Hosted by Katie @ Never Not Reading and Darque Reader Reads, “Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile, and will now be hosted by Katie. It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl. Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and I will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!” — Katie
The theme this month is our Bookish OTP! This, as always, was hard for me to choose. There are many couples in books that I really love. Lei and Wren from Girls of Paper and
Fire, Audrey and Thomas from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, Claire and Jaime from Outlander, Scarlett, and Rhett from Gone With the Wind. (hey, don’t rain on my parade, okay?) Lily and James Potter from the HP series, Harry and Hermione. (I will die on that mountain. Harry and Hermione were better suited for one another. I didn’t get the Ron/Mione thing in books and on screen.) I don’t believe we have to pick a canon couple, but I was good and I chose one.
My choice comes from Me Before You!
I
really, honestly, and I’m sure I’ll get some grief, but I loved the hell out of Will and Louisa from Me Before You. I know the end of the book is devastating and there are many who feel that it was wrong to have Will die, but I think he wanted to go on his own terms. He wasn’t happy, he was suffering, and the woman he loved would never live a full life without him. Granted, I’d have done as Lou did, I’d have fought hard for him. If I loved someone that much, the idea of life without them would be impossible to fathom. Eventually, I’d accept it, but I think you all understand my meaning. Will Traynor was the spark that ignited a passion for life, for everything. Once she broke down those walls he had erected around himself, I loved Will too.
Now, given Will deciding to end his life, and ultimately his suffering, I know people think it’s selfish. But I don’t. And I think Lou eventually saw that, given how she saw first hand how limited and miserable his life was. I think people have to make the decisions that will give them peace, ultimately. As with everything in this day and age, people find fault with everything, but I really love them and they will always be one of my favorites. (Scarlett and Rhett are my all time favorite, but I know people are sick of me talking Gone With The Wind, lol.)
Lou and Will complimented each other, despite their differences. And I think that’s an important thing people should realise that you can come from two entirely different backgrounds, and yet, still be entirely perfect for the other. Will, being in the situation that he was, made Lou see that there is an entire world out there and she shouldn’t be ‘maudlin’ and miss out. And yet, he never made her change her style, her quirkiness, any of it, despite it initially annoying him.
Rather, he embraced her for it. And though there were occasions Lou wanted to leave, she was head over heels for Will and she did her best to make his time pleasant. Where he was quiet, she was chatty, where she was naive, he was experienced. There were so many ways that they complimented one another and I really, really loved that.
It was the film that alerted me to the existence of the book. I am not, as most of you know, a romance lover really. But taking Emilia Clarke and putting her in this role…and giving me Sam Claflin to look at, well, of course, I was going to be pulled in. I recently got the DVD, but I haven’t watched yet as I have no intention of bawling my eyes out. Having seen the movie, when I read the book finally, I could see them perfectly in the roles. I think it was a rare case of really brilliant casting.
I suppose I also love Lou so much because as I said in another post, I see myself in her. There is so much of her in me, that sometimes reading the book, I felt I knew what I would do and lo and behold, she did it. It isn’t often I connect with a character like that. Especially given that when asked what characters I think are like me, I say, Belle, Jo March, and Scarlett O’Hara. But yes…that’s one of my bookish OTP’s. I hope you enjoyed the read and that you sound off, telling me if you agree or not, who you would pick.
And be sure to visit the other Calendar Girls blogs to read who they pick. Be kind to one another, as Ellen DeGeneres says!
Over and out, bookworms! xx
PS: If you are in Europe and in the midst of the heatwave, please, please stay cool. Stay Hydrated, take cool showers/baths. If you like ice cream? Go for it. Sit with fans. Also, if you are an animal lover like I am, leave some water out for them. And be mindful of the hotness of concrete–it will burn the pads of your pet’s feet! Keep them cool too. xx
Clarissa Reads It All. 