Books with likable characters

[Nonny]

I'm currently reading We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Testament of Jessie Lamb. Both have an interesting premise behind them but the characters are not likable at all, and are rather pissing me off.

The mom in WNTTAK is just not sympathetic, the husband is an ass, and well, Kevin is still a toddler at this point but we know how he turns out!

TJL it YA speculative fiction (I've seen it described as The Handmaids Tale collides with Children of Men) and teenage protagonist is a whiny little snot, and all the adults are flawed in a really exaggerated manner.

I need a good book where the characters don't suck!

[aurora]

What kinds of books do you typically like? Some random ones I've read where I really like the main character(s) include

Still Alice
Year of Wonders
Molokai

but I can probably think of others if you can be more specific about genres.

[Nonny]

I'm open to all genres, but I'm not a fan of "chick lit." Jen Lancaster, Sophie Kinsella, etc... make me want to punch things.

I've been on a YA (i.e. brain candy) kick lately, but I do tend to gravitate to fantasy and sci-fi, or "soft horror" (which is how I classify Stephen King in my own head). My MIL occasionally hands me a book that I really enjoy, for example The Help, and she has gave me a bunch last year that I haven't read yet, but when I pick them up I'm kind, meh.

[aurora]

Sounds like we enjoy a lot of the same books, and I have found that I can read and appreciate books with no likeable characters but I rarely love them or want to re-read them.

Some others of various genres to add to the list, then:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (and later also Brian Sanderson) - granted there are some awful characters in this one but also a lot of likeable ones, and it'll keep you occupied for the next year because it's so long. Bonus: the last book (#14!) is slated to be published in January so you won't have to wait for it unless you are an incredibly fast reader!
Under the Dome by Stephen King - some really bad people but the main characters are likeable
The Art of Racing in the Rain because who couldn't love a faithful pup as the main character?

I assume you've read Harry Potter.

[sam20]

Jun 1, 2012 16:56:53 GMT -5 aurora said:

Under the Dome by Stephen King - some really bad people but the main characters are likeable

I loved Under the Dome. It's actually the only Stephen King book I've ever read.

[Nonny]

Jun 1, 2012 16:56:53 GMT -5 aurora said:

Sounds like we enjoy a lot of the same books, and I have found that I can read and appreciate books with no likeable characters but I rarely love them or want to re-read them.
That's kind of how I am with TJL, the idea behind the story is really good, but I'm having a hard time since Jessie is such a know-it-all-teenager.

Some others of various genres to add to the list, then:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
I'll look into both of these; they sound vaguely familiar.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (and later also Brian Sanderson) - granted there are some awful characters in this one but also a lot of likeable ones, and it'll keep you occupied for the next year because it's so long. Bonus: the last book (#14!) is slated to be published in January so you won't have to wait for it unless you are an incredibly fast reader! I've actually read the first book in this series (I think we have the first 7 or 8) and I *loved* it, but I hear the remaining books kind of drag so I've been putting them off.
Under the Dome by Stephen King - some really bad people but the main characters are likeable Stephen King always has good characters, it's his endings that suck. This is actually a really good suggestion because I enjoy King but I haven't read any of his stuff in ages. I think the last book I read was Cellular, which was OK, but seemed like a zombie/technology-ified re-telling of The Stand
The Art of Racing in the Rain because who couldn't love a faithful pup as the main character?
I've heard of this book, but I had no idea it's about a dog.

I assume you've read Harry Potter.
Yes, many times. And the Hunger Games, Divergent, (still waiting on Insurgent from the library,

[aurora]

I'm glad it seems you found my suggestions helpful!

Re. Wheel of Time, I think the first few books were pretty good and didn't drag badly. Then, around book 5 or 6 they really start to drag, then they pick back up again with book 9. If you liked book 1, I would recommend reading the next couple until you get bored, then looking up book summaries online (there are some thorough ones out there) for the next few, then starting again with Winter's Heart.

As much as I think Jordan was brilliant for creating the universe in these books, I do think that the books Sanderson wrote after he died (from Jordan's original storylines/notes) are actually better written.

[Nonny]

If I start back up on The Wheel of Time series should I re-read the first book? My husband says the first book is very different than the rest, but I know it's kind of one continuous story.

[aurora]

It has been a couple of years since I've read them, but I remember the first book having more of a standalone story quality. It's important for providing character backgrounds and setting up the scene, but I don't know that you have to re-read it. If you're afraid you don't remember enough you could check out the Wiki summaries or the more detailed chapter-by-chapter summaries at

www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/books/teotw/index.html

(I actually read the chapter summaries here for the first 11 books to refresh my mind when the 12th came out because I didn't think I could bring myself to get through the whole series again.)

[Pippin]

Jun 1, 2012 16:27:40 GMT -5 Nonny said:

I'm open to all genres, but I'm not a fan of "chick lit." Jen Lancaster, Sophie Kinsella, etc... make me want to punch things.

I've been on a YA (i.e. brain candy) kick lately, but I do tend to gravitate to fantasy and sci-fi, or "soft horror" (which is how I classify Stephen King in my own head). My MIL occasionally hands me a book that I really enjoy, for example The Help, and she has gave me a bunch last year that I haven't read yet, but when I pick them up I'm kind, meh.

Wow you sound like my exact book twin right down to your MIL giving you The Help to read. For like able characters I would suggest Poison Study by Maria V Snyder and the rest of her Study trilogy even though the last one was just OK. It's often listed as romance but its much more fantasy with a little romance thrown in. Also her Inside Out and Outside In scifi books were pretty good but are a little more on the YA side than adult fiction. Both are just fun reads though.

[apelila]

Jun 2, 2012 15:38:06 GMT -5 aurora said:

It has been a couple of years since I've read them, but I remember the first book having more of a standalone story quality. It's important for providing character backgrounds and setting up the scene, but I don't know that you have to re-read it. If you're afraid you don't remember enough you could check out the Wiki summaries or the more detailed chapter-by-chapter summaries at

www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/books/teotw/index.html

(I actually read the chapter summaries here for the first 11 books to refresh my mind when the 12th came out because I didn't think I could bring myself to get through the whole series again.)

I've read up through #8 and really enjoy the story/characters, but got derailed by the dragginess. I'm relieved to hear that #9 picks back up. Totally going to use this site to refresh myself when I get back to it!

[ThirdandLong]

It sounds like we enjoy the same type of literature.

David Eddings writes several great series. IMO better than WOT (my husband disagrees, he's a huge WOT fan). The first two series feature magic - the will and the word - and the protection of a powerful object, a family unit at the core of the story. I started with Belgarath the Sorcerer then read the Belgariad, then the Mallorean, and then read Polgara. If I were a newbie, I'd start with the Belgariad and then read Belgarath - since there were things that were assumed to be known in the later, that I didn't know. It's quite a captivating series (totally fantasy). The world is well painted by Eddings, rich with culture and convincing conflict.

He also wrote a series about knights fighting, basically, corrupt minor gods. It's a little slow to start, but the characters interact so well together that it becomes quite enjoyable. Those two series are the Elenium and the Tamuli.

Another of my favorite authors is Clive Cussler, whose character Dirk Pitt is completely awesome. He's Indiana Jones, Macguyver-ish, handsome and daring. The books are adventure, minor mystery. The best are Inca Gold, Shock Wave and Flood Tide.

[duckduck]

Just chiming in to say that I love The Mists of Avalon! None of the characters are perfect, but you won't want to kill everyone all of the time, either. And it's sooo good.

[starshine1977]

Jun 4, 2012 8:26:52 GMT -5 ThirdandLong said:

It sounds like we enjoy the same type of literature.

David Eddings writes several great series. IMO better than WOT (my husband disagrees, he's a huge WOT fan). The first two series feature magic - the will and the word - and the protection of a powerful object, a family unit at the core of the story. I started with Belgarath the Sorcerer then read the Belgariad, then the Mallorean, and then read Polgara. If I were a newbie, I'd start with the Belgariad and then read Belgarath - since there were things that were assumed to be known in the later, that I didn't know. It's quite a captivating series (totally fantasy). The world is well painted by Eddings, rich with culture and convincing conflict.

I will chime in to second the recommendation for the Belgariad, Mallorean, etc. I have read them all more than once and the stories and characters are great, very well-developed.