At last, it’s back to bookblogging!
I’m done with the hiatus, so let’s kick things off with a long overdue book tag: Me in Characters. I thought this was a really cool idea back when I spotted this on Kristin Kraves Books, but since I was stuck in with book promo stuff, I’ve been saving it until now. Many thanks to Kristin for her post and to the original book tag creator, Emma @ Dreamers Library. I suppose there’s no statute of limitations on book tags, so if you want to do it, here are the rules:
- Thank the creators of the tag
- Thank whoever tagged you!
- List 5 book characters who you are most like and explain why.
- Tag your friends!
The “Me in Characters” Book Tag
Rather than looking for characters similar to me, I approached this by taking a notable facet of each of the following characters. Put them together and you get a pretty close approximation of me. So I’m not necessarily saying I’m particularly like any of them. And it’s a bit aspirational. This is the best version of me.
Dr. Watson
(The Sherlock Holmes Stories, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Traits We Share: Loyalty, Reliability
Sherlock Holmes’s partner stands out as the ultimate sidekick. I’m definitely sidekick material (no alphas here!) Watson can be counted on, no matter the situation. And he has no need for the spotlight, he’s happy to provide the support Holmes needs to get the glory. Like many authors, I’m not actually that comfortable in the spotlight, which is why book promotion is so damn painful!
Mary Quinn
(The Agency Series, by Y.S. Lee)
Traits We Share: Social Chameleon, Empathy
There’s a bit of recency bias at play here, but there’s a reason why I’m always stanning for this series. Mary Quinn is full of conflicted identities, yet she can fit in to almost any social situation as her cases demand. Coming from an immigrant family, spending a lot of time overseas and being in a cross-cultural marriage, I get that, at least in part. Being able to see things from others’ point of view helps. It helps Mary understand the motives of criminals and it’s a necessity for authors as well.
Hercule Poirot
(The Hercule Poirot Stories, by Agatha Christie)
Traits We Share: Organized, Detail-Oriented
I seem to share traits with a lot of fictional detectives. I always wanted to be one when I grew up. Though I’m grossly unqualified in most ways, one skill I do have is being able to organize my thinking and my life, down to little details. In this, I’m similar to Poirot. Though I doubt I could crush a moustache the way he can, I’m almost as meticulous and deliberate as him, and I’m rather proud of my own “little grey cells.”
Geronimo Stilton
(The Geronimo Stilton Series, by Elisabetta Dami)
Traits We Share: Bookishness, Love of History (and Cheese)
Some children’s books I read to my kids begrudgingly. Some, I secretly read even when they’re not around. I love following the adventures of the very scholarly and literate mouse and editor of The Rodent’s Gazette. He’s a mouse aware of his limitations, preferring to stay home with a good book to getting caught up in adventures (which happen to him anyway.) He has a tremendous love of history, which also shows in the many historically themed books in the series (thanks to a little time travel.) I’m hoping these books will be a gateway for my kids to learn about history. Also, Geronimo and I both love cheese!
Arkady Darell
(Second Foundation, by Isaac Asimov)
Traits We Share: Problem Solver, Rebellious Streak
Asimov was not known for creating well fleshed-out characters, so Arkady Darell stands out. In fact, she’s arguably a prototypical YA heroine before that became an identifiable genre. I like that she’s heroic, not by being some badass fighter, but because she is a problem solver. Coming from an engineering background, I also like to break everything down into problems I can solve. She also has a rebellious streak, which veers into impishness, something which I’ve unfortunately passed down to my kids. Arkady, like me, can be very good at annoying people. But whatever disruption she causes, it’s tempered by a desire to help the greater good. Not sure I can say the same for myself….
So that’s me in characters. It’s good to be back. Instead of tagging anyone specific, I’m tagging YOU the reader (I stole that from Fighting Fantasy.)