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Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I’d Wish Could Have Their Own Book

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toptentuesdayThis was such a hard post to write! I have no idea why, but I spent so much time wracking my brain trying to think of characters I’d want to see more of. I even had to ask my husband for suggestions ;) But I could only come up with nine! So you’ll have to give me suggestions for a tenth one…

Characters I Wish Could Have Their Own Book (or Spin-Off):

Sloane from Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson – Firstly, I loved this book. It’s probably the second best book I’ve read all year (the first being Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments). Right after I finished it, though, I started thinking about how cool it would to read a sequel or a companion novel told through Sloane’s POV. We don’t see much of Sloane in the book, but we do get to see how interesting and conflicted she is. I would love to know what happens with her after the book ends.

Little John from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle – This book is actually told through the 3rd person, but it obviously follows Robin Hood’s adventures, and the adventures of his Merry Men after they join the gang. I’ve always had a soft spot for Little John, and I’d like to see what could become of him after the band goes their separate ways.

Captain Wentworth from Persuasion by Jane Austen – I know there are already books from his POV, but I haven’t read any yet. I really want to though!

Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – I know I’m not the only one who’d love to read about Neville’s adventures after Hogwarts. I feel like his story was only just starting to begin when Deathly Hallows ended.

Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – Another HP character for this list (she’s also my favorite). I’d love to have a story told from Ginny’s POV during her 6th year at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were off hunting horcruxes but we know Ginny was fighting off Death Eaters with the remainder of Dumbledore’s Army. There’s so much potential for a companion novel here!

Bailey from Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares – This happens to be my favorite book from the entire Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I loved how the Sisterhood’s stories were resolved, but I think it would be wonderful to know what happens to the next generation. It would be kind of fitting with the original origin of the Sisterhood.

Haymitch Abernathy from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I would love to read a prequel to The Hunger Games when we get to discover all of Haymitch’s back story. A lot of it was shortly covered in Catching Fire, but I want more!!!

Lucien from Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – Another one of Morgan Matson’s characters for this list! She has awesome characters. Lucien is a very minor character, but he was so sweet and interesting! If you’ve read the book you know how his story is kind of just cut off, and I’d like to know what happens after his weekend with Amy and Roger.

Flynn Rider from Tangled – I can’t tell if I’d want to see a sequel with more of Flynn’s adventures or if I’d want to see one that involves his and Rapunzel’s (future) children. But I know there is plenty of potential for a Tangled sequel…Disney’s just making us wait =P (to be fair they did give us the Happily Ever After short)

Ok, which character would YOU like to see have his/her own sequel? Books, television, movies…which fictional character would you like to see more of?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Character Names

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toptentuesdayThe actual topic for today is “10 Sequels You Can’t Wait to Get Your Hands On” but I honestly don’t think I know enough ongoing series to make a complete list…and I also wanted to do this one that was a topic in October:

Top Ten Character Names That I Love

I love character names. Sometimes having an awesome name makes me enjoy a character and the book he/she is in even more. And also, whenever I’m writing something (which is not too often…) I put a ton of meaning into the character names; to me it’s a subtle way of reinforcing a theme I want the story to have.

So here is my list of favorite character names (not in any particular order):

  1. James Matthew “Jem” Blythe (Anne of Green Gables series): this one is in a particular order. It’s my favorite. I have always adored Jem’s name, ever since I was a little girl reading this series for the first time.
  2. Peeta Mellark (Hunger Games series): besides the fact that I love Peeta, I like his name because of its originality…and ok, it sounds like “pita,” which fits our beloved baker perfectly ;)
  3. Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion): Wentworth is such a lovely name…I think one of the characters said it best when she said, “‘Lady Wentworth’ sounds very well. That would be a noble thing, indeed…”
  4. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice): continuing with Jane Austen heroes, who doesn’t love ‘Darcy’ as a name? To me, it’s one of those names that speaks for itself, as if I could easily tell someone with that name, “Oh yes, you look like a Darcy.” (side note: I also believe that I look like a Maggie)
  5. Phineas (A Separate Peace): this is one of those names that I love so much, I would want to give it to my future son. Alas, my husband does not agree, so maybe I will just have to be content naming Sims Phineas or Finn ;)
  6. Robin Hood: not only do I love Robin Hood, I also love his name. Robin by itself is ok…but Robin Hood just makes it sound so much more legendary.
  7. Sirius Black (Harry Potter series): now I’m starting to wonder if this list is about character names that I love or just characters that I love who also have amazing names. Anyway, Sirius is a perfect name for this character (who happens to be my favorite HP character, along with Ginny Weasley).
  8. Madeline (from the Madeline books): I honestly don’t know why I love this name so much, but I was so upset for the longest time when I found out my husband does not like it (therefore our future daughter could never be named that)! I also love lots of variations of this name (like Madelynn, which is what I named my Stegosaurus Build-a-Bear).
  9. Bagheera (The Jungle Book): I just love saying this name…or, I should say that I love shouting this name, because you can’t just whisper it, you have to shout it like Baloo does in the Disney movie: “Baaaagheeeeeeeeerrrraaaaaaaa!” That’s me, every time.
  10. John Keats (the poet): this is not a character name, but I have always adored the name “Keats”. I wish I knew someone with that name in real life :)

If I could have made this list longer, there would definitely have been some Shakespearean and Dickensian character names in there. What are some of your favorite character names?

Everyone loves a survey!

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I came across this fun little bookish survey over at Covered in Flour and it reminded me of my MySpace survey-posting days (Ahh, high school). I had some time to kill this evening so here you go!

Author you’ve read the most books from: Lucy M. Montgomery. I’ve read her beloved Anne of Green Gables series (8 books total) multiple times.

Best sequel ever: I adored Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I remember staying up all night to read it, and even having to take pauses to deal with all the feels. That was probably my favorite novel in the series.

Currently reading: I read Jane Eyre last week (started and finished…I couldn’t put it down), so I am currently in between books. But I will be starting Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in a few days.

Drink of choice while reading: Tea, in a nice mug, or water, if it’s hot outside. Sometimes very rarely I will drink coffee if it’s rather early in the morning or late at night and I need caffeine to help me stay awake.

E-reader of physical book?: I love the smell and feel of physical books, yet I love my Kindle as well. Most of the novels I read are on my Kindle, and I love not having to pick and choose what books stay in France and what books stay in the U.S. Every now and then I will buy a paperback, and of course I have hardback editions of my favorite series (except for Anne of Green Gables…I only have the paperback box set that I received as a Christmas present when I was 12. I love reading those copies the best, but I have the series on my Kindle as well).

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My husband, knowing my quirky love of smelling books as I read them, brought me home this edition of Jane Eyre earlier this week. Guess I have to reread it! ;)

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school: Ahh, I was always intrigued by the mysterious, yet charismatic guys the most in high school, but I don’t know if I would have actually dated one. Possibly, but I think I’d be more inclined to date a Captain Wentworth or Gilbert Blythe.

Glad you gave this book a chance: Jane Eyre, definitely. I was turned off by it for the longest time and fortunately I came across this read-along last month and now I will consider it one of my top 5 favorite novels.

Hidden gem book: I think I’ll go with The Giver by Lois Lowry. I love those types of dystopian novels.

Important moment in your reading life: Just the fact that I was so encouraged to read by my elementary school teachers. They made it fun, we had challenges, and we were always encouraged to read if we finished our lessons early. That stopped once I got to middle and high school, but it was too late by then because I had already become an incurable bookworm!

Just finished: Jane Eyre! I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Kinds of books you won’t read: Game of Thrones and 50 Shades of Grey type books. I read the first three A Song of Ice and Fire novels and I would be happy to never read another book like them again. I have a hard time getting past the violence, crudeness, and graphic imagery in those types of reads. And do I need to elaborate on my reasons for not reading 50 Shades of Grey type novels? I read the Twilight series in high school and that is already over my limit.

Longest book you’ve read: Moby Dick.

Major book hangover because of…: There are three answers that complete this sentence: Jane Eyre (I am still on that hangover…), Pride and Prejudice (finally got off that hangover after 3ish weeks), and the Anne of Green Gables series (was on this hangover earlier this summer). I only seem to have book hangovers after reading classics. I think it’s because I get all nostalgic and wish I could time travel back to somewhere between 1700 and 1900.

Number of bookcases you own: A lot of my books are e-reader format, but I would say I have at least 4 bookshelves of various heights.

One book you have read multiple times: I’ll pick one that I haven’t yet mentioned, and that will be Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer. My guilty book pleasure (but I don’t really feel guilty about it) is reading historical Christian fiction, and this is my favorite, along with To Win Her Heart by the same author and Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I love the period-era atmospheres, the entertaining characters, and the positive themes. It’s my pick-me-up genre.

Preferred place to read: right now I love reading on my living room couch with the back door wide open and fresh autumn air blowing through the curtains.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read: one of the few favorite quotes I have that I can actually recite from memory is this one by John Keats from his “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (my favorite poem): “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;” It’s become one of my life mottos.

Reading regret: Besides Game of Thrones, like I previously mentioned? Probably waiting so long to read Jane Eyre. It was never assigned to me in high school or college, but I had heard of it sometime after reading Wuthering Heights in 9th grade and just never desired to read it. Shame on me.

Series you started and need to finish: Percy Jackson. I own the first three installments, in French, and that is why I have not yet finished the first book *guilty and lazy*

Three of your all-time favorite books: I have already mentioned four of my top five favorite novels (Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), so I’ll give you the last one: Persuasion.

Unapologetic fangirl for: My first fictional crush, Gilbert Blythe (sorry Miss Shirley) and Peeta Mellark of Hunger Games fame. Yep, unapologetic.

Very excited for this release more than all the others: You know, I do not read a lot of modern novels. When I do, it’s only after it’s been out for a year or two. I remember waiting for Harry Potter sequels to come out while I was in high school, and the anticipation was excruciating! I would love any recommendations for books/sequels that are being published soon!

Worst bookish habit: probably looking up things about a book before I’ve finished reading it. And I don’t mean I go and look up the endings, I mean I just go to Pinterest and type the title of the book in, especially if it has a film adaptation, and then things get ruined…

X Marks the spot (start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book): Super Stitches Crochet. Yay for reference books!

Your latest book purchase: Most of the novels I read are free because–classics! But the last book I bought, which I have not yet read, is another by Karen Witemeyer: Stealing the Preacher (spin-off from Short Straw Bride).

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY too late): I consecutively spent multiple evenings last week reading Jane Eyre until 2 in the morning…