Top Ten Tuesday: Character Love

 

It appears the prompt for Top Ten Tuesday today is a freebie ALL ABOUT LOVE! Whatever we want to do! So I thought I'd link to some old posts that I did back in the day when I participated in a feature called Character Connection that Jen at The Introverted Reader used to do. (Jen! Can we bring this back? I would love to get it going again!)

And so I give you:

Ten Characters That I Love! 

(from back in the day... with links to those posts. And here's a link to my page that has even more!)

Cameron Wolfe from The Underdog by Markus Zusak

Kvothe from The Kingkiller Chronicles sereis by Patrick Rothfuss

Roar from Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Cricket Bell from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Ed Kennedy from I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Froi from Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

Joe Fontaine from The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Perrin Aybara from The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Jean Valjean from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Who are some of your favorite characters?

Top Ten Tuesday: Lovey Dovey Edition

It's a Valentine Freebie over at The Broke and the Bookish today. I wanted to do something, because hello... love and romance. But I've done favorite love stories, and literary crushes, and couples, what makes me swoon, and favorite kisses. Quotes would be fun, but I don't have time to look up quotes right now. . . and so what to do, what to do?

The only thing I can come up with is more recent literary crushes... not the old favorite standbys, but characters from books read in the past couple of years. Ready? Go.


Top Ten Recent Literary Crushes

1. Tarver from These Broken Stars... I have talked about him a lot, because he stands out in the recent crush scene. He's just so, so, perfect.

2. Max from The Start of Me and You.... because of his nerdiness. Nerds for the win!

3. Paul from A Thousand Pieces of Pieces of You, also because of his nerdiness and shyness and tallness.

4. Jake from Not in the Script, because of his non-nerdiness!

5. Arin from The Winner's Curse, because... oh my. I don't even know how to articulate. I have no words for this boy.

6. Adam from the Raven Boys, I like Gansey too, but I like Adam especially because he's quiet and unassuming. And tall and gangly, which for some reason I find cute in my literary boys.

7. Warner from Unravel Me, because he's the one you hate at first and then love. It's such a complete unexpected turnaround that it gives your whip lash and it's awesome.

8. Akiva from The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and have I never mentioned him before? Because DANG. Smokin'.

9. Captain Thorne from Cress and Scarlet, because... swagger! There's just something about sincere swaggering. Am I right, or am I right?

10. Graham from This Is What Happy Looks Like, because how cute is he? An all humble celebrity. There's something about humble celebrities too I'm thinking.

And those are some recent loves. Have you read these books? Do you agree? Who's on your literary Valentine list this week?

Armchair BEA: Character Chatter

Today's topic for Armchair BEA is one of my favorites: Characters! (You'll notice on the tabs of my blog I even have my one special place for them!) But what is it love so much about characters? Why are they my favorite?

The adjectives that come to mind when I think of my favorite characters are: vulnerable, mysterious, brooding, intriguing, flawed, real, loyal, interesting, charming, feisty, unique, funny, smart, quirky, dark, and plain old cool.

Who fits these descriptions? (If you clicked on that tab above you'll get your answer!) But how about another collage of characters that have been immortalized by film? Or drawn by someone? Or as imagined by me or someone else? Good plan?

Top: Anne from Anne of Green Gables, Robin Hood from various, Kvothe from The Name of the Wind, Froi from Froi of the Exiles, June and Day from Legend

Second: Han from The Demon King, Hermione from Harry Potter, Cricket Bell from Lola and the Boy Next Door, Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice, Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities

Third: Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables, Tristan from various, Shallan from The Way of Kings, Mr. Thornton from North and South, Perrin from The Wheel of Time

Fourth: Gale from The Hunger Games, Jo from Little Women, Roar from Under the Never Sky, Leisel from The Book Thief, Kaladin from The Way of Kings

Bottom: Katniss from The Hunger Games, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, Ed Kennedy from I Am the Messenger, Samwise from Lord of the Rings, Aria from Under the Never Sky

Yeah. There's some pretty awesome characters that fit many if not most of those descriptions I've listed. Do you know them? Have you read them? If no, what are you waiting for?

And now, if  I could only figure out how to WRITE my own characters that fit this criteria!

Writing For Charity Experience 2015 Part Two: In Which I Ponder Diversity

Last week I talked about one aspect of my experience at Writing for Charity from a few weeks ago. Be sure to check it out if you missed it!

Today I wanted to talk about something else that happened there and something I've been thinking a lot about lately. Like, a lot. And that's the We Need Diverse Books movement that's really big in the readerly/writerly worlds these days.  Here's hoping I can make my thoughts make sense!

So during the conference, we went to a class about diverse books and characters. I'm always interested in this mostly because I have characters in my story that fit into this category and I'm so worried about doing it right.

But first, before this class even got started, I talked for a moment with the writer sitting next to me. When I found out where she's from, I was like, "Seriously? That's kind of where I'm setting this story of mine! Because I want to tie in this Native American legend/myth/tradition that I first learned about when I was passing through your town."

Her eyes got big and she said, "Oh, you want to be careful if you're writing about them. And about that aspect of their stories. Oh, yeah. Be careful."

So we talked and I said, yeah, I've tried to do a lot of research. (though I know I should do WAY more.) And I said, yeah, I know it's a pretty touchy subject and yeah, I know they don't talk about it and they take it pretty seriously and all. And yeah, it's just plain scary.

Then the class started and they talked about the need for diverse books. And while I totally agree I think that what we REALLY need is diverse authors! Because I feel like and the people on the panel went on to pretty much say too, that if you don't know anything about that culture or race or way of living, then how can you get it right? How can you write about them without it sounding cliche and stereotyped and all? And how it's not enough to just turn your character into a POC just to say you've got diversity, if you can't write that character without stereotyping. And how only people who know what it's like could really get it right.

I love this picture of a Navajo guy.

So, when we call for diverse books, what we really need is the diverse authors to write them, don't you think? So as I'm starting out in this writing thing, how can I ever expect to do it right with POCs if I have no experience? My life has been very un-diverse, sadly. With the exception of several family members who have been adopted, but raised very un-diversely just like me, and now my daughter-in-law who is giving us some taste of diversity, but still, just barely. Know what I mean?

Then they go on to say that if you do have a diverse character in your story, be sure to do the research and even have someone from that culture read it and "approve" it basically. At which point I wanted to hold my head and moan, "where will I find Native American readers?!" That's when the girl next to me handed me her email and said, let me know if you want readers from the Navajo Nation.

And then I really got scared!

I mean how cool would that be. But still. How scary!

So I left that class quite frustrated and wondering why I thought up this story in the first place!

Bottom line is, I feel that we do need books with diverse characters but it has to be organic, meaning, we can't just throw them in there and say, Hey look! I have a diverse character! I especially hate the token gay character. Make it make sense for the story, please! And yes, here's hoping that the call for diverse characters doesn't just perpetuate the perception some have of certain people and that it instead helps break those down. We need diverse authors!

Meanwhile, since I'm so very un-diverse myself... what does that mean for me? Can I truly write diverse characters? Do I keep on with my Native American story even though I really have no idea what I'm doing?

I'd love to know what you think on all this. Am I making sense at all? Do you see what I'm trying to get at? Am I justified in this frustration? Or do I suck it up and get over it!!! :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Checking In!

The prompt today over at The Broke and the Bookish is if you could check in on a character from a beloved book you've read in the past, who would it be? Good one guys! I love this, and I think I'm going to have a very hard time narrowing down my list!


Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Check In On

1. Jane Eyre: Did she truly live happily ever after? Did Mr. Rochester snap out of it and be happy too? Did she ever regret her decision?

2. Holden: Did he get the help he needed? Did he grow up to have a happy life? Did he find love and friendship? Did his parents stick by him? Did he ever come to terms with the deal of his brother?

3. Ann and Captain Wentworth: How did their life together turn out? I hope is was awesome!

4. Ed Kennedy: I really hope he found someone he could love even more than he loved what's her face. And lived a nice long happy crazy life!

5. Kvothe: I'm dying to know what's happening with him! Third book please!

6. Pi: I wonder if he ever really figured out what happened once and for all. Well, I think we know, but did he overcome? I worry about him, I do.

7. Cameron and Ruben Wolfe: I would love to know if they grew up to be upright standing citizens! Well, Cameron did I'm sure. Not so sure about Ruben.

8. Did the people who were stuck Under the Dome ever fully recover?

9. Did the Joad family finally get work and money and live a good happy life?

10. Laurie and Jo and Amy: Well, I hope Laurie ended up happy. And I wonder, since he would actually still be in Jo's life, did she have regrets? I wonder if she and Amy got along? I wonder if Laurie kept up his fun loving manner his whole life? (Are these questions addressed in sequels? I never read them!)

Okay. Mostly I just hope characters don't regret whatever decisions they made in their stories and ended up living happy lives! It would be interesting to know, don't you think?

What characters do you wonder about?

Top Ten Tuesday: Character Driven Novels

Once upon a time when asked the question, do you like plot most or characters, I would hum and ha and ponder and stress. Since then, I've learned that I'm much more of a character novel type person. If the plot is too complicated, it makes me crazy or goes over my head and all I want is to get back to the characters. Here are some of my favorite character driven books, both recent and old favorites:

Top Ten Character Driven Novels

1. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
2. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
3. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
6. The House at Tynford by Natasha Solomons
7. Room by Emma Donoghue
8. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
9. On the Fence by Kasie West
10. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak


Gah. There's so many I could have listed! So so many! And it's going to make me crazy if I think about it too long!

What would you put on your list? Link up over a The Broke and the Bookish!

A to Z Blogging: Monsters!

So, as you know, I love thinking about villains and what makes them cool or interesting or scary. And, as you know, I love those villains with a vulnerable side. The villains that you can feel sympathy for. The villains where you see the glimmer of good.

But there are those villains for which none of the above apply. And it's those villains we might call monsters. Yes? Agreed?

I've decided that one of the worst villains that I've ever come across is the governor from The Walking Dead. I've just finished up season three and wow... he is one scary dude. And even though we do see a bit of humanness with him regarding his daughter (sort of, if you can call it that), there is not enough to have any sort of sympathy for him at all.

Yes, I think this guy is one of the scariest, creepiest worst monsters I've watched OR read.

Agree or disagree? What other villains would you consider through and true monsters?

For more A to Z posts, click on over the main site.

Literary Love: Vulnerable Villains

One of my favorite bookish loves is what I'm calling vulnerable villains. These are the bad guys that you love to hate, or hate to love. The villains that are so gray (as I've written about before) that you aren't even totally sure they ARE the bad guys. Or maybe they are actually good guys who've had something bad happen to them. Or maybe they would have been good guys but then, they chose poorly. Or, maybe they are characters that we think are the bad guys at first, but then they turn out to be the good after all.

Yes, I truly love these guys. I feel for them, I want to make them better, I want to see them fixed, I want to give them the love I feel that they deserve despite whatever bad flaw they have going on that makes them end up in the villain camp. And sometimes it makes me cringe to want to love them, because sometimes they are so very bad.

But that's just how it is sometimes.

What do you think makes a villain a vulnerable villain? Here's what I think:

• a back story that makes you sympathetic to them
• a moment where you know deep down they actually want to do good
• a vulnerability that they show which causes you to feel all they need is love
• a charisma that slays you whether you want to be or not
• an ache that they wear on their sleeve

I love these sorts of characters so much and I love it when authors are able to pull this off. Some of the favorites that I listed in that other post from a long time ago are Heathcliff, Javert, Frankenstein's monster. Some newer favorites include: 

Warner from the Shatter Me series. Oh. My. Word. I want to read and I'm scared to read the latest and last book, Ignite Me, so bad! And I hear that I simply HAVE to read the in between novelette, Destroy Me, if I really want to understand him. That's going to happen soon, I promise.

Loki, though not from a book exactly, is a perfectly example of all I've listed above... every single point! Has there ever been a better villain?

Valek from Poison Study, though not really the villain, is definitely someone you think is the bad guy at the beginning but then you mind is changed in a big big way!

Cole from the Everneath series. Ah, charisma. He's got it. You kind of forget you are supposed to be rooting against him.

Evan Walker from The 5th Wave. Yes! Is he the good guy or the bad guy? I love the grayness here!

Snape from the Harry Potter series. (And he's not a newer favorite, but an old one. I just didn't list him before!) Now, of course he's not the villain like Voldemort is, but, he is portrayed as the bad guy. Am I right? And then.. and then... AND THEN!

Yep, I love my villains! 

Who are some of your favorites?

To participate in the Literary Love event, link up here!

Favorite Character Flaws

Today I'm thinking about characters and what makes them interesting. It's pretty obvious that characters with unique personalities and a dynamic voice are the interesting ones. But what also makes them interesting is their flaws.

But here's the thing...character flaws have always been a little illusive for me. I can never quite put my finger on what they are. Unless, of course, they are very obvious, like anger in Heathcliff... or pride in Darcy and Elizabeth. I know I know, flaws should stand out, but I'm always focusing on other things usually. It's weird. Like what, for instance, is Harry's flaw? I have no idea.

Anyway so I looked up "flaws" and found this list of fun ones. Some of my favorites are:

• can't keep a secret
• hold everything in
• don't look at me!
• too snarky
• fear of thunder
• forgets to eat
• talks to much
• smothers with love

Ah.. and the list goes on and on. 

So I was wondering what character flaws do you notice and like to see show up in your favorites. And which ones do you hate and roll your eyes at and think are way overdone? Which ones are good in heroes and great in villains? 

Tell me about some of your favorite characters and what their flaws are! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Names

The prompt this week over at The Broke and the Bookish is to list some favorite book character names. I have a ton! So here's a few that come to me at the spur of the moment. (Most of them from fantasy stories, which kind of makes sense, right?) And I'm going to be lazy and not name the books... you can guess most of them I bet!

Ten Favorite Character Names

1. Finnikin
2. Kvothe
3. Perrin
4. Sage
5. Cricket
6. Heathcliff
7. Ronan
8. Seraphina
9. Karou
10. Valek

Did you guess the books? Do you agree with my choices? I seem to be heavy on the boy names, yes? What names do you love?

Top Ten Tuesday: Supporting Roles

With this prompt,  favorite secondary characters, it makes me wonder how to actually define a secondary character, you know? So see if you think I got it right or if you think some of my characters are actually main characters!

Top Ten Favorite Secondary Characters

1. Roar from the Under the Never Sky comes to mind first. What an awesome character he is!
2. Simon from The Mortal Instrument series... since this has recently been on my radar, he has come to mind quite quickly. He's my favorite character in these books (well the two I've read so far.)
3. In The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves, do you think Adam is a secondary character? If so, then I list him! (Wouldn't you say Blue and Gansey are the mains?)
4. Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities! (Assuming Lucy and Charles are the mains here!)
5. Bean in Ender's Game. Bean WILL be in the movie, right?
6. Bast from The Wise Man's Fear books. Ah, he's awesome!
7. Lan from The Wheel of Time series. Sa-woon. Dang, I need to start reading these books again.
8. Legolas from The Lord of the Rings series. He's in a supporting role, yes?
9. Gale from The Hunger Games. Yep, that's right. Team Gale.
10. And of course someone from Harry Potter.... now who should it be? Snape is not a main character, right? (Now do you see what I mean with my above disclaimer? This is HARD!) No, he is not, so I say... I love Snape!


Wow, heavy on the fantasy, yes? Man, some people write some pretty awesome fantasy characters though! Agree or disagree? (With either my list, awesome fantasy characters OR the fact that I deemed these guys secondary characters.) I really want to know!

Who would you put on your list? Link up over at The Broke and the Bookish!

Character Connection: Roar from Through the Ever Night

One of my blogging goals this year is to write a Character Connection every month! I love how this feature forces me to look more closely at a loved character and then try to verbalize exactly why I'm drawn to them. It's also fun to share my character loves with you! You should join with us every month over at The Introverted Reader!

My highlight this month:         

Roar

from Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

(I have no idea who this is in real life
but this is just how I picture Roar
only wearing black of course!)

Well, actually we meet Roar in the first book, Under the Never Sky, and yes, he's cool in that book, but I was focused much more on Perry. In the second book, Roar has a much more prominent role and suddenly his coolness is right there in your face!

Why do I think he's so cool?

• He a sidekick character and it seems that in most cases, the sidekick is more swoon worthy than even the main love interest. He gives Perry the run for his money on this!
• He "has a prince's look but a pirate's eyes."
• He's dark and mysterious and wears black "from head to toe."
• He laughs... a lot.
• He hides behind the facade of his swagger, which he has going in spades.
• He is funny and witty and silly and crazy.
• He fights with knives.
• He has enhanced hearing, and can even hear Aria's thoughts if he's touching her.
• He's extremely suave and smooth with Aria, which makes you wonder what he really feels, but we know he is in love with Perry's sister, Liv. So, there's that.
• He sort of reminds me of Jacob in the sense that Aria, our heroine, seems to sort of need him to ground and center herself. 

Have you read these books? Do you love Roar too? And why?

There's a "middle of the series" book out that tells the story of Roar and Liv. I think I better snag that one!

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Would Switch Places With... for a time

Funny! I thought this would be an easy list prompt from The Broke and the Bookish today! But I'm struggling! What characters would I want to trade places with, even for just 24 hours? Some characters I love, but STILL wouldn't really want to trade places with them at all.... Katniss for instance. I don't think I could be her even for a short time.

Anyway, here's what I've come up with.

Top Ten Characters I Would Trade Places With for 24 Hours


1. Arwen from Lord of the Rings: so I could be a beautiful elf and love on Aragorn :)
2. Hermione from Harry Potter: so I could be smart and have adventures!
3. Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries: so I could have a make over and meet Michael
4. Anna from Anna and the French Kiss: so I could go to Paris and meet an English dude
5. Lizzy from Pride and Prejudice: so I could meet Mr. Darcy "in real life"!
6. Mary from The Secret Garden: so I could live in a gloomy English mansion yet have the means to perk it up
7. Jo from Little Women: so I could make a different decision!
8. Denna from The Name of the Wind: so I could meet Kvothe "in real life"! BUT only for 24 hours because her life is way too hard for me.
9. Marian from any Robin Hood story: so I could be loved by Robin of course... and shoot arrows.
10. The Queen of Atolia from The Queen of Atolia: to meet Gen of course, however, to live with what I did to him? Not sure I could handle that even for 24 hours....


Hmmm... I'm sure if I were to do this another day, it would all come out differently, but today, that's what I've got!

Who would you put on your list?

Character Connection: Elizabeth Bennet

I figured it was about time to highlight a lady character for a Character Connection post and what better one to start with then Elizabeth! Especially as she is fresh in my mind what with my current re-read of Pride and Prejudice and all.

Elizabeth Bennet
from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Ah Elizabeth. Where to start? Here's what I love about her:

• She is so very witty! She makes me LOL constantly with her subtle and not-so-subtle wise cracks. I think she gets this from her dad. 
• She seems down to earth and practical. Her other sisters, Jane included, seem (or should we say ARE) a bit flighty and silly and simple. She has a good head on her shoulders and seems to just "get it."
• She is passionate. She doesn't do things half-heartedly. When she falls, she falls fast and hard!
• She is swayed by prejudice, of course, which moves this story. But she doesn't have the pride to let that stop her from changing her mind. That's cool.
• She is a perfect match for Mr. Darcy!
• She has a gazillion nicknames!

I don't know what else, she is just basically an all round fun character. What do YOU love about Elizabeth?

Character Connection: Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door

I really wanted to do a Character Connection (brought to you by The Introverted Reader)  today and the only one coming to mind is Cricket! As in Cricket Bell from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. 

It seems that in all the books I've recently read, the characters have not really stood out to me. How sad is that.

But Cricket, from a book I read months ago, still stands out.

So here's the problem, I read it long enough ago (I know months doesn't really seem that long, but it's long enough , believe me!) that I can't remember all the Cricket details.

I think he had dark hair that stood up everywhere.

I DO remember that he is tall and lanky. In fact, he made me think of lanky in a whole new way.

I don't remember the color of his eyes.

But I do remember that he was nice and sweet and charming and clever and smart and patient and present and perfectly imperfect.

And of course I remember the rubber bands on the wrist. :)

Mostly I remember that he just seemed to truly fit the "boy next door" characterization, and I liked that. I liked that a lot!

As you know, I usually like to find a picture of a celebrity that I think would fit the character for the subject of my post. I found it funny that Nicholas Hoult (whose picture I posted just the other day) was suggested in a few blog posts... but the one I liked much better is found in this post. She suggests this guy:

Matthew Atkinson as
Cricket Bell

What do you think? Yes or no?


What character is on your mind this week and/or month?

Character Connection: Kvothe from The Kingkiller Chronicles

Since I am deeply engulfed in the second book of this series, The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, it is only fitting that I dedicate my Character Connection post this month to its hero:

KVOTHE

The Kingkiller

You may remember me mentioning him back when I reviewed the first book, The Name of the Wind, but just let me expound here on all the many ways there are to love this character:

• First of all he has red hair. Not dark and floppy, not blond and messy, but RED.  And tons of it. So that's something different.
• And there's the green eyes. Piercing, emerald ones at that! :)
• He's very very smart and clever. Like.... there's been no one at University like him before or since. 
• He not only uses his smartness to do well in his studies, but to come up with mischievous schemes, which is always endearing, is it not?
• He's a musician, one that brings people to tears with his lute playing and his song singing. What's NOT to love about that?
• He's bookish. Not only smart, but he loves books and reads like crazy and he lives and breathes for the Archives! (The library, of course.)
• He's romantic, but in a quiet, shy sort of way. He seems scared to death of the girl he likes and at this point in the story (I have tons left to read you see) he's yet to make a move. But oh, so romantic.
• He's generous. He, himself, has pretty much nothing, But when he does get a little money, he always shares with people (specifically the girl living in the Underthing) who have even less than him.
• He's reckless, especially when it comes to Ambrose! And I find myself yelling at him in my head.... KVOTHE!!! What ARE you thinking? Stay AWAY from that awful dude!!!
• He's loyal to his friends, other boys who seem to not fit in anywhere.
• He saves people from fires and other such hazards. 
• Did I mention the lute playing?
• Not only ALL of that, but he can cook too. I just read the part where they are going crazy for his apple pie. 
• Oh, and then there's the magic bit. Magic, he does it. And better than anyone else of course. 
• ETA: It's been brought to my attention (see comments) that I neglected to mention that Kvothe is not without his flaws, and since I totally meant to add this (seriously, I did!) and it's bugging me that I forgot, and now that I've been called out for it... I'm adding this P.S..... Yes, part of what makes him so awesome his is flaws, and without them he would not be NEAR as interesting, because what's a perfect character if not BORING! He has flaws galore, and in the end, it's going to cause him all sorts of problems, but I'm so worried about it, that I'm currently in denial.  

Seriously, I think I just got started on this list, but I'll stop for now. I'm sure there'll be more about him when I finish the book and do the review.  But for now, just know that this boy gets in your head and won't leave you alone. And that's a good thing.

Who's your favorite character of the month? I know you have one. Write a post and head on over to The Introverted Reader and link up.

Character Connection: Froi from Froi of the Exiles

It's been a long LONG time since I've written up a character post. But Jen over at The Introverted Reader is changing up the way she is hosting this feature and instead of once a week, we all have a month to think up, and write and link up a character connection post! So I'm hoping I will participate more and I encourage you all to join us because writing about favorite characters is fun, yes? Yes! Do join in! Here's the link for this month's version.

So as you all well know, I've recently been taken with the books by Melina Marchetta first about Finnikin and then about Froi. I love both of these characters, but today I'm highlighting Froi.

I love him first and foremost for the fact that he has changed so much between the two books! In the first book, he's basically the bad guy. We, as readers, really truly don't like him much. He does some pretty bad things, and he's just rotten. But the other characters end up seeing something in him, which makes us as readers also look at him differently. By the end of the book, it seems we are all giving him a chance.

Between books, he has grown up and learned a lot. The change is pretty staggering. So by the time the second book starts, we REALLY have to look at him differently! But what I especially like is that he doesn't totally lose that bit of him that made him feisty in the first book. His temper and bad streak is still there and comes out at some pretty funky moments!

So as the book starts out, even though he's changed and grown, we are still thinking of him as this thief boy. But wow, he does some amazing things and turns out to have such a good heart that our view of him changes and changes and changes some more! Then we also learn more about his background and where he truly comes from, which is quite fascinating. Then,by the end, of course, we are totally in love with him!

Isn't it great when that happens!!

I do hope you find time to find out for yourself what a great character this Froi is!

"I'll come and find you wherever you are. I'll not stop breathing until I do."

Character Connection: Joe Fontaine from The Sky is Everywhere

One of my most recent character crushes is Joe Fontaine from The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. (Be sure to click on over to Jen's Character Connection feature and link up to participate!) And once again, since I have such a hard time writing why, I'm going to list why. (I have no idea why that is so much easier for me!)

Reasons why Joe leaps off the page for me:

* First, his physical description of course: messy brown curls, green eyes, very tall. In the book they say he looks like a gypsy, no a rock star, no a pirate! Heathcliff even maybe, then again, no maybe not.
* He's a musical genius, playing all sorts of instruments but especially clarinet, guitar and trumpet. He writes songs too, special songs for people he loves.
* He is constantly smiling! Jack-o-lantern happy they say! Bright and brilliant, all the time.
* He is concerned and sincere.
* He moves slowly, he becomes friends first, if you know what I mean.
* He's lived a bunch in Paris, so he sort of has the French thing going on too.
* He "gets" Lennie, with all her traumatic past.
* He "gets" her strange eccentric family too.
* Mostly I love this guy because he is real. Very real.

You need to read this book and meet him.

Look! I actually found a celebrity to match the image of Joe in my head!

I don't even know who this guy is... Adrian Grenier they tell me.

If only he was holding a guitar!

Oh wait, here's one!

Review and Character Connection: The Underdog by Markus Zusak

Book: The Underdog by Markus Zusak
Genre: YA
Rating: A-
For: Fun
From: Amazon

So, I decided to combine my review of this book with a Character Connection post,(link up over at Introverted Reader) which I hope makes sense by the time I'm done!

The other day, I got this new book from Amazon, as you may know. It combines the first three books that Markus Zusak wrote, into one volume. These books are The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and Getting the Girl. The second two I've read already, (my review on these books here if you are interested, written oh so many years ago!) so I was anxious to finally read the first book, The Underdog, which I did quickly (it's very short) and am now counting as its own separate book, even though it's just the first part of this actual book. I hope that makes sense to everyone!

Anyway, so in this book we are introduced to the characters of Cameron and Ruben Wolfe, your ordinary run-of-the-mill brothers. But since the book is from Cameron's point of view, we specifically get to know, and yes fall in love with, him.

Thus, my character connection is about him.... Cameron Wolfe!

This is very short and very simple book. Not much happens. Cameron is very angsty. Much like Holden Caufield in Cather in the Rye (which, I know, is exactly what I said about Ed Kennedy from another Zusak book!) However, he is young and there is hope. We spend the whole book in his head where he is worrying about his family (his sister broke up with her boyfriend, his older brother got hurt, etc.) and his partner in crime Ruben (these two mostly just think about what next great crime they will commit!) and the girls that cross his path (but he's too shy to really talk to any of them.)

The crimes never work out because the brothers only THINK they are bad... and dirty (like literally dirty) and they chicken out every single time! That's because in truth they are good boys. But don't tell them that! Cameron tries to figure out the right thing, and how he is going to shape up, but just can't quite get there. Perhaps that's yet to come in the next two books, which do have much more plot to them.

That being said, it's still a Zusak book, meaning, written very simply yet poetically. I love it. However, you can tell this is his first book. The beauty of The  Book Thief and I am the Messenger is not quite there yet! It would be interesting to read all these books in order to see the progress he makes as an author. I seriously can't wait for his next book if that obvious progression holds true.

But back to Cameron. He worries about his hair, how it stands straight up. He worries about this girl he meets while working at her house, and if she thinks about him. He falls instantly in love with her because she is so REAL, unlike the swimsuit models in the magazine under his bed. He worries about his brother and what he'll be up to next and if he follows him or not. He is always in his shadow and sometimes that's okay, and sometimes not. He worries about his family and if he is causing them too much grief. He worries about his dreams, which are really weird, because yes, we as readers are privy to them too! But we love him because of all these things he worries about. Just like the girl he likes, we love him because he's REAL too.

Bottom line: I really enjoyed it, even though it lacked the substance I'm used to from this wonderful lovely author!

Character Connection: John Wayne Cleaver

I've decided it's time once again for a Character Connection post (check out Jen at Introverted Reader's link up here!) and after talking to Dan Wells, the author of the serial killer series (does this series have an official name? Anyone?) this past weekend and telling him how much I loved his character, I knew it was time to highlight him here.

Please meet John Wayne Cleaver from I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want to Kill You. Here's a kid who lives in a small town where really weird things keep happening. Much too many murders for one. John and his mom live above the mortuary that they own. The only mortuary in town of course, so all the dead bodies end up there for fixing up. John has some interesting issues, but deep down, he's really a pretty cool kid.

Here's some more about him:

• he says he doesn't have a heart
• he's been diagnosed as a sociopath
• he loves to embalm people, it calms him
• he sometimes wants to hurt animals
• he dreams about hurting people
• he loves setting fires
• he's quiet and shy-ish
• he's obsessed with serial killers
• he's responsible and smart
• he wants to help people, not hurt them
• he has a list of crazy rules to help him get through the day
• he loves the girl next door
• he's very brave
• he's funny, in a nerdy sort of way
• he's crazy! In more ways than one!

I love him because he's so dynamic. And because he's different from most of the 16 year old kids we read about. He appears to be normal, and in fact the town considers him a hero, yet he is struggling with some pretty big and scary issues. The secrets he keeps! His struggle is what makes him so likable too. 

I'm happy to report that though these three books are the end of this particular series, Dan Wells mentioned to me the other day that he has plans/hopes/thoughts about writing more starring this character. I have a feeling I'm not the only one to tell him what a crazy cool character he's created!