Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that asks bloggers to create Top Ten lists on a variety of bookish topics. This week’s topic is Top Ten Heroines in Books. I’ve included some real life heroines who starred in nonfiction books because…well, why not celebrate real badass women in addition to fictional ones?
Top Five Fictional Heroines
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
I’m pretty sure she’s going to make everyone’s list!
Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Ditto Katniss Everdeen…
Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
The strong, yet vulnerable teenage computer hacker turned investigator with social anxiety and lots of tattoos.
Margo Jensen from Back Channel by Stephen L. Carter
A nineteen year old Cornell student who unwittingly finds herself in the espionage field in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Kate Mayfield from Nelson DeMille’s John Corey Books (i.e. The Lion’s Game, The Lion, Plum Island, The Panther, etc)
Though she’s John Corey’s sidekick (and wife), she’s a terrorist fighting FBI agent who hangs right there with (and sometimes upstages) her Anti-Terrorist Task Force husband.
Top Four (Yep, Just Four) Nonfiction Heroines
The Lady Warriors from Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott
Belle Boyd (“The Fastest Woman in Virginia” (i.e. Belle Boyd), DC-based Confederate spy “Wild Rose” Greenhow, Emma / Frank (the girl who dressed as a boy to serve as a nurse and spy for the Union), and Elizabeth Van Lew (the abolitionist society matron living in the capital of the Confederacy).
Leigh Anne Tuohy from The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
She was the driving force behind the Tuohy’s adoption of high school football player Michael Oher and the tough love that was so instrumental in his success.
Joanne Herring from Charlie Wilson’s War by George Crile
The Texas socialite who teamed up with U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson to covertly support the Afghan mujahideen during Afghanistan’s 1980’s war with the U.S.S.R.
Rick Bragg’s Mother in his Memoir, All Over But the Shoutin’
Bragg’s mother worked tirelessly to make a life for her three sons in the face of poverty and the damage caused by her alcoholic, violent, and mostly absent husband.
Tuesday Intro
Every Tuesday, fellow blogger Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where bloggers share the first paragraph of the book they are currently reading or thinking about reading soon.
Plot Summary from Amazon
When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.
Here’s the first paragraph (this quote is from an uncorrected proof):
The eleventh apartment had only one closet, but it did have a sliding glass door that opened onto a small balcony, from which he could see a man sitting across the way, outdoors in only a T-shirt and shorts even though it was October, smoking. Willem held up a hand in greeting to him, but the man didn’t wave back.
What do you think? Would you keep reading?
Love that you included nonfiction heroines on your list!
And I’m getting so excited for A Little Life to come out…seeing that opening paragraph really, seriously makes me want to dive back into that book again.
It was sort of the byproduct of not being able to come up with 10 fictional heroines (I don’t read tons of “heroine” type books..plus, I noticed there were way more “heroes” than “heroines” in my reading…need to fix that). But, despite the accidental origins, I like having the nonfiction in there 🙂
I’m really enjoying A Little Life – granted I’m only 7% in and this may take me awhile, but I’m completely invested in and interested in the characters. And – I feel about My Sunshine Away like you do about A Little Life – wish I could read it again for the first time.
That is an interesting opener….and that cover definitely piques my curiosity. Thanks for sharing, and here’s mine: “SECOND LIFE”
Love your list of awesome ladies. And how clever to include the real life ones. Lisbeth made my list too. Well, she made my extras list. I had a hard time only doing 10. I had forgotten about Kate Mayfield or maybe I only read one of those books. I need to check and see.
I’m so glad to find someone else who has even heard of Kate Mayfield! I feel like those aren’t typical “blogger” type books.
I like the plot summary and would definitely keep reading.
My Tuesday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2015/02/first-chapter-first-paragraph-95.html
never read any of these books but they seem amazing and the heroines too.
MY TOP TEN TUESDAY
Both the blurb and the opening appeal to me. Sounds like a good read!
I’ve been hearing a lot about this book, and it looks good. I’d keep reading! Also, I like your heroines list–especially Scarlett O’Hara and Lisbeth Salander!
Here’s my post:
http://monicasbookishlife.blogspot.com/2015/02/first-chapter-first-paragraph-tuesday_24.html
It’s hard to turn down a book. So I would keep reading. I think the guy across the way has been hurt in life. Probably, that’s why he doesn’t return the wave.
I enjoyed reading your list of heroines. Lisbeth Salander is a great choice. I’ve only read the first book, but she was my favorite character. I really want to read Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy at some point. It sounds like such a fascinating book.
The blurb itself didn’t really catch my fancy, but I like the intro.
Liar, Temptress was so interesting and full of “truth is stranger than fiction” tidbits of history. Definitely give it a shot at some point!
I also like your inclusion of non-fiction heroines. I don’t know Back Channel, but it sounds interesting.
Back Channel is fascinating – I can’t believe it didn’t get more buzz. I had it on my Best of 2014 list, but didn’t really see it on other blogs.
I’m not sure A Little Life is my kind of read, but I will await your thoughts. I like your list of heroines. I haven’t read all the books, but of those that I have I would definitely include their heroines. And now I want to look into Back Channel and will move Liar, Temptress, Soldier,Spy up nearer the top of my TBR list. Thanks for sharing.
Back Channel is absolutely fascinating, especially if you’re at all into conspiracy theories. It’s fiction, but sounds like possibly it could be true based on the author’s note at the end of the book.
I totally agree with Lisbeth Salander! Great idea to include real life heroines too. I like the sound of that book from the synopsis, though would want to try more than the opening section.
Including nonfiction kind of started b/c I couldn’t think of 10 from fiction, but then I kind of liked the idea!
I love all of your pics, Sarah! I haven’t thought about Charlie Wilson’s War is so long…such a great one. I think your Tuesday Intro pick is a keeper; guess you’ll have to keep reading and let us know – ha! 🙂
I’m about 10% in now and am loving it more and more! It’s 800 pages, so will take me a little bit. Excellent writing and “yes, that’s exactly how it is” nuggets on life.
There’s no way I’d stop reading after one paragraph. It’s begging me to learn more about the characters.
I like it and definitely want to read this one.
Great list – Lisbeth is one of my favorite characters probably ever! I’ve been hearing so many great things about A Little Life, and even though it usually takes a little more for me, I would definitely keep reading just from that little paragraph!
I’m now about 10% into A Little Life and it’s great so far – gets better and better the more I read…
I love that Lisbeth Salander is in your list!
Love Lisbeth Salander too!
I agree with Lisbeth being a great heroine. What a character? I haven’t thought about Nelson Demille in years. Always loved to read his books. Great list.
I like your list of heroines especially the real ones. I didn’t know “Blind Side” was a book. I want to read it now. I loved the movie. I’m not sure about the opening paragraph. I’d have to read a bit more. kelley at the road goes ever ever on
The book was awesome – really interesting backstory on football and the economics of the blind side lineman position that wasn’t covered as much in the movie. But it still had all the heartfeltness of the movie 🙂