Win One of the First 25 Books!
A year ago today, I made my first post at 101 Books.
I’m nearly 25% finished with the list. Not sure how that happened.
Anyway, to thank all you 101 Books readers out there, and to celebrate 101 Books’ first “blogoversary,” I’m giving away one copy of any of the first 25 books I’ve read on the Time list. Any book. Your choice. Shipping’s on me, too, no matter where you live.
I’ll randomly select a winner using a random number generator. Everyone’s eligible, other than Corey, who won my first book giveaway. Just trying to spread the love, Corey.
So…to enter the contest, all you need to do is answer this question: Who is your favorite character in a novel? Tell us the character and the novel. (For the record, I’ll go with Yossarian from Catch 22.)
Now, it’s your turn. Answer that question and you could win a copy of one of the first 25 books on the Time list. The book is your choice. Get your comments in by midnight U.S. Central Time. Go!
Larry Underwood from The Stand
Atticus Finch from “To Kill A Mockingbird”. I loved the scene where it was revealed that the soft spoken man of peace was a master sharpshooter.
Jake Chambers from the the Dark Tower series by Stephen King
The Invisible Man (never named) in Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’.
And happy Blogoversary to you!
An oldie but a goldie: Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice
That is mine as well!
Doc from Cannery Row
First one to come to mind is Rorschach, in Watchmen. Want to avoid spoilers, since it’s still on your list to be read, but for his confrontations with the Big Figure if nothing else.
Congratulations on your first birthday.
Nancy Drew, for sure, from the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, specifically from the classic ones written in the 30′s and 40′s. She is smart, accomplished, involved in her community, and she always saves the day!
William Henry Devereaux from Straight Man, by Richard Russo.
And a big Happy Birthday to you.
Congrats on the Blogoversery!! Mine was just last month. My favorite character (among many) is probably Fanny Price form Mansfield Park. She gets such a bad wrap but I love her
Also, like the new layout
Leamas, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Thanks for introducing me to him.
Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter. In the books and the movies, she is a great character to hate. I can hear her sickeningly sweet, condescending, high-pitched voice every time I open that book. I literally want to punch her lights out. I absolutely love characters that you “love to hate.”
I had a substitute teacher in high school who looked/dressed and sounded just like Umbridge. Scary!
She was actually very pleasant, but I couldn’t help but think of her as Umbridge…
Pekkala from “Eye of the Red Tsar” and “Shadow Pass”
Ivan Karamazov from The Brothers Karamazov.
Always my fave is from the last book I have read. Since I’ve just finished HOUNDED by Kevin Hearne it has to be Oberon, the wolfhound that has a telepathic link with the main character. Oberon is all doggie instinct and master loyal.
Happy Blogoversary!
Pi Patel fro Life of Pi–what a genius!
I really like the new look and congratulations!
Congratulations! 25 books in a year is pretty impressive!!
Elizabeth Bennett is definitely one of them. Since someone has said that one, I’ll play along and pick another one.
So another choice would have to be one that I only recently came to enjoy. Cathy Earnhardt Linton, the mother, in Wuthering Heights. I read it as a teen and hated her for ruining Heathcliff. After re-reading, I respect her for choosing a peaceable life over a man who refused to deal with his anger issues.
Congratulations on your blogoversary! I love reading your blog and cheer you on quietly (for the most part) from the sidelines as I try to fit “reading for enjoyment” in between macro and micro economics books and other such fun-killers.
One of my favorite characters is Jo March from “Little Women” and two other books by Louisa May Alcott. I have always admired her strength, compassion and tenacity to keep on writing no matter what obstacles popped up. She is an amazingly strong character written in a time period where there weren’t many women like her in literature.
I’ll go with Benjamin Weaver from A Conspiracy of Paper, The Devil’s Company, and A Spectacle of Corruption (he is the narrator in all three). They are really fun historical novels set in London in the 1850′s.
Sugar from ‘The Crimson Petal and the White’.
Hal Incandenza. Infinite Jest. I think you know which book I would pick, haha.
Congrats on the blogoversary! I have to go to a childhood fav for my favorite character: Nancy Drew. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any Nancy Drew books, but those mysteries defined my childhood. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to look back at my elementary school years without thinking of the girl detective.
Congratulations on your one-year blogoversary! The new look here is great. Love it.
This is a really tough question for me, because I love so many characters from the books that I’ve read, but I’m going to go with the main character of Kingsolver’s The Lacuna, Harrison William Shepherd. I fell in love with that book when I read it, and he is such an interesting, intelligent, wonderful character.
Like the new look, Robert. I have to go with Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. That just made me think of Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail…”I bet you just love that Mr. Darcy.” Yes I do!
I’d have to go with Joe Kavalier from “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” but I’d give a close second to Hal Incandenza from “Infinite Jest”.
Congrats on the blogoversary!
Gotta go with Waino Mellas from Matterhorn (by Karl Marlantes). Won’t be around to see it, but I think that novel will be on the top-100 lists for this century.
Happy Blogoversary and congratulations!
I’ll go with Lusa Maluf Landowski from Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer. She’s a strong woman who feels so true to her Appalachian location.
Stephen Maturin, from Patrick O’Brian’s magnificent Aubrey-Maturin series.
Really? The real answer? Harriet from Harriet the Spy. And happy year to you!
This is hard. I’ll go with Kolya in City of Thieves. Second choice is Mario Incandenza (Infinite Jest) – what a sweetheart!
So many choices. Think I’ll settle on Paul Atreides from Frank Herbert’s Dune series.
Congrats on a year in the blogoverse and I’ll second the kudos on the new look. Very clean.
Henry DeTamble in The Time Traveler’s Wife. (For the record, Eric Bana, who played him in the film adaptation, doesn’t even come close.)
Anyway, happy blogiversary!
Such a difficult question . . . I think I’ll go with Jon Snow from “A Game of Thrones”, but I think that’s just because I recently finished the book.
Congrats on your first year! You have done some excellent work.
Encyclopedia Brown all the way!
Love the new look! Happy Blog-o-versary!
Now, favourite character? It’s a toss-up between Elizabeth Bennet or Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice–you kinda need one to bring out the best in the other. So I’ll go with Mr. Darcy–I will forever envision Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, so that’s really why! ; )
Colin Firth is an amazing Mr. Darcy!!
Hermione Granger is definitely my favorite character — when Irene hit this week, my HP series was the first thing I saved from the flood I will admit.
Although John Jarndyce from Bleak House is a close second — imagine him played by Geoffrey Rush, it’s fantastic.
It’s a toss up between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind. Such interesting, nuanced characters! I know you didn’t love the book, but if not for you and your book list, I may not have ever read GWTW, now one of my favorite books.
Duh! Atticus Finch.
Congratulations on your blogoversary!
Favorite character is Scarlett O’Hara Gone With the Wind. She is totally obnoxious at times, but I can’t help but love her!!
Congratulations on your blogoversary!
My favourite character is Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables and its myriad sequels. I so envied Diana for getting to be Anne’s “bosom friend”.
Emma from Jane Austen’s Emma. I know many people who read the book found her annoying, I just found her very human
Hester Prynne from the Scarlet Letter. I like her because I’m living a life like hers. I’m being shunned and abused.
Rachel in The Poisonwood Bible (not one of the Times list, but on the South African Exclusive Books Top 100 Books to Read Before You Die). She is such a superficial vain surfer through life and uses all the wrong words. Her character brings some comicrelief through a serious story.
I think Rachel Price in The Poisonwood Bible is a delightful comic relief in between the serious chapters of the novel. She uses wrong words and is completely oblivious to her own shallowness and vanity.
Sorry, internet blinking here, thought I lost the first post … not trying to get 2 entries in. How do you get to read 25 books in a year? Wow! I wish I could speed read. I manage about 1 a month in good times! Congratulations! And well done on the anniversary!
Milo Minderbinder out of Catch-22.