Books and Characters that Make You Tingle

Book Riot did it again, another fantastic post and this one got me to thinking about all those lovely literary characters that set the heart a pitter-pattering and other parts a tingling!  BTW, if you haven't checked out Book Riot's site, this tongue-in-cheek, but oh so true post on the ever wonderful Mr. Darcy is a must:  http://bookriot.com/2011/10/12/mr-darcys-guide-to-wooing-women/

Ah, the dashing, sometimes dastardly, ever devout, darling, dear Mr. Darcy!  What woman can resist!  And you know that Mr. Darcy is the kind of man in the boudoir that makes Elizabeth have the same reaction as Whitley did when describing how her Dwayne taught her everything from "the slow groove, to the rhythm and blues and the glory-hallelujah-big-daddy-you-sho-do-do-me-right”!  Ah, yes, that big daddy sho-do!  


Who else sets the heart a pumping?  Of course, the classics like Jane Eyre's Mr. Rochester, A Room With a View's George, Anne of Green Gables' Gilbert (ahhhh, swoon)!  We mustn't forget The Shadow of the Wind's Julián Carax, Atonement's Robbie Turner (hello that library scene!) and a bit off the beaten path, but still swoon worthy is Joe Harmon from Nevil Shute's A Town Like Alice.  Finally, a bit sheepishly, I'll admit that Halt from The Ranger's Apprentice  is definitely a bit of a heart-throb in that tween fiction way, but every girl has to start somewhere!

All of these romantic literary characters and scenes makes me think about my husband and dancing to "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and getting down to the glory hallelujah!  So thank you books!  Thank you authors for creating characters like these and now 'good night', but please tell me all about your favorite characters!

Book Endings That Don't Quite Cut It and Book Riot

Finished reading The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye last night and I was disappointed with the end.  Let me say that I loved this book, you can see my review on Goodreads, but as happens sometimes when I'm loving a book, I'm let down by the end.

I've started reading more and more YA, particularly after my 'promotion' to K-8th grade librarian.  It has been my experience that literature for 'children' including MG and YA has always been better than adult.  Perhaps they have to be better written for publishers to produce it, or perhaps as a school librarian I'm exposed to a better quality, but perhaps not as the more I've read the more I'm dissatisfied with the endings.  Sorry that includes Anna and the French Kiss and It's Raining Cupcakes.

**WARNING  - I'M ABOUT TO DISCUSS SOME BOOKS AND AUTHORS THAT HAD LESS THAN SATISFYING ENDINGS, BUT IT IS JUST MY OPINION.  Warning over - feel free to tell me if you disagree or not :-)

John Grisham, dear sir, you cannot write a good ending.  Case in point, The Firm.  This was the first Grisham I read, in fact I read it all in one day while working at the Browsing Room at the University of Illinois - great job to have for a student who loves to read!  When I read The Firm, I couldn't stop, action packed, fast paced I raced to the end.  It was an orgasmic experience!  By that I mean, I got all tingly, started feeling really good, picked up my speed and intensity as I approached the end and then, uh, what, that's it??!!  I was left up there at that pinnacle with no release, this is COMPLETELY unfulfilling!  I'm sorry to say that his first foray into children's literature fared even worse - John do yourself a favor and read some more.  Read The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - on my all-time top ten list, from beginning to end this is a spectacular book.  Read Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, there's an ending that you can sink your teeth into and leaves you panting!  Something in your genre that might help is Michael Connelly's The Poet, talk about a nail biting, edge of your seat ending!  Now don't worry John, you aren't the only author that deserves a mention about his ending.

Dear Michael Chabon, you are an amazing writer!  You're use of language is beyond poetic.  I fell in love with your words in The Amazing Adventures of Chavalier and Clay and what a great story premise too - brilliant!  But my good man, what happened at the end!  Did your editor say, "Come on Michael, we need the book now, it's too long, just wrap it up lickety split."???  The Senate hearings and the quick tie up of the homosexual issue, for that time period - come on, that was just (and there is no other word) lame!  Actually, I'm sure with Mr. Chabon's command of the language he can come up with a better term.  I would like to do a search and see if he ever addressed how he ended his Pulitzer winning book.  Your penance is to read Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and then The Ha-Ha by Dave King and finally A Room with a View by Forster.


So there you have it, my little rant about book ends.  I really enjoyed The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye and I will gladly recommend it to my students and especially my dear niece, but much like my complaint about Chabon, I felt this book was too quickly wrapped up - did I miss a chapter?

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to BookRiot.com - GO CHECK THIS SITE OUT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A READER!!  "It's not a book club, it's a movement" - AMEN!  This is a great site all about books with witty, funny, snarky and talented writers.  I've loved the posts, here are some examples: "Why I Read Young Adult Literature" "DNFing Makes Me Feel Dirty" and then a post to vote for favorite book photos!  I'm excited to check out more and see what they come up with next.  You can also follow them on twitter and 'like' them on facebook - enjoy!