Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters In Books

The Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they choose a new topic for bloggers to list their top ten of whatever books fit into the category. (the image above is linked to today’s post at The Broke and the Bookish…new image they started using last week)

Today’s Top Ten: Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters In Books

Normally, I make my list “in no particular order” but this time,  I think I am going to try to list them in order backwards, so my most favorite will be the last one listed…

10. Marcus Flutie from the Jessica Darling books by Megan McCafferty

He’s a “bad boy” but not quite.  He’s an interesting, quirky character.  I remember when I first read those books that I wished I had a Marcus Flutie.  (Now, not so much).  He was in a band, had a “devil-may-care” attitude, didn’t care what people thought of him one bit (well, except maybe Jessica), and he was smart.  They describe him as having red hair in dreds (at least in the first book) but I never really pictured him that way.

9. Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millenium Series) by Steig Larsson

Hard-core, kick ass.  I wish I had a photographic memory.  I don’t envy her her life (well, her past), but I do envy her technical abilities, and again that “devil-may-care” attitude.

8. Ender from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

While it was still difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that this book covered Ender’s life at a young age, I still can’t help but admire him.  I felt bad that he never really had any friends.  He was thrown into a situation and made himself the best he could be.  I imagine him to be a cute little boy.

7. Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This is one of my favorite classics that I read every few years.  Such a strong female character from that time period.  Considering when the book was written, the character of Jane Eyre is rather forward-thinking. I love that even though she had such a crappy childhood, she still turned out to be a wonderful adult.

6. Claire Beauchamp/Randall/Fraiser from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

I’m jealous that she got to time travel.  I would love the chance, though I know I would definitely not be as well-equipped to handle that lifestyle as she was. She’s a smart, courageous woman who, when finding herself in an unbelievable situation (literally), “took the bull by the horns” and found a way to fit in.

5. Owen Meany from A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

What a cute, sad, smart, amazing little boy.  I loved that his voice was distinct as to be WRITTEN IN CAPS ALL THE TIME.  This is also a favorite of mine that I read every couple of years (maybe I’ll re-read it again soon…)  It’s such a sad story, yet not exactly so.  Owen is an extraordinary character that manages to touch my heart.

4. Bailey from A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

I love this dog.  I love the fact that he is the same, no matter how many times he is reincarnated.  He learns from each life he has and is able to use that knowledge and skills to be the most wonderful dog ever.

3. Tyrion Lannister from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

Sly, cunning, quick-witted, and not quite good, Tyrion is one of my favorite characters of ASoIaF, hands down.  We get to see the inner-workings of his mind, which is good.  If we didn’t see it, we probably wouldn’t like him nearly as much.  He is definitely one of the main players who drew one of the short straws in life.  Actually, now that I think of it, most of the (current) remaining characters are those who got the shit-end of the stick (pardon the expression). Perseverance, what? (Whited out for “spoiler”-like comment)  Anyway, I think Tyrion is one of the smartest characters in the series and in a world where strength and brawn are king (sometimes, literally) he proves that brains and smarts are contenders, too.

2. Jon Snow from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

My other favorite character from ASoIaF.  Much like Tyrion, he is a misunderstood character who kind of had a bad lot in life.  Granted, he had a welcoming home with his father and step-siblings, though his step-mom was quite a cold bitch to him.  But he chooses a cold and lonely life.  He is brave, strong, and smart.  He’s loyal when he truly believes in a person or cause and loves his family (no matter what the oath says).  Also, I wouldn’t have minded being Ygritte sometimes.

1. Einstein from Watchers, by Dean Koontz

Yes, my top one is a dog.  He’s so freakin’ cute and smart.  I want to play Scrabble with a dog after I read this, every time.  Koontz really does a good job of creating a unique character, almost child-like but definitely has animal instincts.  He’s innocent, yet knows about the bad things.  He’s a wonderful companion, pet, and friend.  To be able to communicate with Sonny that way would be awesome.

Is it weird that two non-human characters made my list (and in the top half)?

It was much harder than I thought to put them in order!  I’m not even sure this IS my order.   I love all of these characters, and they’re all so different from each other, I don’t really know if I can put them on a list in a particular order…. so maybe they’re in no particular order after all

Actually, it was harder to list ten characters than I thought.  Not because I couldn’t think of characters, but because I like to think of stories (or series) as a whole.  Usually a particular character pops out at me, but sometimes it’s more about the adventure of the book as opposed to one of the main characters (for example, Timeline by Michael Crichton) .  This is one reason why none of the Harry Potter characters made it on the list.  I just love the idea of the entire series (people, events, places) that I don’t think of them separate from each other.  I honestly don’t think I could choose just ONE character as my favorite from HP without some serious thought.

Who are some of your favorite characters?