Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Top Character Names I Love and a Few Terrible Ones

I'm going to be upfront with you. This is a procrastination post. I am writing this post so I can have something to post without having to write up reviews for Alif the Unseen or Quiet or Coraline, all of which I enjoyed (to varying degrees [EXCEPT CORALINE WHICH I LOVED]). I even have a wedding update post I was planning on writing/posting last week and that clearly didn't happen. Last week and this week are just stress extravaganzas so the odds of a well thought out review are unlikely.
Instead, I'm doing this week's Tuesday Top Ten (hosted by the folks over at The Broke and The Bookish) which I like the topic, but my heart isn't totally in it. I'm sorry, and I'll make it up to you next week.*

Top Character Names I Luuuuurve

1. Thursday Next from the Thursday Next series - I don't like names that are ridiculous or unusual just for the sake of being unusual. Thursday's name is just unique enough to be interesting, but not so out of the blue that I think "You poor dear. Your childhood must have sucked."

2. Coraline from Coraline - As with Thursday, it's juuuust this side of unusual. I mean, it's really just Caroline with two of the letters switched but I LOVE THE NAME CORALINE. (Did I mention I read this not long ago and very much enjoyed it so I'm still in internet-shouty mode?)

3. Rosalind from As You Like It - I just think this is a pretty name.

4. Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird - I supposed technically this is a nickname, but still. it's so much more her than "Jean Louise" is.

Top Character Names That Make My Eyes Roll So Far Back I Actually Give Myself A Headache

5. Jaime Lannister from The Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series - The name itself isn't bad. The fact that this is a character in an epic fantasy series and his nickname his "Kingslayer" but his real name is Jaime, and I'm sorry. No. That makes me laugh every time. A fantasy name with lots of consonants would have made more sense. But Jaime is not a name that instills fear in my heart. *Updated* to fix the fact that it's  Jaime and not Jamie. Neither name is scary

6. Bella Swan from the Twilight series - Really? Bella Swan? Not even going to try the whole "subtly" thing, huh?

7. Renesmme from the Twilight series - Oh Meyer, you made it here twice. Congrats. At least she seemed to realize, at least on some level, that this name is ridiculous given she had characters make fun of it. I mean, she also later had a teenager fall in love with a new born, so I guess that was his punishment.

8. Anastasia Rose Steel Grey from the 50 Shades of Grey series - Ladies and gentlemen, we have our champion. I think 8 year old me would have put this in the other category, because 8 year old me had terrible tastes. (Have you read Jennifer's 50 Shades recaps? Cos if not, you are seriously missing out)

*I understand I could just not post. But I WANT to post. I just don't want to write anything that requires too much brain power. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to yelling a fictional characters on TV.