30 Day Book Meme - Day 15

( Days 1-14 )

Day 15 – Favorite male character - It's more like a top 11 list (I had hard time excluding anyone on it), but there are a lot of male characters I really enjoy - and not all of them fall into the Imaginary Boyfriend status.

#11 - Ramses Emerson (Amelia Peabody series) - What can I say?  He's smart, handsome, devoted to his wife, and he likes cats.  He loves his family, even when things get (okay, stay) crazy. He's also one of the few characters that's as much fun as a child as an adult.
 

#10 - Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie) - I know there's a lot of people who don't like him, including his creator, but I love to read the books and watch him driving everyone crazy before he solves the mystery.  He's also a man of compassion, and he respects justice.

#9 - Peter Dobbs (Judy Bolton series) - He's a lawyer who cares more about justice than money, and he loves the woman he loves enough to let her be herself (and enough to wait for her to make up her mind).

#8 - (Chief) Inspector Hemingway (Georgette Heyer mysteries) - He's up there with Poirot on the driving people crazy factor, only he's also part of the police force.  He sees stuff others don't see, and he's pretty silver-tongued when he needs to be.

#7 - Archie Goodwin (Nero Wolfe series) - He's a great right-hand man for a detective who doesn't always have great people skills - and pretty down to earth.  Even better with Timothy Hutton playing him.

#6 - Gabriel Jones and Caleb Jones (Amanda Quick's Arcane Series) - They aren't your stereotypical Victorian men-about-town, but I wouldn't like them so much if they were.  Caleb wins over Gabriel by the slightest, since he actually RUNS the paranormal detective agency.

#5 - Delaney Brown (Nora Roberts, Savor the Moment) - If I ever wanted a guy to step out of the pages of a romance novel, this one is it.  We'll hear more about him on Day 20.  Also a lawyer with a sense of justice, even if he's not dealing with criminal matters.

#4 - Gilbert Blythe (honorable mentions to sons Jem and Walter) (Anne of Green Gables series) - He's likable, what can I say?  And one of the reasons my taste for tall, dark, handsome, and SMART was set so early in life.
 

#3 - Alistair McKeon (Honor Harrington series) - One of my favorite Weber characters, from the first to the last.  I might have given up Honor here and there, but I didn't give up on him until Weber killed him off (and played with us about it).  I especially enjoyed him in books 7 & 8, and still can't read the end of At All Costs without getting choked up.

#2 - Frank Hardy (Hardy Boys series) - The other reason my taste for tall, dark, handsome, and smart was settled so early.  He's smart, and a little geeky (especially in the 80s/90s) but he's always in charge and calm.  He has a taste for justice and solving mysteries, and a sense of humor. 

#1 - Aral Vorkosigan (LMB's Vorkosigan saga) - Honestly, I could probably do a top 10 just of male characetrs from this series, because there are so many wonderful ones.  I can safely say that even though the series is technically about his son, I would never have kept reading without Aral.  He's a man of integrity and loyalty, no matter the cost for himself.  He's compelling, if not movie star handsome, and he gets the best speeches.  (honorable mentions to Ivan, Gregor, and Simon - if you read the series, you know who they are - if you haven't read the series, look up Cordelia's Honor and dive in!)


( Days 16-30 )