Top 5 Wednesday: Books I'm Thankful For

   Today's top five Wednesday is books I'm thankful for. I'm going to keep off Transformers because at this point, everyone and their dog knows how much that comic now means to me. So, this is everything else!

1. Harry Potter.

   Is this really a surprise? I'm really critical of Harry Potter now, for a myriad of reasons, but it was something that helped me get into reading. I hated reading as a little kid; I remember rereading the same Lego book in second grade because I didn't want to read anything else. But somehow, Harry Potter changed that. It was easy, there was a sense of magic I loved. So no matter how critical I am of it, and how complicated my feelings on it are now, I'll always remember it fondly for that reason.

2. Warriors

   While Harry Potter opened the door to a reading love, Warriors by Erin Hunter blew it open. It helped spark my writing, it's what got me into fandom. I love the conventions of it, I think the worldbuilding was so cool. I remember thinking about how dark The Darkest Hour was as a kid, and how I'd never read anything darker. I still reread the first six books from time to time (I am, in fact, one of those annoying fans who don't count anything past those six). It's just a good time and it matters so much to me.

3. The Selection.

   This feels so weird. God this feels so weird. I objectively don't like this series for a myriad of reasons, largely linking to shoddy worldbuilding (I put a lot of emphasis on worldbuilding, ok!), this series somehow managed to worm its way into my heart. I'd been in a reading slump throughout high school and college, due to budding mental problems. Primarily, issues with executive dysfuntion and general attention issues that made reading harder. But on a whim, I got The Selection out from the library and managed to read through it in a day. It kicked off me getting back into reading (though I still struggle a lot!), so for that I'll always be thankful. Also, it was just ridiculous fun.

4. Captain America: Winter Soldier

   My proper first comic, the first one I bought for myself. I liked the movies, but was too intimidated by the amount of continuity to properly get into it. Then, one day, I said "screw it" and picked up Winter Soldier, on the recommendation of a friend. A lot of the continuity was lost on me, but I didn't really care. It was a good story, leading to a fantastic run of Captain America that I still completely adore despite me having fallen out of love with Marvel as a whole. Also, my copy is a misprint, so that's another additional love. My first comic is imperfect and wonderful and I am so thankful I have it.

5. Gotham by Midnight

   A comic that was gone too soon. Gotham by Midnight was my first exploration of DC comics beyond batman, and my first proper introduction to the Spectre. I owe a lot to the Spectre as a whole, since he led me to meeting my best friend. This comic is so good, so wonderful, I'm so sad it ended prematurely. The ending is rushed and didn't do as much with the lore as it could have, but I treasure the issues that exist. Also, the art in it is absolutely gorgeous! Ben Templesmith's in the first half is simplistic and eerie, while Juan Ferreyra's in the second half conveys horrific imagery in his wonderful colored pencil & water color style.