Top Ten Tuesday --- Top Ten Bookish/Bloggish Events that I am grateful for this year!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!


Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Here are the Top Ten Bookish/Bloggish Events that I am grateful for this year:

1. Visiting the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California in January 2015... I am a huge fan of John Steinbeck's writing, so visiting this museum with my hubby was extra special.

2. Meeting Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train, at an author reading/book signing at a local bookstore in February 2015. I was able to have her sign a copy of her novel The Girl on the Train!!

3. Meeting author, Garth Stein, at an author reading and book signing event at a local bookstore in March 2015. I had listed him as one of my top ten authors I'd like to meet in one of my Top Ten Posts earlier this year. So, I was excitedto meet him in person and have him sign a copy of his new book, A Sudden Light, for me. I was even able to have my picture taken with him.

4. Attending the 2015 Bay Area Book Festival with my hubby in Berkeley, California in June. This book event was a blast and we look forward to attending it again next year.

5. Hearing Judy Blume speak live at the Bay Area Book Festival and being able to have her sign a copy of her new book, In The Unlikely Event, after the event ended.

6. Meeting/hearing author, Amy Stewart, speak twice this year... The first time was at the 2015 Bay Area Book Festival, where Ms. Stewart signed a copy of her nonfiction book, The Drunken Botanist, for me. The second time was at a local bookstore, where Ms. Stewart talked about her newly released novel, Girl Waits With Gun, and of course, I had her sign my copy of Girl Waits With Gun. Amy Stewart was also on my top ten list of authors that I'd like to meet.

7. Winning several free books through Goodreads Giveaways this year is another reason I am grateful... I've received more free books this year from the Goodreads Giveaways than I can recall. I am always grateful to receive free books. My favorite book read this year (that I received from Goodreads Giveaways) is Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.

8. Having so many wonderful followers on my blog that I do, along with all the positive comments left by readers like YOU!! I enjoy reading relevant comments pertaining to blog posts I make, so have fun and leave comments for me to read.

9. I delighted that I have read 92 books so far this year... It looks like I'll be able to reach my goal of reading 100 books by the end of this year. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I reach my goal of reading 100 books by the end of the 2015 as things will be busy between now and the end of the year due to the holidays.

10. I've been a member of Bookcrossing for 7+ years now and have enjoyed exchanging several books with other readers/Bookcrossers around the world. I look forward to remaining an active member of the Bookcrossing community in the years to come.

So what are you grateful/thankful for?