Folks the Turkey Birds Would Invite Over for Dinner

Focus for this list:
In a lunchtime debate over the merits of Lord of the Rings, my husband and I ended up talking about how there are some books you read just because you like spending time with the characters. And thus was born this post.  Mind you, we don't always agree, so this is a three part list. It reminded me a bit of our discussions about the wedding lists. Enjoy, and feel free to tell us in the comments whom YOU would like to have over for dinner!  :)

Our Mutual Guest List:  
1.  Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. 
Yes, we would have lots of sweets.

2.  Lady Cecelia from the Serrano / Suiza series by Elizabeth Moon
She's charming, witty, wildly opinionated, and she'd likely solve some of our problems -- whether we wanted her to or not!

3.  Lars & Killashandra from the Crystal Singer series by Anne McCaffrey
C'mon, the stories they could tell!!! 


Mr. Turkey's List:
4 & 5.  Jubal Harshaw from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
If you haven't met Jubal, you've not lived.  Still, he's on Mr. Turkey's list and not mine because I think he would be a bit intimidating. I'd love to listen to him, though.  And hey, if we could also invite Edmund Talbot from John Ringo's There Will Be Dragons, I'd sit in the corner, all ears!

6.  Bilbo from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
This matter was seriously debated, but Mr. Turkey finally settled on Bilbo, saying that he could bring Beorn cakes with him!

7.  Jack Aubrey from The Aubrey Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian
He's got a gregarious personality and lots of stories about life aboard a frigate.


Mrs. Turkey's List:
8.  Minerva Dobbs & Friends from Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
If all of my best buddies lived within walking distance, we'd be like the folks in this book -- I just know it.  *sigh*  So, in the meantime, I hang out with this crew when I get to feeling lonely. 

9.  Carialle & Keff from The Ship Who Won, and The Ship Errant by Anne McCaffrey & Jody Lynn Nye
Faire + The Holodeck + brain and brawn partnerships = fabulous conversations and companionship.

10. Friday from Robert A. Heinlein's book of the same name.
She's just fabulous!  I'd love to invite her whole family over for afternoon tea. 

End Note:
Hmmmm, looking at the lists, I think we've even created groups of characters who would get along well together.  So, three different dinner parties it is!  When are YOU coming over? 

Quirky Picture Books

1.  John Rocco: Wolf! Wolf! The boy who cried, "Wolf!" but from the old arthritic wolf's point of view.  Wildly amusing.
 

2.  Mo Willems: I Am Going!
Yes, perhaps it's a bit weird to read this one out loud to your husband in the bookstore while giggling uncontrollably, but with a Mo Willems book, it's not uncommon.  (At least in my household!) 


3.  Rachel Isadora: Max
Written by a ballerina, this childhood favorite features a boy who loves baseball and learns that his sister's ballet class offers him skills that help him on the field. 


4.  Martha Alexander: Blackboard Bear
Another childhood favorite of mine, this nearly wordless series of books is just delightful. 



5.  Paul Stickland: Ten Terrible Dinosaurs
The wonderful rhythm, and cheerful nature of this book just make me giggle. 

6.  Frank & Devin Asch: Mr. Maxwell's Mouse

This may work better with adults -- I've not tried reading it to a child yet -- but I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and the language of the book.

7.  Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes: Library Lion
Friendship, love, books, and a lion who likes to listen during storytime.  This book would be a great basis for discussing when rules should be broken. 



8.  Charles Tazewell, ill. Gail Tribble: The Littlest Uninvited One
This is an ideal book for anyone who has lost a dog.  I gave a copy to my church when Ducinea died, as this was the only book that I felt offered me true comfort.
 

9.  George & Ira Gershwin, DuBose & Dorothy Heyward, ill. Mike Wimmer: Summertime: from Porgy & Bess
If you like the song, you'll love this book - simple as that. 


10.  Helen Lester, ill. Lynn Munsinger: Score One for the Sloths

Really?  A picture book that takes aim at the insanity of judging an education by test scores?  Really?  A picture book that could start a discussion of different modes of learning?  YES!  Even better?  It's a snort-embarrasingly-while-snickering wild good read! 


Focus for this list:
These are some of my favorite picture books, and yet, they're all a bit -- odd.  There's not much of a unifying theme to the list other than that fact.  Enjoy!  Also, because picture books are such a blend of image and word, it seemed a shame not to show you the covers.  Let me know if this is helpful, eh?  Thanks!

Fiction for People Who Love Nonfiction

1.  C. S. Friedman: This Alien Shore
Science fiction, true, but also a fabulously interesting perspective on what we call mental illness.  Oh yes, and a fabulous examination of where the internet may be headed.  *giggles*  You'll have to read the book to get that pun!
2.  Colleen McCullough: The First Man in Rome
History made flesh.  And goodness, those Romans were quite something!
3.  Daniel Pinkwater: Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories
Short stories by an NPR contributor about his experiences with dogs.  I think the stories are wildly amusing, particularly once you've gotten past the halfway point in the book. It's officially a memoir, but I'm not sure.  Some of this just has to be fiction!  :)
4.  Frank Herbert: Dune
It reads like a philosophy / history book.  Oh yes, and it has sandworms!
5.  Jodi Picoult: Plain Truth  Almost all of her books are quite realistic. The characters will grab you, and the issues at stake in the books will make you reexamine what you think you thought.  Be ready for some late nights!  I'm really looking forward to her next book, where the issues will be gay rights, reproductive science and the Christian right. 
6.  Elizabeth Moon: Remnant Population
This unique narrator will win your heart, and perhaps affect how you think about aging, oh, and aliens. 
7.  Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Another wonderfully interesting narrator, this one "a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties."
8.  Jennifer Crusie: Bet Me
Laugh out loud funny, this is well-written and I think you'll love it!
9.  Anne McCaffrey: Crystal Singer
As my husband read this one, he kept laughing because he recognized me in this story.  *blush*
10.  Lois McMaster Bujold: The Warrior's Apprentice
So, this is the beginning of a wildly addictive sci-fi series, and yet, because it's protagonist is one of the most interesting out there, I think it would fit under this category.  You may roll your eyes at Miles, but he's not an idiot, and one frequently keeps reading just to find out what wild idea will pop up in his head next!


Focus for this list:
As requested by a friend who loves nonfiction, this list focuses on books with the following:

• Something I can learn from, even if that isn't the central topic of the book.
• Characters I won't roll my eyes at--I'm not spending three hundred pages with a moron. For example, you may have noticed that Tom Sawyer's Aunt Polly is only in sight for a few pages.
• Conversations or letters with wit (not that a lot of people are going to manage a Pride and Prejudice or Much Ado about Nothing, obviously).
• A nice historical setting can be great (Fever 1793).

Mind you, this isn't easy for me, particularly as I'm not much of one for enjoying realistic historical fiction.  *sigh*  Still, I think I've found some winners!  I look forward to hearing feedback.  What would YOU suggest for this category?