Top Ten Picks: 'Feel Good' Books

Top Ten Picks is an original meme here on the blog where I pick a specific topic, make a list, and post them up here. For a list of previous topics, click here.

I can not count the reasons why I love reading, but one of them would be that books never fail to pick me up when I'm feeling down, stressed, or just plain tired. For this week's Top Ten Picks, I decided to list down the books that will never fail to cheer me up, pick my mood up, get me out of a rut, and/or lift my spirits. In no particular order, here are my choices!

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1. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
- You all already know how much I love and how obsessed I am with this series, and though my favorite in the series has got to be the 3rd and the 7th one, the very first book is just one that always makes me feel a lot better. It's the beginning of the magical world that I've come to know and love; this is where it all starts. Everything is a new discovery, and for the most part, it was fun, easy, and light getting to know the world of wizards and magic, of Muggles, and of Hogwarts.

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- I truly think there is just something about reading about a chocolate factory. This book makes me feel like a kid again -- the wonder, the adventure, the ease. It's as if nothing else is happening in the world except for me reading about a group of kids, and a rather crazy factory owner, and like I said.. chocolate.

3. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
- When I read these books, especially the first one, I'm transported back in time when I myself was a teenager. I was 15 when I first read it. I picked it up randomly from the shelf because I didn't have any books to read -- being new to California and all -- and it just cheered me up a lot. It kept me company when I was feeling homesick, and when I couldn't talk to my family and friends back home. Looking back, it definitely helped me out. Now, I just really think it's such a light, fun, and heartwarming book about friendship, first loves, and family. Love this book!

4. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
- Yeah, yeah.. it's cheesy, it's melodramatic, it's soap opera-ish. I don't really care. In fact, I love the fact that it is just those and so much more. I feel like it's such a break from reality. Slight spoiler here, but I guess sometimes it's just so nice to read about a love story that has a rather corny, but definitely happy ending. Plus, I adore the main characters! Alex Fuentes and Brittany are just too cute, and they just appeal to me!

5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- I have to be honest. It's not the story, and not even the characters, that made me put this on this list. Truth is, this book just simply relaxes me!! I don't know if it's the writing, or the old English words, or what exactly. For some reason, the classics always do that to me, and this one -- so romantic and witty at the same time -- is the perfect pick me up at the end of a stressful week!

6. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
- This one never fails to pick me up. I love the writing and I love the fact that no matter how many times I reread it, I always seem to catch a quote I end up loving. And I just really like the characters. I like that the main protagonist is in love with books and literature, and that reading and writing are one of the important themes in the story. I just really like it. It's poetic, and it transports me to a whole other place and time.

7. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
- Stargirl was my #1 favorite female character back when I first read this when I was around 12, I believe. She was just plain awesome. She was funny, strange, and weird.. but in a good way. She didn't care what others thought of her, and she never changed herself for anyone. I love Stargirl -- the story, the characters, and even the cover! Also, I just love the simplicity of the author's writing. Direct, and straight to the point. No unnecessary words. Just plain, yet complex and poetic in so many ways.

8. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
- This one has its sad moments, but for the most part, it's uplifting, funny, and and thought-provoking. It offers such a unique take as the dog actually takes the POV and is the narrator of the story. I love this one so much. It's just so heartwarming and it makes me smile everytime.

9. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- I won't be picking this up and rereading them in years, but when I do.. I feel the same way about it as I did when I read it for the first time. It's absolutely charming and delightful, and I simply can not get enough. Have you read this? Or at least have seen the movie? Because you should. It's good, and has got to be one of my favorite fairy tale love stories ever told :)

10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L' Engle
- One of my favorite YA novels of all time. This book deserves a spot here on this list because every single time I pick this up and reread it, it never fails to make me smile! It just reminds me of days when I was young, and my grandparents would take me, my siblings, and my cousins to a surprise and spontaneous trip to the bookstore. They would tell us we could get ONE book -- any book at all! -- of our choice and they'll get it for us, just because. This was one of those books I managed to pick and read when I was young. I loved it then, and I'll always love it!

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If you would like to join in, and I do hope you do, all you have to do is:
1. Do a post, listing all your answers. You do not have to include pictures, descriptions, or explanations, but feel free to put them if you want.
2. Please sign the Mr. Linky box below with the specific URL of your post.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Top Ten Picks: Book Covers

Top Ten Picks is an original meme here on the blog where I pick a specific topic, make a list, and post them up here. For a list of previous topics, click here.

This week, the spotlight is on our favorite book covers! You can pick them for whatever reason. you want. As long as you adore the cover art, they count. Without further adieu, here are my favorite covers, in no particular order!

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1. Everlasting by Angie Frazier
Lavender purple and baby blue together is just simply beautiful. This cover is elegant, sophisticated, and just plain stunning! I have not read the book yet but it also seems to fit the whole fairy tale-ish plot line of this one. Oh, and another reason why I absolutely adore this cover is that it reminds me a lot of the "Kiss the Girl" scene in Disney's A Little Mermaid.

2. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
- This is another one on my TBR list, but haven't read yet. I love everything about this one. The lighting, the sun, the shadows, the font and writing style of the title. I would seriously read this even if I didn't know anything about it yet, just because of the cover.

3. Chocolat by Joanne Harris
- I have to admit; I liked the movie a lot more than I liked the book. But it's an interesting and intriguing story -- not to mention, yummy, with all the chocolate goodness that surrounds it. This cover doesn't give away too much; in fact, it doesn't even have a photo of a chocolate or any baked goods. Still, the colorful design that borders the gorgeous photo of a quiet town appeals to me a lot.

4. Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick
- The story itself could have been better, but I still thought it was a very good and interesting read. This cover art, doesn't give away much, but at the same time, it gives off the artistic vibe that the book has. It's sunny, it's colorful -- it's Vincent Van Gogh's story, and I can't imagine the cover to be any less than it is.

5. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
- Beautiful story, beautiful characters, beautiful cover art! It gives off a very The Secret Garden-ish by Frances Hodgson Burnett --my favorite childhood book-- feel to it. I can't help but love it. I also adore the font. I love the vines that are used as borders. It's just perfect to me, and it really relates to the whole feel of the novel itself. Highly recommended book by the way, if you have not yet read it.

6. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- There are so many different versions and editions of this timeless classic, but this has got to be my favorite cover art! I actually do own this, as I got it as a gift for my birthday, and I love it! It's whimsical. It's pink! There's black and white writing on it. Those are my most favorite color combinations, so it's obvious I had to pick this. It is just gorgeous! I can seriously look at it for a long time.. and sometimes I do.


7. The Dressmaker's Child by William Trevor
- I got this as a gift for my birthday as well, and I haven't actually finished it yet. It's a collection of short stories by a rather talented writer, and am loving it so far. The cover, is what initially grabbed my attention. It didn't matter to me that I have never heard of this before. Right when I saw it, it was like love at first sight. I was sold.

8. Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid by Virginia Woolf
- This little one was a required reading material during my freshman year in college in an English class. I was prepared to be bored, just because it was required reading, but to my surprise, I found that I actually really enjoyed this one. I do remember though, times when I just sat there, staring at the lovely cover. With that pop of color and the pretty font -- it is so simple, yet so eye-catching and attractive to me. It just exudes mysteriousness, and it was perfect for such an intriguing book.

9. Playing with the Grown-ups by Sophie Dahl
- Gaahh. If you ever get to see this in person, pick it up and stare at it. Touch it and feel how soft the cover is! Is that creepy? Maybe, but I don't really care. It's pink, white, and grey. It's whimsical, feminine, and playful. Oh and those cute shadowy image drawings! I just adore everything about this cover!

10. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
- I am not sure if this is even released yet, but look. at. that. cover! How could I not include that here? First off, you should know all about my fascination with Greek mythology. So to have a book with Pegasus as a title, matched with a cover that shows the actual mythical animal, combined with a rather lovely scenery, and a gorgeous font, there was no way I could ignore it.

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If you would like to join in, and I do hope you do, all you have to do is:
1. Do a post, listing all your answers. You do not have to include pictures, descriptions, or explanations, but for this specific topic, it'd be nice to have at least have photos :)
2. Please sign the Mr. Linky box below with the specific URL of your post.

I absolutely love this topic, and enjoyed listing my picks. For more Top 10 covers, see The Broke and Bookish. Looking forward to hearing from you this week! :)

Top Ten Picks: Fictional Places

Here at Top Ten Picks, we've talked about literary characters, literary quotes, our favorite writers, our literary crushes.. why not talk about our favorite settings in literature? So for this week -- and I am extremely excited for this -- the topic is on ten fictional places that stand out to you in the world of literature. These are the wonderful settings that either made your jaw drop in awe or simply terrified you. Either they are good or not-so-pleasant places, they have inspired your imagination to take a journey somewhere you've never been. Here are my picks -- most are places I would love to visit and then some are just places I would HATE to find myself in -- in no particular order whatsoever.

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The Ones I Want To Visit

1. Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

- It sure is a creepy place, and I don't know if I would want to spend more than a day in here, but it's a place full of chocolate-everything-goodness! Do I really need to explain more?

2. Rivendell
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien- There are so many distinct places in Middle-Earth, the world J.R.R. Tolkien created. They all sound magical and magnificent, but Rivendell has got to be the place I really want to go to. This place just sounds so peaceful. Everything about it simply exudes relaxation and harmony. And I do like how elves are portrayed in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.. I'd love to be surrounded by them!

3. Hogsmeade
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- "Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees." I love Hogwarts. Really, I do. But just like Rivendell, I would like this to be the place to visit in the Harry Potter world. I mean, it's basically like having a field trip everyday. It's picturesque, and just a fun place to be. Did I mention this is the place to get butterbeer? I don't know about you, but something about that just intrigues me..


4. The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett- I love this place so much I devoted an entire post on its settings. Read more here.

5. Fablehaven
Fablehaven by Brandon MullIt's a place built to preserve mythical creatures. I just love the idea of that! It's a world full of friendly fairies, imps, mermaids.. it's just a magical place! How could you not want to go? Now as long as I don't break the rules, I think I'll be okay.

6. Neverland
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie- Sometimes, we all get that feeling of not wanting to grow up. Well, in Neverland, you don't. You remain a kid forever. Now I don't know if I'd want to stay a kid forever, but it'd be a nice little break every once in a while. J.M. Barrie, the author, of Peter Pan also says that Neverland would resemble a map of a child's mind.. the possibilities of exciting and new adventures would be endless!

7. The Bookshop
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

- To say I love books and bookstores would the biggest understatement of the year. Regardless of how I feel about The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald, I can honestly say the bookshop in the story has got to be one of my favorite fictional places. It's dreamy, as a room filled with shelves and shelves of books should be.

Places I Like But Would Never Want To Find Myself In

8. The Maze
The Maze Runner by James Dashner- Without giving anything away, there's a reason why the Gladers -- the people living there -- have such strict rules. There's also a reason why the Runners run frantically through the Maze during the day, and why there's a huge gate closing to keep them in away from the Maze itself at night. The Maze is a dangerous place to be.. I don't think anyone would want to be stuck in there..

9. The Forest
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - If you haven't read this book, I think you should. I highly recommend it for all ages. It is so good, in a very creepy, strange, and terrifying way. The forest is the main cause of the terror. I love how the author paints the place to his readers -- so creative and original! There are trolls, vengeful witches, wizards, among many other disturbing things. The forest in this novel is the complete opposite of a beautiful and enchanting land. This is like a fairy tale getting drunk and wasted and hungover in the morning.. a fairy tale hallucinating and going psycho.. you get the point ;)

10. the Arena
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins- Have you read The Hunger Games? Whether or not you're a fan of the series like me, I think you'd still agree with me you would never, ever want to find yourself in the games itself. The number 1 rule of the game is: to survive. Kill others, and you get out the game. If you don't, then you get yourself killed. Yeah.. I don't know if there's a need to explain more.

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If you would like to join in and make your own list, feel free to do so. And if you can't come up with 10, any amount is fine, as long as it's a list ;) All you have to do is:
1. Do a post, listing all your answers. Like I already mentioned, you do not have to include pictures, descriptions, or explanations, but if you would like to do so, feel free!
2. Please sign the Mr. Linky box below with the specific URL of your post.

Want more top ten lists? Check out this week's topic over at The Broke and The Bookish! Also, if you want more talk on fictional places and settings, check out Shredded Cheddar's meme, Locus Focus! Looking forward to hearing from you for this week!

Top Ten Picks: Favorite Book Quotes

I know.. no Top Ten Picks for two weeks! It sucked, and I really missed doing it, hearing from you, and reading your own lists as well. Unfortunately, a rather ugly week of feeling very sick mixed in with extra side orders of fatigue and nausea kept me from writing my usual blog posts. Well, I'm happy to say that everything around here's functioning a bit better, so I'm quite excited for this week.

For this week, I decided to go for my top 10 favorite quotes from books, authors, and writers. This was easy for me to do, because I'm used to writing down random quotes and lines that I end up loving. So in no particular order whatsoever, here are my picks!

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1. "There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic." - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield


2. "I never read without making sure I am in a secure position. I have been like this ever since the age of seven when, sitting on a high wall and reading The Water Babies, I was so seduced by the descriptions of underwater life that I unconsciously relaxed my muscles. Instead of being held buoyant by the water that so vividly surrounded me in my mind, I plummeted to the ground and knocked myself out. I can still feel the scar under my fringe now. Reading can be dangerous." - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

3. "Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around it, let it slide like coins through your fingers. So much time you can waste it. But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know." - Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

4. "I want to tell you again, I love you. Our love has been the thread through the labyrinth, the net under the high-wire walker, the only real thing in this strange life of mine that I could ever trust. Tonight I feel that my love for you has more density in this world than I do, myself: as though it could linger on after me and surround you, keep you, hold you." - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

5. "Ruins stood for what was lost, and yet there were beautiful-peaceful, historic, intellectual. Not tragic or regrettable. Lena tried to keep hers that way too, and she succeeded to some extent. Why not celebrate what you had rather than spend your time mourning its passing? There could be joy in things that ended." - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

6. "We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations." - Anais Nin

7. "Every book, every volume you see, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens." - The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

8. "What about little microphones? What if everyone swallowed them, and they played the sounds of our hearts through little speakers, which could be in the pouches of our overalls? When you skateboarded down the street at night you could hear everyone's heartbeat, and they could hear yours, sort of like sonar. One weird thing is, I wonder if everyone's hearts would start to beat at the same time, like how women who live together have their menstrual periods at the same time, which I know about, but don't really want to know about. That would be so weird, except that the place in the hospital where babies are born would sound like a crystal chandelier in a houseboat, because the babies wouldn't have had time to match up their heartbeats yet. And at the finish line at the end of the New York City Marathon it would sound like war." - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

9. "I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human-race that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same things could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant." - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

10. "We're not wheat, we're buckwheat. When a storm comes along it flattens ripe wheat because it's dry and can't bend with the wind. But ripe buckwheat's got sap in it and it bends. And when the wind has passed, it springs up almost as straight and strong as before. We aren't a stiff-necked tribe. We're mighty limber when a hard wind's blowing, because we know it pays to be limber. When trouble comes we bow to the inevitable without any mouthing, and we work and we smile and we bide our time. And we play along with the lesser folks and we take what we can get from them. And when we're strong enough, we kick the folks whose necks we've climbed over. That, my child, is the secret of the survival." - Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

And I'll add an extra one.. not from a book, but from a TV show!

At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing, where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, is usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we've chosen those people, we tend to ostick close by. No matter how much we hurt them, the people that are still with you at the end of the day - those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need. - Grey's Anatomy

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If you would like to join in, and I do hope you do, all you have to do is:
1. Do a post, listing all your answers. Like I already mentioned, you do not have to include pictures, descriptions, or explanations, but if you would like to do so, feel free!
2. Please sign the Mr. Linky box below with the specific URL of your post.

Now if you're craving for some more literary quotes, do check out Book Quoter's blog! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Top Ten Picks: Favorite Books Of All Time

It's been 4 months since I started this meme. 16 topics later, I have finally managed to get to this list. It's a difficult one, and I told myself I might never actually do this, but thanks to the ladies over at Broke and Bookish -- who shares the same love for top 10 lists as I do -- I felt it's about time to do it. I have to admit, I really had to push myself to do this, but I think I managed. If you've been following this meme for a while now, these picks -- and the reasons behind picking them -- may not be such a surprise to you. Here are my all-time favorite books, in no particular order whatsoever.

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1. Harry Potter series
by J.K. Rowling

Though I have always been a bookworm ever since I was a kid, it wasn't until I read the first in the Harry Potter series that I fell in love with reading. It was also the one that pushed me to start thinking about writing, talking about writing, and, yes, actually writing. Its characters, the story, and the world that surrounds the series are magical, unforgettable, and special to me, and for all the things it has inspired me to do, I don't think I ever loved books as much as I loved these.

2. Lord of the Rings trilogy
by J.R.R. Tolkien

I will always be biased and pick the Harry Potter series as my ultimate favorite, but yes, I do believe the LOTR trilogy started it all. It is the king of all fantasy series; the existential one, that others could only dream of following. It is one so epic that it continues to gather fans 73 or so years later. If you haven't read it or haven't seen the movies, I highly recommend you do so.

3. Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte

This has got to be my favorite in the Classics genre. I only was able to read this in 2008, and I am so happy I finally did so. I love the writing. I love the characters, Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. I like the overall story. I like that it talks about the sense of belonging to a family or a group, and about being independent and being your own as an individual. I also like the fact that one of its biggest themes is love; accepting someone no matter what and who they are.

4. The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson BurnettI fell in love with it when I first read it as a kid, and I am still in love with it until now. Everything about it, I adore. From its gothic feel, the romance, the mysterious garden itself, its beauty, the nature that surrounds it, the enormous mansion, to the wonder of getting lost and finding yourself again -- those and among so many others. This is to me, simply magical, beautiful, and timeless.

5. Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott

I read this as a kid as well, but didn't find the appreciation for it until I read it again when I was a freshman in high school. It's a classic novel that talks about life, love, and family. This book also shows the constant struggle that women had in the past, and that some still do until today. I just think it's realistic, but through the lovable characters, the book manages to become heartwarming and inspiring all at the same time.

6. The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane SetterfieldThis is a book for book lovers, and ultimately, for lovers of words. I am both, and so this debut novel was especially inviting for me. It is a unique, mysterious, addicting, exciting novel filled with lovable characters, intricate descriptions, and events that will keep you guessing until the very end. It definitely has the Jane Eyre-Gothic feel and atmosphere to it -- the story, the settings, and the writing -- and it simply can do no wrong in my book. I absolutely loved it.

7. The Book Thief
Markus Zusak

I am beginning to sound like a broken record for this one, but I swear, anytime someone asks me to recommend one book to them, this is the one that always comes first to mind. I can't help it; this was simply a wonderfully written novel. To me, it is one of the most unforgettable stories I’ve read in a while. And despite the fact that it is incredibly heartbreaking, I honestly don't think it would have had the same impact that it had if it was done differently. The message that came along with it, was subtle yet strong. It was heart wrenching, yet also strangely uplifting at the same time. It made me not only think, but really feel and empathize with these characters.

The Book Thief is just everything a good book should be; original, engaging, inspiring, uplifting, and haunting all at the same time. This book is nothing less than amazing.

8. 100 Love Sonnets

by Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda is my favorite poet of all time, hands down. And my favorite poem, if I could even pick just one, would have to be Neruda's Sonnet 17. This book, 100 Love Sonnets, features his absolute best works, and I can not help but fall in love with it every single time I read it. I feel as though it is an entirely new experience every time I pick it up; I never get tired of it, and probably never will. It's just beautiful. If you have read it, I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I mean.

9. A Walk to Remember
by Nicholas Sparks

Regardless of how I think of Nicholas Sparks and his novels nowadays, I still give him full credit for writing A Walk To Remember. I read this so long ago, but it still feels the same exact way every time I reread it. It's just a beautiful story, about two inspiring people in love. And it's a simple book really, but it's one with such great and profound meaning that inspires me, at the end of the day, to become a better person for my loved ones. A Walk to Remember has two of my favorite characters of all time, Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter, and to me, their story truly is the sweetest and most realistic love story I know.

10. A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett

For me, this is a special and an important book growing up because it really taught me a thing or two. Mainly it taught me about compassion, kindness, and simplicity, through the story's main character, Sara Crewe. She taught me that I should be thankful for the things that I have, and not complain when things don't go my way. This one is a true classic; one I have two copies of and one that I still read every once in a while.

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So which books will make it into your own list? If you would like to join in, and I do hope you do, all you have to do is:
1. Do a post, listing all your answers. Like I already mentioned, you do not have to include pictures, descriptions, or explanations, but if you would like to do so, feel free!
2. Please sign the Mr. Linky box below with the specific URL of your post.

This is a really exciting week for Top Ten Picks, and I am so very excited to hear from you and see your own lists as well!

Top Ten Picks: Favorite Male Literary Characters

Top Ten Picks is an original meme here on the blog where I pick a specific topic, make a list, and post them up here. For a list of previous topics, click here.

A month ago, we wrote about our favorite female characters. This week, I think it's about time to let our favorite male literary characters take the spotlight! Without further adieu, here are my picks in no particular order.

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1. Severus Snape

Snape is the most misunderstood character in the history of literature. Well, in my opinion at least. He is also probably one of the most complex characters I have ever read about. You love to hate him, but secretly, you know you love him. I for one, never doubted him for a second, even when people kept saying, "It's over, he's a bad guy." Well... look how that turned out. If you've read and finished the series, you know what I'm talking about.

2. Ronald Weasley

Harry's cool and all, but Ron Weasley is the best. He is extremely loyal, and yes, even though he is usually scared and reluctant to try new things, he is courageous when it comes to helping out his loved ones even if it means risking his own life. Also, he is just so funny one can not help but love him! In fact, I love him so much that whenever I hear someone insult his character and say he's a wimp, I always feel the need to defend him!

3. Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson starts out as a troubled and confused teen, and ends up as one of the most courageous literary characters I know. He is good-natured and kind-hearted as well as unselfish, as he is willing to risk his life if it means saving those he loves and cares about. I also love his sense of humor. I'm sorry, but sarcasm rules sometimes, and his is the best kind! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that he's just so darn adorable sometimes.. and he likes Annabeth, and Annabeth is awesome so.. ha ha.

4. Atticus Finch

Atticus Finch is a good role model. I think this because of the way he treats his children -- like children, but also like adults. He teaches them, and the readers at the same time, the importance of morality, justice, and integrity. He is wise, empathetic, strong, righteous, dignified, and stands up for what he believes in.

5. Peter Pan -- not the Disney version

A fellow book blogger, Enbrethiliel of Shredded Cheddar, dedicated an entire 'Character Connection' post for the character of Peter Pan. Go ahead and read her post, and whatever she states, pretty much sums up why I love his character created by J.M. Barrie.

6. The Little Prince

The Little Prince is a pure and innocent, curious and an adventurous traveler. He is open-minded, as he is always willing to listen to what others have to say. He loves learning about new things in life and his world, which allows him to be more imaginative, creative, and intelligent with every land he travels to and every person he meets along the way.

7. Oskar Schell

He's an intelligent and smart young boy, who is oblivious yet not naive to the world and his surroundings. But despite the fact that he is wise and mature for his age, what still remains are the emotions, mentality, and perspective of a helpless 9-year old boy. The reader, a.k.a me, can not help but empathize and sympathize with this character, and love him all at the same time.

8. Gandalf

Sorry Dumbledore, but I have to agree; Gandalf is the greatest wizard ever written. That is all.

9. Landon Carter

Landon Carter has got to be my #1 literary crush of all time. He used to be one of those 'bad boy' types, but when he got to know and fell in love with someone like Jamie Sullivan, he changed for the better. He became a total sweetheart -- trying his very best to do everything he can to make her happy. Not only that, but overall, he becomes a kind-hearted and determined person, who cares about others as well. In the end, he learns the value of real happiness and life.

10. Death

Death is sympathetic, compassionate, and sensitive to mankind and to the world as he looks upon them. He hates war, pain, and hatred, but accepts that it is in fact unavoidable, and takes his job without complaint.

....

So who are your picks? If you would like to join in, all you have to do is:
1. Do a post, listing all your answers. Like I already mentioned, you do not have to include pictures, descriptions, or explanations, but if you would like to do so, feel free!
2. Please sign the Mr. Linky box below with the specific URL of your post.

Looking forward to hearing from you again this week!