When I saw the topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesday list, I was in the middle of a book my 13-year-old daughter recommended to me—Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas.  The main character is Chloe Novak, an adorkable redhead who gets caught up in a mystery on Christmas Eve at the grocery store where she works.  Since I'd just read two other books about women with auburn hair, it got me thinking about other fictional carrot tops.  Gingers are rare in the real world, so it's kind of funny to realize how often they turn up in literary ones.  I thought it would be a fun subject for this week's list about Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who _____ (are musically inclined, have lost someone, have depression, who grow up poor, etc.).

One of the funnest things about fill-in-the-blank lists is that they're all different.  I love to see the variety of answers everyone comes up with.  If you've got a great idea for this week's list, be sure to join in the fun.  All you have to do is click on over to The Broke and the Bookish for instructions.  It's a good time, I promise!

Okay, here we go with Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who Are Redheads:


1.  Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery)—I'm sure Anne (with an e!) is the first literary redhead who pops into most people's minds.  Her personality matches her fiery locks—she's passionate, stubborn, and quick to lose her temper.  She's also a fun, spunky dreamer who's fiercely devoted to her family and friends.  What's not to love about unforgettable Anne?


2.  Ron Weasley and family (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)—Loyal Ron is another beloved redhead, as are all the members of his kind, loving family.


3.  Pippi Longstocking (series by Astrid Lindgren)—I used to love the Pippi books!



4.  Nancy Clancy (Fancy Nancy series by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser)—Ooh la la, it's hard to ignore this little redhead who's enamored of all things glam.


5.  Scarlet Benoit (The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer)—a "rebooted" Little Red Riding Hood


6.  Clary Fray (The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare)—a kick-butt, demon-fighting red-haired heroine


7.  Amber Sterlington (A Heart Revealed by Josi S. Kilpack)—This Regency romance is all about a beautiful socialite dealing with the sudden, inexplicable loss of her thick auburn locks.


8.  Jacinda (Firelight series by Sophie Jordan)—In her human form, she's a beautiful redhead.  In her true form, she's an even more beautiful dragon.


9.  Gemma Doyle (series by Libba Bray)



10.  Chloe Novak (Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Csukas)—Lastly, the one who started it all!  Chloe's a fun character.  Her story is predictable, but cute.                  

So, what do you think?  Did I miss anybody?  Who should I add to my list?  I couldn't think of ten, after all, so I cheated a little bit, using this fabulous article from The Huffington Post.  Also, in my Googling of redheaded heroines, I came across a blog devoted to the subject.  Who knew, right?

What did you fill in the blank with this week?  I'd love to see your list.  Leave me a comment and I'll be sure to return the favor.

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

P.S.  Book images are from Barnes & Noble; others were "borrowed" from around the Internet)

Happy Tuesday!  If you haven't participated in Top Ten Tuesday before, you really should join in the fun.  It's always a good time.  Promise!  Click on over to our hostesses' blog, The Broke and the Bookish, for the details about this always delightful weekly event.

Today's TTT topic is a freebie and don't we all love those?  I debated which subject to choose (Top Ten Books that Scare the Snot Out of Me?  Top Ten Books that Make Me Cry Like a Baby?  Top Ten Books You Couldn't Pay Me to Read Again?), finally settling on Top Ten Books that Make Me Want to Change My Profession.  First, a true confession:  I don't actually have a profession.  I mean, I do have the most important job in the world, but it's not like I get paid to raise my children (darn it!).  And, although motherhood definitely has its drama, suspense, action/adventure and horror, it's not the kind of sexy, book-worthy career that makes readers shout, "Now, that's what I want to be when I grow up."  Just so I'm clear, there's nothing I'd rather be right now than a stay-at-home mom, but these books definitely offer some intriguing career possibilities ...


1.  The Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer—After Captain Jack Sparrow appeared on the big screen in all his strange, but incredibly attractive glory, every female on the planet wanted to be romanced by a pirate.  L.A. Meyer's books, though, make me want to be a pirate.  I mean, the series' heroine, Jacky Faber, makes swinging through the rigging, sailing the open sea, and sword fighting with bloodthirsty savages look like the adventure of a lifetime.  Why she longs to be a proper young lady, I'll never know!


2.  The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter—I've never had any desire to be a female OO7, but I gotta admit, these middle grade books almost change my mind about becoming a spy.  Attending a super exclusive boarding school, going on intense, secret training missions and playing with the newest, coolest tech toys—well, it looks like loads of fun.


3.  The Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke—I'm not the greatest baker in the world, but I do love me some warm, gooey cookies.  So, being a cookie maker doesn't sound bad at all!  I can totally see myself bustling around a warm, bright cookie shop filling display cases with scrumptious goodies, chatting with customers, and baking up a storm in my shiny professional kitchen.  I'd give Hannah Swensen a run for her money, that's for sure!



4.  The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling—Okay, I don't know if wizard (or witch, I guess) counts as a profession, so I'm going to choose Hogwarts professor instead.  Because, aside from the constant presence of that pesky Voldemort (not to mention bratty Draco Malfoy), it looks like a pretty nice gig!



5.  The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare—I'm a huge wimp, but c'mon, doesn't Clare's crew make demon hunting look pretty darn sexy?  I could totally be a kick-butt demon hunter.  Okay, I couldn't, but it's a fun daydream.


6.  Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys—Lots of novels feature bookshop owners and that's a profession I think I'd totally rock at in the real (unlike pirate or spy or demon hunter).  One of my favorite parts of this book is the descriptions of how Josie and Patrick size up potential customers, bet on what kind of book they're looking for, then compete with each other to find the perfect tome for that person.  It reminds me of playing "Guess the Major" when I worked at the BYU Creamery!


7.  The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters—While lots of people find archaeology endlessly fascinating, I'm really not one of them.  Discovering ancient artifacts does sound cool, I agree, but nothing about digging for days and days under a sweltering desert sun sounds all that appealing.  Enter Amelia Peabody.  She's an average Jane who does the whole Egyptologist thing in style.  She makes slipping down the Nile in a houseboat and solving mysteries sound like the perfect profession for an average Jane like me.


8.  Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper—After watching my mom slave away as a passionate, but vastly underpaid teacher, I knew that was one thing I did not want to be when I grew up.  Even when it made a lot of sense for me to earn a teaching degree along with my B.A. in English, I resisted.  And, truthfully, it's probably for the best—I don't think I would have had the patience for it, especially not to be a special education teacher, which is what my mom did before she retired from the profession.  Still, when I hear my mom's stories about touching children's lives as well as reading books like Out of My Mind, it makes me realize how important teachers are, especially those who work so diligently and patiently to help those with special needs receive the best education they can get.



9.  That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard—Truth is, I find the whole circus thing a little creepy.  Still, Howard made me reconsider (for a second, at least) running off to join up as a trapeze artist or a palm reader.  I would have to pass on the pooper scooper job, even though I actually have some experience in that arena (thank you, summer job at the vet's office when I was 16).


10.  Misery by Stephen King—Okay, so a story about a fiction writer held captive by a psychotic fan should not make one want to be a novelist.  And yet, how cool would it be to know the words you wrote had that much power over someone else?  Very cool, indeed.              

How about you?  Which books make you want to pursue a whole new profession?  Or, which make you proud to be working the job you are?  I'd love to know.  

* Book images are from Barnes & Noble and Fantastic Fiction

Pandemonium is a trip. As New York City's hottest all-ages club, the place guarantees a spectacle - garish tattoos, candy-colored hair, intricate costumes, mind-dulling trance music - there's always something new to see, taste or try. It's a colorful, dizzying, dream-like world so different from Clary Fray's usual humdrum existence, that the 15-year-old just can't get enough. Even when she witnesses what appears to be a murder, it's tainted with the strangeness that suffuses every square inch of Pandemonium. Her sudden appearance in a deserted storeroom stuns the would-be killers, her boldness saving a blue-haired boy - at least momentarily - but the assassins seem unconcerned with Clary's presence. They're talking about demons, Shadowhunters and some weirdo named Valentine. Are the "murderers" acting out some crazy role play game? Are they hopped up on drugs? Or has Pandemonium completely warped her mind? Even outside the club, she can barely think clearly. She's seeing things that aren't there, knowing things she's never learned, remembering events that never occurred. What's happening to her?

When Clary's mother goes missing, apparently at the hands (well, claws) of a demon, Clary must face the fact that everything she's ever known - about her parents, her home, herself - is a lie. The "killers" from Pandemonium seem to be the only ones with any clue as to what's going on. The teenagers claim to be Shadowhunters, beings created to track and kill demons. Whatever they really are, Clary is drawn to their energy, their powerful convictions, their sexy confidence. And the fact that they're the only ones who can help find her mother. Jace, an especially fine specimen of - well, whatever he is - helps Clary see the dark, fantastical underbelly of New York society, a strange, nightmare land that holds her mother somewhere in its clutches.

Clearly, Jace belongs in this bizarre alternate world, but what does it have to do with Clary and her mother, the most boring "mundies" on the planet? As she desperately searches for her mom, Clary realizes the person she really has to find is herself. Who is she, truly? What are the Shadowhunters really after? What do the demons want with her mother? What will Clary have to do - to accept - to save herself and those she loves?

Just when I was really getting sick of demons, vampires, werewolves and the whole crazy, copycat genre of YA urban fantasy, Cassandra Clare creates a series that finally pumps some life (so to speak) back into this tired category. Although City of Bones doesn't quite live up to its hype, it's still an imaginative, engrossing debut that will leave readers clamoring for more. It's sexy, funny, addicting - and I sorely need another hit.

(Readalikes: Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer; a little like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for language, sexual innuendo and violence

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find