TOP 5 WEDNESDAY ֍֍֍ #T5W

Welcome, welcome to a fun, new "prompt" I've joined in. This is my FIRST EVER "Top 5 Wednesday" post, and I couldn't be more excited to join in the fun of this amazing GoodReads group!

Each week there is going to be a specific topic that those of us who choose to will share our thoughts on at our blog. I am REALLY excited about February's topics, and this week is actually one that is close to my heart.

People call them ALL kinds of things these days, but back when I was younger and hugely into reading (I honestly read during meals, even, sorry Mom & Dad!) we called them fictional couples or "love interests." They're now also called "book-ups," "ships," "pairings" and I'm sure a ton other I know nothing about. Drum roll please for this week's topic:

1. Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. One of the first "adult" books I read, and I was devastated when it turned out that Mr. Rochester had a wife he kept locked away. However, the story comes back around and they end up married after all, which is part of why I love them. This was the first book that showed me that it's okay for people to be imperfect, that sometimes even adults make poor decisions, and that neither means the end of the world necessarily. 
2. Catherine and Heathcliff. I know, I know, they are totally doomed. BUT she loves him so completely, although she bows to society's expectations of a young woman of her station at the time the novel is set. He loves her as well. They both allow others to treat them badly and color their perceptions of everyone around them. I STILL call them one of my favorites because the whole novel to me was the first experience I had of nothing going right for the characters and I wouldn't say the book even really has a happy ending, but it does have closure. 
3. Jacob and Sarah Witting. These two showed me what a real partnership is, that characters with spirit and written like real people can be just as amazing and engaging as ones written to be beautiful, or handsome, or rich, or fortunate are easier for me to relate to than ones that seem totally contrived. 
4. Elizabeth and Wynn Delaney. Janette Oake was brand new to me as a high schooler in 1995, and I adored her immediately. Her Canadian West series totally captivated me, and Elizabeth and Wynn Delaney actually helped me to be more comfortable in my faith, to not be ashamed of being a Christian, to start desiring to attend church more and to live my life according to God's will, not mine. This is the couple that showed me that Christian couples aren't necessarily boring, or think they're better than everyone else.
5. Caroline and Charles Ingalls. Though technically not a fictional couple, they are my all time favorite pairing from any novel or series. I love that they are a team, that they parent together, they make family a priority, they work together, worship together, and strike out for the unknown together with their family to secure a better life for them all. 

So, there you have it, my first ever #T5W. Hope you liked it, follow the link to the group for other bloggers who have posted on this topic also, and see ya tomorrow!