Beach Girl recently sent me a few articles on names. Now, I find names to be very, very interesting, and not just because IÂ’m baking two buns in the oven. Names (to me) are a characteristic of a person, theyÂ’re a catch-all for the bits that are going on beneath the surface.

Ironically there are some names where the patterns repeat themselves, at least in my world. AngusÂ’ exÂ’s name is one name that I genuinely associate with people that make life hard, because IÂ’ve known three women with that name and all three of them whipped me. Maybe itÂ’s a name pattern thing. Every woman I know named Angus' ex's name (and variants thereof) has had a touch of evil to her. Every "Donna" I've known has been very nurturing. Every "Sara/Sarah" I've ever known is strong and independent, even if they can't see it themselves. Every "Michael" I've dated - and there have been a few - have been trainwrecks of relationships, but perhaps it's the combo of "Helen"+"Michael" that made the relationships so tragic, perhaps Michaels are ok with, for example, Ellens. Maybe there's some deeper science to it all, who the hell knows.

I think we all know of a name urban legend as well-while I was working in a hospital many years ago, I was told by one of the midwives of a woman who delivered her daughter and then chose a name for her based on a word she saw on a medical form. Despite the midwives desperately urging her not to make the perilous mistake of naming her kid this, the woman went ahead with it, and thus right now somewhere in Texas is a girl with the unfortunate name of Chlamydia.

The Lemonheads get called all kinds of things. While I call them The Lemonheads, Melissa and Jeff call them Wayne and Krusty (although Jeff has lately started to insist itÂ’s Wayne and Krustina as Wayne is clearly not a female name, and presumably Krustina is. Things just get weirder in my life on a daily basis.) AngusÂ’ Mum calls them Mack and Mabel. My dad calls them Pebbles and Bam-Bam. They go by many names, none of them what theyÂ’re going to be called when theyÂ’re born, but that's ok. In my heart, they'll always be the Lemonheads.

As far as the babies go we absolutely have no idea what to name them, so any questions to me about naming them isnÂ’t prying to find out what theyÂ’ll be called, as we havenÂ’t a clue what the names will be. We also think you need to see the kids before you give them the ultimate label for life. We sat down with Melissa and Jeff in April while we were in Mexico and came up with a list. There are maybe 30-40 names for boys and girls on that list, and much paring down needs to be done (I would, for example, rather not give birth than name our child Wayne. IÂ’m just saying.)

Whatever we decide to name them, the babies will be called something else on this blog. I donÂ’t do real names on this site. Helen, Angus, Melissa, and Jeff are all pseudonyms, as are all the names of any people I talk about-neighbors, Angus' family colleagues, etc. The only names that are real on this blog are Gorby, Maggie, and Mumin, because I think chances of anyone in our lives Googling them are slim and my furry companions have little interest in vanity Googling themselves. The only other real name on this blog is KimÂ’s because he died, and because he changed his name when he was an adult anyway.

IÂ’m fiercely private in real life, actually.

Although nothing I write about is untrue, specifics that could help people twig who I am are changed-the name of our house, for one. I donÂ’t like details getting out.

But IÂ’ll lay a few real details on the line for you today, anyway.

Trends lately are for baby names to be unusual and unique. Looking at the list of most popular baby names today reads to me like a car catalog. I apologize in advance if I offend anyone, but some names just don't make sense to me. The name "Braeden" sounds like it should have "Hyundai" before it. The same goes for "Aaralyn", it makes me think "Can I buy a consonant, please?" I just don't get modern naming, really. And choosing alliteration for naming (I'm looking at you, Kate Hudson, the four P children on Desperate Housewives, and don't even get me started on the crazy Duggar "J"s.) is wrong on so many levels. Equally, Angus is very not keen on naming kids after parents, so there won't be any Angus II or Angus Juniors in our house.

As far as names go Angus and I are both huge, huge fans of what you might call the average, everyday, ordinary names. Maybe itÂ’s because we both have unusual first names in real life that makes us crave normalcy-my real first name is generally a boyÂ’s name (and I have met more men with my name than women), and Angus' real first name is very Scottish. While chances are youÂ’ve heard of our names before, chances are even greater that you donÂ’t personally know anyone with these names. Our real first names are on the long side, and both of our last names are long as well. In addition, my name can be spelled a few ways and AngusÂ’ real name can be spelled one of 400,000 ways. The way his is spelled, thanks to his Mum, is very unusual, and it's generally always misspelled on mail we receive. Perhaps because of our unusual and long first names, weÂ’re fans of short, simple, old-fashioned names. Mary works for us. PeteÂ’s ok. Elizabeth is nice (but a bit too long, we think, cursed as we are with the long last names.) We wonÂ’t win any points for originality but we wonÂ’t condemn our kids to a lifetime of spelling their name out for people, something we have to do.

In contrast, both of us have completely average middle names, but they’re names neither of us like. In a stroke of honesty, I’ll go ahead and whip them out (because we never, ever use them. Ever.) My real middle name is Christina. I hate it. I’ve always hated it. Apologies to anyone named Christina, but the name just doesn’t suit me. I used to hate my first name, too, but it's grown on me and I like it now, but my hatred for my middle name has been life-long. Angus’ real-life middle name is Mark (or as I like to point out, it's pronounced over here as "Mahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhk"). He’s not so keen on that one, either. Our names mean “follower of Christ” and “warlike”, respectively, neither of which are true. Now if "Christina" meant "follower of cheese products" and "Mark" meant "lover of lightbulbs", we'd be getting somewhere. But we hold great stock in middle names as well.

“Melissa” and “Jeff” are names that I just pulled out of the air-we have no real association with the names and they're nothing like the kids' real names. In real life both of them have completely average first names as well, only Melissa’s first name is a common Swedish name and pretty much completely unheard of outside of Northern Europe. As they have one English and one Swedish parent they were given an English name and a Swedish name, so that they could choose if they wanted to be called by one of them over the other later in life, depending on where they lived.

The babies, equipped as they will be with one English parent and one American parent, would have the same only the names, theyÂ’re not so different.
Angus loves girls’ names that start with K, so that’s getting analysis. Angus’ family has long had a bit of a thing going with Scottish names, so we’ve been looking at Scottish names as we both like them. But we’re not sticklers on this one-we’re anxious to have names that suit the babies and suit something being “new”.

We have a bit of a tradition in my mother’s line-for as far back as I can see, the second girl born gets the middle name “Marie”. I know this goes back at least four generations, maybe more, but it’s something that’s done. But while I have no problem with the name Marie and am absolutely not against passing names down in families, I do have a problem with traditions and cycles not being broken with regards to patterns I see with this pattern in particular, so even though – in this generation, that is – our girl will be the second girl born, there’s no way in hell her middle name is going to be Marie. We may like the name, but we’re anxious for everything to be different.

We might be taking superstition too far.

IÂ’m ok with that.

In general, names are important to me. I want the names to be right. Strangely, Jeff said a name in the car last month as we wound our way through Scotland, and it twigged with me on a major level. I just thought: "That's it. That's the name for our daughter." In my head, despite my protestations that we not only need to see the baby first and that the name doesn't start with a K, I've been thinking of her as that name ever since. Maybe it sticks, maybe it doesn't.

But I have to admit-it's pretty fun thinking of the possibilities.

-H.

PS-Sci-fi fans! I need your help! 15 year-old Melissa is a huge, huge fan of Tolkein, and she's now read every one of his she can get her hands on including his "new" one, the Children of Hurin one. I'd like to get her some more books, but not sure how to proceed. She's read all of the Narnia books, Harry Potter books, Wrinkle in Time books, and as she tends to lean towards liking sci fi/fantasy more than any other genre, I'm now wondering where to go from here. Any tips?

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 10:06 AM | Comments (58) | Add Comment
Post contains 1708 words, total size 10 kb.

1 My middle name is Marian and is one handed down from Grandmother to Mother to me. My brother has a name that was forced on my parents by our grandfather and it chafed so badly that he shucked it off as soon as he turned 21. Mine has no pressure attached and I'm hoping to pass it on to my daughter... if that ever happens... I like the spellings of names. I'm a lot happier with Marian than I would be with Marion... Kinda like Anne of Green Gable's feelings about Anne with an 'e'! As for reading material? I'm reading Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. I think it would be right up Melissa's alley. All the elements of Tolkien and not a short book but very easy to read.

Posted by: deeleea at August 15, 2007 10:46 AM (Gh1MZ)

2 She's 15? Try Guy Gavriel Kay. Very stylised and both fantasy/historical. The Fionovar Tapestry is the most popular (and my favourite...) And I'm going to guess that she's read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy already... the movie (The Golden Compass) comes out at the end of this year and THEY BETTER NOT RUIN IT. I'm just saying.

Posted by: JAC at August 15, 2007 10:58 AM (YFAde)

3 Names are very interesting. You have me quite intrigued about what your real name and the names of your family members are!! I wish there was some way you could share what the babies real names are when they come but still protect your privacy!! My middle name use to be Christina too -- and I hated it. Like you, it just didn't suit me. When I got married I dropped my middle name and made my maiden name my middle name. We are planning to name our son my maiden name and give him his father's very common first name as a middle name. BTW: I married a Michael -- but he goes by Mike. Do you think that makes a difference in your trainwreck theory? Did any of the Michael's you have dated go by Mike? *smile*

Posted by: Jamie at August 15, 2007 11:28 AM (cto+Q)

4 Has she read the Shannara series by Terry Brooks? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannara#The_Original_Shannara_Trilogy I recommend Sword, Elfstones and Wishsong. Beyond that, hard to say.

Posted by: z. hendirez at August 15, 2007 11:52 AM (/DY4K)

5 I'm all for the ordinary names, too. I ended up with a middle name from my grandfather...who was named for one of the Wright brothers. Both options are rather bad in the late 20th century.

Posted by: z. hendirez at August 15, 2007 11:54 AM (/DY4K)

6 Has Melissa read the Earthsea series by Ursula K. LeGuin? They're much shorter and easier than Tolkein, but I still love them as an adult. The later books delve a bit into sexism and gender roles.

Posted by: selzach at August 15, 2007 12:11 PM (cVHU2)

7 I left the hospital with Baby Mysurname. We thought that we'd see what name suited when we saw the baby so we didn't even have a shortlist of names. I don't know if it's still the case but you had six weeks in which to register the birth so I couldn't see the point in making a snap decision. They did not like it at the hospital, it wasn't intense pressure but pressure there was to register the birth before leaving. It might have worked if I'd been younger and dafter. Reading material - I know you live in the back of beyond but there must be a library somewhere. Have her wander along the shelves for half an hour and see what she likes the look of.

Posted by: Caroline M at August 15, 2007 12:15 PM (x3QDi)

8 Shut up, your real middle name is Christina? Why did I never know that? Anyway, it's really funny that you wrote about this because they had a segment on the Today show this morning about how there are now, get this: name consultants. You pay someone to help you pick a name for your kid, which is just so fucking absurd to me. And I'd blog about it, but my host switched servers and there's still a little snafu, so maybe later. I'm of the same mindset though. People kept bugging the shit out of me on whether we had a name picked out and I wasn't just saying no to piss them off. We really only had some general ideas but we weren't really happy with any one of them. And, I wanted to see him first. Also, I know quite a few people with your real first name. All of them girls. )

Posted by: statia at August 15, 2007 12:26 PM (lHsKN)

9 And, I wanted to see him first. Yep. Bring names, but don't be afraid to change your mind once you see them. We had to be sure X looked like an X before we made it official.

Posted by: z.hendirez at August 15, 2007 12:31 PM (/DY4K)

10 Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is fantastic.

Posted by: amelia at August 15, 2007 12:47 PM (L2+hh)

11 Phillip Pullman's His dark Materials and Doomday Book by Connie Willis

Posted by: Priya at August 15, 2007 12:55 PM (WNCcO)

12 I know what you mean about a visceral reaction When we found Miss S's first middle name (she has my last name as a second middle name), I teared up EVERY SINGLE TIME I said it. And I don't think it was just the hormones talking. As far as books go, I think that Lynn Flewelling's Tamir Trilogy would be a really great - it's not a YA book, but it is a coming-of-age fantasy story with some interesting gender and power stuff going on. Also Naomi Kritzer's stuff - I've only read her first two books, but they feature strong, relatively youthful heroines.

Posted by: Sarah at August 15, 2007 01:03 PM (EzvAx)

13 Helen, my wife is the lead of a children's section at a big Barnes and Noble. Here are her suggestions for ladies her age: The "Young Wizards" series by Diane Duane (my favorite as well) The "Attoliah" series by Megan Whalen Turner Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carrie The Warriors Heir (first in a series, doesn't remember the author) Eragon and Eldest, if she hasn't read them already She reiterates His Dark Materials, mentioned above. The "Bartimaeus" Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

Posted by: Michael at August 15, 2007 01:04 PM (BpJYW)

14 Yep, I also believe that certain names carry with them certain connotations and I have quite a few names on my list that my children will never be named. May I suggest anything by Orson Scott Card - he runs more toward scifi than fantasy - but for writing you can't beat him (Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow are both wonderful - Pastwatch is my Favorite, but that's a stand alone)

Posted by: Casey at August 15, 2007 01:07 PM (0M9ku)

15 Well Hell! My husband is Michael (trainwreck of a relationship- nope ) and Im Christina! haha! I have never cared for my name either but honestly couldnt think of anything else that really fits me. Luckly, my family never tried to shortent it as Im NOT a Christy or a Tina either- Ive gotten use to it, at least its "adult" I dont know how to choose a name your kid will like? Ours took some time and while we love what we have choosen we arent sharing it with a soul until his birth. I dont want anyones opinion pissing all over it- hes coming out of my shoot- i get to choose his name! Good luck!

Posted by: Christina at August 15, 2007 01:09 PM (FXxJ1)

16 His Dark Materials series by Pullman is great as is the Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow series. I love Tolkien and sci-fi/fantasty in general so if she's anything like me then she'd like those books as well.

Posted by: Karen at August 15, 2007 01:19 PM (IPcYy)

17 Just for the record, I hate my first name. I don't feel like it suits me at all. And, I have having to spell it for people too. As far as books, I just saw a movie preview for The Spiderwick Chronicles, which looked like a good fantasy story. I haven't read the books myself, but they are on the Best Children's Fantasy books list at Amazon UK. And while it's not straight fantasy, I loved Roald Dahl books at her age. She might like "Witches".

Posted by: geeky at August 15, 2007 01:24 PM (ziVl9)

18 I grew up hating my first name. Never loved my middle name much either. Then I found out that my father REALLY wanted to name me Clancy when I was born. Mom protested and I dodged that bullet. Made me like my real name more (and subsequently got me to adopt Clancy as my online name). IÂ’ve known quite a few people with your real first name, and every single one of them has been female. Never met one who was male (although I can think of ONE semi-celebrity male with your first name). When my wife and I discussed names, she had been looking through a name book and had 5-10 picked out, both boy and girl. We went through the list together and 5 minutes later had both names selected. We still hold the boy name in reserve for #2, if that ever happens and assuming itÂ’s a boyÂ…

Posted by: Clancy at August 15, 2007 01:25 PM (HPYJV)

19 I'll second the Earthsea trilogy and add in Le Guin's Hainish trilogy as well. Somewhat less well known than the Earthsea trilogy, but I loved them. Hmm, what else? My scifi/fantasy collection is large and varied. Some of it is stuff that maybe only I'd like. Oh, I see Connie Willis' Doomsday Book above. Let me add To Say Nothing of the Dog. They both sit proudly on my bookshelf. I have a great affection for most Heinlein novels, except for Stranger In a Strange Land, which I really didn't like. As great as The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress was, I'll throw in a few others, some of which, again, are less famous: The Puppet Masters; Double Star; Starship Troopers(may not appeal to everyone); and the short story The Menace From Earth, which can usually be found in a Heinlein collection. The Compleat Enchanter series by L. Sprague de Camp. Older stuff, but quite entertaining. The Warlock In Spite of Himself, by Christopher Stasheff. He also wrote some sequels which, I'll admit, aren't as good. The Deryni series, by Katherine Kurtz: Deryni Rising, Deyni Checkmate and Deryni somethingorother. The Thomas Covenant trilogies I (Lord Foul's Bane, The Illearth War, The Power That Preserves) and II (The Wounded Land, The One Tree, White Gold Wielder). These books might only be available as used ones, as they were printed 20+ years ago. However, the author is revisiting the world one last time now, so the older ones might have been reprinted recently. Michael Moorcock's Eternal Hero related series: Elric( 6 books), Corum (6 books/2 trilogies), Dorian Hawkmoon, Count Brass. Crikey, my brain is empty right now. I think that I can provide a lot more. I had to build a bookcase in my house just for my scifi/fantasy books, so I have more than a few.

Posted by: physics geek at August 15, 2007 01:50 PM (MT22W)

20 I remember I was always one of the kids who didn't want a different name when I was in elementary school. And yes - Hannah is really my name. For Melissa - try the Farseers series, by Robin Hobb. Very, very good. The first book is Assassin's Apprentice. Funnily enough, speaking of names, the royal family in that series all gets named as a prediction of how they're supposed to act when they grow up - though that's really a very small detail. I'd second the suggestion for Wizard's First Rule, turns out to be an excellent series. Twelve books or so, now? And the Young Wizards, too: "So You Want to be a Wizard?" I couldn't resist picking it up.

Posted by: Hannah at August 15, 2007 02:03 PM (5w+E2)

21 With our four kids I just went through and first picked names we liked (ones that didn't remind us of any weird or mean people in our lives). Then started thinking up all the mean or good nicknames that children might pin on them. You'd be surprised at how creative youngsters can be. Last test... how did it sound when you put the word "Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, or Uncle" in front of it. I mean, we have a friend who had their nickname "Po" stick. How would you like to be called Grandma Po?... Ugh. At any rate, you many have names you like but until you actually see them to make sure they match their name you won't probably know 100%. Good luck with the naming!

Posted by: sue at August 15, 2007 02:09 PM (OTx6L)

22 Ooh, was thinking more about the Farseers Triology... remembered that the second trilogy is about the Live Ship Traders... excellent, excellent stuff! Now I just have to remember where I left that series so I can go read them again... The joys of reading!

Posted by: Hannah at August 15, 2007 02:13 PM (5w+E2)

23 Book rec for Melissa: I looooooooooved 'Under Plum Lake' by Lionel Davidson.

Posted by: maura at August 15, 2007 03:11 PM (Mv/2X)

24 For Melissa, if she hasn't already read the Phillip Pullman series (golden compass, etc.), that'd be a good 3 books. I loved Andre Norton when I was That Age; Octavia Butler's work is wonderful. H.Beam Piper's _Little Fuzzies_ was memorable.

Posted by: LynD at August 15, 2007 03:13 PM (2F9Ak)

25 My wife and I have picked out the names, Avery (boy or girl) and Ayla (girl, Aylyn boy alternative). Strangely enough, we are not pregnant, currently have no plans to get pregnant and are coming up on our owner personal age deadline for having any children. I've always though it was odd to have it all chosen out that way. On books for the young lady: I discovered the Tolkein books as an adult after the movies came out and enjoyed them. I then discovered another author after the movie "I,Robot" came out. The author is Issac Asimov and he wrote a lot of books of futuristic SciFi including robots and galactic civilization. He wrote a great many books, but there 3 series of books that roughly all fit together: the Robot series, the Foundation series and the the Empire series. These books along probably number 20 in total.

Posted by: Christopher at August 15, 2007 03:23 PM (HRp3U)

26 The Tripod Trilogy by Christopher I Robot and The Rest of the Robots by Asimov (and please, if you saw the terrible movie, it had ZERO to do with these fine books) The Last Unicorn by Beagle The Jirel of Joiry stories by C L Moore (C L Moore was a female sci-fi/fantasy writer who had to masquerade with a gender-unspecific pen name since everyone knew in the 30's that women didn't write sci-fi, right? *rolls eyes*...very good, strong female fantasy warrior type protagonist, characterizations very much ahead of its time) Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey; sci-fi/fantasy with dynamic female characters

Posted by: The other Amber at August 15, 2007 03:31 PM (zQE5D)

27 I agree with you on the Michael thing. I've dated 3 Mikes or Michaels, and all of them did me serious damage. As for the names... Average is good with me. My mom goes by Judie, which is a variant of her middle name (and mine), Jude. She hated her first name, and wanted me to have something short, average, and easy to spell. So, Amy it is. I've known several families where the father passes down his first name as the middle name of the first boy (or the mother to the first girl). I kinda like that, but if Angus doesn't like his first name (I really dig it, by the way), then that won't work. I once had a cat that was a different name every 12 hours until I found a name that suited her. Sounds horrible to do with children, but it won't stop me from trying it if I ever have any.

Posted by: amy t. at August 15, 2007 03:32 PM (3dOTd)

28 Do you have a Sims family called the Averages? That's what the title of the post makes me think of.

Posted by: Hannah at August 15, 2007 03:38 PM (5w+E2)

29 Anything by Anne McCaffrey - she will LOVE. Many strong female characters. Anne does both sci-fi and fantasy. Also, her collaborations with other authors are also good. Another great author with good stories - Mercedes Lackey. Start with The Heralds of Valdemar. I'm a HUGE sci-fi and fantasy reader, since I was in my teens. Piers Anthony, is another author I started reading when I was younger. Okay, I'm sure I could think of more but that's enough to start with. ps. I've always loved my name. Just goes to show you that names fit the person.

Posted by: Christina at August 15, 2007 03:55 PM (b4jrh)

30 I used to not be a big fan of my name, but it has grown on me and now I love it. As far as books.. when I was around her age (maybe 16?) I started reading a series called Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. I love those books. There are 11 in the series so far, and should be 12 total, but the last one is not out yet. Only thing is, they're long. Really long. Long like Harry Potter only with smaller text.

Posted by: Erin at August 15, 2007 04:03 PM (VkeXi)

31 My grandkids, (my daughters kids) are Cody Chase, Cory Chance, Kendall Rylee, and as of tommorrow, when she will be born sometime in the afternoon, Karlee Ryann. My daughter is being induced at 530 am. I am stoked! Anne McCaffrey-all of the dragonriders of pern, good series, Piers Anthony-xanth series, you'd love that series too.

Posted by: Donna at August 15, 2007 04:24 PM (05lvc)

32 I have always liked my first name, which is Donna. Some people say that I'm a good listener, and I like to hug. So maybe I'm a nuturer. When my husband and I named our children, we wanted names that were easy to spell. I loved the book "Little Women." I liked Jo the best, but knew Josephine would not be a good name. I liked Amy. So that is our daughter's name, not Aimee or any strange spelling of it. Our son's first and middle name is Lee X. My husband jokingly says that we named him that because we knew he would have trouble spelling and Lee doesn't have a lot of letters. Oh, and how exciting to be having twins! I'm a twin. When I was pregnant with my first child, I hoped I would have twins. When I was pregnant with my second child, I hoped I wouldn't have twins.

Posted by: PrimoDonna at August 15, 2007 04:29 PM (qQGjh)

33 I have a list of "no-no names" too, based on repeated numbers of jerks in my life with the same names. Andrew, for example (sorry any of you named Andrew). I grew up with an unusual (at the time, super popular now) first name so it's important to me that MY kids will always be able to find their names on a key chain or hair barrettes, and since Hubby's name is easy to figure out, they'll be ok without the nearly unpronounceable last name I had to drag around, and still do, actually. While I do like short names, and traditional ones, one of my pet peeves is people who name their kids a nickname rather than the full name associated with it. By all means, call them whatever you like, but naming the kid Johnathan instead of Jack gives him more choices. And it looks a lot better on a professional resume. Same goes for nick, bob, betty, mike, kristy, pete, etc.

Posted by: caltechgirl at August 15, 2007 04:41 PM (IfXtw)

34 Oh, and this? The name "Braeden" sounds like it should have "Hyundai" before it. The same goes for "Aaralyn", it makes me think "Can I buy a consonant, please?" I just don't get modern naming, really. I am STILL wiping off the screen. I couldn't agree more.

Posted by: caltechgirl at August 15, 2007 04:50 PM (IfXtw)

35 Has she read Dianne Wynn Jones (her name is probably mis-spelled, I can't remember how many "n"s she uses)? I've only read her "Chronicles of the Chrestomanci" Volumes 1 & 2, but they were enjoyable. Also, Patricia Wredes writes fantasy books, the Enchanted Forest Chronicle and I just started her "Sorcery & Cecelia" books.

Posted by: Angela at August 15, 2007 04:55 PM (y6Sbf)

36 Anne McCaffrey, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick (though maybe she needs to be a little older for PKD.) I'd also recommend Madeleine L'engle's other books--but I will do so with the caveat that she is very much a Christian author. (Even so, I think her work, like C.S. Lewis's, holds strong even reading around the Christian references.) Mary Stewart is a little more fantasy and highly recommended by my mama. I've heard great things about Terry Pratchett's DiscWorld series, though I haven't read them. As for names--I've grown into Marian, which is very traditional (and unusual these days.) I'm named for a great aunt, so I'm the second in my family to have this first/last name combination. I have a very typical middle name--I am sure I could name 10 people with the same one. But I choose to use my Catholic confirmation name, Brighid, as well. I love my whole name and my whole monogram. And in my family, the tradition seems to be "use the father's first name for the firstborn son's middle name." So my dad is TM, and my brother is PT. Sometimes, the second boy gets the father's middle name for a middle or first name. (Oh--and you're dead right about having associations with certain names. I can't see myself dating another C. I can't see myself trusting another T. My boyfriend has my father's name, and I'm not sure how I feel about that!)

Posted by: Marian at August 15, 2007 05:18 PM (BbFus)

37 I second Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. Excellent. Another dragon series that's good is Melanie Rawn's Stronghold. I know that's the first book. My favorite "fantasy" books when I was around Melissa's age would be Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series about a girl knight. Alanna: The First Adventure is the first book. Might be a bit immature for Melissa, but she'd have fun with the quick read.

Posted by: Julia at August 15, 2007 05:24 PM (5+omQ)

38 I'd suggest Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series, which begins with "Over Sea, Under Stone." They're present-day but draw from Arthurian legend, and are set in Cornwall and Wales, so you could even provide some context by taking a trip there if you so chose. They're very serious fantasy; Cooper doesn't write down to kids. I find them as challenging as an adult as I did at 11. Plus they're about to make the most excellent book 2, "The Dark is Rising," into a terrible film, so the time is ripe for good first impressions.

Posted by: kay at August 15, 2007 06:11 PM (N2BY7)

39 Reading material: Strongly recommend Neil Gaiman's "Stardust". Also, Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials", Piers Anthony's "Xanth" series, Roger Zelazny's "The Chronicles of Amber", and "The Spiderwick Chronicles" (forgot the name of the author". Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Starship Troopers" are also very good, and the "Dune" series is excellent. Philip Jose Farmer has some pretty good sci-fi/fantasy books, although I can't recall any particular names right now. "Ender's Game" and its sequels are supposed to be pretty good, but I haven't read any personally. Terry Brooks is supposed to be a good writer as well, but again, haven't ready any.

Posted by: Irina at August 15, 2007 06:18 PM (ixyZE)

40 The way is clear: Change your middle name to "Fromagina" or "Fromagina Curdette". Live the dream!

Posted by: Sigivald at August 15, 2007 06:36 PM (3iY68)

41 My daughter's name (Kelsey) just came to me - I never had another name in mind, and had no boy name picked out, even though I didn't know whether she was a boy or girl. If Melissa is into vampire books at all (not scary vampire books, but books where the vampires end up being cool) we enjoyed the series from Stephenie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse). My 13 year old and I loved them. They were as readable as Harry Potter. Maybe moreso, now that I've read the last HP. ALso - seconding the Stardust recommendation - if the movie is out there - make sure you go with the kids. It is fantastic.

Posted by: Tracy at August 15, 2007 06:45 PM (zv3bS)

42 Suggestions for Melissa books: Dune series. Great. Gate to Womans Country by Sherrie Tepper. Great for a young feminist wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gate_to_Women%27s_Country For fantasy I would consider: Laurell Hamilton's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurell_K._Hamilton Anita Blake series and her Meridith Gentry series. But may be a little too mature for her. But interesting fantasy. SciFi Ringworld series by Larry Niven http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringworld As for names: read Freakonomics especially chapters 5 and 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freakonomics

Posted by: Foggy at August 15, 2007 07:17 PM (WlHuv)

43 ooh, ooh, I can help with that! has she read any Frank Herbert (Dune)? what about Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game, etc.). i love card's work especially. for me, Herbert gets a little weird around God Emperor of Dune (or some such name). i'm sure you've gotten other good recommendations as well, above.

Posted by: becky at August 15, 2007 07:33 PM (HOaDB)

44 I know about hating your first name. Mine is Leslie and I've hated it since childhood. Everyone thinks I'm a guy before they meet me because of the spelling and if they know I"m female they spell it wrong. *sigh* I named my kids really generic names so that when they were older they could choose what they want people to call them - they are James and Katherine. As for books, have Melissa try any of the novels by Mercedes Lackey. They are well written, sometimes funny and sometimes sad AND have telepathic talking horses LOL.

Posted by: Lostdawill at August 15, 2007 08:12 PM (mmdTB)

45 Y'know, as long as you give your children names they can live with, that the teachers can easily spell and pronounce and won't get their asses kicked on the playground, any decent name will suffice. Absolutely nothing wrong with traditional names (except maybe George and Bertha, those two should be cheerfully burned at the stake.) I just looked at the baby name list and it's interesting how things change over the years. "John" isn't even on the list anymore and "David" (yes, that's my real name) is #79. Quite a few of those names strike me as freaky. BTW if by some cosmic accident our paths were to cross on the street somewhere and you told me your real name I'd still have trouble thinking of you as anyone but Helen (and Angus as anyone but Angus). Guess I've associated your blogname too well with your pictures and your writings. Oh yeah, I happen to like my middle name, it's the same name I mentioned above. Great way of dodging telemarketers and collection calls. I'm not enough into science fiction to recommend anything. Probably my most favorite epic series that may be remotely associated with fantasy would be Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series. However that certainly isn't sci-fi, SK may not be everyone's cup of tea (even though Dark Tower cannot really be considered a horror series) and it may or may not be considered appropriate for a 15 year old girl, depending on parent's discretion. Mileage may vary.

Posted by: diamond dave at August 15, 2007 09:31 PM (7Tcqf)

46 I too hated my middle name: Elaine. Reminded me of Lady Elaine Fairchild on Mr. Rogers. Now my middle name is my maiden name. Additionally, as a teacher, I have a LONG no-no names list! For Melissa, I have to reiterate suggestions from above and add one of my own: Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series was the first thought that crossed my mind. I re-read them just about a year and a half ago and still loved them. This is also probably the most geared towards her age of the suggestions I have. Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is what I am currently reading, and I'm loving it. Dave Duncan also has some really fun fantasy series' out including A Man of His Word and its sequal series A Handful of Men. I also enjoyed The Tales of the Kings Blades series. His stuff may skew just a little older than 15, though. There is some sex involved (gasp!)

Posted by: ZTZCheese at August 15, 2007 09:43 PM (Rpjgo)

47 Heh...in the world of SCA/medieval reenactments, I've met an abundance of Angus', Fergus's, and Duncan's. Seriously, yell "Angus" at one of our events, and see how many heads turn! Now my wife worked for a long time as a school photographer, and has seen names that just boggle the imagination - you'd be amazed at just how many people have named their kids "Annakin" and "Jedi". Now as for books...might be a bit young still for Auntie Ayn, though there's a collection of her early fiction that is definitely worth checking out - more down to earth and reminiscent of O'Henry stories. I highly, highly recommend Robert Heinlein. His later works (Stranger in a Strange Land) are a bit obtuse in my opinion, though his "juvenile" fiction (which really is enjoyable by anyone of any age) is excellent and I second Physics Geek on "The Menace from Earth" - heck of a good story. At fifteen _might_ be ready to handle Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novel series, which verges on being great literature in my opinion, although I have to admit it gets a bit disturbing at times (the diner sequence in "Preludes and Noctunes" comes to mind here) so you and Angus may want to check it out first. Perhaps a better choice might be the book he wrote with with Terry Pratchet - "Good Omens" which is the most hilarious book I have read in my life. As for fantasy, I think she'd really like Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books, with my own personal favorite, the Last Herald Mage series.

Posted by: maolcolm at August 15, 2007 10:11 PM (iXjpl)

48 My cousin has always hated her middle name: Mardel. 'Mar' is for her paternal grandmother Mary and 'del' is for her materrnal grandmother Delores. I always liked it. My name is pretty ho-hum. Teresa Lynn (and no 'h' please, I can get vicious). My sister has a much more interesting name-Courtney Jane. And my brother-well, he is Brent Michael. My mom loves the name Michael-it is her brother's name. Also my nephew's middle name, so I can't hate on it too much. I had a feeling deep in my bones that my first was a girl, and I knew the name I always wanted for a daughter was Veronica (I changed my Cabbage Patch Kid's name to that and even got a new birth certificate!), and I was up in the air on middle names. I knew it had to be short since her first name was a mouthful, so I went with my mom's middle name-which my mother has always hated-Lou. I loved the feminine sound of Veronica with the more masculine sound of Lou together. Plus, who doesn't love Cindy Lou Who from the original and the best "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"? With my second-well I pretty much figured out he was a boy from all the slips the OB made when talking about my pregnancy. My husband's side of the family is fierce about using family names for the boys, but when the men in the family are named things like Albert, Fordyce, Fred, and Maynard (my FIL), well I was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen. My hubby has two middle names (Dyer Fred-yuck), and his first name is Adam-so I went over the family tree and finally decided on something I actually really liked. One of my FIL brother's names was Elston, which was actually his mother's maiden name, and I liked the sound of it. I knew I was going to name my son Scott Adam, and the Elston fit in nicely too. I think names are really important too (if you couldn't tell). I still cringe that my grandma wanted to name my aunt Bambi (she settled on Terri instead). My cousin named her son Blake McMasterson-I think the kid is destined to be a pro-golfer. Many, many of my friends and family have gone for trendier names-we have several Bryces, a few Hunters (male and female), Jacobs, Conners, and Paiges galore. My daughter is the only Veronica in her school, and when I tell people my son's name they often say that is not a name you here much anymore for little boys. Whatever you chose will be fabulous. I really don't see you as naming your kids Urban and Unity (yes, real baby names-you can't make this shit up).

Posted by: Teresa at August 15, 2007 10:30 PM (CXw/a)

49 Has Melissa read any Marion Zimmer Bradley? She has some books that are more fantasy, like one about the Arthurian legends told from the women's perspective, but also some more typical science fiction, albeit feminist Sci-fi.

Posted by: Emily at August 16, 2007 12:18 AM (cSP2n)

50 Terry Brooks would be an excellent choice. The earlier books all follow the traditional Tolkien style quest based plot. The "Voyage of the Jerle Shahannara" Trilogy is more recent and well done. Also by Brooks that are a fun read are the Kingdom of Landover books. The first in the series in Magic Kingdom: For Sale. Terry Goodkind has a series of 6 or 7 that are very good, though can get a little "adult" in parts. "Wizards First Rule" is the first. Regards from Kansas. Todd

Posted by: Todd Mallon at August 16, 2007 03:47 AM (A+jmL)

51 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony Dark Tower series by Stephen King anything by Donna Jo Napoli Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett ...but most of all, The Tomorrow series by John Marsden

Posted by: Meg at August 16, 2007 04:32 AM (Mpp8f)

52 I am currently working as a school photographer, and last spring we had a prom picture come through with the most... incredible... dress. Sort of a halter top that went to the waist, you could see the glittery thing she had around her bellybutton, and swept down to the floor, though it was slit so far up the sides that she had on those little cheerleader pants that are designed to be seen. We had an extra copy, and have posted it as an example of Truly Appalling. The girl's name? Sparkles. Seriously. On the school records and everything. You're getting a lot of suggestions on the books, and a lot of them seem to be on the order of particular favorites. A lot of them also seem to be along the lines of juveniles, so I'm going to take a different approach and say that if she can handle the more complicated Tolkien without a pause, she'll probably like George R.R. Martin, which is a terrible thing to suggest since he's not finished yet. Other lovely intricate works include most of Tad Williams' work (fantasy and science fiction; Otherland is a four-book book like Lord of the Rings is a three-book book), Paula Volsky's Illusion, and Steven Brust's Phoenix Guards series (which is a tribute to Dumas in many ways, and just as elaborate.) Really, though, to properly suggest the right books, I'd need to know why she likes Tolkien. I can do a pretty good job of matching books to people if I can hear them talk about their favorites— an occupational hazard developed whilst working in a bookstore. As it is, I can only throw out ideas at random. Barbara Hambly. Tamora Pierce. Mercedes Lackey. C.S. Friedman (oh yeah.) Tanya Huff. Oh, wait— I have an idea. Look up the books she likes on Amazon and see what "People who bought this book also bought" says. That will give you some ideas to take to the bookstore. Unfortunately, you live on the other side of the world from me so I can't lend you stuff. Ah, well.

Posted by: B. Durbin at August 16, 2007 05:19 AM (tie24)

53 I am currently working as a school photographer, and last spring we had a prom picture come through with the most... incredible... dress. Sort of a halter top that went to the waist, you could see the glittery thing she had around her bellybutton, and swept down to the floor, though it was slit so far up the sides that she had on those little cheerleader pants that are designed to be seen. We had an extra copy, and have posted it as an example of Truly Appalling. The girl's name? Sparkles. Seriously. On the school records and everything. You're getting a lot of suggestions on the books, and a lot of them seem to be on the order of particular favorites. A lot of them also seem to be along the lines of juveniles, so I'm going to take a different approach and say that if she can handle the more complicated Tolkien without a pause, she'll probably like George R.R. Martin, which is a terrible thing to suggest since he's not finished yet. Other lovely intricate works include most of Tad Williams' work (fantasy and science fiction; Otherland is a four-book book like Lord of the Rings is a three-book book), Paula Volsky's Illusion, and Steven Brust's Phoenix Guards series (which is a tribute to Dumas in many ways, and just as elaborate.) Really, though, to properly suggest the right books, I'd need to know why she likes Tolkien. I can do a pretty good job of matching books to people if I can hear them talk about their favorites— an occupational hazard developed whilst working in a bookstore. As it is, I can only throw out ideas at random. Barbara Hambly. C.S. Friedman (oh yeah.) Tanya Huff. Oh, wait— I have an idea. Look up the books she likes on Amazon and see what "People who bought this book also bought" says. That will give you some ideas to take to the bookstore. Unfortunately, you live on the other side of the world from me so I can't lend you stuff. Ah, well.

Posted by: B. Durbin at August 16, 2007 05:24 AM (tie24)

54 Julie Kenner has a fun, light suburban mom/demon hunter series. Charlaine Harris has 2 series--one a "Souther VAmpire" series, and the other about a girl with powers to help find dead people whose bodies are lost. I'm glad you have some other good ideas, because my big toe barely touches the fantasy pool. Best wishes with the names. I have grown into my name, but couldn't stand it as a kid. I recognize those patterns as well. One year my father was generous and let all the kids invite a friend on a family trip. I was told to invite the David of my choice. This during a long string of dating Davids.

Posted by: sophie at August 16, 2007 07:08 AM (AY+fk)

55 About Mercedes Lackey's stuff - I read the Last Herald Mage series (starts with Magic's Pawn) and absolutely adored it. Vanyel is still one of my all time favorite characters. Excellent stories, character development... wonderful. However, I picked up some of her other stuff and was very disappointed. Sure, some of it is cute but none of it, in my opinion, is up to the level of the Last Herald Mage. Something else I've enjoyed lately is a chic lit/fantasy book called "Enchanted, Inc." - very fun. Who couldn't love a game of going to Central Park to kiss the frogs and see which one really is an enchanted prince? I suspect I read too much...

Posted by: Hannah at August 16, 2007 10:46 AM (5w+E2)

56 I can't believe I missed the Anne McCaffrey books. Brain lock. I have umm, a lot of her books. I recommend them all. I would disagree with the Mercedes Lackey choice. Not the author, the series. I think some of her best work was the Diana Tregarde series (Burning Water, Jinx High, maybe Children of the Night?). Agree on the Asimov books. The Robot series are great, but my highest rating goes to the Foundation Trilogy. Sure, he added another 3-4 books 25_ years later and they were great, but the originals were fabulous. Dune. Dune Messiah. Children of Dune. I won't recommend the subsequent books, but the first trilogy, and especially the first book, were masterpieces. Dune is hard to wade through because so there's so much in it. There is a handy glossary of people and organizations in the back of the book, but you're better served wading through a couple of chapters before looking things up. The context makes the definitions far more understanable. And you'll be hooked after the first couple of chapters. Ringworld novels, which I see someone else has suggested. The Tad Williams series, starting with Wizard's First Rule. You'll be busy for a while with that ever growing pile of books. Phillip Jose Farmer's Riverworld series. To Your Scattered Bodies Go was fantastic. The Fabulous Riverboat a little less fantastic, but still good. That series also grew a lot. Here's some that others probably haven't mentioned: Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber series. He actually wrote two separate series, with two different central protagonists. Since Zelazny died some years back, other authors have written a series based on the distant past of Amber's creation. Pretty good, but not great. Let's see if I can remember the first two series without looking them up: #1; Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon, Sign of the Unicorn, The Hand of Oberon and The Courts of Chaos. #2: Trumps of Doom, Blood of Amber, Sign of Chaos, Knight of Shadows and Prince of Chaos. Oh, and the premiere issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine contained one additional Amber short story. I cannot remember the name right now. My god, what a dork am I. I cannot believe that I pulled all 10 book titles out of my ass. I was going to suggest some more, but I need to step away from geeky things for a few minutes.

Posted by: physics geek at August 16, 2007 06:18 PM (MT22W)

57 Artemis Fowl is a good fantasy book.

Posted by: Lisa at August 19, 2007 02:33 PM (WFlht)

58 Jumping in late here as we just got back from vacation. We had the names picked out for our kids before they were born. Since we tried to get pregnant for a year, and didn't start trying until after we'd been married for 7 years, it was a topic of general discussion in a theoretical way long before it was a reality. Another author recommendation for Melissa would be Lois McMaster Bujuold. In fact, I've often thought that you might enjoy her writing as well. The Spirit Ring is one of the few "fantasy" books that I can stomach and it's a stand alone book. Falling Free is another one that stands alone, but is part of the Miles Vorkosigan series.

Posted by: ~Easy at August 20, 2007 11:12 AM (OfRIX)

Hide Comments | Add Comment