The Birthstone Book Tag

I was tagged by Captivated Reader to do The Birthstone Book Tag. I had a lot of fun coming with answers to these questions! Enjoy!

1: January

Garnet: Name a character that you think is evil/dark.

I can think of a lot of evil villains, but the one that sticks out in my mind the most is Hilly Holbrook in The Help. Ugh! That lady leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. And she's so real; like, I know there are probably people out in the world just like her, and that make me sad and mad.

2: February

Amethyst: Name a book you think of as regal.

When I think of the word regal in terms of novels, I always think of Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice seems like a very regal novel with demure Mr. Darcy and all the balls that take place in the book.

3: March

Aquamarine: Name a character you think of as weak, or as more of a follower.

I hate to say it, but this makes me think of Catherine in Northanger Abbey. I wouldn't really call her a "follower" per say, but she's not a terribly strong character, especially in the beginning. Though, I will say that I was very happy that by the end of the book, she had gained a little bit of backbone and learned to stay away from the Thorpes.

4: April

Diamond: Name a book that you love, but isn't very well known.

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith. This book doesn't seem terribly popular, which is odd considering the author also wrote 101 Dalmatians, but I love it. It's set in the '30s in an English castle with lots of love and heartache and beautiful phrases. I really don't know what more you could ask for.

5: May

Emerald: Name two characters who balance each other out.

I'm probably going to make some people mad with this answer, but I'm going to have to go with Laurie and Amy in Little Women. Don't get me wrong; I was totally Team Jo and Laurie, but since that didn't happen, I think Laurie and Amy really balance one another out. He brings her down to earth and brings out the more caring side to her; she seems to think about bigger issues than just beauty and such after she marries Laurie. And she calms Laurie down a bit. Though we may question how genuine their relationship is, Laurie and Amy are a balancing act.

6: June

Pearl: Name a character that is loyal.

Gilbert Blythe. I mean, come on; he waited eleven years for Anne to finally figure out that she loved him as much as he loved her. Not many guys would do that. (And I kind of love that this question goes with the pearl, because Anne loved pearls.)

7: July

Ruby: Name a book that aggravates you/ makes your blood boil.

This one is hard for me. I can't really think of a book that makes me mad, just certain characters that frustrate me. So, if I'm looking at it from that point of view, I'd say that some of the characters in The Help make me mad, even though I love the book for the good characters it has. Another one that frustrates me would be The Diary of Anne Frank. It is such a good book, and Anne had such wonderful talent, but it's so sad and makes your blood boil to know that things like that actually happened.

8: August

Peridot: Name a supporting character you preferred to the main character.

This was the hardest question on this list for me. Normally I like the protagonist better than all of the other characters, and if I don't, then I won't finish the book. I just couldn't think of a supporting character that I preferred to the main character. :-/

9: September

Sapphire: Name a book that you found to be calming.

The only book that I can think of that fits this bill would probably be The Joke That We Play on the World by Joshua S. Porter. It's a memoir about the band Showbread, which was my favorite growing up. If you aren't a fan of Showbread, then you'd probably think this book was really silly, but as someone who grew up listening to them, I loved it. It's pretty funny, and so it's something I like to read when I'm stressed out or sad.

10: October

Opal: Name a book with a pretty cover.

I adore these covers of the Anne of Green Gables books. They're so pretty and colorful.

11: November

Topaz: Name a book with a resilient protagonist.

This one is tough, so I think I'm going to call it a tie between Linh Cinder of Cinder and Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games. Both characters have to go through so much, but do great things and are so strong through it all.

12: December

Blue Zicron: Name a fictional friendship you would love to be a part of.

Jo March and Theodore "Laurie" Laurence. Jo and Laurie were perfect for each other. I loved their friendship. And I'll admit that I wanted them to be married, but I'm glad that they remained friends, even after Laurie married Jo's sister, Amy.

Thank you, Captivated Reader, for tagging me! I'd like to tag Julie of My Favorite Pastime, Grace of Fictionally., Amber of Seasons of Humility, Stefanie of Author Stefanie MacWilliams, Kara of Flowers of Quiet Happiness, and Meghan of A Northern Belle.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this post. Until next time....

-Miranda Atchley