Thursday, February 16, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #84

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.


Our Feature -Le Grande Codex




Hello there my name is Aparajita Basu and yes I'm from India. I created Le' Grande Codex in 2011 as an outlet to sight my views regarding the various books I read. I have become so book crazy that I finish one book and then move onto the next one without a stop. I am obsessed with books. I love buying them. I love collecting them. I blame 'Jo Rowling' for my unhealthy book obsession. Before I was introduced to the Harry Potter saga I was an occasional reader and not at all book crazy but not the case now. No worries i'm loving this part of my life really well.But this doesn't mean that I don't have a life.

Besides my book craze I am pursuing a B.A. in media Studies graduation course from Allahabad University, India and hope to make it big in the Animation industry. I also love to watch movies (preferably Hollywood 'cause Bollywood doesn't really appeal to me any more) and listen to music, going places, talking to people and helping round the house. So yes i do have a life besides books. Oh yes i forgot to mention i have an unhealthy but to a lesser degree obsession for Japanese manga as well. Oh and Le' Grande Codex is my second blog after The 'A' - Jurnale.


Q: I like unique names for characters and am looking forward to coming up with some when I start writing. What's the most unique character name you've come across?



This is a hard question to answer. Most of the weirdest literary names show up in fantasy or sci fi. Names like Frodo or Peeta or Karu are certainly strange, but they're derived from foreign worlds. They may be as common as Emily and Jacob in their worlds, so I think it's unfair to list them as odd names.

The only contemporary weird names I can think of both come from Stephanie Perkins: Etienne and Cricket. Etienne isn't all that strange. It's French, but it was a new name for me. I suppose you could include a lot of the Harry Potter names on the weird list too: Hermione, Severus, Remus, Sirius, etc. But like Etienne, they're classical names from another culture - generally Greek and Latin, I believe. Severus was the name of a Roman emperor a few thousand years ago. Sirius is a constellation, of course. And Hermione is a Greek name that once sounded strange to me, but now sounds cool.

Of course there's always Renesmee, but that's so weird that it belongs in its own category.

One of my literary pet peeves is names that sound out of place. For example, I just finished Amy and Roger's Epic Detour. A fabulous book, but the names are all wrong. The book takes place in present time, so I would assume that Amy was born around 1993/1994 and Roger was born around 1991/1992 (I feel old just writing these years). How many people born during the 90s do you know named Amy or Roger? Amy is a classic 1970s/1980s name that has largely, although not totally, gone out of style. Roger hasn't been popular since the 1950s or 1960s. There's nothing wrong with these names, they just sound weird in the context of the book. You could also say that Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door, whose full name is Delores, was anachronistic. But I give that one a pass since she was named after Mission Delores or Delores Park in San Francisco.

Another irritation came from a book I just finished called The Rivals by Daisy Whitney. One of the side characters was a girl name Anjali. She was French. Anjali is traditionally an Indian name. Obviously, there's no rule that a French girl can't have an Indian name (although I think France may actually have a law against name your child unusual names), but without any sort of explanation, it makes it seem more like the author didn't do her research on name origin.

Now for the Follow Fun!



With GFC going the way of the dodo bird for many bloggers, there is no better time to start following blogs via RSS feed. If you use a reader, it would be great if you followed my RSS directly.


We have a new button, so update your blogs if you are used to doing this meme!

Gain New Blog Followers



<a href="http://parajunkee.com/category/ff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4710921228_e3140444bf_o.png" /></a>

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
  5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
  6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
Happy Follow Friday! Come back at midnight CST for the Facebook & Twitter hop!! 

47 comments:

  1. Harry Potter was definitely full of a lot of interesting names!

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  2. Renesmee is definitely a weird name, but I have to wonder how many girls will have that name in the future LOL!
    Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog

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  3. Awesome question this week!! I love all the names you picked :)

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  4. Hi & Happy Friday Alison!

    I completely agree with the names you picked.. A few of them made my list as well :)

    My FF, http://obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/feature-and-follow-friday-17th-february.html

    Have a great weekend.

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  5. Ok I had forgotten Renesmee but that name was a doosey. But I can say that it is another name that we can immediately identify with the book it comes from (in my post I talked about Jace as an example). :)

    Shanan
    http://thebookaddictnet.blogspot.com/2012/02/follow-friday-14.html

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  6. I loved the names in Harry Potter! Honestly I didn't like the name Katniss until I got to know her character a lot better...I thought it sounded too cutesy. I work in a school district so I come across unique names all the time and I always think how cool they would sound in a book.

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  7. Well, I learned a few new things! I listed a few different names, but I included some Hunger Games characters. I haven't read those books yet and I didn't know those names were common in other cultures. Good to know!

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  8. I have to agree with the Amy and Roger thing! Who names anyone Roger anymore ;) JRR Tolkien was a genius so that's just a given on his character's names. I do love the name Peeta, though! Very, very unique (helps that I LOVED him).

    Have a great weekend!!!
    Kristin @myparahangover

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  9. I'm still pretty new at blogging, so I'm excited to get to know fellow bloggers. :)

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  10. I have to admit I didn't do a very good job of this week's question! You sure did though. :) Hope it's a great weekend for you.

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  11. "although I think France may actually have a law against name your child unusual names" - is this real? I am chuckling so hard right now.

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  12. I really love this weeks question, made me think! Have a good weekend!
    You can check out my Follow Friday here.
    [:
    ShawnaLeAnn
    Dreaming In The Pages Enter My Giveaway

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  13. I agree with you that some character names just don' seem right...or, another thing that I notice is when characters have very similar names within one story. I never understand why authors do that.

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  14. I don't think anything in my entire existence will ever top the name Renesmee, basically. But yes! Rodger is such an old dude name, I found it charming but it's definitely a unique name for a younger person.

    Hope everyone has an excellent weekend!
    Our FF - http://novelsounds.blogspot.com/2012/02/follow-friday-5.html

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  15. The Harry Potter series does have an excellent pool of names to choose from doesn't it?
    I also chose to include the name of a person that I know that I would use in a book in an instant: breezy pizza :p

    happy friday!
    http://inner-aspen.blogspot.com/2012/02/feature-and-follow-friday_17.html

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  16. Happy Friday everyone! Renesmee is too weird, it's like a punishment to name your child that lol
    Here is my FF: http://alexiachronicles.blogspot.com/2012/02/feature-follow-4.html

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  17. There was an article I read about things to remember when naming characters and it mentioned about checking out baby name sites too so it'll act as a guide when that name became prevalent such as the things you noticed in those books you mentioned to be avoided. Etienne is unique but not enough to derail you and I feel Cricket is good too especially if the author ties something of the unusual nature of the insect. Hmm, was the character prefers dwelling in the background thus overhearing anything from secrets to gossips from people? That's what I think when I picture a person named Cricket. My FF.

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  18. My pet peeve are oddly spelled names like Faythe, Kace or Rebekkah.

    Renesmee really does need its own category.

    Here's our #FF post

    Maja @ The Nocturnal Library

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  19. The name Cricket made me think of the Young and the Restless. But her name is actually Christine and Cricket is a nickname.

    Here's my Friday Hop. Stop by if you get a chance.

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  20. I didn't go with HP or LOTR but did go with fantasy. Always hated the Renesmee and had completely blocked it from my head until this morning.
    Have a Great Weekend!

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  21. The code for the button results in the old button. I tried both your code and Parajunkie's with the same result.

    I've always liked Dickens' Fagin for a really expressive name. Many of his characters have names that give you an image before you ever know the character's behaviors.

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  22. I had the same code issue, so my blog has the old one and the new one :-) Happy Friday!

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  23. Agree on Renesmee's name being weird but that definitely lasts only till I get to know the meaning behind it....

    I'M FEATURED TODAY...YAY!!

    My FF Here

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  24. Definitely agree on Renesmee, very weird name.
    Although...I've been told my name is weird. LOL FranJessca, mistaken for Jessica or Francesca. I don't think anyone gets it right. LOL My Mom created it the day I was born to name her after a bestfriend and she loved the name Jessica.

    Happy Friday!

    Our FF: http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com/2012/02/feature-follow-3.html

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  25. I think Renesmee is very fitting for a vampire. Like all your other name choices, ones I have not heard of either..... Have a great weekend!

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  26. Definitely agree that Harry Potter had a lot of unique names! It wasn't til the first movie that I learned to pronounce most of them!!

    Here's my Friday Hops

    Have a GREAT weekend!

    Old Follower :)

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  27. I found the names in Harry Potter strange when I started reading the series, but quickly came to love them. Renesmee is definitely strange!

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  28. Renesmee is definitely unique but I think it's beautiful! I'm sort of new to book blogging so I'm excited to meet more fellow bloggers!

    Here's the link to my FF:
    http://a-reading-daydreamer.blogspot.com/2012/02/feature-and-follow-friday-1.html

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  29. Cricket was definitely a strange one, I kept waiting for the moment when he would tell us it was a nickname and share the nickname story, but he didn't so I can only assume that's his actual name:) Happy Friday Alison!!!

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  30. I'm a fan of Gytha from Hannah Howell's Beauty and the Beast. It was such an ugly name for such a lovely heroine.

    My FF

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  31. I love this question!! :)
    Here's the link to my FF: clicky!

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  32. Hi Alison! Great name choices. I had Hermione on my list too, mostly because I didn't pronounce it right until the first movie came out. I used to pronounce it like Her-Moyne, and I kept thinking it was such an ugly name for a girl. Now that I know the right way to say it, I think it's really cute.

    Have a great weekend!
    Holjo
    Pedantic Phooka

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  33. I thought of Etienne and Cricket too! I agree about some names being out of place in certain settings...I always appreciate writers doing their research or at least explaining why their characters has a unique name.

    Jennifer @ Feminist Fairytale Reviews
    http://feministfairytalereviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/follow-friday-16-and-tgif-7.html

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  34. hi alison, new follower! ♥ your answer, it makes sense that names would be strange to us but not necessarily in the world of the book, and you're right we classify something unique by our standpoint when we hadn't heard it, or it's not common, but I think it's cool that authors use names from other origins for thier characters, the world is so diverse now that people who live in certain countries don't really originate from there. so a french name for a russian girl, not so weird for me, i think it gives the characters an edge, but that's just me :)

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  35. I loved Etienne too, my favorite was the St. Clair part of his name.
    Renesmee is weird :)

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  36. Those are some awesome names! I LOVE unique character names!

    Have a FABULOUS Friday!!!! :D

    J.B.
    http://jbkantt.blogspot.com/

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  37. I don't mind out of place names as long as there is some sort of explanation. Well, there doesn't always need to be an explanation. I mean, my name is Priscilla. How many Priscilla's do you know?
    My FF Post
    And don't forget to enter to win a Kindle Fire. My Hottest Boys in Books giveaway ends tonight at midnight!

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  38. LOL--good question. Actually, we play that game at school with student names 'cause I swear, every year, those names get weirder and weirder!

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  39. Hey Alison! Happy Friday! Have a great weekend :)

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  40. I love how thoughtful your answer is. I think I don't mind seeing a weird (to us, at least) name as long as it fits the world described in the book, which of course is the case in Harry Potter.

    In my answer to that question, I'm talking about Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. It takes place on another planet, many years in future. There are "regular" names (like Todd, David) mixed with a bit more unusual (Viola) and strange (Wilf), yet it makes perfect sense when you read it. I love it.

    MY FF <3.

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  41. If it's too unique then that would pass as a weird name to me. And that would annoy me to continue reading the book!

    Happy Friday!
    iamjenai

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  42. Hi, I agree Renesme is unique but it's never really appealed to me. I do agree with your point that Roger is not a 90's name. But I was born 1991 and loads of people at my school were called Amy...I don't know, maybe it's a British thing.

    I'm a new follower - Vikki @ V's Book Life

    http://vbooklife.blogspot.com/2012/02/feature-and-follow-hosted-by-parajunkee.html

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  43. Oh, I wish I caught this last week! This is awesome, what you are doing for fellow bloggers to help them get their name out there :) Can't wait to take part this week!!

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  44. P.S. New follower! I love your blog :)

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