Book Characters I Wish Were Real People

Wait a minute. Are you telling me that book characters...are...NOT...real people?

Ha!

Some of my favorite people are characters in books.

Here are some I love:

      

    

Anne of Green Gables

Emily of New Moon

Meg from A Wrinkle in Time 

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird

Stargirl from Stargirl 

Winnie-the-Pooh 

Pippi Longstocking

How about you? What book characters do you wish were real?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.  

Nonfiction November 2026: Nonfiction Journeys

 

Week 2 November 9-15 - Nonfiction Journeys - This week choose a book that reflects a journey for its author or for the reader or both.  This can be a physical journey,  an emotional, psychological or spiritual journey or a combination of these.   Any nonfiction title that leaves its author/protagonist and/or reader in a different place at the end from the start point is good for this challenge.   

There has been no book in my life that influenced me as much as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig. 

This book is the story of a journey, a motorcycle ride by Pirsig and his son and some friends; and this book is a book I first discovered when I was on a journey, away from home, working in Yellowstone Park; and this book took me on a journey, a journey into the world of philosophy and life meaning, that continues to this day.

That said, I have never (not one single time!) recommended this book to anyone who actually read the whole book and came back to me and said they loved it. Never. Most people who tried reading it quit. Those who did read the whole thing said they hated it, said it was condescending or too in-the-head or boring. So be it. It's perfectly fine. Not every book is for every person. 

Hosted by Frances. Frances is a poet, essayist and reviewer.  Her novel The Winchester Codex was published in 2024.  She lives in London with her husband and Suki the Golden Doodle.  Her blog can be found at volatilerune.blog  It covers books she happens to be reading – both fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  She especially enjoys biographies of writers and artists.  

The Sunday Salon: Love Wins

 

Welcome! We are happy you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

What a wonderful 70th birthday I had! Surprises in the mail...cards...a bookstore visit...outings to restaurants...gifts from friends...I feel overwhelmed with happiness. Thank you for all your birthday wishes!

Update on my dad: He says he is much, much better! Thank you for all your good thoughts and prayers!

Update on our gas leak: The plumber has started to work. The work should be complete by Tuesday or Wednesday.

All nonfiction!

         

   

What I Read Last Week:

Wishful Thinking: A Seeker's ABC by Frederick Buechner

Frequently Happy: 52 Mindful Moments to Bring Hope and Joy by David Larby

The Year of Nothing by Emma Gannon

The Bookshop Woman: A Year of Transforming Lives---One Book at a Time by Nanako Hanada

The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life by Ian Bogst

         

What I'm Reading Now:

The Butterfly Season: What 64 Butterflies Taught Me about Nature's Greatest Mysteries by Lea Korsgaard

The Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds by John Fugelsang

[Risking Everything]: 110 Poems of Love and Revelation

The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil Durán

Week 1 November 2-8 - My Year in Nonfiction - Celebrate your year of nonfiction. What books have you read? What were your favorites? Have you had a favorite topic? Is there a topic you want to read about more?  What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November? 

Hosted by Heather who blogs at Based on a True Story

Next week will be Week 2, Nonfiction Journeys. This week choose a book that reflects a journey for its author or for the reader or both.  This can be a physical journey,  an emotional, psychological or spiritual journey or a combination of these.   Any nonfiction title that leaves its author/protagonist and/or reader in a different place at the end from the start point is good for this challenge.  Week 2 will be hosted by Frances at volatilerune.blog.  

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Bookshop Woman: My Year Transforming Lives---One Book at a Time: A Memoir by Nanako Hanada: Friday Book Snippets and Book Blogger Hop

One-Word Reviews for the Last Ten (Good) Novels I Read

Nonfiction November 2026: My Year in Nonfiction

The Sunday Salon: 70!

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Did we, from our library friends group, 

ever have fun on Halloween night!

We gave away 585 books to kids!

Good Thing #2:

Our son and daughter-in-law sent me

for my birthday

this amazing poster-sized photo of us

on our vacation together 

in Traverse City, Michigan.

Good Thing #3:

Texas, you did good.

Love wins over hate.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

The Bookshop Woman: My Year Transforming Lives---One Book at a Time: A Memoir by Nanako Hanada: Friday Book Snippets and Book Blogger Hop

Friday Book Snippets is a weekly blogging event co-hosted by 

Anne@HeadFullofBooks and Olivia at Bemused and Bookish. 

Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from:

 a. the book's beginning and 

b. page 56 (or another page) 

in the book you are currently reading. 

No spoilers, please.

Join the fun every Friday.

Prologue: January 2013, Midnight, Rock Botton

I'm sitting alone in a family restaurant on the outskirts of Yokohama, numbly waiting for two a.m. At times like these, I can't even bring myself to open a book. 

Hanaka, Nanako. The Bookshop Woman, p. 1. 

My journey had gotten off to a shaky, unpredictable start, but I was gradually beginning to find my feet. And what an engrossing journey it was turning out to be. I felt like a child, staring in awe at some wondrous country that I was seeing for the first time. I hadn't yet gotten a real sense of how well my book recommendations were being received, but nevertheless, after every meeting, I would go home and call to mind the person I had met, agonize over this book and that until I'd eventually narrowed it down to one, and then write my match a message.

Hanaka, Nanako. The Bookshop Woman, p. 57.

Today's Featured Book: 

The Bookshop Woman: My Year Transforming Lives---One Book at a Time: A Memoir

by Nanako Hanada

Genre: Memoir

Published: September 15, 2026

Page Count: 223 pages

Summary: 

Nanako Hanada is a passionate book lover who manages the Village Vanguard, an iconically eccentric bookstore in Tokyo. But her story takes a turn with the breakdown of her marriage. Spending her nights alone in Tokyo's four-hour capsules, she’s finding herself rather isolated. That's until Nanako finds the meet-up site Perfect Strangers.

Perfect Strangers isn’t a dating site—it’s where people meet for thirty-minute bursts to find friendship or romance, build a network, or just share ideas. She sets up her profile promising to recommend people “the book that will change their life.” In the ensuing year, Nanako meets hundreds of people, a ragtag range of strangers who happen to believe in the power of a great book. Soon she discovers that she can connect with just about anyone, and bustling Tokyo begins to feel like a welcoming—if a bit quirky—small town.

Nanako Hanada separates from her husband and she is dissatisfied with her job. What should she do? She decides to go on a dating site, meet strangers for a half hour, and recommend books for the strangers to read.

I was completely intrigued by the idea behind this book, and I pre-ordered it months ago. 

But here's what happened: while I still am fascinated by the idea Hanada had, I quickly found that I did not like Hanada herself. She made decisions in her personal life that were poor decisions, in my estimation, and she recommended books to people that did not appear to be books of great value. 

So, yes, to the idea behind the book, but, no, to the book itself.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

Imagine you owned a bookstore—what would it feel like? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

For the last few years, I've felt almost like I've owned a bookstore because I have a friend who owns one. I have had all the benefits of owning one---donating books to pass on to others, meeting other bookish folks, talking books---without any of the negative parts of owning a bookstore---day to day running a bookstore, trying to make money.

  

One-Word Reviews for the Last Ten (Good) Novels I Read

Building 903 by Lois Lowry...Dystopian

Sons by Pearl S. Buck...Sequel

Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym...Aging

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon...Intriguing

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel...Surprising

In a Summer Season by Elizabeth Taylor...Relating

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser...Urban

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig...Re-living

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir...Adventurous

Whistler by Ann Patchett...Mysterious

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.