Top 5 Gryffindor House Reads!

Welcome to the first week of the Harry Potter theme month of February! I’ve been SO excited for these topics….. it feels a little like Christmas day finally being able to post this! I prepared myself for these posts by watching the Harry Potter movies (Like I really needed an excuse!) and I think I’ve made some pretty solid choices. Let’s be real though – as soon as I see the participants lists I know I’m going to want to smack myself in the head for not thinking of it first!

I was trying to decide if I wanted to just choose books or characters that would belong in the Hogwarts houses. I couldn’t decide, so I’ve gone with a mix of both. If you aren’t familiar with the traits of Gryffindor House, here’s what their main traits are:

They are experience oriented, honest, practical, blunt, passionate, playful, funny, trusting, idealistic, stubborn and procrastinators. They live in the moment, don’t take themselves seriously, are wary of manipulators and liars, have a strong moral centre, and are unafraid to seize opportunities and make changes.

Here are my top 5 books/characters that fit these traits:

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme where I explore different topics. If you are interested in participating I would love to have you! Here is a list of my Upcoming topics in February – please remember to ping back a specific post of mine so I get a notification and I will add you to the participants list!

SKYWARD by Brandon Sanderson. Specifically main character, Spensa.
This was probably the first book that came to mind when I thought of Gryffindor. I remember when Harry was being sorted into his house and the sorting hat mentioned a chance to prove himself. That is Spensa in a nut shell. She’s lived her whole life being known as the coward’s daughter. She’s had to work 50 times harder than everyone else just to prove her worth. She’s brave, stubborn, is unafraid to seize her moment, and has a strong moral centre. She’s most definitely a Gryffindor!

THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir. Specifically main character, Mark Watney
Quite literally that entire paragraph outlining the traits of a Gryffindor applies to this man. He’s in one of the most stressful situations that a person could be in, and he still found a way to keep his positivity and humour. He never took himself seriously, even when he was an absolute genius. He never gave up on himself, and his natural curiosity was something that saved his life many times over. When one thing didn’t work, he found another way.

THE LUNAR CHRONICLES SERIES by Marissa Meyer
For some reason, the books themselves, as well as almost all the characters, feel like they would be Gryffindor! They’re all very adventurous, and all very blunt given the situation. Their lives are on the line and truthful communication is the only thing that will get them through this. They’re all wary of liars and manipulators because, I mean – if you’ve read the books, then you will understand. There’s so much manipulation that can take place and they aren’t really sure who to trust. This series is also about change. Though some are wary of it, they all realize that chance is the only way to truly move forward.

ARTEMIS by Andy Weir – Specifically main character, Jazz Bashara
I struggled deciding to put this one here. In fact, I might also list this one for Slytherin! Jazz is the type of character that you either love or hate. I would say that a lot of you don’t like her, but I absolutely LOVE her and can see a lot of myself in her. She is literally all of the things listed above. Experience oriented (she knows her stuff and know how/when to use it), honest (I guess this one is stretching it a bit), blunt (this is where her honesty comes in. Whether it hurts someone or not, she isn’t willing to dumb down the truth), passionate, funny, trusting (though this sometimes bites her in the ass), idealistic, stubborn, and a procrastinator. I think this sums up why I love her so much!

CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber
This last one isn’t really related to any specific characters in particular. In fact, I would put Scarlett as a Hufflepuff and Tella as a Slytherin. But, that aside, I think that this is a book that a Gryffindor would really enjoy reading. There’s magic, bravery, deception, loyalty, trust issues, game play, and so much more.

TOP 5 TUESDAY PARTICIPANTS:

• J.W. Martin – Storeys of Stories
• Lili’s Blissful Pages
• Meeghan Reads and Bakes
• Malanie Loves Fiction
• Reading Evolution
• Bath and Books
• Living A Hundred Lives
• The Punk Theory
• Comfort Reads
• Books And Co.
• It’s Just A Coffee Addicted Bibliophile
• The Book Nook
• Kristin Kraves Books
• Kyera’s Library
• A Fictional Bookworm
• Books Are Only The Beginning
• Jillian The Bookish Butterfly
• Of Midnight Ravings
• Libby Reads
• Blogger Books
• The Hannie Corner
• My Year of Reading Dangerously
• Realms Of My Mind
• Birdie Bookworm
• The Grumpy Bibliophile
• Beware of the Reader
• Shades of Paper
• Hanna Reads
• The Reading Hobbit
• Happy Bookshelves
• We Are Just Stories

Those are the top 5 books and characters that I think either relate to the Gryffindor traits, or I feel that a Gryffindor would enjoy. I absolutely can not wait to see what makes the lists of the participants!

Until next time, happy reading!