It might seem that it would be hard to be thankful right now with the economy struggling. It might seem that new writers should feel particularly uncheerful given the retrenching that is going on in publishing- illustrated by Houghton Mifflin declaring that it won’t accept any more new books for the foreseeable future.

But I for one refuse to be uncheerful. First of all, it could deepen my frown lines. Secondly, reading is cheap entertainment. And there is certainly not a lot of entertainment in the daily news (I just looove to watch those stocks drop!). No, thank you! I’d rather become immersed in an alternate world- fantasy, thriller, or mystery. I bet many other people will want to do this as well.

Not only will I remain cheerful and passionate about books, I will be thankful that people are out there writing and publishing them. I will also be thankful that I can continue putting my own words down on the page. Because building my own worlds is even better than joining into someone else’s world for the span of a few hundred pages.

As a troubled year draws to a close, be thankful for words that dazzle us, teach us and join us together.