15 Reasons We’re Thankful for Books

We’re all a little quirky on Turkey Day. Some of us are Tofurky enthusiasts, while others are devotees of deep-fried turducken. Some of us are Turkey Trot running champs and others live for football on the flat screen. Thanksgiving is one of the few traditional holidays that celebrates our diversity as a cultural melting pot, which basically means you can take the holiday and run with it however you like. Industrial Revolution–themed Friendsgiving? Go for it. Around the World in 80 Turkey Dishes potluck? Sure, why not!
However we choose to spend it, our Thanksgiving celebrations are all about the same thing—showing gratitude for what we have. Well, that and pie. So this Thursday, we’re letting our book nerd flag fly as we give thanks for all the literary gold in the world. Here are 15 reasons we’re thankful for books:
1. Books keep you sane during your awful rush-hour commute.
2. Books have saved you from going on countless bad dates. You’ve had many perfect evenings at home with a book.
3. Books make soaking in the bathtub much more fun.
4. Books don’t care if you can’t pronounce the big words in them or if you don’t finish them. Books don’t judge you for anything.
5. Books have the remarkable power to put the rowdiest of children to sleep.
6. Books have the remarkable power to put you to sleep, too, especially when you’re up late worrying if the turkey brine you used has gluten in it.
7. Books teach you to empathize with people you’ve never met and help you tolerate the people you have, like your cousin’s boyfriend who is a DJ.
8. Books remind us that sentences can have more than 140 characters, they don’t have to start with “OMG,” and they don’t always need to be accompanied by photos.
9. Books make you smarter. I have no idea why. I think it’s something to do with pheromones in the paper?
10. When you need to put the world on a time out, books are there for you.
11. Books allow us to vicariously experience a range of gif-worthy emotions, from heartbreak to terror to despair to jealousy. All while maintaining our effortlessly cool, intellectual composure in public.
12. Reading is one of the few things you can do in sweatpants on the couch that qualifies as “constructive.”
13. Books show you that you are not alone in the world, even if all your relatives think you are and keep asking if you’ll ever get married.
14. Books teach you that your parents, your teachers, and your friends aren’t right about everything, but then neither are you.
15. Books teach you to think for yourself, so you can ponder things like, “pumpkin or pecan pie?”
Why are you thankful for books?