Birthday Thanks for All Things Book-Related

As today is my birthday, I am using today's post to pause and thank all the people and institutions that have allowed me to have a life full of the joys of books and reading. First, I thank my dear parents for reading to my brothers and me, for being role models of people who love to read, and for always making sure we had access to plenty of good books. Next I thank all my teachers, from childhood through graduate school, especially my English teachers and professors. In addition, I thank libraries and librarians, bookstores and those who work in them, publishers, editors, literary critics, book reviewers, and good friends who are fellow readers. Most of all, I thank the writers of all the books I have read over the years. I feel fortunate to live in a time and place that provide abundant access to books, and to have the education and resources to take advantage of these reading opportunities. So I send a huge "thank you" out to everyone involved in the world of books. And I send a special thank you too to those of you who read this blog!