Corina's Top Ten Books I'm Thankful For...

Everyone has a list of favorite books. But since it's that time of year where we tell each other what we're all thankful for it's only fitting to make a list of the top ten books I'm thankful for. Each book on this list, while it might or might not make my favorites list, has done something to make me thankful that I read it.

10. I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell - This book has to be the funniest thing I've ever read. I don't even know if it's possible to explain how hard I laughed while reading this book. Mind you it is definitely not for the faint of heart. There's swearing, derogatory commentary about women and lots and lots of sex. If you don't want to read a bunch of short, but true stories about sexual exploits with all kinds of women and crazy drinking with a close knit group of college friends then this probably isn't for you. But I will forever be thankful for reading it. After reading all about Tucker Max I can safely say I'm no longer ashamed of things I did when I was a teenager. I'd definitely recommend I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell to anyone looking for a good laugh.

9. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - This is the very first memoir I ever read. It was brutal, poignant, and filled with the kind of personal strength that I've never seen before. The author is a genuinely down to earth and nice guy and after everything he's been through, well I have so much respect for how well adjusted he is. He took the horrible things that happened to him when he was a child and made something good come from it. He's truly come so far and his story is inspiring. It showed me what kinds of true strength is inside of every person. I'd highly recommend this book to readers 12 and over.

8. In the Forests of the Night (Den of Shadows #1) - As most of you probably know Amelia Atwater Rhodes is one of my all time favorite authors. I'm thankful for this particular book because it was the first book I ever read that wasn't assigned in a classroom. The first one I ever read, just because. I finished it in a few hours and fell madly in love with reading. I think within a week I had read everyone of Amelia books that were out at the time and when I was finished with those I devoured a ton more YA paranormal romance stories. My love for vampires and witches has been around since I was twelve and I first saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But I digress. This is the book that made me love reading and for that I will always have a place in my heart for this book. I'd absolutely recommend it and any of her other books to lovers of the YA Paranormal genre.

7. Texting Tyler - I adored Texting Tyler and while it probably won't make my top ten books of all times list it definitely rates very high up there. I love the message this books send and I encourage parents to have their teenagers read it. The main character in this book is very self-conscious of how she looks and I really love how real that is for a teenager going through changes and trying to deal with hormones and life in general. Rebecca does an excellent job of tapping into all kinds of insecurities that we might have as people and showing how you can and should work through them. It's so true and there are so many different things that can be taken away from this book, so many life lessons on how to treat yourself and other people. I really did love it to death and would highly recommend it to any of my readers.

6. The Game - This is the very first book that I fell in love with that had absolutely no romance in it whatsoever. I've got a type, we all do and most if not all of my books contain some kind of romantic element. My way of looking at it is if I want adventure, horror, or crazy thrillers I'd watch a movie. But I saw the cover to this book, read he summary and thought huh, that sounds super interesting. And boy was it. I read through this book in a day. It showed me that there's more to a book than getting a couple together. The plot was amazing, well thought out and perfectly executed. I would definitely recommend this book to readers.

5. Memoirs Aren't Fairytales: A Story of Addiction (The Memoir #1) - Marni Mann is amazing and so are her stories. I was so touched when I read this. My heart ached for the main character. This book is gritty and real. I even had to put it down a few times because I just couldn't handle what was going on, but it was so incredibly good. It took me longer to read than the other's on this list, but that's because I had to stop frequently due to tears or not being able to stomach certain things. I'm thankful for this book because it showed me that there's more than one side to every story. I hear people complain about how their loved ones are addicted to this and that, but we never see what it's like from the other person's point of view. We don't see how the addition affects them mentally and physically, but Marni does an amazing job of showing us that.

4. Sia - I just read this book recently actually and I've got to say it's another one of those life changing books. Seeing how character can start off one way and then grow and change into something completely different that you never expected is just the perfect kind of story. Sia's journey to find herself is something that we can all relate to. Not knowing who you are or where you belong is not uncommon in anyone. I'm sure we've all felt like that sometimes. And this book is the perfect example of that journey and becoming who you want to become.

3. Thirteen Reasons Why - This was another tear jerker. I'm telling you right now, have tissues around when you read this book because I was hysterical. We're talking ugly crying here guys. Big gross tears and my face contorted in odd ways. This has to be one of the most profound books I've ever read. It's eyeopening and shocking. I don't know about you, but I know that there are times I don't take into consideration how what I say or do might affect someone else. We've all done something or said something we regret, but for most of us it probably doesn't go beyond that. Well Thirteen Reasons Why makes you want to go that extra mile and apologize for that guilt or acknowledge something you haven't. There is so much that can be learned from this book. Food for thought. I can't express how much this book touched me and broke my heart. Or how much I wanted to just jump inside the story and hug Clay. God even writing about it now I'm tearing up. If you haven't read it, you have to. The end.

2. Vain (The Seven Deadly #1) - Fisher is brilliant! Her books, both that I've read so far in this series have been amazing. I love that Sophie Price started this story as a terrible person and throughout her journey here she redeemed herself and changed the person she was. She became this amazing individual that was just an inspiration. Reading this book made me want to change. It made me want to go out and do something for people less fortunate. It made me want to look inside myself and work on becoming a better person. This is another book that I will forever love. It's well written and full of so much life that it's bursting at the seam. And I'm thankful for the perspective it's given me on things. I'd absolutely recommend it.

1. Greed (The Seven Deadly #2) - Again, I loved this even more than Fisher's last book. It's inspirational and heartwarming. There are so many sides to Spencer and getting to know them all while seeing him change the person he was and work towards being not only a better man, but more fulfilled in his life is just beautiful. This series will absolutely be making my top ten of all time. I'm thankful for this book because it shows what's really important in life and reminds me that if you're good to people, they'll be good to you.