Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018!
Salutations dearest readers! I’m back with another Top Ten Tuesday! I told you I was going to attempt to bring some order back to the chaos that is my schedule and here we are! I have been eagerly looking forward to posting this article since the season of fall landed upon us. And now…I can finally post this! This is probably one of my most important posts! My excitement is at an all time high and so is my stress, but it’s fine! I have my cup of coffee and I’m about to spill some for y’all!
This Thursday in the US is Thanksgiving! I know many people in the US celebrate this holiday and I hope you all have a marvelous time. Now, things are a bit different with my family. I’m very open about my heritage and being half Native American. We do and don’t celebrate this holiday. And what I mean by that is my spouse isn’t Native American so they still celebrate the holiday because of their family. However, with my family we don’t celebrate the holiday. We usually end up having a feast, we call our loved ones who are still on the reservations, and it’s a lot of reflecting. So that’s my little tid-bit of how I celebrate the holiday without going into too much details, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk!
I figured the best way to bring this holiday in is to do this Top Ten Tuesday and make it about the books that I’m thankful for, the books that really had an impact with me. While I have so many books I could talk about, I’m only going to talk about the top ten that really molded me and impacted me. So I hope you enjoy this and I may get a little sappy!
🍁 The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
I’m thankful because this is the first series that really pushed me into fantasy and all things with werewolves.
🍁 Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
I’m thankful because this is a book I needed as a child, but it was the book I longed for as an adult.
I’m thankful because Nora Roberts has brought me closer to my family and allowed us to find a common ground with one another.
I’m thankful because it taught me to speak up about my own journey and experiences, and even if it’s difficult or painful, speaking up can make a difference.
🍁 Every Heart A Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire
I’m thankful because it taught me to never apologize for being different, for feeling differently, and even if no one is looking for you, it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be found.
🍁 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I’m thankful because it taught me it’s okay to be different, to have internal conflicts about who you are and what you want to be, and how it’s okay to love differently. And you can live in the moment even on the hard days.
🍁 To Drink Coffee with a Ghost (Things that Haunt #2) by Amanda Lovelace
I’m thankful because it helped heal so many wounds that I keep reopening about grief, about death and loss, about trauma and abuse, and how we still deserve love regardless of the scars we bear.
I’m thankful because it taught me to be proud in my Native American heritage and to seek out more books with Indigenous representation.
🍁 The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
I’m thankful because Magnus Bane is such an important character in my life and without Magnus Bane, I would have never found my pride in my bisexuality and lot of my wounds for my bisexuality would have never healed.
🍁 Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
I’m thankful because it taught me it’s okay to be a strong headed woman, to keep fighting for your career no matter what challenges you face, and that you can find love in the most unlikeliest places and people.
Okay, friends, it got a lot personal near the end there and I still have a few lingering tears. I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did writing this. And of course, I have to acknowledge the history of this month and of the events on the 28th. I know a lot of people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving by having a big celebration, having a large dinner with family and friends, but I want to take this moment to remind everyone that one of the main genocides of the United States was the genocide of the Indigenous people. It’s devastating, heartbreaking, and even today my family members still speak of the horrors past generations endured. Also, November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States and my family will be taking a few days to honor our ancestors and celebrate our pride in our heritage. But, I hope you all have a safe holiday, filled with lots of love, and a good book! 💛
Chapter Malliumpkin 
I love this post Autumn!!! It’s so important to highlight all viewpoints around Thanksgiving. My knowledge of the holiday is extremely limited, Thursday here will just be another regular Thursday so to get to understand some of the more negative aspects of the origin of thanksgiving is very important as it helps to create a much more inclusive and harmonious society <3333
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I absolutely agree. I understand why many people celebrate Thanksgiving, but I also think it’s important to be mindful of the history around a holiday.
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This was an amazing and truly beautiful post! I love how books/stories can help a person so much!
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Same here! I think it’s important to take look back at how far we’ve come in our reading and acknowledge the books that have pushed us forward!
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