Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

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This week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is all about secondary characters so I've scoured my goodreads lists and come up with a few notable characters.

Daniel from Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi
He's the perfect big brother and I admire his political conviction, not to mention his Tory friend.

Mikey from Laurie Halse Anderson's Catalyst
He's such a cute kid and I love how he really draws attention to Terri and allows for some great character development.

The Rooster in Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier)
Yes, I'm counting the rooster as a character.  He's part of one of my favorite scenes in the book, terrifying Ida to the point where she hides in a bush.  He's also the reason I loved Ruby when she was first introduced.

George from the Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce
George is the kind of love interest I like to see in YA books.  He's steadfast and patient and he's supportive of Alanna living her life the way she wants to, regardless of what that means for the two of them.  He's a great contrast for Jonathan as well.

Mary in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series
In a lot of the books, Mary comes across as being perfect, or at least as a person whom Laura respects and I loved that about her as a kid.  I loved that Mary was unassumingly awesome, but still got into trouble with Laura on occasion.

Ophelia in Hamlet
I love the use of flower symbolism in her dialogue.  I love how tragically beautiful she is, and how strongly she feels both her love and despair.  I also love watching quiet obedient characters come undone, and Ophelia definitely delivers in that department.

Mae Mobley from The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Cutest child possibly ever.

Ruth in Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones
I've always loved Ruth and her connection to Susie.  I can't put my finger on why exactly but I love her nonetheless.

Geilie Duncan from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Flawed characters are my favorite, particularly if you're not quite sure what they're up to.  I would get into specifics but I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't read the book or continued on with the series.

Miriam in A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness)
I love her snark.  I love how loyal she is to Mathew even when she has her own interests to contend with.


Top Ten Things That Make My Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier

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I can't say that I've been doing a whole lot of book blogging lately but I have been thinking about it a lot and doing an astronomical amount of reading so here it goes, then things that make my life as a blogger/reader easier:

  • Goodreads:  They track the books I read, keep basic stats and allow me to stay organized, quickly in between the times I update my reading spreadsheet.  I also store notes on books or brief summaries to remind myself what I liked (or didn't) about a book.  The summaries, book covers, and author information provided by the site are also really helpful when posting book reviews.
  • Excel: I track all of my reading in one big spreadsheet.  In years past I only had a list, but this year as I've joined more bookclubs I've switched over to a spreadsheet as it makes it easier to sort by any number of factors including dates and genres.
  • My local library: Free books both in print and as ebooks and audiobooks.  Access to more books in various formats mean more reading, particularly on new topics or in new genres.
  • Youtube:  This doesn't seem directly related to reading I know, but there's a great community of readers on Youtube that inspire me to keep reading and keep me up to date on current bookish news. 
  • My Friends: Even my friends who aren't so bookishly inclined will talk to me about my/their reading.  It keeps me interested.  I love discussing character development, plot structure, and themes as much as I love squealing with delight over how something is written or how geeky a character is. 
  • Bookclubs and Readathons: Most of my bookclubs and readathons take place either on Youtube or Goodreads, but I'm looking to expand this a bit for next year.  Both of these are great ways to meet new book nerds and have great discussions.
  • Charity Book Sales: Cheap books being sold for a good cause = buying lots of books without going broke or feeling guilty. Much like the library charity sales introduce me to a wide range of new books and often prompt me to try something new.
  • My Phone: I don't have an e-reader, so having books on my phone allows me to squeeze reading in one page at a time, particularly in locations where reading a hard copy book would be difficult i.e. standing up with only one free hand.
  • Blogger: I use the app to save notes on books and drafts of posts I would like to make.  This saves me a lot of time hunting for the notes I left on the receipt I was using as a bookmark meaning that whenever I stop blabbing about my summer vacation I can go back to posting (lots of) reviews.
  • My Books: There's something about owning books that makes me want to own read more books.
What about you, is there something that makes your life as a reader or book blogger easier that I'm missing out on?  Please let me know.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and the Bookish.  Click the link to join the discussion or check out future questions.