Hi dear friends,

Today I’ll go straight to the point as I am running like mad at work but still want to participate in Top 5 Tuesday @bionicbookworm.

I explained last week that February will be a challenging Top 5 Tuesday month as Shanah makes us choose characters from Potter’s house every week.

And I am so not into:

1. Remembering all the characteristics of past characters (remember attention span of a gnat here!). Seriously I am in awe of you all when you give me so many details about characters from books you’ve read years ago! I forget many things (ok not the most important traits) nearly the day after I finished the story!
2. Sorting characters into categories. I can’t even do the “if you liked this book you’ll like that book”.
3. Being a HP (Harry Potter, NOT Hewlet Packard!!) specialist. I adore Harry and his friends. I think JK Rowling is a genius BUT I am not a HP Geek knowing everything to the color of Ron’s underwear (Eeeek because honestly Ron is so NOT glamorous! I never saw what Hermione found attractive in Ron, friendship aside).

Lucky for me Shanah got me covered for number 3 as she gives us each week a summary of the House’s character’s trait!

This week she says the Ravenclaw are:

They are analytical, intelligent, logical yet impractical, curious, inquisitive, creative, witty, wise, interested in understanding things, cynics, fond of  intellectual discussion, introspective, independent, wordy, and self entertaining. They observe rather than participate, are fond of learning for the sake of learning, and good at school (or really anything that they have an interest in!)

Armed with this description I once more perused my shelves and came to the astonishing conclusion that some of the books I could see featured today had side characters for Ravenclaws!

Not all but I had a longer list than the five you’ll find here below and all the others where side characters.

I think Gryffindors are hot headed and perfect to play the hero while Ravenclaws being more analystical and observers rather than “actors” they work better in the background. You know the friend being level headed and helping the hero out of his mess. Or wanting to avoid going head first into a messy situation. Or they would be troops commanders, strategizing, organizing but not engaging in battles.

Or managers maybe? They prefer being on the outskirts rather than in the middle of the action. More room to analyze and think!

That being said I came up with five books, some with main “Ravenclaw” characters some with side characters.

My first choice is “Win Some Lose Some” by Shay Savage.

This is an Uber cute, sweet and fun read where the main character Matthew Rohan is autistic and has Asperger’s Syndrome. As many Asperger characters he is very smart and needs to plan a lot! He hates being in the spotlight and would rather observe in the shadows.

That’s why when he met Mayra she was a challenge. He wanted to be normal!

That book made me snicker and giggle so hard people in my doctor’s waiting room must think I am the freak by now!
I can’t resist sharing some gems with you. Just enjoy!

His uncle realizes he could potentially have a girlfriend and wants him to protect himself. Here is how their discussion went, knowing people suffering from autism take everything literally most of the time: ”I know Kyle gave you “the talk” when you were younger”. “The talk?…What talk?” “The sex talk!” “Yes” “I’d guess that talk was probably pretty…mechanical in nature.” “You can use machines?” I asked. “ I nearly peed my pants with this one!!!

And just a last one, funny but also really touching as it shows how Matthew was sometimes lost in life, did not dare hope living a “normal “ life with a girlfriend but wishing for it really hard anyway.
Every new situation he could encounter, every change has to be prepared. He has to be guided through it, repeating and rehearsing what might happen countless times. He is with his aunt Bethany: ”Do you remember when you couldn’t order pizza over the phone? Can you do that now?” “Yes but I have to work up to it a little”. “So we’ll work on getting you ready to ask Mayra out the same way we worked on ordering pizza. I’ll be Mayra and you ask me. We’ll keep doing it until you think you got it.” “But…” I hesitated. “What is it?” “But the pizza place never says no!”

Second choice The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

That’s where we go into side characters territory with … Simon! It was always Clary going head first into adventure and Simon followed reluctantly. He had great observation skills and would have rather studied than fight evil!

Third choice: The Winner’s trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

I think Kestrel is the perfect Ravenclaw.  Quiet with a sharp intellect, she is a strategist in games, human relationships or at war. She knows her inability to master weaponry. Brave, proud and strong, all she wants is to play the piano even if it’s frown upon.

Fourth choice: Managed by Kristen Callihan

Because of its main character: Gabriel Scott alias Scottie! He is the band’s manager. Working in the shadow with a sharp mind. He will analyze every line of a contract because signing it. He has a dry sense of humor, is always composed and unruffled. Cynic is very good at all that he wants to do.

Fifth choice: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Stelly is also autistic with Asperger’s syndrome. Just like Matthew she feels comfortable in logic. She loves number and she needs to plan everything as she hates the unknown. Just to give you a taste of who Stella is:

“She’d spent time devising conversation trees in her head so she could minimize the need for social improvising. (…) For several twisting moments, she ran through her list of presocialization reminders: think before you talk (anything and everything can be an insult to someone; when in doubt, say nothing), be nice, sitting on your hands prevents fidgeting and feels good, make eye contact, smile (not teeth, that’s scary), don’t start thinking about work, don’t let yourself talk about work (no one wants to hear about it), please and thank you, apologize with feelings.”

Now what do you think of my choices? Who would you choose as Ravenclaw?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie