Jun 23

In Character

By Michael Kindness Uncategorized Add comments

 

I’m really enjoying In Character, the ongoing series from NPR in which folks write in and nominate a  favorite character from a book, film or TV show. There have been some surprising choices and the stories they put together are always great. (It warmed my heart to hear the ode to Buffy Summers)

Hardy Boys skullIn that vein, I’d love to start a similar conversation over at our GoodReads group. What literary character holds a special place in your heart? It could be someone from one of your favorite books of all time; it could be the only good thing in a book you otherwise hated. It could be recent, it could be a character from your childhood.

I’ll start the ball rolling by waxing nostalgic about the Hardy Boys. I devoured these books as a boy and I credit them with firing my burgeoning love of reading. Yes, the plots in the books were remarkably similar, but I think that only helped with the speed at which I tore through them. Frank and Joe were safe, "vanilla" rebels, never listening to their elders, but always solving the crimes. They certainly didn’t inspire any rebellion in me (I just wasn’t that kind of kid), but I think they made me realize I didn’t always have to follow the rules. My favorite in the series, The Secret of Skull Mountain, was probably the first book I ever reread. I think I must have read it 5 or 6 times!

Please share your favorite characters with us, either in the comments section below, or at our GoodReads group.

[p.s. A bizarre bit of coincidence: when I went over to the NPR website to get the link for the In Character page, I saw that they were, at that very moment, airing an In Character piece on Nancy Drew!]
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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:
The Tower Treasure (Hardy Boys #1) by Franklin W. Dixon, Grosset & Dunlap hardcover, $6.99, 978-0-448-08901-0
The Secret of Skull Mountain (Hardy Boys #27) by Franklin W. Dixon, Grosset & Dunlap hardcover, $6.99, 978-0-448-08927-0
(all information is for the U.S. editions).

  • http://mariegauthier.wordpress.com Marie Gauthier

    Yes! — I was so glad to hear Buffy get her props.

    And I heard the Nancy Drew piece also — if there’s any other character that can compete for first place as an early favorite character, it would have to be Trixie Belden.

  • http://mariegauthier.wordpress.com Marie Gauthier

    Yes! — I was so glad to hear Buffy get her props.

    And I heard the Nancy Drew piece also — if there’s any other character that can compete for first place as an early favorite character, it would have to be Trixie Belden.

  • Tom

    My friend and I tore through all the Hardy Boy Books as kids and I think that they really got us hooked on a life of reading. The other book that we read at the time was Rascal (A Memoir) by Sterling North about a boy and his pet raccoon.
    The above combination made us realize that reading was fun! (Many thanks go out still,some 40 years later, to his mom,Mrs. Snyder, who took us along with her to the library and pushed us in the right direction.)
    As to a Character that I love, the first thing that comes to mind is dear old Rumpole of the John Mortimer books.
    Thanks for a great blog.

  • Tom

    My friend and I tore through all the Hardy Boy Books as kids and I think that they really got us hooked on a life of reading. The other book that we read at the time was Rascal (A Memoir) by Sterling North about a boy and his pet raccoon.
    The above combination made us realize that reading was fun! (Many thanks go out still,some 40 years later, to his mom,Mrs. Snyder, who took us along with her to the library and pushed us in the right direction.)
    As to a Character that I love, the first thing that comes to mind is dear old Rumpole of the John Mortimer books.
    Thanks for a great blog.

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com Michael

    Thanks for the comments Marie and Thomas.

    And thanks Thomas for the “great blog” comment!!

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com Michael

    Thanks for the comments Marie and Thomas.

    And thanks Thomas for the “great blog” comment!!

  • JT

    I, too, devoured Hardy Boys mysteries as a kid. They were definitely a catalyst for my lifelong love of reading. I remember setting out, as a kid, to read the entire series in order. I kept losing track and getting distracted which caused me to have to start over several times. I think I read the first book, The Tower Treasure several times! Each time, I loved it more and more though.

    JT

  • JT

    I, too, devoured Hardy Boys mysteries as a kid. They were definitely a catalyst for my lifelong love of reading. I remember setting out, as a kid, to read the entire series in order. I kept losing track and getting distracted which caused me to have to start over several times. I think I read the first book, The Tower Treasure several times! Each time, I loved it more and more though.

    JT

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    Thanks, JT. Your post is very timely, as my 9 year old daughter just informed me yesterday that she didn’t really like Nancy Drew and that it was “boring.” I’m hoping she gives it another shot later, because I loved Nancy Drew like no other when I was her age …

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com ann

    Thanks, JT. Your post is very timely, as my 9 year old daughter just informed me yesterday that she didn’t really like Nancy Drew and that it was “boring.” I’m hoping she gives it another shot later, because I loved Nancy Drew like no other when I was her age …

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