HPL Reads discussion

We can all claim to be thankful for books. But what kind of topic does that entail? It can be a book that came along at the time you most needed it or a book you revisit again and again for comfort. Whatever it is, let us know how it is. If it’s a reread, is it better now? If you reread it a lot, why?
Also check out this list of reasons to be thankful for books: https://nextcenturypublishing.com/5-r... It includes a link to the 50 Most Influential Books Ever Written. Do you agree? Let us know what you think!

I just finished a short story collection by one of my favorite writers, Sherman Alexie. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is early Alexie prose, but I loved it just as much as some of his more recent work. This collection includes many experiences I'm thankful never to have encountered. Families are at the mercy of the BIA or church handouts, parents are often drunk and absent, and kids search wide for positive roll models. Reading of the exploitation of Native Americans during November, when we're celebrating Thanksgiving, throws my privilege right in my face. I'm thankful I grew up in a stable home and never truly knew want or need. I am thankful that I was encouraged to succeed, and thankful that I have, so far, succeeded. My kids are learning about the history of Thanksgiving in school, but after reading this collection, I realize I still have plenty to learn about it too. Perhaps I am most thankful that I am a reader and therefore will always find something new to learn about a culture or time in history I thought I knew everything about.

I read a good book a couple of months ago called Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America's Culture by Chip Colwell. It examines the relationship museums are developing with Native American tribes to return the artifacts of their ancestors. I had never thought about how horrifying it must be to see your ancestors in a display case. And I had never before seen the duplicity of putting on display Native American bones, with no one dreaming of digging Victorian bodies out of their graves to study and exhibit.
I agree with Kristina that I am thankful to be a reader so that I can learn and read for myself the things that interest me, and I am thankful that others take the time to write these incredible stories.

This sounds strange, but one of my main comfort books is Sabriel by Garth Nix as read by Tim Curry. It's Nix's debut novel and the story is in turns creepy and amusing. Sabriel must cross the wall into the Old Kingdom, a place full of magic, to rescue her father and the kingdom from the dead, who are starting to overrun and control the living. I love the plotting and characters in this novel, and even though I know exactly what is going to happen next but I'm still riveted to Curry's narration. I just finished it for the umpteenth time and it's just as amazing as the first time I read it.

I am thankful for books that make me feel proud of to be me. I’m reading Lisa Lister’s Witch, and it’s currently putting me in a zen/rockstar mentality about being a fiercely proud woman. I also loved her book Love Your Lady Landscape, which also talks about really embracing femininity, equality, and spiritual balance.

Whichever book/s you're thankful for, remember to log it on your Beanstack account. Unfortunately, you can only pick one to log, but you can list them all here! There's a $50 Visa gift card for the winner at the end of November!

I'm thankful for the gift of language, as accessed in books (in every form). Just finished reading (listening to) a really creepy thriller called "Behind Closed Doors" by B.A. Paris. I recommend it if you're looking for something that will rivet you. But be prepared to feel a little unsettled as you get into it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now there's just a couple more days to get your entries into Beanstack. If you haven't signed up on Beanstack to log your books and enter for the $50 Visa gift card, just ask our previous winners why you need to! Want to guess what December's topic is? Don't get your tinsel in a tangle, it will be here soon enough!