Happy Anniversary!

Thank you for all the anniversary wishes! It is hard to believe Anjin and I have been married for ten years. It seems like just yesterday that I was preparing to take my wedding vows. I was lucky enough to marry my best friend, and I still am madly in love with him all these years later.

Thank you, too, for all who participated in my anniversary drawings! I was not sure what kind of response I would get when I asked participants to list their favorite literary couples. While some of the couple listed are ones I am familiar with, others were completely new to me, and, as a result, my wish list has grown just from this challenge.

I went ahead and compiled a list of all the couples mentioned, along with the number of people who nominated them. Anne and Gilbert and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy tied for first place with 9 votes each. I especially liked that a few people listed author couples--those, too, count as literary couples, perhaps even in the truer sense.

(photograph of the top layer of Literary Feline and Anjin's wedding cake)


Author Couples

Bill Pronzini and Marcia Muller
Robert Jordan (real name John Rigby) and his wife Harriet
Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald
Paul Auster and Siri Hustvedt


Fictional Couples (receiving more than one nomination)

Jane Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy (9 votes)
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (9 votes)
- Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen (6 votes)
- Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer

Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester (5 votes)
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth (4 votes)
- Persuasion by Jane Austen

Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder (4 votes)
- Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (3 votes)
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Claire Randall and James (Jamie) Fraser (2 votes)
- Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

Clare Absire and Henry DeTamble (2 votes)
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun (2 votes)
- The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler (2 votes)
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff (2 votes)
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley (2 votes)
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Romeo and Juliet (2 votes)
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare


Fictional Couples (receiving a single nomination)

Melanie Hamilton and Ashley Wilkes
- - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Beatrice and Benedick
- Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Tom Sawyer and Rebecca Thatcher
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Aragorn and Arwen
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Whitney Stone & Clayton Westmoreland
- Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught

Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney
- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Kerewin Holmes and Joe Gillayley
- The Bone People by Keri Hulme

Thomas (Tommy) Beresford and Prudence (Tuppence) Cowley
- Tommy and Tuppence series by Agatha Christie

Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy
- Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Eve Dallas and Roarke
- In Death series by J.D. Robb

Dr. Yuri Zhivago and Lara Guishar
- Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

Lan & Nyneave
- The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Perrin & Faile
- The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Mrs. Frisby and Justin
- The Secret of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Laura Ingalls and Mary Ingalls
- Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

James (Jim) diGriz and Angelina diGriz
- Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison

Archibald Hunter and Marjory
- The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker

Greensleeves and Sherry
- Greensleeves by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Robbie Turner and Cecilia Tallis
- Atonement by Ian McEwan

Gen Watanabe and Carmen
- Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Katharine Clifton and Almasy
- The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson
- Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters

Goldy and Tom
- Goldy Bear Catering series by Diane Mott Davidson

Ash and Anjuli
- The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye

Katherine and John of Gaunt
- Katherine by Anya Seton

Honour (Beauty) Huston and the Beast
- Beauty by Robin McKinley

Jane Calhoun and Wilson Lewis
- The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

Abagail and John Adams
- John Adams by David McCullough

Enough of the mushy stuff! Let's get to the winners of the drawings! Again, thank you to all who took the time to participate. I wish I had prizes to give out to each of you.

The ARE Winners:

The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman is going to Monica of Monniblog!

Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus is going to Bunny B.!

Waiting to Surface by Emily Listfield is going to Carrie K. of Mommy Brain!

Sex Wars by Marge Piercy is going to Lisa of Books. Lists. Life!

The Last Blue Mile by Kim Ponders is going to Tracy of Bookroomview's Weblog!

Leftovers by Laura Wiess is going to Wendy of Caribousmom!

Everyone who answered the contest question was entered into the Book of Your Choice Drawing (with the exception of a couple of people who asked not to be). I enlisted my husband's help in the random drawing--might as well make it a couple's event!

Book of Your Choice Winner:

Elizabeth from An Adventure in Reading!

Four people went so far as to take me up on my offer to post their responses on their blogs. I would like to extend an extra thank you to Elizabeth, Chris, Suey, and Kailana and send them a little something special for their effort.

Please do visit their blogs if you have not already!

An Adventure in Reading
Book-a-rama
It's All About Books
The Written World

Thank you for celebrating with me!