Top Ten Tuesday - Top 10 Most Memorable Secondary Characters

This week’s topic was lots of fun, and full disclosure: I had lots of help from my lovely, YA-loving boyfriend, Paul, who even guest-wrote about one of HIS most memorable secondary characters! So we present some of our all-time favorite secondary characters, the good, the bad, and the weird (weekly feature courtesy of The Broke and the Bookish).

How Bean got his name. From Marvel.com

1. Bean from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

In a sci-fi novel about child soldiers who must save the world from aliens, Bean is definitely one of the standout characters. Nicknamed Bean for his diminutive stature, he is nonetheless a force to be reckoned with in the Battle Room thanks to his brilliant tactical mind. Readers found Bean so compelling that Card even wrote a sequel all about his backstory in Ender’s Shadow!

By Ciclomono on deviantART

2. Sirius Black from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Definitely one of my favorite characters from the series. He was descended from a pureblood family but turned his back on them, imprisoned in Azkaban for a crime he didn’t commit, escaped, and found his way back to Harry, his best friend’s son, to offer him a loving home. Oh, and did I mention he’s Padfoot?

I, too, want a giant polar bear friend. By SinaGrace on deviantART

3. Iorek Byrnison from His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Iorek, the giant talking polar bear, or Panserbjorne, was pretty much the reason I got hooked on this series in the first place after I saw him on the cover. Initially living alone and full of anger (he has lost his throne, been exiled from Svalbard, and is being blackmailed into working as an ironsmith for humans), his friendship with Lyra shows him to be fiercely protective of those he loves.

4. Haymitch from The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

He’s a bitter survivor who has watched many around him die, but Katniss' fighting spirit gives him hope. In Catching Fire we learn that Haymitch has some hidden depths, but ultimately his best friend and escape is always the bottle.

Derp. By Raphooo2013 on deviantART

5. Gollum/Smeagol from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Smeagol was just a poor Stoor-Hobbit who was so corrupted by the One Ring that he killed his friend Deagol for it, and things got a lot worse from there. I've always found Gollum super pitiable and maintain my belief that all he needs to set him straight is a hug.

 

Magnus and the Chairman

6. Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments/Clockwork series by Cassandra Clare

I mostly include Magnus for Kate, since he’s one of her all-time favorite characters. Luckily Cassie Clare knows how many readers love him and has included him in BOTH of her published series to date. Magnus is an immortal warlock who often uses his powers to come to the aid of Shadowhunters. And when he’s not doing that, he wears glittery eyeliner, throws birthday parties for his beloved cat, Chairman Meow, and also he likes boys.

Creepy half-vampire child by 4Steex on deviantART

7. Renesmee from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Okay. Renesmee is my LEAST favorite part of the entire series, but you gotta hand it to the girl, she IS memorable. Bella actually KILLS herself in order to give birth to the unprecedented half-human/half-vampire child, but hey, that’s a mother’s duty, right? And it's totally normal that Jacob falls in love with her -- right?!

Paul’s Pick:

By Oboe on deviantART

8. Mandorallen from The Belgariad by David Eddings

In Eddings’ brilliantly realized world of gods, monsters, and everything in between, it’s no surprise that one of the standout secondary characters lands exactly there. This series is rife with colorful and memorable characters, each tugging, in turn, on different heart strings throughout their quest, but it’s Mandorallen who (barely) wins. Clad in the heaviest and finest of armors, boasting no magic powers – unless of course you count an unwavering conviction, codes layered upon codes of honor, honesty, chivalry, and loyalty to country and companions, and the charmiest of “charm”ing rhetoric and stature as “powers”…well then, yes, he’s pretty magical. Oh, and he also has no fears…of anything…and he wrestles a lion and wins.

By Mrs.Graves on deviantART

9. Severus Snape from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I probably could have written my whole list based on memorable secondary HP characters. Snivellus can definitely be an absolute jerk to Harry, but it turns out to be a good life lesson for Harry in showing him that people are not black and white, good or bad; people are complicated. Snape made some mistakes, but he spent the rest of his life atoning for them as best he could. He’s now widely recognized as one of the series’ unsung heroes.

 

Coke's just not as good.

10. Mr. D from Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan’s modern interpretations of Greek gods and heroes are all pretty hilarious, but Mr. D, or Dionysus, is more so than most. He’s the director of Camp Half-Blood for demigod heroes, but not by choice. Forbidden by Zeus to drink the wine that is his godly domain, he takes to chugging Diet Coke instead. 100 years without wine? I feel your pain, Mr. D.

What do you think of my picks? Did I miss anyone? Who did you include?

-Meg

Top 10 Books in the World War II Setting, or, How to Get Nightmares In 10 Easy Steps

(A The Broke and Bookish feature)

I’m confident I’m not the only reader who went through a WWII phase, consumed a large number of memoirs (I Promised I Would Tell, The Cage, I Have Lived A Thousand Years, Diary Of A Young Girl, Night) and proceeded to have much-too-vivid nightmares.  There is something so ghastly about World War II that even the history books read more like fiction than fact.  How could something so horrible actually have happened to someone just like me?

1. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

An imaginative novel of modern day New York and 80-year-old Leo’s memories of the girl that motivated his will to live during the Holocaust.

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Narrated by Death, this follows the story of a young girl adopted into a small, poor German town and the young Jewish man her foster parents hide in their basement.  The two unlikely friends find some liberation through the written word.

3. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

A young man visits Ukraine to uncover the secrets of his grandfather’s past the woman who hid him from the Nazis.  If you’re familiar with this author, you know what a strange, disorienting, non-linear and fantastic read this is.

4. MAUS by Art Spiegelman

A unique and symbolic take on the author’s father’s experience during and after the Holocaust.  The art in this graphic novel is as powerful as the words.

5. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

Briar Rose was the only bedtime story Becca’s grandmother ever told her.  After her grandmother’s death, adult Becca searches for meaning in her grandmother’s unusual version of the fairy tale that leads her to Poland.

6. The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal

Simon Wiesenthal recounts a brief moment in his Holocaust experience when he was asked by a German soldier for forgiveness.  Wiesenthal poses the question: What should he have done? And receives dozens of essay responses from theologians, scholars, and religious leaders.  This is a fantastic exploration of forgiveness and justice.

7. Atonement by Ian McEwan

A novel of the dire consequences of a misunderstanding.  And this dress.

8. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

A satirical novel like only Vonnegut can write, following fatalistic Billy Pilgrim through a prisoner of war camp & the firebombing of Dresden.

9. Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

A novel about race, equality and sport, in South Africa.  The beginning of the book addresses the impact WWII has on Peekay and those close to him.  Peekay’s tutor, a good and gentle soul, is thrown in prison for being German while the German-descended Afrikaners torture English Peekay when he is sent to boarding school.    

10. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

A young girl and her family participate in the Danish Resistance, risking their lives to save the country’s Jewish population.

Looking for more?  Try these: Summer of my German Soldier, Catch-22, A Separate Peace, Fugitive Pieces, Greater than Angels, In My Enemy’s House, Devil’s Arithmetic, Molly: An American Girl.

**Reviewing my list, I’m noticing a serious dearth of books about the Pacific theater, and nothing about the Internment of Japanese citizens in California.  Anyone have any suggestions?

-Kate

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Six Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

Okay, guys. Sorry to shortchange you this week. BUT I was struggling to find ten since I read so many books that are part of a series already. My thought process, growing progressively more desperate:

“Atonement by Ian McEwan? Too depressing. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold? But she’s already dead! Roanoke: A Novel of the Lost Colony by Sonia Levitin – Doesn’t the colony disappear at the end?? Come on, Meg!”

So in the end I just gave up (a good life strategy, no?) and just picked the six I felt most strongly about. And I DO have some strong feelings:

(Credit for original weekly feature all to the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish)

1.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (and just about any other novel by her… except you, Mansfield Park, go back to your corner)

 

I KNOW you guys are with me on this one! How do know this? Oh, just judging by this tiny sampling of the vast body of P&P continuations/spin-offs, like these that I have read:

An Assembly Such as This, P&P&Z, Austenland

 And these that I still NEED to read:

Why so many vampire/vampyre Darcy's? I do not know, but I'll allow it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Beginnings and Endings!

In which Sam rants about the English language, raves about Hemingway (as usual) and rambles on absolutely forever. 

For this week's TTT, we've been asked to share the best book beginnings & endings. I took this rather literally and sought out the words that most shook me up when I read them first (rather than "I'm so glad that X person got a dragon in the end" because, well, I am nearly always glad to rave about the presence/rant about the absence of dragons.)

Also, this TTT is super long. You've been warned. 

And as always, credit to The Broke and the Bookish for this fabulous feature!

Top Ten Words That Will Make You NOT Pick Up a Book or, Some of the Strangest Titles Out There

(A feature of The Broke and the Bookish)

I can’t really say that there are single words that turn me off from a book (vampire: let's indulge!, clockwork: absolutely!, dragon: Sam has stolen it from my hands) but there certainly are combinations of words (some people call it a title- I really think that's going to catch on) that simply perplex me.  

Here are some of those titles.  **Please note I have not actually read any of these books, so I give in to that inexpiable sin of judging a book by its cover and title.

The Best Dad Is a Good Lover by Charlie W. Shedd

Hands off, dude. 

 

George Bush, Dark Prince of Love by Lydia Millet

The Goodreads summary tells me this book is “written with razor-sharp satiric wit and packed with wry observations of our times.”  I find that hard to believe.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top 10 Poets Who Deserve More Recognition

This week I decided to devote some page space to some of the most undervalued writers out there: poets! Here are 10 of my favorites who I think deserve more recognition, along with some beautiful lines they’ve written. (As always, Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.)

1.  Edna St. Vincent Millay, from Sonnet II:

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide

Top Ten Tuesday: Best & Worst Film Adaptations

In which Sam rants and raves about five of the worst and five of the best film adaptations of YA/NA novels, including (1) a quick synopsis, (2) whether the book is worth the read, and (3) whether the movie is worth the watch!

Without further ado, we here at Mad But Magic are very excited to share our Top Ten Tuesday list of Best & Worst Movie Adaptations – original feature, as always, courtesy of The Broke and Bookish :)

TOP 5 BEST MOVIE ADAPTATIONS

#5 S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders and the 1983 film adaptation, The Outsiders

Synopsis: Young men on the edge – of sanity, of society, of adulthood – stalk the night streets in leather jackets and linger on in your heart.

Is the book worth the read? YES! One hundred times, yes. The Outsiders was written by a woman who wandered the streets getting to know young men just like her protagonists – who, by the way, have some of the best names you’ll ever encounter in fiction – Ponyboy and Sodapop are my favorites. True to publishing industry fashion when it comes to female authors like J.K. Rowling, S.E. Hinton is really Susan Eloise Hinton – and she wrote the book while still in high school!

Is the movie worth the watch? Absolutely – it’s old but it’s fun, and it’s a bit of a tearjerker, too. Also, it’s a delight to look for today’s well-known stars in some early roles, like Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Maccio, Rob Lowe, and Tom Cruise!

In sum: Do it forJohnny.