Let’s Talk Bookish – Qualities of a Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend?

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

APRIL 9: QUALITIES OF A BOOK BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND? (Suggested by DANI)

Prompts: Do you have any book boyfriends/girlfriends? What makes you fall in love with them? Is there anything all your favorite book boyfriends/girlfriends have in common? Do you prefer they come from certain genres?

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This is such a fun one, I can’t wait to see what everyone else who is participating says about this one. Unfortunately, I don’t think my own response will be that exciting, since I’m not really one to romanticize characters and wish they were real to be my boyfriend or girlfriend. If anything, I would want to be the character, rather than date them.

One of the first characters I definitely remember wanting to be, or to be friends with, was surprise surprise, Hermione Granger. Cliché right? Haha. I guess I just wanted to be smart, but also what I wouldn’t give to be a precocious child attending Hogwarts (as we all once dreamed at age 11). But I definitely never wanted to date her.

My favourite type of character to read about or read in the perspective of definitely follows a common trend. I tend to really get behind the strong female heroines who are breaking down social norms and facing the cruel world with their head held high. Something about the freedom in the way they live and approach their lives really inspires me. Characters like Evelyn from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or Sayuri from Memoirs of a Geisha, something about going through hardships and making it out through the fire – yes! And my most recent love, Audrey Rose Wadsworth from the Stalking Jack The Ripper series, simply brilliant.

I haven’t thought about whether these kinds of characters come from a specific genre or not, but now that I look at it, I suppose there is a kind of pattern. Usually these characters will come from a biographical type of story, where we really get to follow the life of the character, and watch as they grow over time. It makes sense that I would feel the deepest connection over time and as they overcome obstacles in their path.

My normal genre of choice is mystery/thriller, so you can imagine I don’t often find a character who is boyfriend/girlfriend material (exception being Audrey Rose I guess!), as personal growth and development aren’t often the focus in such novels. I don’t usually fall in love with characters in the romantic sense, but I definitely do feel huge connections to some of these characters, and almost wish to be a part of their world.

How about you all? Let me know who your book crushes are, if you have any!

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And that’s it for this week’s LTB! I remember to follow back our gracious hosts, Dani and Rukky, on their respective blogs, and feel free to submit any topic ideas you might have as well. See you next week!