Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Frustrating Characters Ever

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created to share lists with other bookish folks! For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday list, we were asked to list our top ten most frustrating characters ever! This is a great idea for a list, and it’s one that I mulled over quite a bit, since frustrating characters are poised on a bit of a tight-rope. Some remain likeable, and some are just…not.

1. Rex and Rose Marie Walls, from The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
Perhaps because I read it so recently, author Jeannette Walls’ parents immediately sprang to mind as the epitome of “frustrating.” In my review, I spoke about struggling to feel sympathetic for them–the way Walls herself seems to!–but ultimately being unable to understand or forgive their negligence and cruelty toward their children.

2. Quentin Coldwater, from The Magicians and The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Quentin is whiny, arrogant, thoughtless, and decidedly unsympathetic. And he’s our protagonist! You’ll want to shake him constantly throughout these novels. That being said, he’s a fairly-realistic sketch of what a teenage boy with magical powers would be like.

3. Susan Norton, from Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Ugh, Susan. You’ve watched horror movies–you know what happens to blonde girls who go wandering around creepy mansions on their own! (You can read the rest of my review here.)

4. Henry VIII, from Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Compared to Cromwell, our main character, Henry VIII comes across as immature and undisciplined. While Cromwell has had to work hard for every opportunity afforded to him, the blue-blooded nobility look down upon him for his humble origins. (Review here.)

5. Llewellyn, from No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
The entire book–and all of its attendant cold-blooded murder and mayhem–could have been averted if you just didn’t pick up that bag of cash in the desert, Llewellyn.

6. Zoe from White Horse by Alex Adams
In my review, I found White Horse to be a frustrating book overall, due in part to protagonist Zoe. She really didn’t display any of the characteristics I would expect to find in one of the only survivors of a global apocalypse, and never seemed to learn from the mistakes that got her companions killed in various ways. Her totally inappropriate obsession with her therapist also drove me nuts.

7. Samad, from White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Like entry #9 in my list, White Teeth is populated by frustrating characters. Smith’s characters feel so realistic that even the poor choices they make are understandable. For me, Samad was one of the more frustrating individuals; he not only cheated on his wife, but also drives his sons away with his unreasonable demands and his lack of sympathy for the struggles of first-generation immigrants. Read my review here.

8. Tris, from Divergent (Divergent Trilogy #1) by Veronica Roth
Girl.

9. Everyone in The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides
I couldn’t choose between Madeleine, Leonard, and Mitchell, who are all frustrating in different ways: Madeleine for her romanticism and playacting at adulthood; Leonard for his inability to take his mental illness seriously; and Mitchell for being generally privileged, pretentious, and unable to understand why a girl he’s friends with might not want to date him. More complaints here.

10. Lacey Yeagar, from An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
The consummate social climber, Lacey uses her youth and beauty to charm countless men into furthering her career and her expensive tastes. And unfortunately, because the novel is not from her point of view, we are never really given much chance to empathize with her. As I said in my review, “An Object of Beauty failed to wow me.”

Who are your top ten most frustrating characters? Feel free to link to your own post in the comments!

Capsule Book Reviews: September 2012

Ready for another edition of capsule book reviews? (I read so much faster than I write blog posts! Sigh. Blogger problems.) Anyway, I had a great run of enjoyable books in September!

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach
I am decidedly NOT queasy or easily-squicked out. I’m a fan of senseless violence and the darkness in the human heart. One of my favorite books is Blood Meridian, for goodness sake! But this nonfiction novel about cadavers had me close to fainting at points. Seriously! I had to stop reading it on the subway a couple times because I was so grossed out. (To my credit, most of the dead body stuff was okay; it was when she wrote about the experiments done on living animals that I felt lightheaded.) Despite that, however, I thought this was a completely engrossing exploration of what happens to human bodies after death. Roach covers medical research, organ donation, car safety research, composting, and more, and does it in her usual chatty, witty, endnote-laden manner. She’s a master at injecting her voice and personality into a narrative without making it all about her. So in spite of my queasiness, I think Stiff is more than deserving of praise. Four out of five stars.

Mr. Toppit, by Charles Elton
Arthur, author of a little-known children’s fantasy series, dies, starting an unpredictable chain of events for his family to muddle through. Told from the point-of-view of his son–on whom the hero of the fantasy novels was based–we follow the family’s slow decline and the ascent of Laurie, an American tourist and witness to Arthur’s death.  I enjoyed Mr. Toppit, but too many things were glossed over or unaddressed for me to find it an entirely satisfactory read. Characters were both unlikable and opaque; I couldn’t stand Laurie or bring myself to care about her motivations. It also stretched my disbelief too far to have Laurie become a successful television host when she so often seemed psychotic on the page. I do think it is an interesting take on the havoc novelists can end up wreaking on their children. Three out of five stars.

Translation Nation: Defining a New American Identity in the Spanish-speaking United States, by Hector Tobar
I support reading non-fiction about and by Latinos for sure, considering I am Mexican-American and biased. Tobar takes us across the United States and through Latin America in his journey to chronicle the ways in which Latino identity has adapted and evolved. Many of the scenes in the Midwest, which has a large (and sometimes invisible) Latino population, were quite interesting. I found some of it problematic, however. I would have liked more writing about Guatemalans, and less about Mexicans, considering Tobar himself is Guatemalan and thus can bring a cultural insider’s perspective. I also thought some of the parts about white men appropriating Latino identities was not regarded through a critical lens at all. Basically, my issues boil down to wanting either a purely academic text or a purely journalistic text, and Translation Nation fell somewhere in between. Perhaps it will be a helpful eye-opener to those who know absolutely nothing about Latinos in the United States, but for those of us who do, it doesn’t go deep enough. Two and a half out of five stars.

Top Ten Tuesday REWIND: Top Ten Book Romances That Would Make It In The Real World

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created to share lists with other bookish folks! For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday list, we’ve got a rewind–we can choose any past Top Ten Tuesday subject that we missed! I chose August 14′s prompt: the top ten book romances that I think would make it in the real world!

1. Seraphina and Lucian, from Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
What makes this relationship great is that it’s just two sides of a very realistic and interesting love triangle. (Also great is the fact that Seraphina is strong, talented, independent, and concerned with many other things other than romantic love–take notes, Bella!–and that theirs is not an “insta-love” by any means!) In the real world, I see Seraphina as a composer or professional singer, and Lucian as the police officer that falls in love with her.

2. Judge Holden and Violence, from Blood Meridan by Cormac McCarthy
In opposition to the Kid’s indifference and attempts to do the right thing occasionally, Blood Meridian‘s Judge Holden is a symbol, pure evil personified. And apparently the Judge and his murderous gang were based on a real historical group, the Glanton scalphunter gang. So, with all that said, can you see the Judge with anyone romantically? (Or even just non-murderously?) Nope. So that just leaves me to pair Judge Holden with his one true love: violence.

3. Lyra and Will, from the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
Although Lyra and Will are children, their relationship is never treated as less real or important than a relationship between adults. They compliment each others’ strengths and pretty much save the world(s) between them. If they were somehow pulled from their world(s) into ours, I think their romance would have had the chance it needed to fully blossom, rather than being cut off mid-bloom.

4. Isadora Wing and Nobody, from Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
Listen, I know there’s a sequel or two out there that probably solve the cliffhanger Fear of Flying ends on–does she or doesn’t she get back together with her intelligent and long-suffering but moody and withdrawn husband? However, I’ve realized that the conclusion I like best is the one I’ve imagined:  Isadora doesn’t get together with anyone; instead, she lives a swingin’ single life well into her ’80s, has sex when and how she wants it, and never has to become anyone’s housewife or nursemaid again.

5. Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska, from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Augh. Well-written angst will get me like nothing else. Archer and Olenska are clearly meant for each other, and yet are kept apart by secrets, scandal, and the strict social conventions of the time period. However, if they existed here and now, I think they would be an amazingly witty and wonderful NYC power-couple.

6. Sabriel and Touchstone, from Sabriel by Garth Nix
Just a wonderfully-realistic romance between two teenagers on a quest to rescue Sabriel’s father. Oh, and their first kiss is awesome: Sabriel bites Touchstone’s mouth to revive him from the realm of Death. See? Awesome.

7. Hermione and Being Awesome, from the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling
Ron’s fine, but I’ve always been fond of single and sassy Hermione myself. It’s unrealistic to think that Rowling wasn’t going to include romance, but I never really shipped any particular pairings. (Perhaps because I was older than the characters when the books were coming out.) Anyway, I loved that Hermione didn’t apologize for being an intelligent and outspoken girl–and that she never pretended to be anything less than what she was to spare the guys’ feelings. Young women need more role models like Hermione!

8. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The epitomy of a great literary relationship! These two should be on every relationship-based list. The drama! The angst! The misunderstands! And through it all, Elizabeth and Darcy’s underlying quiet affection for one another.

9. Madeleine and Unrealistic Expectations/Poor Decision-Making, from The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
I don’t want to spoil anything, but trust me, you’ll know which decision I mean when you get to it.

10. I’ll leave this one open!

 

So what are some of the literary romances that you think would make it in the real world?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On Your Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a topic and encourage fellow bloggers to list their own top ten answers. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday asks us to post the top ten books on our fall TBR lists! For this TTT, I looked back at my post about the top ten books on my summer TBR list. Predictably, some of them carry over, because I never get to all of the books I want to during the summer!

1. The Twelve, by Justin Cronin
This is the sequel to Passage, which I devoured but still felt a bit disappointed in. That doesn’t mean I won’t be reading this follow-up, if only for more information the Twelve, the originators of vampires. I’d been hoping it would should up on NetGalley, to no avail! Out this October.

2. This is How You Lose Her, by Junot Diaz
I actually know nothing about this book. I do know that I loved The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, so I want to read Diaz’s newest work. I appreciate the realistic, sensitive approach he takes to writing about outsiders.

3. Lirael, by Garth Nix
I loooooved Sabriel after reading it earlier this summer, and was psyched to discover that it’s the first in a trilogy. My library has all three as ebooks, and I’m just waiting for the perfect time to delve into Lirael.

4. All Clear, by Connie Willis
The novels Blackout and All Clear were supposed to have been one gigantic book, but they were divided up and released separately. I recently read Blackout, and considering it ends with everything still in flux, I know I’ve got to get my hands on All Clear soon. Willis is a favorite of mine!

5. Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver
I have an uneven appreciation of Kingsolver’s works (loved The Poisonwood Bible, disliked Prodigal Summer, liked The Bean Trees, wouldn’t touch Animal, Vegetable, Miracle with a ten-foot pole) but her hits far outpace her misses in my eyes. I like the slight magical-realism aspect to this novel and will be gobbling it up come December 2012.

6. Crossed, by Ally Condie
I thought Matched was some perfectly serviceable YA dystopian lit, and I can’t lie–I’m curious as to where Cassia ends up! Onto the TBR list it goes.

7. The Accidental Billionaires, by Ben Mezrich
Yeah, yeah, I know–I tore Mezrich’s Sex on the Moon a new one when I reviewed it. But sometimes, I just want to read something trashy that I know I’m going to roll my eyes at, and this tale of Facebook’s founders seems as good a candidate as any.

8. The Marriage Plot, by Jeffery Eugenides
I’m late on this, but I need to be able to talk about this book with my friends, and my new neighborhood’s library has it in stock. This will be my third attempt at a Eugenides novel. (Three strikes and you’re out, mister.)

9. NW, by Zadie Smith
I thought Smith’s On Beauty was a literary masterpiece. I hardly ever reread books, but I think I will need to revisit On Beauty again and again to truly appreciate its nuanced take on race, class, and love. I want to read all of Smith’s works, and I was excited to see that NW–her first new book in years–will be out this September.

10. The Mirror and The Light, by Hilary Mantel
When is this coming out!? I know it can’t be this fall, but in my dreams, this book is already out.

Hmm. Lots of sequels on my list, in addition to authors I have already read and enjoyed (or hated)! What ten books are you dying to read this fall?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my Spring To-Be-Read List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a topic and encourage fellow bloggers to list their own top ten answers. This week’s prompt is the Top Ten Books on my Spring To-Be-Read List! While it’s always challenging to narrow down such a huge, already-existing list (my to-read list on GoodReads is currently at 188), I found this list a little easier than past weeks’! Check out my list below and feel free to share links to your own in the comments!

Top Ten Books on my Spring To-Be-Read List:

1. Divergent, by Veronica Roth
While I wasn’t immediately moved to read this from its description, the glowing reviews and love I’ve seen for this book on GoodReads and blogs that I trust was enough to make me add this. And if it’s the next Hunger Games, like I’ve seen some suggest, I don’t want to be left out of the loop!

2. Townie, by Andre Dubus III
This one comes with a glowing recommendation from a friend who has similar taste in books. I have a bit of a bias against memoirs, but Townie sounds like one that I would really enjoy, as it was described by Richard Russo as an excellent meditation on “violence, its sources, consequences, and, especially, its terrifying pleasures.”

3. The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Like Divergent, I want to read this so I can join the existing dialogue around it! It’s also my last attempt at enjoying a Eugenides book…if I don’t like this one, after having read both The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex and finding them to be meh, he and I are breaking up.

4. A Queer and Pleasant Danger, by Kate Bornstein
I had the opportunity to hear Kate speak at a conference, and she was really wonderful and funny. Her life story sounds absolutely incredible, including but not limited to her creation of the idea of “gender outlaws.” I had no idea she was a Scientologist for years, for example!

5. Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt’s Doomed Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, by Richard Zacks
Being a New Yorker myself, I enjoy reading both historical fiction and nonfiction about New York City’s early years, especially when it’s based around gangs, drugs, and general vice. This sounds like it would be a great complement to books like The Alienist and Low Life.

6. The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness
I meant to read this when it first came out…and it just slipped my mind. I’ve been seeing it make the rounds on book blogs lately and that reminded me to put it at the top of my reading list!

7. Yes, Chef: A Memoir, by Marcus Samuelsson
Any fan of Top Chef worth their black truffle and olive oil sea salt should read this memoir. I’m looking forward to the next time I visit my family in NYC and get to visit Samuelsson’s Red Rooster restaurant for the first time!

8. The Starboard Sea, by Amber Dermont
I like reading about the lives of the rich and privileged, especially if they are hitting rock bottom. (And in fact, I get annoyed at books that don’t have them facing any consequences of their actions…I’m looking at you, The Privileges!) This novel is set at a New England boarding school during the 1980s, so it immediately caught my interest.

9. Taco, by John E. DeJesus
On the other hand, I also really enjoy books about much-less privileged individuals, who make a life for themselves in the face of oppression. Taco is about a Puerto Rican boy growing up in Brooklyn. (Again, love reading about NYC!)

10. Hemlock Grove, by Brian McGreevy
“The body of a young girl is found mangled and murdered in the woods of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of the abandoned Godfrey Steel mill. A manhunt ensues—though the authorities aren’t sure if it’s a man they should be looking for” (via GoodReads). A murder-mystery/thriller with werewolf and/or vampire implications? Count me in. I can’t wait until this one comes out!