My Favorite Female Fictional Characters Who Love Reading
There’s no way to get me to feel an affinity with a character faster than making them a bookworm. A fictional character who loves reading lets me know if that character is interested in adventure or culture or politics or wizards. It lets me know that character is probably an introvert and would probably rather be reading than doing most other useless things, like going to youth discotheques or watching football. Just kidding. I’m sure lots of people like to read and are super social sports fans. But if a character is introduced with their nose plunged within the pages of Wodehouse’s My Man Jeeves, chances are I’m going to like him or her.
If someone in real life tells me they love to read, they automatically go up about 100 points on my Official Friend-o-Meter. If someone tells me they don’t necessarily love to read but love fictional characters who love reading, they get points for that, too. I love books and I love the people that love books. I especially love the fictional characters who love fiction.
My favorite fictional characters who love fiction include:
Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons
Lisa is basically me as a child, except replace some of her book choices with the BSC and Saddle Club series. Remember that episode decides to be cool and turn her back on books? Yeah, that never happened with me. But Lisa found her way back. We always find our way back to books.
Suzy Bishop from Moonrise Kingdom
Suzy brings a suitcase filled with books when she decides to run away for good. Suzy is awesome. Okay, so Wes Anderson is probably actually the awesome one. Or whoever his production designer is. Anyway, if you haven’t faced the dilemma of deciding which books to bring on a trip with you, you haven’t faced trouble, my friends.
Belle from Beauty and the Beast
Sure, this movie is basically just a gal’s story about a superbad case of Stockholm Syndrome plus some dancing dish ware, but she sure loved her some books! Most of the people in her village wouldn’t know a book if it bit them in the bum, but Belle knows there’s more out there than her provincial life. She wants all the books to bite her bum. All the books!
Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls
We all know Rory brings books wherever she goes. And even if people look at you weird when you start reading a book in the middle of a party, they can go suck an egg. The book’s probably more interesting. Better idea: start a book club that meets at parties! Anti-social behavior subverted!
Matilda Wormwood from Matilda
This telekinetic wonder finds solace from the terrors of the real world in books. This was one of my favorite books as a kid, the film is timeless, and you better bet your sweet bippy I’ll try my darndest to see Matilda on Broadway.
Hermione Granger from Harry Potter
This witch uses books to be a better witch. She could probably just lazily witch her way to better witching, but no. Like, witches can probably just point their wands at a book and absorb all the knowledge and adventure in one flick. But not Hermione. If you need her, she’ll be in the library.
