Top Ten Bookish Moments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

I have a bit of a confession to make: I only participate in this meme when the topic of choice interests me. Luckily, this week's topic, Top Ten Best Bookish Moments, is one I am fond of. Unfortunately, I don't know if I can think of ten moments off the top of my head, but here goes nothing...

1. Reading with my mother. 

I can honestly say my mother is the culprit behind my love of reading. One of my favorite childhood pastimes was sitting on the couch, listening to her read. I used to ask her so often that she had to record herself reading my favorite books just so I could listen to them whenever I wanted. I can imagine how happy she was when I learned to read in first grade! 

2. My best friend. 

I've known my best friend since I was seven, but we didn't talk much until high school, when we sat across from each other in art. Aside from our mutual dislike of our teacher, we bonded over the many things we had in common; art, video games, and books! One of our favorite things is ranting to each other about the books we're reading! 

3. Growing up with Harry Potter. 

I read the first book when I was nine, read the last book when I was fifteen, and when I was eighteen, saw the incredible journey end with Deathly Hallows, Part 2. My parents bought every book and took my brothers and I to every midnight premiere. I will shamelessly admit that I cried during the opening scene of the final film. I spent nearly ten years of my life with this series, and I cannot wait to share its magic with the younger generations of my family.

4. My first review request from an author.

This still astounds me every time I think about it; someone actually cared enough about my opinion to trust me with critiquing their hard work. I am immensely grateful for these kinds of opportunities!

5. Meeting Tamora Pierce.

Let me preface this by saying that I have never read anything by Tamora Pierce. My best friend absolutely loves her books, so when she asked me to go to a signing event in St. Louis, I happily tagged along. I'm so glad I did, because let me just say, this woman is brilliant. During the Q&A, she was so gracious and down-to-earth with her fans; plus, she was an absolute riot. When it was time for the individual signing and pictures, I freaked out over her tattoos and tennis shoes (they were neon green and purple!) 

6. The invention of the iPad and Kindle App. 

I love real, physical paper books. Love them! But the size of my collection was getting ridiculous; not to mention the inconvenience of finding space in my purse or backpack. So imagine how ecstatic I was when I discovered the Kindle app for my iPad. Now I can keep as many books with me as I want! And if I get tired of a book, I can just flip to another one. Simple as that!

7. Sharing the love!

Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than hooking another person onto my favorite series (or getting them to read at all!). I was so happy when my little sister finally caved and read the Hunger Games series. Now all she wants to do is sit in front of my bookshelves and admire all of the pretty covers (and occasionally read one too!). 

8. Creating this blog!

This certainly isn't my first foray into the world of blogging, but it is the most successful one. I've connected with so many interesting people who share the same passion for books as I do. The warm welcome and acceptance of this community is overwhelming, to say the least. It's just amazing!

That's it for this week! Tell me, what are your Best Bookish Moments?