Wednesday, January 9, 2008

January Contest

Do you remember how I said there would be little prizes throughout the challenge? Here is your chance to win the first one! You don't even have to have read one of your books yet, if that's what you're thinking. All you have to do is answer this question related to our First Name Category.

Have you ever read a book in which the main character had the same first name as you? If so, was that character anything like you?

Just answer the question in the comments and your name will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month.

43 comments:

Our Home Schooler and Jen said...

be cool
might have to do a search now :)

Jen at http://my3boysandi.wordpress.com/

Our Home Schooler and Jen said...

opps forgot to put no I havent

Jen at http://my3boysandi.wordpress.com/

Somer said...

Well, I have a pretty unusual name (Somer - pronounced Summer), so as far as exact spellings, nope, never read anything with a character with my name. However, I started a book recently, Chicken Boy, whose main character had a sister named Summer. I didn't get far enough in the book to know if we had anything in common, though.

J.C. Montgomery said...

I have a very, very unique first name so unless someone writes my biography (takes a few minutes to pick herself up off the floor from laughing so hard at the mere thought of such a thing) - this will never happen. And if it did, I know she would never be like me. At least I hope not. If I am going to read about someone with the same name, the least she can do is live a life that would even make ME want to read about it. (Being as that I already know way too much about my own - and who really wants to pick up a book and read about, well, the usual?)

kreed said...

No! I can't say that I have but since my name seems to be more popular these days, maybe someday I will!

Anonymous said...

Nope - never have read about a Lynne or even a Lynn.

Court said...

I actually just recently read the first book ever where the main character had the same name as me - Courtney is the main character in Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (and this was actually part of the reason I wanted to read the book in the first place). The character had a few similar characteristics that I have, but there were some differences as well. Mainly - we are both huge Jane Austen addicts, and we both have a tendency to be attracted to the guys who are the worst possible men for us. ;)

raidergirl3 said...

The most famous Elizabeth character is from Pride & Prejudice, and I don't think I am anything like her. I confess I wasn't really struck on P&P.

I'd rather talk about a character with my middle name: Anne. Of Green Gables of course, with an e. And the e on my name is definitely for Anne of GG. I'd rather be like Anne anyway: love of books, nature, imaginative, and with a Gilbert Blythe to crush on/with.

Annie, have you read Anne yet? You must. I'm from PEI, so I feel a special duty to promote Anne. It's her 100th anniversary this year.

Great contest, btw.

Anonymous said...

Nope. Never...

Sara
http://dragonspizza.50webs.com

CJ said...

Can't say I've read a story with a character with either my real name or my pen name but there was a character in a book who had my last name. I picked it up by random chance, read the back, saw my last name and bought the book. It was, if I remember correctly, a spy novel that wasn't half bad.

Oh, and btw, I finally posted a list over at my blog. I'm looking forward to this challenge. Thanks so much for coming up with it.

cjh

Paula said...

No, I have never read a charachters name of Paula. I know there is a book out there that is titled Paula, so I'll have to find it and read it someday. Great challenge, I just posted my first review on my Magic Bookcase site.
Thanks for hosting!

chrisa511 said...

You know Annie, this is just embarassing, but I can't ever remember reading a character with the name Chris! And that's the most common name in the world...Wait!!! Take that back. Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card and I would have to say that I did not share any characteristics with him :p At least I don't think so. But I can't think of any other Chris' I've read aside from that...that's sad!

Anonymous said...

Correction to my earlier post. I'm now reading a book called JULIA'S CHOCOLATES and there's a character named Melissa Lynn. She's a pig! the kind with the curly tail that wallows in the mud. I'm nothing like her - my tail isn't curly!

Jean said...

Interesting question. I don't recall ever reading a book in which the main character shared my name by any spelling (Jean, Jeanne, etc). I'm sure I must have at some point in my almost half century of reading, but not recently enough to recall.

Tara @ Tales of a Book Addict said...

Not for the main character, no. But last week I read "No Second Chance" by Harlen Coben and one of the names was Tara (the daughter who was kidnapped). Although she played a small role in the book, I was actually pleased because I had never run across my name in a book before!

Unknown said...

With a name as common as Melissa, I can't say that I have ever read a book that had a character by that name. Hmmm . . . I wonder why not??

I'll be doing a post about your challenge in the next few weeks. I still need to compile my own list. :-)

Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane said...

I'm glad you said we didn't have to have completed any of our books yet! I am reading a trilogy and trying to finish that before I start on any of mine for the challenge :)

As for the character, no, I don't think I've ever read a book where the main character has the same name as mine. Which is odd, now that I think about it :)

Great question Annie! Have a wonderful day :)

Brittanie said...

Nope. My first name is Brittanie and I have never even meet anyone who spells it like that. (Thanks Mom ;) )

Anonymous said...

The last thing I read with a character having my same name was The Adventures of Mr. Mocker by Thornton Burgess...Jenny Wren was the character...
"Then out popped Jenny Wren, and she was so mad that she couldn't sit still
a second. My, my, my, how she did scold!"....and yes, here lately I've been just like Jenny Wren! lol!

Nyssaneala said...

I've never come across my name in a book, I hope to someday, but it is a pretty rare name.

Anonymous said...

No, I can't think of any that I have read with Nancy in it, but it is entirely possible that I have in the many years that I have been on this earth.

Lizzy Siddal said...

My real name is quite unusual so it's surprising that I've come across two characters with it in the last month! The novels in question are Barbara Pym's Quartet in Autumn and Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End. And yes, I have the isolationist tendencies of Barbara Pym's character.

As for Lizzy - given that she was a preraphaelite supermodel, I have added her biography to my history challenge TBR. Am I like her? Beautiful, tragic, a poetess - I'll leave that for you to decide!

Stephanie said...

You know, I'm sure I have. Stephanie is a pretty common name. But to be honest, it must not have been a huge, deep-meaning book to me because I can't remember it!!

Anonymous said...

No, I think I haven't. My first name is Elke. But there is my nickname: "Miyelo" and this name I've got from a book by Viggo Mortensen.

Iliana said...

Nope, I haven't come across my name in a book yet. Maybe one day - that would be kind of fun.

Alessandra said...

No, I don't think I have, but maybe I will someday... it might be fun!

But once I heard a song about a girl with my name... and no, she wasn't anything like me.

Ana S. said...

No, I don't think I have. It'd be cool, though, especially if it were a character I ended up really liking.

beastmomma said...

My name is pretty unusual outside the Indian community, so I have not read a book with my name in it.

Ms. Kathleen said...

Yes I have. A Bride for Donnigan by Jeannette Oak. The man characters name was Kathleen, the same as mine. She was the "bride".

She was very proud of her Irish heritage as am I. She wanted to travel and better her circumstances, which I have done. She wanted to be a good wife and mother...Same as me.

tinylittlelibrarian said...

Fun question! But I don't think I have, no. But that's okay - I could always relate to Anne of Green Gables wanting a fancier name. I've never been all that fond of mine. :)

Vickie said...

The closest I've come is reading Sara Paretsky's V I Warshawski series. V I's name is Victoria and gets called Vic, one of my nicknames. Vic, -V-, Vixen, Hey YOU!,

Sharon said...

No I never have. Sharon doesn't seem to be too pouplar. I'll have to look for one now!

Anonymous said...

Yes I read What Katy Did when I was younger who shares my name but not quite the same spelling. It's such a long time ago that I read it, but I think at the time there was some similarities in our character but I would have to read the series again to be sure. You know what, I think I will...!

BooksPlease said...

The first one that came to mind is Meg (short for Margaret) in Little Women. No one has ever called me Meg and I don't think I'm like her at all.

There is also Margaret Schlegel in Howard's End. It's a while since I read the book, but I don't think I'm like her either.

Eva said...

Nope-I've never come across a book with my first name (which isn't super-common) or my middle name, Eva. It'd be fun though!

I second the Anne of Green Gables recommendation. Such a good series!!

raidergirl3 said...

I'm back again, becaue the book I read for the first name category, Eleanor Rigby, the main character was my first name: Liz.
How cool was that!

Diana S said...

My name is fairly common being Diana. I will have to say yes because there is a memory lingoring in the recesses that I've read such a book but I can't bring it forward to remember the name of the book. I don't think the character was like me since I surely would have remembered her more clearly if she was like me. :)

Laura said...

I don't know that I qualify for a prize or anything, as I'm not in this challenge (yet), but I wanted to answer. Yes! Years ago I read Laura by Vera Caspary. It's a wonderful book, but the Laura in the story couldn't be less like me. She's suave, sophisticated, always perfectly turned out. I like to run around barefoot and drink beer straight from the bottle. LOL

Mos Stef said...

I actually have, inadvertently, the exact same name as a character in one of the most famous books of all-time. Even though my mom is a research librarian and a book lover, she's never read "To Kill A Mockingbird". So here I am, sitting in 8th grade English while my class is reading the book aloud. When we come to the description of the fat, mean town gossip that everyone hates- low and behold we share the same name- Stephanie Crawford! Needless to say I was really embarrassed, especially since my crush was in that class. I always get compliments on having a pretty name, funnily enough!

Lesley said...

I wish! I would like to know of a book who has a character named Lesley. Anyone?

raidergirl3 said...

There is a Lesley in Anne's House of Dreams, Anne's neighbour

Tiffany Norris said...

I have just finished reading Summer at Tiffany, and Tiffany is my first name! Which is why I chose it in the first place. :) (I hope to post the review today.)

Melwyk said...

I recently read a modern novel in which the main character was a scatter-brained and (to me) thoroughly dislikeable mother, who, of course, shared my first name. Sigh.