Characters I never want to meet

 Two characters immediately sprang to mind when I saw this topic come up on Long and Short Reviews - one from classic fiction and one of my own.

The first is Angel Clare from "Tess of the D'Urbervilles". I read this mainly because it was set in my dad's home village (Marlott in the book, Marnhull in reality). I really did try to like it, but it's a deeply depressing read, primarily because Tess's love Angel Clare is such a hypocrite. The tragic conclusion comes as a direct result of Angel abandoning Tess for something that wasn't even her fault - he rejects her for lack of purity even while at the same time he tries to take one of her friends as his mistress. Oh, how I hate that man.

The other is Reed James from my three-book series "I Heard Your Voice", "Tamar Rising" and "Spiritwalker". Reed James is a celebrity medium, insufferably arrogant and incapable of considering anyone other than himself. I've had people come up to me and tell me they just wanted to give him a slap, which means I did my job, because I want to give him a slap too. He remains unredeemed, as I couldn't find a way to redeem him.

So which characters would you never want to meet?

Characters I want to meet

 When this topic from Long and Short Reviews came up, I had to think about it. I was trying to avoid the usual ones I come up with for these things, like Jane Eyre or Emma Woodhouse, who I would certainly like to meet but who tend to be the type of characters everyone thinks of.

Although it would be interesting to meet Emma Woodhouse and see if she's as charismatic in person as she seems to be in the book, given that everyone likes her in spite of her attitude.

But the one I ended up deciding on? Lux Lisbon from "The Virgin Suicides". Lux is the character most clearly described and has the most life on the page - she's lively, she's fun and you want her to get what she wants. Which, as any new reader can probably tell from the book title, isn't going to happen, but despite knowing she's walking towards a tragic end, we want her to win.

So which characters would you want to meet?

"Totality" blog tour starts today!

 Today is the first day of my blog tour for my new book "Totality"!

Tour stops are below:

March 5: Sandra's Book Club
March 5: The Avid Reader
March 12: Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
March 12: Gina Rae Mitchell
March 19: Country Mamas With Kids
March 19: Iron Canuck Reviews & More
March 26: The Faerie Review
March 26: Wine Cellar Library

Commenters can win a $10 Amazon gift card, so make sure you check in :)

Fictional worlds I'd rather not visit

 I liked this topic from Long and Short Reviews, mainly because I've read a lot of dystopias in the past and, in some instances, have actually thought I wouldn't mind living in those worlds. "Uglies", for instance - I know we're supposed to be appalled at the idea of forcing everyone to be pretty and vacant, but the thought of living a carefree life as a Pretty is quite appealing to me. And if I was in the world of "Divergent" I think I could be quite happy living as part of Amity.

However, worlds I'd rather not visit would be Panem of "The Hunger Games" and Airstrip One from "Nineteen Eighty-Four".

The reasons are probably the same for both. People being deliberately kept in poverty by those above and punished severely for every act of rebellion, however slight. At least "The Hunger Games" had a little hope at the end, whereas "Nineteen Eighty-Four" remained grindingly miserable - although I've since read a version from Julia's perspective which involved the Brotherhood overthrowing the empire, whether or not that would end well.

So which fictional worlds would you rather not visit?

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Book quotes that make me think

 I had to go a long way back for this topic from Long and Short Reviews, since I haven't read any books recently that had any kind of memorable quotes in them. However, I remembered one from the "Anne of Green Gables" series, which I read as a child.

I'll have to paraphrase it, but I think it was from "Anne of Windy Willows" (as it was called here in the UK). The character is a mother, a relatively poor woman who has just told Anne about a wealthy man nearby whose young son has just died. She states that this man has often looked down on her family because they're poor, but:

"It doesn't matter how poor you are as long as you have something to love."

That sums up a lot of things for me. I've heard all the jokes about how money can't buy happiness but it can make misery more pleasant, and that's fine. But having someone to love makes all the difference.

I'm interested to see which book quotes other people will have!

Favourite things to do in the winter

 I liked this topic from Long and Short Reviews, simply because the answer is so simple. I know many people who would say they like to ski, snowboard, go ice-skating and so forth, or even just go for a walk in the snow. 

That isn't how my answer is going to go.

I hate the cold and I have a dodgy knee, so going out in ice and snow is a no from the start. So my favourite thing to do in the winter is sit inside in the warm with a glass of hot mulled wine or hot chocolate with marshmallows, watching the snow fall outside. I'm too old for sledging and I haven't got the balance for ice-skating, so staying safe inside is definitely the best option for me.

So what do you like to do in the winter?