Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that comes up with new prompts every week. This week’s prompt is Top Ten Book Nerds in Books!

Actually, I generally hate this in a book. Especially high-school books. Often times, the characters just prattle on about how their lives are like the lives of characters in books, how they love books, how they carry around books.. and then books are nowhere to be seen anywhere other than the character intro. I hate this! Like, “we just want you to like our character.. obviously you like reading if you’re reading this so THEY like reading, too!” And I don’t know if it’s me, but normally the shy, quirky bookworms are dumb as dirt. I’m sorry, but if you really loved books, you’d have a brain. Anyone else notice this trend?

But I digress! On occasion, having a book in a book is done right. Some such occasions are:

1) Gansey from The Raven Boys

 

If anyone ever doth love a book in a book, it was Gansey. That’s why this one was first. Let me share a quote that I loved from the book that emphasizes this.

Blue accepted the journal and flipped it open. The journal didn’t immediately choose a page to open to; it was so well-worn and well-stuffed that every page claimed seniority. It finally split down the middle, obeying gravity instead of use.

There are a lot of good quotes about this book. I chose the shortest because I know you’re probably visiting multiple blogs today, but if you want to see more, I did a Thursday Quotables feature on it here.  My review of The Raven Boys is here.

And I’m jealous of Gansey. Someday I hope to find a book that I love so much I wear it to shreds reading it. Ideas, anyone?

 

2) Todd from The Knife of Never Letting Go

Okay, so anyone who’s ever read this book might be a little confused. After all, Todd can’t read. But he carries his mother’s journal with him everywhere he goes, and when he is finally able to understand it, he’s completely fascinated by the reading. Also I love this book. So it’s in there for that, too. Because I’m biased.

3) Mim from Mosquitoland

I just finished this one and will be reviewing it (with several stars) soon. Mim is a high-school book lover done right. She’s not reading at any time during the book, but she references actual substance in novels several times, so she gets a pass. Also, over the course of the book she’s found writing letters to Isabel in her journal and she talks books with the people she meets.

4) Artemis is Artemis Fowl

Nerd is maybe the wrong word for Artemis. Obsessed might be a better word. But if you had a book that was likely to regain your family’s lost fortune and save your mother from madness, you’d be obsessed, too. I loved this book as a child; it was one of my favorites. I might re-read it for reviews soon.

 

5) Bod in The Graveyard Book

I’ll admit that for this one I’m straying a little from book substance into book mentions, but Bod was undoubtedly a nerd. This one’s another re-read for review for me: an old favorite. I loved Bod and his attitude towards everything in this book. At one point, he’s called a freak and asked why he’s not making any friends at school. He responds that he’s not at school to make friends, he’s there to learn. If that’s not a nerd, I don’t know what is.

So tell me about your top tens! I had a little trouble this week, but I’m sure there are plenty of book within books. I’m always up for recommendations!