Thirteen Literary Characters I Would Like As Friends

I saw a post with this idea last week but I can't, for the life of me, think who did it so I can give them credit. Right then I made a list of characters I would add to my Thursday Thirteen list for this week. Guess what, I lost it! So from the top of my head and in no particular order, here's my list of 13 literary characters I would like to have as friends.

1. Thursday Next - the plucky herione of Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book. Thursday lives in an alternate 1980's England. She has a pet Dodo version 1.8 named Pickwick and she's a Special Operative in the Literary Division of Jurisfiction. Thursday has a great sense of humor and is not easily buffaloed by others.

2. Winnie the Pooh - what's there to say? A warm fuzzy bear who I could tell all my secrets to would be the best friend ever. Pooh Bear would always bring a smile to my face and help me keep my feet firmly planted with his simple wisdom.

3. Mary DiNunzio - One of the team of four women who work at Rosato & Associates Law Firm in Philadelphia. Actually I would like to be friends with all four women. They are tough, determined, feminine lawyers who are out for fair play. I picked Mary because of her thoroughly Italian mother and father. I'm Danish myself, but I love the get togethers with Mary, her parents and other members of the firm. Featured in several books written by Lisa Scottoline.

4. Marian Halcombe - One of the major characters in Wilke Collins' mystery/romance, The Woman in White. She is devoted, tough, smart, strong-willed and courageous.

5. Maisie Dobbs - The demure, savvy lady detective featured in Jacqueline Winspear's mystery series has an intuitive way of helping people feel good about themselves.

6. Hester Latterly - A nurse during the Crimean War who marries the mysterious William Monk in Anne Perry's mystery series. Hester is supportive of William, she's a hard worker and she's a bright woman who doesn't cook.

7. Amelia Peabody - Okay, this person might scare me a bit. I know I wouldn't be up to her mental skills, but if we were friends and she had somehow learned to love me in spite of myself, I could greatly enjoy watching her mind work. And I do so love her relationship with Emerson, her husband. Amelia is a main character in her own mystery series written by Elizabeth Peters.

8. Odd Thomas - The loveable, kind-hearted, quirky young man who is the lead in his own series that is written by one of my favorite authors, Dean Koontz. I wouldn't want to hang out too much with this guy because that would be more adventure than I could take. But I love to spend about a book's worth of time with him every 6 months or so.

9. Despereaux - The brave little mouse in Kate Dicamillo's book who fights for the happiness of his princess with a sewing needle. Such bravery might rub off on me and help me fight the daily battles of life.

10. Mma Ramotswe - This women, who is built the way men like, runs her own detective agency in Botswana. She is matter-of-fact and down-to-earth. A little like Winnie the Pooh but older and maybe, a little wiser, though I don't know for sure. Created by Alexander McCall Smith in The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

11. Lady Susanna Appleton - The herione who was married by her uncle to a good-for-nothing womanizer. I was first introduced to Susanna in Face Down Upon a Bone Marrow Pie by Kathy Lynn Emerson. Susanna is skilled at solving mysteries. Seems to be a common thread among the literary characters I would like to have as friends.

12. Rose Chandler - 'She is too ugly to attract a husband, or so she is often told, and too fearful and disabled by fits of asthma to do much more than lead an old ox around the orchard. Her timidity attracts the attention of the orchard's owner, Mr. Brae, who wants an heir and needs a compliant girl to help him get one. He makes an irresistible offer to Rose's parents--status, possessions, and freedom from bondage--in exchange for Rose's hand in marriage to the monstrous grandson he has kept locked in the attic since birth. Everyone at Greengarden fears "The Thing," who is rumored to feed on human flesh, but the teen finds the inner reserves to accept the offer, both for the sake of her family and even more for her secret desire to own and nurture the orchard.' from the School Library Journal. Rose is the lead character in Dia Calhoun's White Midnight.

13. Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser - The time-crossed lovers from Diana Galbaldon's Outlander series.