Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds.  You know, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to come up with ten characters who fall into this category.  At least, not from books that I enjoyed.  The "character who reads" has become a bit of a cliche.  It's not always done well (like in one particular book where the main character is a book blogger... and yet I can't recall her spending much time reading at all!).  Plus, readers don't always make for the most interesting characters, since they're reading rather than doing.

But, with all that said, I did manage to come up with ten characters who love the written word in some way, whether they're writers or readers or just people who enjoy the power of a good story:

Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds:

Agnes from Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Agnes got to read and fangirl over Jane Austen's books when they were first published!  How cool would that be?  (If I recall correctly, she was really into Price and Prejudice... which, back then, was attributed to "A Lady"!)

Ash from The Lake and the Library by S. M. Beiko

The title kind of gives away the fact that books play a major role in this story.  There is an abandoned, magical library and quite a bit of fantasy.  Though the book has some weaknesses, it really struck an emotional chord with me.  Perhaps that's because books and stories and imagination played such a big role in the story.

Cat from Yarrow by Charles de Lint

This story features a writer who gets her ideas from a dream world.  And then, of course, something goes awry and you get this wonderful crossover of the mundane with the fantastical.  This is one of my favourite Charles de Lint books.

Catherine from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The main character's love of stories plays a huge role in the plot... as it gets her into quite a bit of trouble!  (I haven't actually read this book yet, but I have seen a film adaptation.  I thought the story was quite charming.)

Jo from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Jo is the most bookish of the March sisters.  She loves to write, and does so throughout the story.  Even after Amy destroys one of her manuscripts, she doesn't give up.

Joe and Sammy from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Two characters for the price of one!  I didn't think I could really single either one out, since their comic books were a joint venture.  Though I'm not really into reading comic books myself, I did enjoy this story about two cousins who achieve a measure of success in 1930s New York City with their original creations.

Liesel from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.  I don't know if I've ever read about a character with a greater love for books than Liesel.  She never took the books she was able to get for granted (even if some of them were a little less than appropriate for a young girl).

Margaret from The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This one is about books and stories and writers and booksellers... and some really dark stuff in the past.  The framing device is an aged writer dictating one final story to the owner of an old book shop.  How much more bookish can you get?

Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl

This little girl is the ultimate bookworm.  I don't recall reading the book until after the movie came out... which is a shame, because if I'd read it as a child, I'm sure I would have identified with the main character quite a bit!

Memer from Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin

Memer lives in an occupied country where the written word is outlawed.  The horror!  Though this book had a little more politics than I would have liked, it was a decent fantasy that really delved into the ideas of freedom and literacy.  In Memer's house are hidden some of the last remaining books, which of course leads to all sorts of danger and angst.

Which characters are some of your favourite fellow book nerds?