Lack of Chemistry

I like Castle, I really do.  It’s a hoot.  The characters are flawed and fun, the plots are obvious but entertaining, and I adore the ME.  I do not, however, really ship Beckett/Castle.  Heresy, I know, but while I can see that he’s attracted to her--no surprise, he’s attracted to practically anything with two X chromosomes--I get none of the same vibe from her. 

Can’t blame her, either.  He’s an irritating twit who can’t take no for an answer and who put her in an impossible position with her somewhat irresponsible boss, and he sexually harasses her on a regular basis.  I don’t think she minds too much, and she’s clearly flattered by being picked as a muse by one of her favorite authors whether she’ll admit it or not, but really, why would anybody consider a serious relationship with the man?  He’s a pain in the ass.

Lack of Chemistry

I like Castle, I really do.  It’s a hoot.  The characters are flawed and fun, the plots are obvious but entertaining, and I adore the ME.  I do not, however, really ship Beckett/Castle.  Heresy, I know, but while I can see that he’s attracted to her--no surprise, he’s attracted to practically anything with two X chromosomes--I get none of the same vibe from her. 

Can’t blame her, either.  He’s an irritating twit who can’t take no for an answer and who put her in an impossible position with her somewhat irresponsible boss, and he sexually harasses her on a regular basis.  I don’t think she minds too much, and she’s clearly flattered by being picked as a muse by one of her favorite authors whether she’ll admit it or not, but really, why would anybody consider a serious relationship with the man?  He’s a pain in the ass.

Julia

One of my favorite books as a teenager was Julia and the Hand of God by Eleanor Cameron, who's probably better known for her Mushroom Planet books.  I don't know why I was so in love with it--perhaps I felt somewhat like Julia, hoping that the bird was magic.  

I'm still in love with it, and the rest of the series (Julia's Magic, That Julia Redfern, A Room Made of Windows) though my favorite is The Private Lives of Julia Redfern.  This is not at all the typical children's series it appears to be; I seem to remember reading that it is partly autobiographical, but I don't know if that's true. 

Julia is real.  Imperfect, and real in a way characters so rarely are, and so are the others around her.  Perhaps I like her because I can share her resentment and frustration as well as her joys.  

Perhaps they're just really excellent stories. 

They're also set in an area my mother lived in when she was young, though she was a bit later.  So there are echoes of other stories in the books for me, the land I long to breathe in.  

If you can find them, read them.  These are some of the best. 

Julia

One of my favorite books as a teenager was Julia and the Hand of God by Eleanor Cameron, who's probably better known for her Mushroom Planet books.  I don't know why I was so in love with it--perhaps I felt somewhat like Julia, hoping that the bird was magic.  

I'm still in love with it, and the rest of the series (Julia's Magic, That Julia Redfern, A Room Made of Windows) though my favorite is The Private Lives of Julia Redfern.  This is not at all the typical children's series it appears to be; I seem to remember reading that it is partly autobiographical, but I don't know if that's true. 

Julia is real.  Imperfect, and real in a way characters so rarely are, and so are the others around her.  Perhaps I like her because I can share her resentment and frustration as well as her joys.  

Perhaps they're just really excellent stories. 

They're also set in an area my mother lived in when she was young, though she was a bit later.  So there are echoes of other stories in the books for me, the land I long to breathe in.  

If you can find them, read them.  These are some of the best.