Some of what I love, dislike, and love to hate about these characters potentially will spoil the book. So I tried to keep the description somewhat vague.

Characters I Loved in 2012

1. Amy- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Without spoiling too much about Amy for the people who have not read the book, Amy was, without a doubt, one of the best characters of 2012 in my opinion. Witty, bright, cunning and way more than that. Amy is the kind of character that gets people talking.

2. Roslyn- The River Witch by Kimberly Brock. Broken and damaged by things of her past, Roslyn is a character that pulls at your heart-strings. The reader can tell she’s got strength, that she will rise above her broken past.

3. Elizabeth- The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier. This character made me think, made me want to discuss in depth with people my thoughts and reactions to her actions, her story.

4. Mariella- Hemingway’s Girl by Erika Robuck. Mariella- strong, determined. At a age where she shouldn’t be worried about being the head of house- Mariella is a character that makes readers sit up and take notice. You laugh at her humor, admire her grit and weep when she’s sad.

5. Tess- The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks.  Tess is artistic, looking for love in the wrong places, and wanting 2 things: Love and Acceptance (not necessarily in that order).  Tess is a beautiful character- a character that makes you think of 2nd chances and true love.

6. Katniss and Peeta- The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I love these characters. Love what they represent. Who they were in the book. #hungergamesnerd what can I say?

7. Bailey Weggins- So Pretty it Hurts by Kate White. Bailey is a crime writer, a snoop, a sleuth. I love her nosy ways.

Characters I Disliked in 2012

1. Daisy- The Great Gatsby. I finally read the book, but gee whiz, Daisy. She got on my ever-loving last nerve.

2. Leo- Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin. Just grated my nerves. He knew that he could not give Ellen what she wanted, and yet- he continued to pursue her.

3. Demeter- Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand. Selfish, selfish girl. She put acts in motion without thinking of anyone else, but her own selfish desires.

4. Charles- Little Gale Gumbo by Erika Marks. Dark character. Mean. Complex, though. But still mean.

5. Clive-  Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris. The man had no scruples, thought he could take everything he wanted. Engaged in terrible acts. Oh I strongly disliked this character!

Characters that I loved to hate in 2012

1. Nick- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Stupid boy. But still appealing. Nick is a character that is hard to explain at times. Was he good? Bad?  Just Stupid? Or almost too smart for his own good? Nick, Nick- I would love to really do an indepth discussion of him.

2. President Snow- The Hunger Games trilogy– Diabolical. Wildly  entertaining, though.

3. The Mastermind- Roses are Red & Violets are Blue by James Patterson. Smart. Cunning. And when the reader figures out who it is- shock. I like that.

*Are these all the characters that I enjoyed over the 2012 year? Not even close. Because a real list would take forever to write. This is just a small sampling of the characters for my 2012 reading year.

 

 

As I think back over the books I read in 2012 (note: I said read- not published) it occurs to me that yes, the writers make these characters up- from life, people they know, their imagination, whatever. We, as readers, love the authors for making characters we can love, hate, or love to hate- characters that tug at the readers emotions, make us laugh, cry, and close the book feeling tons of different emotions.

But, how about we take the author out of this for now- What characters did you love in 2012? Hate? Love to hate? What characters evoked a reaction out of you? What characters made reading the book worthwhile?

I’m working on my list of characters right now- and just to make it all fun- I’m going to divide the list into sections: Books that were published in 2012, Books that I read in 2012, Characters that I loved, Characters that I hated, and Characters that I Loved to Hate. Sure, there may be some overlap- heck maybe the lists will be eerily similar. We’ll see.

So- chime in. Tell me who makes your list. Discuss. Chime in some more. Discuss again. No judging, no making fun of anyone’s characters- just plain fun 🙂