Top Ten Books I'm Thankful For

I'm linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Happy almost Thanksgiving, everyone! I enjoyed this topic, as the books I'm grateful to have read are a little different than those I would call my all-time favorites.

1. 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam
This book prompted me to actually do a time log for a full week (which I've done twice now). I've also started recommending it to my mentees as a great way to think holistically about the role that work plays in your life. I'm grateful that it takes a tone that is both motivating and non-judgmental.

2. The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The great thing about this book is that so many people, even if they haven't read it, are familiar enough with the love languages that you can refer to them in conversation and be understood. It provides a clear framework to help people talk about their needs and their behaviors in a way that doesn't make one person's approach to relationships seem better than another's.

3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
If I hadn't read this book, I probably wouldn't have become a pescatarian, so I'm glad I did!

4. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Because of this book, I did my own happiness project in 2011, which included things like getting our powers of attorney in order and actually starting to floss every day. The positive effects of that year have continued through the present day.

5. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I'm grateful these books exist not just because they're awesome as books, but also because of the fandom that has formed around them. And, if not for Harry Potter, I would not have clicked on that vlogbrothers video back in 2007 and found the Nerdfighteria community that has been a big part of my life for the past decade.

6. I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
I read this book right before I started a new job where it turned out they'd misled me about getting a 401(k) and I had to set up an IRA myself. Because of Ramit's no-nonsense advice, I just picked a company and got it set up without spending forever worrying about picking the right one. This is another book I recommend a lot, and I'm glad it exists.

7. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
After years of reading organizing advice, this book provided me with what I needed: an evidence-based, step-by-step system for getting the entirety of my possessions in order. Although our apartment isn't always picked up, it's usually possible to get everything back in its place within about 10 minutes if needed, and we own very little that we don't use or enjoy.

8. Room for One More by Anna Rose Wright
This was the book that first made me think seriously about adoption. I'm thankful that when other factors arose that made adoption a good option for our family, it was already on my mind because of this book!

9. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Tori Weschler
I'm incredibly grateful that this book exists because it provides me a non-Catholic source to explain our family planning method. Even though I still struggle to find supportive medical professionals, I know I can at least raise fewer eyebrows by talking about the "Fertility Awareness Method" rather than "Natural Family Planning."

10. Torn by Justin Lee
I didn't need Justin's book to convince me that a person could be gay and Christian, but I'm still thankful this book exists. I know of multiple people who found this book a lifesaver when they or their kid came out to their conservative Christian family. There are many books out there that talk about faith and sexual orientation (and I've read many of them), but this to me is the gold standard for having an unfailingly gracious tone with clear, conversational writing.

What books are you thankful for?

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