Friday Favorites : Fictional Families

Friday Favourites was originally hosted by Kibby from Something of the Book. It is now being hosted by Geeky Galaxy, more details on Friday Favorites topics and schedules can be found HERE.

January 24: Fictional family

This topic reminds me of how fun it is to read a book (or ideally, a series of books) centering around a family and watching as they grow and evolve over time.

1.) To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (Amazon Link) / Review Here

The more I look back on this book (have only read the first in its series) the more fondly I recall the family depicted here. They’re warm, loving, and take care of each other through good times and bad. One thing that really struck me is how the youngest sister (Kitty) is cared for by her two older sisters who have quite contrasting personalities. They’re committed to doing what they think their mother (who passed away) would have wanted and making her childhood happy and well-rounded. The aww-factor was through the roof.

2.) Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky (Amazon Link) / Review Here

Though this topic seems to invoke images of larger families with parents and multiple siblings, Imaginary Friend follows a mother and son and the trials they face and near-impossible odds. Ths horror novel had me enthralled and miserably flipping from page-to-page thinking that these monsters simply cannot hurt MY little family. Was ready to rage if anyone died and wanted to physically reach into the book and shield them from harm’s way. Becoming so protective over the pair and feeling so strongly for them makes this pretty much the pinnacle of an effectively developed family in fiction.

3.) A Series of Unfortunate Events (series) (Amazon Link) by Lemony Snicket

Review to come of these books, I’ve only read the first two and have watched the entirety of season one of the Netflix adaptation- and loved it all so far. The trio of siblings at the heart of this story are so charming and quirky, can’t help but cheer them on.

4.) The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn (Starting with #1, The Duke & I (Amazon Link))

Really need to re-read this series since I only remember the gist of each book. This regency romance series follows a large family of adult siblings. Each book follows a different sibling all while gradually developing the family as a whole. I remember being thrilled when Colin’s book came along for how well he’d been developed in the background in the prior three books. Eagerly anticipating a character’s book after seeing them built up from book to book with time and care is one of the joys of reading longer series, honestly. Surprised there aren’t more family sagas like this. When done well, it can result in deeper bonds with the characters and momentum for a next book.

… also honorary mentions for The Carters from The Hate U Give. I also kind of want to mention The Clearys (or rather, Meggie’s multi-generational family) from The Thorn Birds but that would result in a long and mournful rant since I felt for some of the characters and loathed others, very love/hate relationship there. Also want to make note of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for having a notable family- along with likable and involved parental figures, a rarity among YA fantasy series.

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Thanks for checking out this week’s Friday Favorites! Do you have a favorite family in a book or book series? If you decided to do this week’s theme let me know, I look forward to reading your post and finding more books centered around families. Effort toward character development is pretty much a given within them and always a great thing to look for in TBR-worthy titles. ~ Kitty