-
Top Ten Tuesday: Throwback: Fictional Crushes
I wrote this and scheduled this months ago and apparently the topic was changed in the interim, but I’m still going to leave this.
I’m linking up here for Top Ten Tuesday
I’m a noodle is all I can say, I’m trying to remember by very early ones, when I really, seriously had a crush on a book character, not just theoretically.
- Henry from The Boxcar Children series
- Lewis from Little House Charlotte Years
- Ben from the Felicity books
- Drew from one of the Love Comes Softly books according to my sister (I was trying to remember all my childhood book crushes without much work, so I asked her); I don’t recall that name but I’m sure I had a least one crush from these books, I’d forgotten what I read then
- Laurie (of course!)
- Ethan from Calico Bush (Caleb was too young for my preteen/young teen self, lol)
- Sheftu from Mara, Daughter of the Nile
- Esca from Eagle of the Ninth (yeah, I liked him better than Marcus, at least in the old days
- Aquila from Lantern Bearers
- Mac from Eight Cousins and Rose in Bloom
-
Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I liked That Were In Non-Favorite/Disliked Books
I’m linking up with Top Ten Tuesday.
- Murder Must Advertise (I love Lord Peter but dislike most of the short stories; some are the most disturbing murder mysteries I’ve ever read)
- Austenland (I think I liked the main guy [I liked him in the movie, so maybe this is cheating] but the descriptions were so gross)
- Twilight series (I liked Jacob but have a like/shame relationship with the books)
- I Will Repay (I liked the Scarlet Pimpernel, but I think this is one when he plays a significant shadow role)
5. Eragon (Murtagh) - House of Many Ways (I don’t like the Howl’s Moving Castle sequels, but I loved Howl)
- The Sign of Four (I disliked this but I like Sherlock Holmes)
- The Inheritance (this is cheated a bit, but I disliked the overwrought novel but loved the movie and all the characters therein)
- Anne of Ingleside (the most boring Anne books, but I like most of the main characters . . . in the other books)
- The Hunger Games trilogy (I have a like/hate relationship with the books, but I like Finnick and Peeta)
-
More Explanations of the Sources of My More Obscure Couples
I intentionally mentioned a lot of obscure couples for my posts for Cordy’s Lovely Blog Party because I wanted to share some new books (I LOVE finding new books to read on blogs, in fact it’s how I found some of these). I thought I’d give more explanations for the more obscure sources (i.e.not the lesser known works from well-known authors).
1. Marcus and Cottia from The Eagle of the Ninth, Aquila and Nell from Lantern Bearers, and Owain and Regina from Dawn Wind. All these books are part of a loose series by Rosemary Sutcliff. The series is The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, Frontier Wolf, The Lantern Bearers, (#5 is blank because it is an adult one with content and little to do with Marcus’ descendants, it only occasionally mentions Aquila and Flavian), Dawn Wind, Sword Song, and The Shield Ring. The series traces the line of an Italian soldier in Roman Britain all the way to his Norse descendants in the last Viking stronghold in Norman England. I just love the obscure time period and the lovely understated prose, and Sutcliff uses such lovely descriptive languages, for example, colors aren’t merely red or tan or yellow but crimson and tawny and saffron. I adore much of Sutcliff’s other historical fiction as well but be sure to check Wikipedia and make sure you are only reading those novels marked for children, the ones for adults can have some graphic issues.
2. Sophie and Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. This is a fantasy novel that includes a melodramatic, spoilt-childish wizard; a girl stuck in an old woman’s body; the titular wonky moving castle; a quirky tone; travel between worlds; and of course, romance. If that doesn’t sound fun, I don’t know what does. This is book one of a trilogy, but I didn’t much like the other two.
3. Spiller and Arietty are from The Borrowers series by Mary Norton. This series is about teeny, tiny people that live under the floor boards. They live off and create their homes from food scraps and objects “borrowed” from “human beans.” They live in fear of being “SEEN” by said “human beans” and if “SEEN” feel compelled to move immediately. I grew up on these charming stories and re-read them a couple years ago. They end rather abruptly though, almost as if there was supposed to have been at least one more book.
4. Azalea and Lord Bradford are from Entwined by Heather Dixon which is a re-telling of the fairytale “Twelve Dancing Princesses.” The tone of the book is spooky and mysterious, closer in this respect to older fairytales than Disney retellings (if you prefer a more Disney-esque re-telling, I also enjoyed Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George). I loved this retelling and the three romances, but Azalea and Lord Bradford are my favorite couple.
5. Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane are from Dorothy Sayer’s Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. This couple doesn’t exactly have mutual feelings from their first extremely unromantic meeting (she is being tried for a murder that he decides to investigate). But Wimsey persistently, obstinately, provokingly, and hilariously pursues her through several years and novels until she discovers that she loves him back. Lord Peter is what makes these novels for me, I couldn’t speak as to the quality of the mysteries, they are quite different from Agatha Christie mysteries, and rather dark I think (although so are some of Christie’s).
6. Jamie and Molly are from Keeper of the Bees and Philip and Elnora are from Girl of the Limberlost by Gene(va) Stratton-Porter. She was a naturalist who imbued her novels with a rich wealth of flora and fauna. Freckles is the prequel to Girl of the Limberlost although both can stand alone. I’m set to re-read both novels which are romances set in a forest called the Limberlost (a real place in Indiana although I don’t know how much is left). Keeper of the Bees is about a (seemingly) mortally ill WWI soldier who runs away from the military sanitarium and takes on a job as a beekeeper from a man he meets by chance. He then impulsively weds a girl to save her character and befriends a wild child. Things are not as they seem, and chaos ensues. I’d also recommend Laddie and The Harvester by Stratton-Porter.
7. Martin and Ivy are from Swift and Nomad and Rob and Linden from Rebel by R. J. Anderson. The Faery Rebels are Knife (Spell Hunter in the U.S.), Rebel (Wayfarer in the U.S.), and Arrow. These are followed by the duology of Swift and Nomad. The first two are the only ones available in the U.S. (I borrowed the first four from an acquaintance), but I bought all of them through Amazon.uk, so they would all match. These novels are about faeries (the ancient mythology type, not the cutesy Victorian or Disney type, and you can read more about Celtic mythology in Faeries of the Celtic Lands by Nigel Suckling) in the modern U.K. This concept of faeries and this type of story was new to me, and I found it mesmerizing. There are about four romances in these books, but my favorite couple is Martin and Ivy followed by Rob and Linden.
8. Creel and Luka are from Jessica Day George’s Dragon Slippers Trilogy. These are middle grade fantasies, and I found them adorable when I read them years ago (I’m probably due for a re-read), and I loved that the heroine made magnificent embroideries for a living.
-
Ten Lesser Known/Lesser Loved Couples from Movies
I’m writing this as part of Cordy’s A Lovely Blog Party.
1. Nick and Nora from The Thin Man mysteries (murder mysteries made in the 30’s and 40’s centered around a “retired” detective and his heiress wife and their escapades). Oh, my. Another blogger mentioned the films and the two protagonists and their chemistry, and I knew I had to see them . . . and now my sisters and I are hooked. Nick and Nora are so perfect; I love their constant banter that covers their deep caring, how he always tries to protect her in the goofiest ways, how she always tries to tag along on his mysteries, and I love their total trust and confidence in each other. #Relationshipgoals as one sister said.
2. Simon and Nicole in How to Steal a Million (a hysterical 1960’s movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole; I know the film is famous or it used to be, but I haven’t heard much about it from my blog groups). From their first half-joking, half-real kiss to his insistence on irritating her and his pretended aloofness to his clear jealousy of the art connoisseur oaf to her “aha” moment which leads to their broom closet romantic moment, I love every bit of this romantic, absurd, adventure. Their chemistry and comedic timing are perfect.
3. Guard and Mattie in Friendly Persuasion (a 50’s movie about Quaker life in Civil War era Indiana starring Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire as the parents). These two are but a part of the entire adorable story of this movie, but such a cute, funny part. Mattie is very young and absurdly sentimental and childish, and Guard is older, suave, and manly and yet he loves her so genuinely.
4. Ingrid and Zeke from That Darn Cat (a 1960’s mystery/comedy; it is a scream). So they are barely a couple, but they start off so hilariously badly while he is so much more amazing than her joke of a first boyfriend that it is amazing to see the small steps to the start of what you know will be a romance.
5. Derek and Odette from Swan Princess. I only occasionally hear or read people mentioning this movie, but it is one of my family’s favorite animated movies. Ok, grown-up Derek and Odette are a bit boring, but the build-up to their relationship is wonderful, and they have a such a beautiful love song. And the movies is worth watching for all the parts, although the comedy is the best.
6. Nancy and Nick in Nancy Drew. This movie is so cute, and Nancy and Nick’s relationship made up of their teenage shyness and insecurity with Corky’s absurdity thrown in is hilarious and adorable.
7. Ray and Livvy from The Magic of Ordinary Days (a Hallmark Hall of Fame WWII era historical fiction). This is so sweet, he is especially sweet and selfless; the story is about a temporary arranged marriage to save the woman’s character, but they end up falling in love (he falls in love first which adds some bittersweet moments). I haven’t seen this in too long.
8. Algie and Cecily from The Importance of Being Earnest (and In Earnest which is an awesome, under–appreciated web series). I know the play is pretty famous, but I don’t think these two get enough attention. I love their bantering chemistry.
9. Mira and Arman from I am Dragon. I first heard about this film from this blog review. It is so unique, and the story is very much a fairytale that mixes a bit of the old traditional dark with a bit of the modern happiness.
10. Belle and Mr. Davinier from Belle (18th century historical film loosely based on the story behind a real painting of a biracial girl and her cousin). I love their relationship: the rocky beginning, the secrecy, the friendship, but oh the best part is when he is shouting, with tears in his eyes, “I love her!” to her adoptive father.
Many of these aren’t from proper romances. I do love romances, but I also love when stories that aren’t categorized as romances have romance in them.
-
Top Ten Tuesday: Significant Moments of Romantic Tension or Realization
Happy Valentine’s Day, The Top Ten Tuesday topic for today is a romance freebie, so I went with some interesting moments.
1. John Brooke’s proposal to Meg in Little Women. This is so classically funny.
2. Polly and Tommy’s love scene at the very end of An Old-Fashioned Girl. It is so absurd and so completely them. And “stopping for refreshments,” ha!
3. In Nomad, when Ivy finally “gets” it after Martin’s patience waiting (he didn’t woo or press her, just waited).
4. Marcus sweet, simple, proposal to Cottia. They know, they knew when he came back and saw her (Eagle of the Ninth).
5. Philippa Gorden’s letter to Anne regarding Jonas with the telling postscript (Anne of the Island). Peoples, that is the right way to do triangles. If the girl (or guy if it is guy, two girls which is unusual in my reading experience, I cannot think of one off the top of my head), cannot choose between two guys, she doesn’t care enough for either, duh. An entrance of a true love demonstrates that.
6. The throbbing-ly intense romantic scene at the end of North and South. Read between the lines for those not so subtle hints people. This is WAAAAY more romantic than the movie which is short, rushed, unromantic, and has Henry Lennox’s jealous snake face smashed right in the middle.
7. Whenever Mac catches Rose unawares with his absurd and persistent wooing, and she cannot remain dignified (Rose in Bloom).
8. Captain Wentworth’s letter in Persuasion. Oh, my what intensity and passion without any gushing or grossnesss. He is mainly and to the point as always, and WOW.
9. When Gay realizes she loves Roger and when he sees it (A Tangled Web).
10. The burglar in the library hullabaloo that gets Jim and Nora together thanks to Anne’s meddling in Anne of Windy Poplars.
-
Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley is not an unattractive, bumbling oaf. Thanks a lot, stupid movies (actually it seemed that in the seventh book in a few parts, JKR was influenced by the previous movies). He has five brilliant and gifted older brothers, a famous best friend, and his younger sister is the family baby and only girl (a combination for lots of attention if anything is). He is also a preteen/teenager. Each of these things alone is enough to make him insecure, but together?
And he doesn’t look like Rupert Grint. I had wished that they had cast Domhnall Gleeson (I said that before he got famous), but he would have been too old, and really almost anyone else would have been better, Grint is decidedly unattractive. Ron may not have been handsome like Bill, but that does not mean he had to be ugly.
Harry and Ron both have the genetic capacity (just like Hermione) to be brilliant. They were a rather lazy, but they were just as smart, if not smarter than Hermione. Their OWL grades were lower than hers but barely (and for Harry one was higher), and she spent more time studying. Intelligence is brain capacity not outcome
Anyway, back to ruining Ron. After watching the third movie one time, I consulted the book during the confrontation scene among the Marauders and the Trio, and discovered one of Ron’s lines in the book was given to Hermione in the movie which made him look like a cowering idiot.
Another let’s-make-Ron-look-like-an-oaf was his little response to the cruel taunting of the Horocrux. People, in the book, he was CRYING. He loved Hermione and because of his insecurities, he was genuinely jealous of Harry.Which love brings us to the biggest movie crime. Because Ron loved Hermione he was emotionally tortured (as was Harry, he cared too) while she was physically tortured. Ron was not a calm person, panic was usually his default. Does emptily staring as he did in the movie really match his personality? I mean Harry was pretty upset too; what decent person would be thrilled hearing anyone, much less a friend, tortured? But for Ron, that was his beloved. I am still stunned by the insensitivity of that scene in the movie.
Thankfully, someone appreciated the incongruity of the book and movie parallel.
Isn’t the “real” Ron just precious in that scene? So much shipping of this couple.Calling all Ron Weasley appreciators.For the record, I would marry Fred or George Weasley, sorry, I don’t love Ron that much; I like him and Hermione together. -
Romeo or Benedick? Knightley or Tilney?
Romeo or Benedick?
Knightley or Tilney?
Jack or Algernon?
John Brooke or Laurie?
Gilbert or Barney?Do you prefer the more traditional romantic leading men? Or the ones with personality. You can probably tell from that whom I prefer :/
How about the more popular or the overlook/rejected?
Will or Norrington?
Darcy or Bingley?
Rochester or St. John Rivers?
Pip or Herbert?