Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Top Ten Books For People Who Like Character Driven Novels

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

* It's been quite a few months seen we made the linky show names at random just to try it that way. Do we like this or do we like when the list shows based on the time of when you added your link (stays in place)! Let us know in the comments.*

 

Julia's Picks:

1. The Game of Thrones Series by George RR Martin - So this series has plot, and lots of it, but I find myself reading it for the awesome characters that Martin has written. The characters have arc and they really drive the plot along. I think this series wouldn't be nearly as possible without the awesome characters it has.

2. The Name of the Wind and A Wise Mans Fear by Patrick Rothfuss - Both of these are the only two novels completed in Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles. It has a similar path as Martin where there are main characters that drive the plot. In this case the main character is literally telling the story so you get to see him move and change throughout the world.

3. Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros - Moving away from fantasy, Medeiros rights some amazing historical romance. In fact a lot of her books are more character driven and driven by their actions between each other than effected by outside sources. This one is one of my favorites because it is literally a woman and a man in a house learning to love. It's a sort of modernization (to the Regency era) of Beauty and the Beast. It's a good one.


Daisy's Picks:


4. Golden by Jessi Kirby: I LOVED this book, there's so much character development in it and just so much storytelling goodness that I would totally recommend it to pretty much everyone.

5. Emma by Jane Austen: my second favourite Austen novel, but perfect in its characterization of Emma and Mr Knightley and just all of others. I re-read it for book club last year and it was still amazing and I discovered even more things to love about it.

6. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie: so basically Yarvi, the main character in Half a King, reminds me of Tyrion from The A Song of Ice and Fire series, which is about the greatest compliment I can give any character. And I totally loved this book.


Kimberly's Picks:

7. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: This story is entirely about the characters' development and their relationships with one another. Everything they learn and do drives the story and the plot. These characters are WONDERFUL.


8. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard: So much of this story is based on the locations, however much of it is driven by the way our main character, Bria, changes and develops.


9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: The backdrop of this story is WWII, but it is not the story itself. The story is all about Liesel and the wonderful supporting cast of this book, including it's elusive narrator.

Tahleen's Pick:


10. Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs: This quiet novel is beautifully written. It takes place at a teen summer enrichment camp on a college campus, and not much happens plot-wise, but it is wonderful to watch the development of each character and the relationships they have with one another. I think that is really where Combs excels; her characters are forced to think about their beliefs and privileges, or lack thereof, but in the end can remain close to one another despite differences of opinion or belief. And the writing is lovely.

What books would you add to this list?




Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly link-up in the community where we provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in on it with their own top ten list. Feel free to have less than 10 or more if you need to at times and put a spin on the topic if you need to! Just please link back to us if you are participating :)

To join, link up below with the URL to your blog POST (not your blog), your name and your email (which will remain hidden). Then bounce around the Linky!

 Priscilla @ The Evening Reader   Spines & Covers   Joanne @ That Thing She Reads  
 Jennifer @ A Librarian's Library   Denise @ Life With No Plot   Kate @ The Book Monsters  
 The Poetic Bookworm   Lynette @ Escaping Reality -- One Book at a Time   Tatum @ Books of Amber  
 Crystal F @ My Reading Room   Nikki @ The Bibliophibian   Dawn @ Dawn's Dreams  
 Hannah @ Broc's Bookcase   The Crazy Bookworm   Sarah @ What Sarah Read  
 KayCee K @ Wonder Struck   Amber @ Bibliophilia, Please   Brin's Book Blog  
 Rachel @ ObsessedWithFairyTales   B Marie   Marie's Reads  
 Genevieve @ The Reading Shelf   Rosemond Cates@ Big Hair and Books   Jess & Loren @ Such a Novel Idea  
 Brandy @ Random Musings of a Bibliophile   Tracy @ Cornerfolds   Emily @ Paperback Princess  
 Chelsea @ Books for Thought   Merin @ Read and Reviewed   Born and Read  
 M | BACKLIST BOOKS   Isabel @ liberamans   Steph @ Exploring Worlds  
 Erica @ Read It. Note It.   Marcee@A Nurse and A Book   Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner  
 Heather @ Cook's Reviews   Ricki and Kellee @ Unleashing Readers   Jody @ A Spoonful of Happy Endings  
 Ula @ Blog of Erised   Bry, Fry and Carol @ Romancing the Laser Pistol   Rosario @ city&prophet  
 Darlene @ Darlene's Book Nook   Hannah @ So Obsessed With   Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination  
 KELLY @ SPORADIC READS   Nori @ ReadWriteLove28   Matt - From the Writing Desk!  
 Becky @ Becky's Babble   Jayvee @ Writer For Misfits   Christina @ Between Bookends  
 Lillian @ Mom With a Reading Problem   Kara @ Diary of a Teen Writer   Jaime @ The Best Books Ever  
 Julie   Girl with her Head in a Book   kelley  
 Mara A. @ The Reading Hedgehog   Liza @ Classy Cat Books   Holly @ NutFreeNerd  
 Rachel   Anna @ Fantastiska berättelser   Amanda @ The Zen Leaf  
 Jolien @ The Fictional Reader   Amber @ Paradise of Pages   Lois@You, Me, and a Cup of Tea  
 Chrissi Reads   Sarah @ Sarah Can't Stop Reading   Pamela Nicole @ A Writer's Tales  
 Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives   Sophia @ Quite Spectacular   Alison @ Hardcovers & Heroines  
 Rachel @ Confessions of a Book Geek   Jennifer @ Feminist Fairy Tale Reviews   Erin @ The Book Nut  
 Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense   Kristin @ Lukten av Trykksverte   Stephanie@Don't be Afraid of the Dork  
 Becky @ No More Grumpy Bookseller   Jen & April @ The Starry-Eyed Revue   jill @ daysathome  
 Melissa @ Double-Stacked Bookshelves   Mallory @ readsbymandm   Stephanie's Book Reviews  
 Jessica @ a GREAT read   Kelly @ Belle of the Literati   Caitlin @ Books and Window Seats  
 Anastasia @ cuddlereads   Amy @ Read What I Like   Claire @ Coffee and Irony  
 Anne@HeadFullofBooks   Shayna & Evan @ Bibliophilia: A Love Story   Mel & Kelsey @ Reviews in a Pinch  
 Mishma @ As the page turns   Jen @ Pop! Goes The Reader   maria helena @ marelden  
 Emma @ After the Book Hangover   Lauren @ Bookmark Lit   Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings  
 Sierra @ Bookyum   Sarah C. @ The Rainy Day Reader   Sarah's Book Shelves  
 Tea in the Treetops   BOOKWORM8921   Cheryl @ The Book Connection  
 Kaniesha @ Deux Lectrices   Emily @ Falling for YA   Lianne @ caffeinatedlife.net  
 Gaby + Lisa @ Bookish Broads   eli @ the (book) supplier   Tiffany @ Beneath the Jacket Reviews  
 Anna @ AnnaTheReader   sophie @ My Friend the Writer   Alana @ Alana Muses  
 Kate@ Read and Dream   Liz @ Liz's Book Bucket List   Darlyn @ The Word Eater  
 Alexandra @ SleepsOnTables   Deb Nance at Readerbuzz   Allison @ Good Books & Good Wine  
 Gretchen @ Books and Burlap   Sofia @ SofiaLovesReading   Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf  
 Caroline @ The Attic   Maria @ Teen Ya Book Nerd   Bret & Sara @ BookishMinimalist  
 She @ She Read   Mallory @ The Local Muse   Emily @ Forever Literary  
 Lauren & Kiesha @ Life Between Reads   Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard   Ashley@Chronicles  
 Savannah @ReadingBifrost   Amber @ YA Indulgences   Ellis @ The Random Transliterator  
 Charlotte @ Books and Baby etc.   Alex @ The Book Banner   Ryley @ The Paperback Princess  
 Kerr & Rachel @ Paein-and-Ms4Tunes book blog   Jess @ Curiouser and Curiouser   Amy @ Read a Latte  
 Maureen E @ By Singing Light   Maggie @ Just a Couple More Pages   Amy  
 Cecelia @ Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia   Anna A   La Coccinelle @ The Ladybug Reads...  
 Brittany @ The Book Addict's Guide   Benni @ Benni's Bookbiters   Lauren @ Always Me  
 Cassandra @ Wickedly Delicious Tales   Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found   Ella @ Once Upon a Bookish Time  
 Jessica @ A Cocoon of Books   Abbi @ Christian Novels   Andressa Menezes  
 Jamie @ Vailia's Page Turner   Aisha @ Adventures of a Reader   Shae/Shelver @ Shae Has Left The Room  
 keely @ ireaditandwept   Rissi @ Dreaming Under the Same Moon   Shannon @BooksDevoured  
 Liza @ Reading with ABC   Great Imaginations   Stefani @ Caught Read Handed  
 Megan Easley-Walsh   April @ Between the Pages   Emily Ardoin  
 Amanda @ Cite Something   Joseph David Quinton   Nicole & Ashley @ The Quiet Concert  
 Nicole @ Reading Books With Coffee   Jessica @ Peace Love Books   Fi @ Bookish Outsider  
 Amy @ Tripping Over Books   Veronika@ Reading Is Dreaming with Open Eyes   Part Time Monster  
 El @ So Bookalicious   Sophia @ Loving Lit   Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook  
 Suey @ It's All About Books   Claire @ Bookworm Reviews   Mari @ Story and Somnomancy  
 Gwen & Kate @ Gwen & Kate's Library   Kristin @ Bookmark Addict   Amanda  
 Cait @ Notebook Sisters   Holly @ Part of that World   Beth @ Miss Inga Page  
 Trisha @ eclectic/eccentric   Vicky @ Three Points of View   Nikki & Keira @ Lazy Book Lovers  
 dee @The Book Curmudgeon   Ren @ Words in a Teacup   Ellen M @ The Canon  
 Obsessive Compulsive Reader   The Broken Spine   Liza @ Paperback Wanderings  
 Kathryn   Aimm Holden   Kritika @ Snowflakes & Spider silk  
 Heather @ The Bastard Title   hellphie @ hellphie's fiendish fiction   Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know  
 Megan@YA?Why Not?   Lynn   Jennifer @ Innerworkings of the Female Mind  
 Gen @ Mrs Holpepper: Bookworm   LillyLilac   There will be books  
 Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally   Nicole and Sophia @ Quality Fangirls   Vanessa @ Owls and Things  
 Sophia @ Ravens and Writing Desks   Akilah @ The Englishist  
 islandgeekgirl @ Overflowing Bookselves   Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)



12 comments:

  1. Yes. I should have thought of Jellicoe Road. Interesting list.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emma and Leisel--love, love, love. So many characters and good stories to choose from. I like the list where names stay put, that way I can visit those who are on line the same time I am. I had more return visits than I currently get. Have a nice week! kelley—the road goes ever ever on

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I prefer the random order. It gives people who are from different parts of the world to be higher up or lower down even if they publish their posts a day later. That way everyone gets a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I definitely agree with Game of Thrones. I feel like I should have included The Book Thief but I can't remember much about it. *hangs head in shame*

    I think random order is good :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like the random order. It helps me find new blogs rather than just the usual suspects.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I need to get around to reading The Book Thief! I keep hearing such good things about it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I never thought about the similarities between the characters of Yarvi (in Half a King) and Tyrion (in Game of Thrones!

    If you are looking for another fantasy character that has a similar kind of the anti-hero / shunned by royalty / witty commentary, I recommend Fitz, who you first meet in Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice.

    I like the random order -- it also helps me to find new blogs rather than just those that visit around the same time as me to add to the linky.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just finished Assassin's Apprentice and I'm REALLY liking Fitz! :)

      Delete
  8. Emma is one of the most memorable characters I've read.

    I like random order too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The only thing I don't like about the random order is that it's difficult to pick up where I leave off when I'm visiting blogs. There are so many participants that I can't visit everyone in one sitting, and the random order makes it difficult to keep track of who I've already visited.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This weeks theme is the perfect thing for me because I am someone who loves character driven novels. I absolutely adored Jellicoe Road and the Book thief <3 I own Emma, but have yet to indulge myself with it. As for Game of Thrones, it is on my shelf as a soon to be read!

    http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/10/sisterhood-of-world-tag.html

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails