Top 5 Tuesday’s theme for September is Top 5 Favorite Characters “whose names start with letters of the alphabet!! …first name, last name, nicknames, whatever.” We’ve got the first five letters this week, hope you enjoy (it was fun narrowing the list down)
I included pictures of these characters–I can’t promise I’ll do that with all of them. I don’t like using actors from adaptations for this kind of thing, but how do you not use Gregory Peck for Atticus Finch? And if I did that, I didn’t have an excuse to not use Titus Welliver for Bosch…
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Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird(and, technically, the other book that probably should never have seen the light of day, we’ll just ignore that)Atticus’ fight for justice for all, his parenting style, the lessons he imparted to his children, the basic decency he showed to everyone…in short, his character. No one human can probably be as good as he’s depicted. But Lee did it in such a way that we all believe he could’ve been, and we all want to try to be that kind of person ourselves. |
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Harry Bosch from The Harry Bosch seriesEverybody counts or nobody counts. This motto has driven the law enforcement career (and retirement) of this orphaned son of a murdered prostitute, who turned his grief and trauma into a crusade for justice for everyone, not just the powerful and rich. There are more than twenty novels in his own series, plus appearances in novels of two spin-off series–plus one of the best TV series that Amazon has yet produced. His drive, his focus, his crusade has captured the imagination of a legion of fans, and it shows no signs of slowing down. |
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Chet “The Jet” from the Chet and Bernie MysteriesChet flunked out of the training to be a police dog on the last day (a cat was involved), and that was the best thing that could’ve happened to him. He’s now the partner of Bernie Little, a private investigator in Phoenix. Bernie and Chet may not be the most successful team out there (Bernie’s not good with money), but they are known for their integrity, their persistence, and their successes in closing cases. Chet loves little more than chasing down a perp and wrapping his teeth around their ankle (Slim Jims, a scratch behind the ears, a game of fetch, or Bernie’s smell would be challenges for that). I became a fan of Chet’s within a couple of chapters of his debut and my appreciation for him continues to grow. |
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Dobby the House Elf from the Harry Potter seriesDobby…the poor slave of the Malfoys, freed by Harry Potter at the end of The Chamber of Secrets. Who doesn’t cheer a little every time they read or hear, “Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf!”? He’s constantly causing trouble as he tries to help/save Harry. His death is one of the hardest to read in the series, the connection that so many readers make with him over the course of the series demonstrates Rowling’s skill with characters. He doesn’t have fabulous powers, he doesn’t have a giant role to play in the series. But here’s there frequently, doing the little things and being stalwart, brave, and loyal. |
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Eustace Scrubb from The Chronicles of NarniaWhen we first meet Eustace he’s such a worthless twit, it seems even Lewis has little use or patience for him. His whiny attitude, demanding to see the British consulate in Narnia, (and what’s up with calling his parents by their names?), etc. And don’t get me started with the way he treats Reepicheep! But then comes the night in the dragon’s cave and the singular best depiction of sanctification in fiction (with the possible exception of Bunyan). Then he grows, he develops, and over the next book and a half becomes one of the great heroes of Narnia. Eustace is my favorite Son of Adam in the series and I still enjoy thinking of him decades after first meeting him. |
Meeghan reads
I think I need to read the Harry Bosch series!! That’s one hell of a motivation to be a cop!!
Thank you for joining us 😊
HCNewton
One of the all-time greats