Distractor I: Booking Through Thursday

This week's questions were suggested by Kim. Thanks!

1. Do you have a favorite character(s)?
   Oh do I! One side effect of being absolutely obsessed with reading all my life is accumulating numerous book characters for whom I regard with almost the same affection as I do real life dear friends. Elizabeth Bennet, Lord Peter Wimsey, Harriet Vane, Sherlock Holmes, Granny Weatherwax, Sophie Hatter, Francie Nolan, the list goes on and on.


2. What book/author is he/she/it from?
   I guess I’ll just stick with the characters I rattled off the top of my head in the last answer. Elizabeth Bennet is of course from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Both Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane hail from the wonderful mystery books by Dorothy Sayers. While the bulk of her mysteries focus only on Lord Peter, a few (Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night , Busman’s Holiday) also have Harriet in a starring role. Sherlock Holmes hardly needs explanation. Granny Weatherwax is the delightful creation of Terry Pratchett and inhabits some of his Discworld novels. Sophie lives in Howl’s Moving Castle, one of my favorite Diana Wynn Jones books. Francie Nolan is the heroine of another one of my favorite books, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, by Betty Smith.


3. Why do you like this person--what is it about the way he/she was written that drew you to them?
   I find that I am often drawn to characters that are responsible, intelligent, capable, and in possession of a wry or self-deprecating (or both) sense of humor. Perhpas I like them because these are qualities I appreciated. Perhaps it is a sort of vicarious living, that I like them because they are the kind of person I would like to be. Perhaps it is because these are the type of characters who always come out on top through trial and tribulations to give one a sense of hope that all will be well in the end. Or it could all just be a matter of good writing and gut feeling. Who knows?


4. Is there something more you would like the author to tell you about them?
   Nope, I’d rather make up all the details in my own mind. Having all the loose ends tied up neatly and everything explained is often a little too tidy for me. I like having loose threads to pick at and daydream about. However, with that said, I certainly wouldn’t complain had Ms. Sayers been able to write more about Peter and Harriet or if Sir Conan Doyle had opted to write one more volume of Sherlock Holmes stories.