Half-Year Favorites of 2012: The Characters

Day Two ~ The Characters
(Day One ~ The Books, can be found here.)

1. best female protagonist: Juliette, from Shatter Me. Okay, here's the thing: I just freakin' love Juliette, just like I love nearly everything about Shatter Me (except, of course, for Warner. I loathe Warner, which makes me nervous for the rest of the series). Still, Juliette is far and away my favorite thing about the book - she's inwardly strong despite being so, so broken down by those around her and the things that she's done. She's just awesome.

2. best male protagonist: Felton Reinstein, from Nothing Special. Oh, Felton. He's such a talented, crazy, often self-absorbed (though trying not to be) guy. He's often pretty oblivious as to what's happening around him, although once he catches up he charges full-steam ahead to fix the situation and take care of those he cares about, often awkwardly apologizing for his own mistakes in the process. Plus, Felton's voice (like Juliette's) is entirely original and completely makes the book.

3. best couple: Josie Brant and Peter Maxx, from Fangirl. (Note that this was a tough category and there were two other couples that I really loved, but both of them are spoilerish.) AH. These two are so cute and embody the whole angst of crushes so, so well. I feel a little bad continually raving about this book when it's not out for months yet, but seriously. So adorable.

4. who i want to be best friends with: Felton Reinstein, from Nothing Special. Partly this is because Felton reminds me quite a bit of myself and partly it's because he's so flipping hilarious. I would love to just sit around and hang out with him; it would be great.

5. who i fell in love with:

6. best villain: The killer from And Then There Were None. I can't say this character's name, but the way s/he orchestrated the murders was completely brilliant and creepy.

7. best character twist: Alright, answering this one without spoilers is difficult so instead of saying who, I'm just going to say what book she's from. She's one of the main characters in The List and if you've read the book I'm sure you know who it is, but the ending of this just blew me away. Not only was it smart and unexpected, but it made the entire novel that much more heart-wrenching.

8. best kick-ass female: Amy, from A Million Suns. Amy totally takes control in this second novel in the trilogy. She steps up, goes after what she wants, and is determined to uncover the mysteries surrounding Godspeed, even if Elder doesn't want her to. Exceptional.

9. best kick-ass male: Dylan, from How to Save A Life. There are many, many points in this novel where everyone is pretty much acting crazy bananas. But Dylan is always the calm voice of reason, which I absolutely love. He's unflinching in his honesty, but also in how much he cares about those that he's close to.

10. character that broke my heart the most: Ack. Another one that's potentially a spoiler. But whatever, this one I'm just going to up and say, so if you haven't read Sisterhood Everlasting, maybe skip this one. Because ohmygoodness Tibby. Why? WHY WHY WHY??? This is up there with the ending of The Luxe series in terms of confusion, sadness, and anger.

11. favorite animal award: Hum, from The Summer I Learned to Fly. I never ever ever thought I'd love a rat, even a fictional one. But this book proved me wrong and I don't quite know how, but it definitely happened.

12. best young adult parents award: Hazel's parents from The Fault In Our Stars. Hazel's mom and dad are so fantastic that even if the rest of the book were awful (which, it isn't) it would still almost be worth reading it just for her parents. They're loving and stable and there for her even when she's being a brat. They walk that fine line between overbearing and crazy lenient, and they react to Hazel's illness the way real (awesome) parents would. Ah, I love them.

13. favorite sibling relationship: Jonathan & Telemachus, from Adios, Nirvana. There were so many good ones for this category and I feel almost like a cheater choosing these two, since the entire book is about Jonathan dealing with Tele's death. But the way he reacts to his twin brother's death shows so clearly how incredibly close the two boys were and it's painful to read. But it's also beautiful because there's so much love between the brothers.

14. favorite friendship award: Jimmy and Frankie, from Saving Francesca. There's a solid group of friends at the center of this story, but Frankie (Francesca) and Jimmy stand out to me because there's nothing romantic between them but they have such a weird, unexpected friendship that really works. At one point in the novel Jimmy says that he's "not really into the F-word--" (meaning friendship)-- "with people," and I think that's sort of the best. When you don't really have many friends or you're not good at having friends or whatever, but then you find someone you feel comfortable enough around and that you like enough to actually call your friend.

15. best and worst character names: First for the best. Hudson Avery, from Bittersweet. This name has the perfect amount of uniqueness without going completely overboard. Plus the first and last works really well together and I absolutely love unisex names (or even boys' names) for girls.

And now, sadly, for the worst. Alex Patrick, from The Rivals. I know I just said that I like boys' names for girls, but there are two notable exceptions and I apologize if you're a girl with either one of these names. And the first one is Alex. (The second one I won't say because I don't need to offend any more people that I already have.) And pairing it with Patrick? It just so doesn't seem to fit Alex's character.

16. best love triangle: I almost answered this one. I almost did. But the truth is that while some books I've read so far this year have technically had love triangles, none of them fall into that classic angst who-will-she-choose dilemma; it hasn't been the fuel for the story and it hasn't even really been a big deal in the books. So if you have any great love triangle books, please recommend them! (Because I like love triangles in fiction, I really do.)

Five: Favorite Characters From 2011

1. Kurt Brodsky

Leverage

Joshua C. Cohen

KURT BRODSKY!!!!! This is a football-playing character wonderful and complex enough to rival the guys of Friday Night Lights, which just shows how amazing this character is. Not only is he one of my favorite characters of 2011, but he's an all-time favorite character of mine.

2. Eleanor Crowe

Pregnant Pause

Han Nolan

Eleanor, the pregnant, married, confused, and rebellious girl from Pregnant Pause is up there with Courtney Summers' protagonists in possible unlikability. Never mind that I love her. She is, at least in the beginning, as flawed and messed-up as they come, but her personal journey as the book progresses is such a great one as she tries to become a better person, figure out what she wants, and figure out if there's any way to make a few of her mistakes right. Awesome, awesome character.

3. Ari Mitchell

Other Words for Love

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

On the other side of the spectrum from Eleanor is Ari Mitchell, a good girl who does exactly what her family expects of her, even when she feels like it's too much. She's a multi-dimensional, well-written character who's easy to relate to.

4. Adam Wilde

Where She Went (If I Stay #2)

Gayle Forman

I've talked to plenty of people who didn't like getting the story in Where She Went from Adam, who at times seems like whatever the male equivalent of a diva is. Some found him completely unlikable, but I didn't have that problem. Adam is one of the more complex and interesting characters out there, one who in dealing with the aftermath of the events of If I Stay becomes a person he and those around him don't recognize anymore... and then can't quite figure out how to get back to himself. My heart breaks for this character.

5. Deb

What Happened to Goodbye

Sarah Dessen

It's rare for a secondary, almost background, character to become one of my favorites, but here it is. Deb, who is underestimated and overlooked many times throughout this book is nevertheless the most interesting, likable, and compelling characters in it. I'd happily read a whole novel about Deb.

Tuesday Ten: Rebellious Characters

This week's topic from The Broke and the Bookish is literature's rebels, defined as "those people who stood up for what they believed in despite the cost of doing so." I really love this topic yet had a surprisingly difficult time with it and wasn't sure how well many of the people I chose actually fit the bill, because a few of my rebels are a bit different than you might expect.

In no particular order...

1. Stargirl

Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl was just so different and the first time I read this book, back in fifth grade or whatever, I didn't quite get it. She just annoyed me. It wasn't until years later when I reread the book that I saw the genius of Stargirl -- this is definitely an out-of-the-ordinary character who in the end refuses to be anything different than who she is. Total rebel girl.

2. Julia James

Ally Carter

This cute, clean romance novel is my favorite Ally Carter book. Julia's rebel streak comes in when the single woman self-help guru, famous for writing books helping erase the stigma of living the solo life falls in love... and then has to decide how to handle her personal life and the career that she still loves. She's such a great character (and a rebel!) not only because of how she handles the possibility of having a boyfriend in her life, but also how whole-heartedly she believes in all of her self-help stuff. I'm sad this book is out of print (and that more people haven't read it!)

3. Guy Montag

Ray Bradbury

The reasons for this one are obvious and if you're someone who, for some crazy reason, hasn't read this book -- I suggest you get on that STAT. That means right away.

4. Peeta Mellark

Suzanne Collins

I love pretty much everything about Peeta and his character is refreshingly consistent, but the reason I think of him as a rebel is because of how startlingly honest he is throughout the Games. Not just honest to Katniss and Haymitch, but to everybody, including television interviewers and the bloodthirsty public. It's kind of insane, honestly.

5. Rhett Butler

Margaret Mitchell

Again, do I really need to explain this one?

6. Atticus Finch

Harper Lee

Atticus is maybe my favorite rebel -- or at least my favorite good-guy-in-the-face-of-badness -- character in all of literature. Not only does he defend a man that nobody else will, knowing full well that winning the case would be a miracle, but he does it while teaching his children the difference between right and wrong, and that the right thing is often difficult.

7. Aunt Peg

Maureen Johnson

Alright, I know Aunt Peg is never actually alive in these books, but I couldn't let a little detail like that stop me from including her in the list. Aunt Peg is artistic in the craziest, most stereotypical crazy-wandering-woman sense of the word. She rebels against everything that's expected from her and even in death she makes her inheritance into a zany game for Ginny.

8. Melanie Hamilton-Wilkes

Margaret Mitchell

I know sweet little Melanie isn't what people think of when they hear "rebel," but she does defy expectations quite a few times. (The main one I can think of is when she suggests putting flowers on the graves of fallen Union soldiers.) Continuing to be friends with Scarlett is a defiance throughout a good part of the book but Melanie, though sweet, never backs down.

9. Julianna Baker

Wendelin Van Draanen

I love Juli. She's awesome. Her rebelliousness comes in the form of, mostly, refusing to allow a sycamore tree that she loves to be chopped down, and her commitment to this is amazing, even if it makes her an outcast among her peers.

10. Frankie Landau-Banks

E. Lockhart

I won't bother explaining this one because if you've read the book it's obvious. And if you're a YA fan who hasn't read this book then all I can say is WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Faves of 2011 (so far): The Characters

1. Best Female POV: Cisco and the Bean (otherwise known as Isabelle and Annie), from Flirt Club. I count these two as a package deal as they're just so great together. I love their friendship and their unique outlook and take on everything that happens to them and the people they know. This book is written as notes between the two girls and their voices are just so, so, so great. LOVE!

2. Best Male POV: Adam, from Where She Went. The brilliant thing about this POV is that because it's a sequel we already know what happened three years earlier but getting the story and its aftermath from Adam is so incredibly, insanely powerful. I can't say enough good things about this book, how it's told, or Adam himself. 

3. Best Couple: Anna and Etienne St. Claire, obviously. I mean really. <3

4. Who I So Want to Be Best Friends With: This is a difficult category as I have a whole list of characters here (including the inspiring Kurt Brodsky and sad-faced Ari), but in the end I have to go with the package deal once again -- Cisco and the Bean (Flirt Club) are my kind of people and exactly the girls I would have loved to meet and be besties with back in junior high. 

5. Who I Fell Completely in Love With: This category is actually for literary crushes, but my answer here seems a bit off-base. Leverage isn't one anyone would consider a swoon-worthy type of book... and yet... KURT BRODSKY. I absolutely love him. He is the best of humanity -- strong, humble, honest, kick-ass, and just a little off-beat.

6. Worst (Best) Villain: The captains from Leverage. UGH. I hate choosing them for anything, even this. THEY ARE HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. They are scum. They are everything horrible and bad. I hate them so much there aren't even words. 

7. Best Character Twist: Hamilton Best, from Popular. Just. Omg. Just read this one, you guys, and you'll see what I mean. I loved her and hated her and then OMGWTH. Twisty all over the place.

8. Best Kick-Ass Female: Mel, from Rain. You kind of have to actually read the book to get Mel, but she's definitely one of the fiercest, most loyal, most bad-ass characters out there. Smart, bitingly witty, and absolutely determined. Love her. (Plus, you know, she's a spy.)

9. Best Kick-Ass Male: Obviously Kurt Brodsky, from Leverage. I mean, come on. No contest. Kurt's whole life is basically about weight training so that he can kick people's asses if the need arises. 

10. Broke My Heart the Most: Once again I have to go with Adam, from Where She Went. Adam's pain is so real, so palpable, so obvious and aching. Just brilliantly written.

11. Best/Worst Character Names: 

BEST: Rhine Ellery, from Wither. Just... so... pretty. Loooove it. 

WORST: Ginny Blackstone, from The Last Little Blue Envelope. I don't know why, but her name has always rubbed me the wrong way. Gin or Ginny is fine on its own, but with Blackstone it just... isn't.

12. *Character That Reminds Me of Me: (*Note that I added this EXTRA category for my own list.) Ari, from Other Words for Love. She's just so out-of-step and different and awkward and something in all of that really reminds me of myself and my own eternal weird/awkwardness. I love her, of course.

((BONUS)) Five Favorite Covers: These are in no sort of order. I tried to arrange them at first but Blogger kept giving me guff so I had to just let it be.

Part 3 of this "faves of 2011" will be coming soon.

What Happens After High School in YA?

Recently on her blog, Frenetic Reader, my buddy Khyrinthia (jokingly) made a list of things YA novels have/have not prepared her for. Among the "have" was what to do if a supernatural creature is in Bio class with her and among the "have not" was how to handle college talk. While I usually agree with pretty much everything Khy posts, this is one case where I don't. While she's wondering: do YA characters even go to college? I'm wondering: why aren't characters without college aspirations represented?


Seriously. What about the characters going to vocational school? The ones who get married right out of high school and don't go to college? The ones who go to community college and continue living at home? As far as I can tell, a lot of YA protagonists are in one of two camps, post-high-school-wise. They're either going to a well-known (typically Ivy League) university with a large scholarship or they're going to a well-known university that is not the university their parents want them to attend. This is, in my opinion, an extremely limited point of view or experience.

I'm going to assume I'm in the minority here but most of the people I knew well when I was in high school and a lot of the friends I grew up with did not take that path. Many of them didn't go to college, a few (like me) started out at a community college, some went to a vocational school, others started at one college and then transferred or dropped out or... or... or...

there are so many experiences. There are so many perspectives. My thoughts on college aren't the same as yours and that's perfectly okay. What I wish though, were that there were more YA novels showing these differing perspectives. I want the books about Ivy-bound students, sure, but I also want books about students who are going to a community college, entering the workforce right away, taking a gap year, going to vocational school, or doing something totally different. I want characters -- both teenagers and the adults in their lives -- who don't see college as the most important thing. I want both characters who know exactly what they want to do and those who have absolutely no idea.

And, because I'm a fan of the varying perspectives on the whole subject of OMG WHAT TO DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?? here are some books with characters who make both traditional and non-traditional choices.

I Now Pronounce You Someone Else

Erin McCahan

This story of a high school senior who ends up getting engaged to her perfect boyfriend is absolutely incredible and the choices Bronwen makes along the way are non-traditional and completely believable. I adore this book.

Bitter Melon

Cara Chow

Set in the 1980s, this is the story of a Chinese-American girl with an incredibly strict mother who has her future all planned out for her. However, Frances discovers a love for public speaking that challenges her mother's dreams for her.

Suite Scarlett

Maureen Johnson

In this case it's not the protagonist, but instead her older siblings (especially her brother, Spencer) whose choices are interesting. Spencer, who takes a year after high school to pursue his acting career (with parental support) is especially interesting and hilarious.

The Kid Table

Andrea Seigel

This is one of the few books I've read where the protagonist honestly has no idea what she wants to do after high school. Aside from the fact that I really enjoyed this book, that fact alone makes it realistic in my opinion.

FIVE: Favorite Characters of 2010

Today's official topic is best YA books of 2010, but because my top five list is going to be posted on iheartdaily in early January, I decided to go with a different list: favorite characters. I expected this list to give me a hard time, but instead it wound up being ridiculously easy, because as it would happen I already knew which characters I loved most this year.

1. Peeta Mellark

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

In a world of children-killing, deception, and a vicious war, Peeta manages to be good. I don't mean interesting, I don't mean nice or sweet, though he is those things -- I mean good. He holds firm to what he believes to be right and protects the one he loves even as he has to fight tooth-and-nail for his own survival. In all honesty he could give such legendary "good" characters as Melanie Wilkes and Beth March a run for their money and he's earned a permanent spot as one of my favorite characters ever.

2. Bronwen Oliver & Jared Sondervan

I Now Pronounce You Someone Else

I tried not to let myself include any pairs in this list, but in the case of Bronwen and Jared it just didn't seem right to include one of them without the other. Because although Bronwen is kind, loving, and long-suffering and although Jared is sweet and old-school gentlemanly, what makes these characters memorable is the way they are together. Bronwen and Jared bring out the best in each other; they make the other one both happier and more interesting. So of course, I had to list them together.

3. Milo

Fall For Anything

Milo is an incredible character. Walking on eggshells around his best friend since the death of her father, he manages to be enigmatic and at the same time completely supportive. Milo is the friend everyone needs, the one who cares so much and so deeply, the one who you just know is on your side no matter what. And it's how much he cares, more than anything else, that makes him an incredible character.

4. Edie Reeves

Fall For Anything

Oh, Edie. I just wanted to give her a hug and be like you will be okay, promise promise promise. Edie is lost, confused, sad, and utterly, utterly vulnerably human. It's rare to find a character who is such an honest portrayal of painful and personal emotions as Edie is, and for this I love her.

5. Cassia Reyes

Matched

Cassie wins the award for "Best Character Journey." Her growth from the beginning of the book, before she's Matched and before her grandfather's death, to the end of the book after everything has happened, is an incredible one. What makes it even more incredible is the way Cassia handles everything, the way she seems to grow and mature and become whoever it is she's going to be with each new event or trial that she faces. I feel like Cassia isn't really a fully-formed character just yet, but that by the end of her saga she'll be whoever it is she's meant to become. And it'll be awesome.

an explanation for numbers 2-4, namely why did Bronwen and Jared share a space while Milo and Edie didn't?

It's not because Bronwen and Jared are a couple, or because I needed to narrow the list down to just five spaces. It's because while Edie and Milo are both amazing characters on their own, Bronwen and Jared don't become amazing until they're together. Explain'd.