year! While I’m not the best at keeping my score at an above average percentage, that doesn’t mean I’m any less grateful for what I receive. It’s a WIP 😁
FIVE. I’m thankful for the support of my family and friends in my book-loving endeavors–including hauling dozens of books across the world in your suitcases, asking friends to receive books for me, and not complaining when I drag you into all my crazy bookstagram photo shenanigans LOL 🤣
“Reading isn’t important because it helps to get you a job. It’s important because it gives you room to exist beyond the reality you’re given. It is how humans merge. How minds connect. Dreams. Empathy. Understanding. Escape. Reading is love in action.”
SIX. Simply, I’m thankful for books. I know no one reading this would disagree when I say books are magic. Through all the hard times when I don’t want to be social or deal with the realities of this world, I can rely on books to help me get a reprieve away from it all. Matt Haig sums it up pretty nicely with these quotes (☝🏽👇🏽) from Notes On A Nervous Planet:
“…find a good book. And sit down and read it. There will be times in your life when you’ll feel lost and confused. The way back to yourself is through reading. I want you to remember that. The more you read, the more you will know how to find your way through those difficult times.”
SEVEN. Similarly, I’m thankful for the authors who have been longtime companions on my reading journey and those new ones I’ve discovered this year. Not to sound too cheesy or anything (okay, who am I kidding, I’m gonna sound cheesy AF but…) without your words that take me away, the worlds you build for me to escape to, and the characters that you create who also become my friends, I don’t even know where I’d be right now. There really are no words but… THANK YOU so much for what you create and share with the world!
EIGHT. I’m thankful for being able to reconnect with ‘old best friends’ who I haven’t seen in years, may not have spoken to for a long time, but whose connection I will never take for granted. There have been some reunions this year that have filled me up with so much light and hope and I’m so thankful that our connections are strong enough to survive distance.
NINE. I’m thankful that my family understands in their own way that I’m struggling and they do their best to help me how they can. There’s a lot that I don’t have the guts to tell my parents about my mental health struggles, but I know they’re aware of it, and even though we don’t talk about it openly, they do what they can to support me and I don’t know what I’d do without them.
TEN. I’m thankful to have a job that allows me to travel and see places that I never would’ve gone to otherwise. I’m not just talking about going to big cities in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia, but to the small cities and towns that tourism passes over. In these towns and villages, I’m so lucky to meet the people who produce what eventually ends up on our plates, and it’s always a humbling experience.
So that’s it friends! Those are just some of the things I’m thankful for this year.
What are you thankful for? If you’ve done a TTT, drop your link below!
dinipandareads 
This is such a lovely list, Dini! I completely agree with you about making blogger friends – I still have that kind of impostor syndrome where I convince myself I’m annoying other book bloggers when I leave comments and try and find ways to interact with them because I think they’re so cool, until I remember that I don’t find the people who take time out of their day to comment on my blog posts annoying so I need to stop thinking that about myself, but you’re right in that it can be so hard to make new friends in your 20s and 30s. At the beginning of last year I moved to a new city on my own where I didn’t know anyone and it’s been rough, and I don’t think I’d’ve stuck it out for as long as I have if I didn’t have all the book lovers I’ve met through blogging to talk to. 🙂
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Thanks Jess! You make a really good point about thinking from the other perspective. I love when people comment and engage with me on my posts, so perhaps it’s the same for others as well! At least, I’d hope so 😂 I know I tend to leave the longest ass comments about everything haha it really does become more difficult as we get older to make new friends. I don’t know if that’s because we’re all thinking ‘been there and done that’, which sucks, but it does make me appreciate the friendships that I do have a lot more! Hope things get easier for you over there 💜 But like you, the book friends definitely keep me going too!
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Such a great, honest, and heartfelt post! I wish you all the best with getting your mental health issues straightened out!! *HUGS*
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Thanks Ali! I guess I took answering this prompt to the next level of serious huh? Haha my mental health is a constant WIP but I’m slowly finding better and healthier ways of coping 🙂 Big 🐼 hugs back at you 💜
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Yes to all of this!!! Your list is wonderful and I love it. I totally get what you mean about friends because in truth, I have no real life friends outside of my siblings and husband since moving a couple years ago. It’s been difficult. It’s been nice to get to know others with the same passion as me.
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Thanks so much Joanna! 💜 This is going to sound really odd because what we’re going through definitely sucks, but it’s also kind of comforting to know that we’re not the only ones in the boat–others are experiencing the same thing with us! I think that’s also what makes this book community even greater 🥰
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You’re welcome and I definitely agree! It’s always good to know you aren’t alone. ❤️
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What a beautiful list. You have so much to be thankful for (and as do the rest of us, too!)
My TTT.
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Indeed, we really do! 🥰 Thanks so much Lydia!
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And thank YOU for this!
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💜💜💜 And thank YOU for reading it!
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This is a lovely list! It’s great to see you feel you have a lot of support from both your real life friends/family and the book community.
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I don’t know where I’d be without the support of family/friends and the book community! They definitely give me strength every day to keep pushing through the tough times 💜 Thank you, Briana!
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What a lovely list! ❤ Making friends is hard and I am terrible at it haha, I'm in my late twenties now and am starting to realize that I can do this! Tho I still miss college when I lived with all my friends and it was super easy haha.
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Thanks Brittany! Haha I’m pretty terrible at making friends these days too–I feel like I just let all my weird out (because hey, that’s me!) and I scare everyone away 🤣 But that’s why I’m so thankful for the book community and all you wonderful people on here! But yeah, I definitely do miss the good ol’ uni days when friends were around all the time too 😂
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Connecting with an old friend is amazing! Congrats!
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Thank you! It really is and I think what makes it even more special is when even though you don’t talk everyday anymore and you’ve missed a lot in each other’s lives, you can still pick up where you left off! It’s the best feeling 🥰
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Dini I love you!!!! <33333 This post is just love. Gave me all the feels my fabulous friend. I am beyond thankful for all my bookish friends too and especially getting to *internet* meet you of all people. You keep doing what you're doing Dini and I'll be here to follow and fangirl <3333 :)))))
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Awww, Emer 🥰🥰🥰 I feel the love and I’m SO thankful to have met you on here too. I can still remember coming across your reviews and being shook at how awesome they are (what feels like many moons ago LOL)! I love you so much! Thank you for your endless support 💜💙🧡 You’re seriously the greatest!
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This is such a nice touching post and I also feel the same about a lot of the things you’re thankful for.
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Thank you Kyla! Indeed, I feel like I had a lot to be thankful for and I guess I took this post really seriously haha it’s a really great connected feeling knowing that others have experienced and are grateful for the same things as you 💞
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This is such a wonderful list, Dini. 🙂 I’m glad that you were able to reconnect with old friends and your personal well being is your priority.
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Thanks Leah! I definitely agree with my personal priority being my priority and every day I’m taking steps to get to a better and more stable place 🙂 And yes, reconnecting with old friends is really the best–but making new wonderful friends such as yourself on here is also just as great 💞
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I’m thankful for the blogging community too. I never thought anyone would read my blog, but now I have blogger friends from all over the world.
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This was such a sweet read! I am glad you have these things to be thankful for and I hope you continue to have such happy, fulfilling people and things in your life! Thank you for sharing. I hope this week treated you well!
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Hugs I am glad your family understands.
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This is a great list! High five fellow international blogger. That quote on reading is lovely, and I understand what you mean about making friends. The older I get, the more I realize the only new friends I have are the ones that also like the same books/fandoms. But nothing wrong with that! At least we actually have something in common and can have a deeper connection 🙂 And your job seems like an absolute adventure, so cool ❤
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Dini, this is such a beautiful post! You’re right bookish friends are the best. And as a parent of a daughter with anxiety, I know how important it is to make mental health a priority. Keep being you! ❤
My TTT
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