Beginnings

Welcome friends! I have started this entry in the global technosphere because I have been in love with books since the age of 2. Among the busy business of being a new teacher, this is my outlet for sharing thoughts on a love of reading a wide variety of books. My inspiration can be summed up with a yearbook quote from a teacher written when I was 8: "To the only girl at recess I see reading a book. Good for you!"
My blog title is quoted from a classmate who asked me this once. Believe it or not, I've also heard it as a teacher :D

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Top Ten Tuesday


A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is

Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Be Best Friends With

First of all, sorry for missing the Monday meme.  I've never missed one before but it would have been identical to last Monday, I'm afraid :(  But to miss out on two memes back-to-back?  That's not happening!

In no particular order...

1) Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
As a child, I always imagined being best friends with Anne.  I always admired and tried to adopt her zest for life and her incurable optimism :)  I know what you're thinking: what about Diana?  Well, I felt that Diana grew apart from Anne when she didn't move on to college.  Aside from Gilbert, Anne needed a new gal pal.

2)  Claire Abshire in The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I felt that Gomez & Charisse were not close enough to Claire to be considered friends, and with Henry's long, sporadic absences, she really needed a strong friend.

3)  Ruth in The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
Someone really needed to step in and protect this poor innocent girl.  I felt that nobody really loved and protected her, not realizing the need to guide her until it was too late.

4) Jo or Beth March in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Everyone loves Jo and I definitely see why.  But I always felt that Beth, being so mousy and introverted, needed a close friend as her sisters all seemed to be apart from her.

5) Celie in The Color Purple by Alice Walker
I admire Celie's perseverence to reunite with her sister, but also to build her self-esteem, self-awareness, and learning how to read.  I would have loved to be her pen pal :)

6)  Carrie White in Carrie by Stephen King
For those scratching their heads, think of it this way:  If Carrie had one true friend, would she have wreaked havoc like she did?

7)  Valentina in Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Poor Mouse.  She was the closest friend her twin Julia had but was the loneliest person in the world.  A friend would have convinced her not to go through with her unthinkable plan at the end (I won't spoil it).

8)  Duncan Garp in The World According to Garp by John Irving
The only boy character I can think of that I really connected with as a friend.  I'm not sure why, but I sympathized with him & felt that he was ignored by everyone around him.

9)  Offred in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
While I wouldn't want to live in Gilead (*shiver*), I was drawn to Offred's unwillingness to give into the regime and how she kept pining for the truth about her loved ones.

10)  Rose Feller in In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
I certainly felt like I had a lot in common with Rose (except for the shoe shopping--I have fussy feet & hate the time & effort it takes to find reasonably priced, comfy shoes), and besides Maggie & the bluntly honest Amy, Rose didn't have a necessary support system.  Maybe I could have been her shrink :D

10 comments:

  1. Wow, very thorough list! I didn’t think of Claire Abshire but that would be a good choice. Anne Shirley just missed the cut for us…

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  2. Beth was my favourite from 'Little Women' too, although honestly I'm probably more like Amy!

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  3. Great list! I agree about Carrie. Tragedy could probably been avoided. So many of the characters you listed are ones that I just want to hug. They do need a good friend.

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  4. Wow, what a great list! Jo and Anne would be awesome best friends. I think I might have to pick Lizzy Bennett or Elinor Dashwood for myself, but I love all your picks!

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  5. You're so right that everyone likes Jo best, but that Beth could really use a friend. She never gets out as much as her sisters so she doesn't meet so many people - and yet she's so sweet, kind and thoughtful that she'd make a good friend!

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  6. Yeah, Rose could use an extra BFF or two.

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  7. You list is so varied and shows that you enjoy reading lots of genres of books. I didn't even think about the March sisters, but would enjoy a friendship with them I know.

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  8. I think I would've liked to have been friends with Anne. I could've definitely sympathized with her over the "carrot top" remarks! I heard that plenty in primary school!

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  9. I like your point about Carrie. Sometimes a good friend can pull us back from doing something crazy.

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