BookRatMisty’s book chat for this month is about “Bookish Thankfulness”. What or who in the world of books are you thankful for?

• My long-suffering mother, who not only raised me to appreciate books but is always willing to help on my never-ending hunt for new books. And the inevitable overabundance of books and finding new places to put them. For a book maniac like me, this is the kind of thing that truly matters.
• Three authors I have to mention: C.S. Lewis, R.L. Stine, and Stephen King. Lewis for showing me from a young age what a good book is. Stine for giving me a cavalcade of books I loved when I’d completely lost interest in reading. King for being my introduction into the world of adult books and holding my hand from afar through those awkward years.
• The horror genre. Because no matter how scared I get, horror novels simultaneously make me feel like I could face anything AND make me realize that at least things aren’t that bad.
• The smell of books, old and new. Come on, it’s comforting.
• Thrift shops and used book stores, for being there for the book collector on a budget.
• Lastly, the act of reading alone is something I’m thankful for. The transportation, the things you learn, that meditative feeling when you’re really in the zone, the fact that a reader is never bored, and the way even tense stories can soothe when things are bad. Reading is the place I go for all seasons and all moods, and even when the book is terrible, reading itself never fails me.