Top Ten Best/Most Unusual Character Names

OMG friends, I was BEYOND excited for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. Best character names? I died. For me, one of the more underrated aspects of books are the names of the characters, in good or bad ways. Guys named Oliver? Well, YES PLEASE. A girl whose nickname is Belly? ICK. But this list doesn’t just ask about my favorite or least favorite character names, but the most unusual as well. I can always get behind that, friends. And so, here is my longer-than-ten-items list of the best unusual character names from books that I’ve read. (I did, for a while, have names on here from books I haven’t read, but that turned out to make for a ridiculously long list.)

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Top Ten Series Enders

Friends, while I was compiling my list for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, I realized something: I haven’t finished many series. Granted, this is largely because some of my favorites are still in progress and aren’t even finished yet (HELLO, A Song of Ice and Fire). Because of this, I decided to shout out some of my most anticipated series enders because hey, my list, my rules, right? But never fear: I’ve got a solid list of my favorite series enders (and, you know, one final book that left a sour taste in my mouth).

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Top Ten Books I Wish Were Taught In School

During last week’s Lit Lush chat, we talked about books we had to read in school. I was able to remember a few, but I felt like, for the most part, I COMPLETELY BLANKED. I have a better memory of the books I most definitely did NOT read than any books that I did. It goes without saying, then, that if I had been able to read these books, I’d remember things much more clearly.

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Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

Friends, a book without good secondary characters just isn’t as good. As important as main characters are, the depth that comes from the best friends/foils/bad guys/etc. is too important to ignore. I’m so excited that this week’s Top Ten Tuesday gives me the chance to shout out some of my favorites who aren’t just excellent secondary characters, but some of my very favorite characters, period.

Honestly, THESE TWO. I can’t stress to you all how much I adore them and their relationship. They’re so different and yet so unbelievably adorable and perfect together. Zuzana’s personality is so huge and funny, and Mik is steady and easygoing. Karou and Akiva are intense and emotional, but Zuz and Mik are BRILLIANT and my loves.

I actually had a hard time picking between Thorne and Iko, but I gave the slight edge to Thorne because he’s so charming! Also, he makes me laugh. Also, he’s totally one of those guys who has more depth than he lets on. He supports Cinder, even when he has to know doing so is incredibly dangerous. Big fan.

So, Giddon. He makes his first appearance in GRACELING, where he’s cocky and mercurial and pushy with Katsa. By the time we see him again in BITTERBLUE, almost a decade has passed and he is quieter, steadier, and a much-needed companion of Bitterblue. There’s TOTALLY some chemistry between them, too, and it just makes him more likable.

OMG OMG YOUNG IAN. Ok. So, perhaps you all know that I love Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. It’s large, epic, and full of vibrant characters. Jamie and Claire Fraser are the biggest two, and I love them, but probably my favorite character is Young Ian, Jamie’s nephew. We don’t meet him right away, but let me tell you: If you read these books and DON’T love him? I just don’t understand. I love reading about him.

This series is one of my FAAAAAVORITES. The historical fiction angle is so appealing to me. Duchess Anne is one of those characters who I wish got more props. So many people–me included–often see these books for the couples. I can’t blame us, though: Ismae and Duval, Sybella and Beast–they’re legit. But Anne is strong and smart and carries so much weight on her little shoulders! Her awesomeness makes it REALLY easy to see why the main characters are willing to do anything and sacrifice so much.

Don’t EVEN, Jeffrey Tifton. You’re the coolest 12-year-old boy in the world. You’re friendly and adventurous and are not at all intimidated or weirded out by the fact that your bffs are a gaggle of girls. You’re my favorite, and you’re so important to those Penderwick girls that it’s hard to think of you as a secondary character in these SUPER middle grades.

THESE TWO. I could honestly put every single Weasley who isn’t Ron or Percy (YUCK) on this list. They’re all so amazing. As much as I love Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, these twins are so endlessly amusing and are bright spots of light in this increasingly dark series. Their jokes always made me laugh just when I needed to the most.

So obviously I had a hard time narrowing down Kvothe’s friends at University. I love them all. Even Fela, who isn’t one of the three here. But I positively MELT whenever Kvothe interacts with Auri, and his bffs, Sim and Wil, are the perfect friends. I just…LOVE THEM.

There are lots of memorable characters in TIGER LILY, most notably Tiger Lily herself, Peter, and Pine Sap. But the one that always struck me the most was Tiger Lily’s father, Tik Tok. He’s amazingly complex and simple at the same time, and his story is so heartbreaking and lovely, just the like the book itself. He’s wise and quiet, and loves Tiger Lily.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted byThe Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every week, the lovely ladies over there post a topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and MAKE A LIST. WORD.