Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A Book with a Left-Handed Character

Oh, my! I just happened upon this one...
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (Left-Handed Booksellers of London #1) by Garth Nix

Listopia is HERE

I just read Hidden Pictures. The main character is left handed.

Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister series is so named because each of the main entries features a left-handed lead. (I can't remember if this holds true for the short stories/novellas between books.)

Dragon Keeper and its two sequels -- the main character being left-handed is a plot point

Might be cheating but I'm probably going to read The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, since I've gotten back into playing Breath of the Wild and Link, the protagonist of the Legend of Zelda games, is apparently left-handed.

Quick google search says that the following people are lefties:

Barack Obama
Oprah
Babe Ruth (lots of athletes, if you like sports)
Jimi Hendrix
Bill Gates
da Vinci
Marie Curie
Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I don't know if they are officially left handed in any of the Buffyverse books but Giles and Spike were left handed on the show. That and Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon are all the fictional lefties I know!

I do fortunately have The Left-Handed Booksellers of London on my TBR.

I previously posted:

Left-handed characters (from googling - take with a grain of salt)

Roland Deschain (Stephen King)
Ned Flanders (if you read a Simpson comic)
Arya Stark
Link (from Zelda)
James (from Outlander)
Hiccup (at least in the movies)
Coraline (at least in the movie)
Robert Ewell (To Kill a Mockingbird)

MC Escher (if you read a book of his art)
Barak Obama (he has written a number of books)
Jack the Ripper (if you read true crime)

Plus many mystery writers have used the trope of a staged suicide but the gun was placed in the right hand of a left handed person. There are such lists, but they are of course, huge spoilers.

Jen W. wrote: "Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister series is so named because each of the main entries features a left-handed lead. (I can't remember if this holds true for the short stories/novellas between books.)"




That is AWESOME news!!! I had no idea that's why it was called "sinister." The Heiress Effect, here I come!!! Thank you.

Jen W. wrote: "Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister series is so named because each of the main entries features a left-handed lead. (I can't remember if this holds true for the short stories/novellas between books.)"

Fortuitously, I'm halfway through the series, so I'll pick up with The Countess Conspiracy after the new year.

I knew there was a reason I hadn’t picked up my copy of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London yet! I’ve already told it that next year will be its year! lol!

I'm just hoping I come across a left handed character in my ATY reading. Could we stretch this to The Left Hand of Darkness?( (Probably not)

If you like non-fiction there is A Left-Handed History of the World

This book states the following historical figures are left handed and you can either find a biography/history book about or a fictional representation of:

Ramses the Great
Alexander the Great
Julius Caesar
Joan of Arc
Leonardo Da Vinci
Michelangelo
Raphael
Isaac Newton
Napoleon Bonaparte
Beethoven
Queen Victoria
Lewis Carroll
Mark Twain
Friedrich Nietzsche
Henry Ford
Marie Curie
Mahatma Gandhi
Charlie Chaplin
Babe Ruth
Alan Turing
Jimi Hendrix
Paul McCartney
Bill Gates
Navratilova and McEnroe (Tennis players)
Several U.S. Presidents (Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton)

Considering several of these have written books it is a shame it does not include left handed authors in the prompt.

Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv by Andrey Kurkov - the book features left-handed Jimi Hendrix's right hand. Probably a stretch, but my pick if I don't stumble upon a leftie in another book.

The Enola Holmes Series has a recurrent character of Lady Cecily who first appears in The Case of the Left-Handed Lady and is also in Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade and The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan

LeahS wrote: "I'm just hoping I come across a left handed character in my ATY reading. Could we stretch this to The Left Hand of Darkness?( (Probably not)"




LOL I think that's brilliant!

There are mirror twins central to Her Fearful Symmetry so one of them must be left-handed. Also the lead character in Élmer Mendoza’s ‘narcolit’ series, starting with Silver Bullets, is Lefty Mendieta.

Louise wrote: "If you like non-fiction there is A Left-Handed History of the World

This book states the following historical figures are left handed and you can either find a biography/history boo..."

That's great! I've got a novel about Marie Curie and that will be perfect! Many thanks ʘ⁠‿⁠ʘ

I have several books on Ronald Reagan, so that might be my ticket.

An American Life
When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan
My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan

I'll probably hope for serendipity as I'm going along since it comes up pretty commonly in mysteries. "This wound could only have been inflicted by a left-handed person!" "This note must be a forgery because the dead man wrote with his left hand and this was obviously written by a right-handed person!" "The victim couldn't possibly have killed himself - the gun is in his right hand, not his left!" etc.

If I can think of any books where it's not a spoiler to know that there are left handed characters in the mystery I'll add them to the listopia.

LeahS wrote: "I'm just hoping I come across a left handed character in my ATY reading. Could we stretch this to The Left Hand of Darkness?( (Probably not)"
I don't even consider that a stretch! LOL

I had been hoping for something to happen along but not just yet. The Thirteenth Tale, you’re too early!

Hamnet would work for this one. There is a scene toward the end of the book in which one of the main characters is described as left-handed.

According to some of the official art, Caramon Majere from the Dragonlance series is left handed.

I'm reading Autumn Twilight and Winter Night for other prompts (chronic pain – Raistlin and magical creatues– draconians), so I may just do Spring Dawning to finish out the trilogy. But now I'm having nostalgia attacks and don't want to wait!

Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Spring Dawning

I just finished Interior Chinatown and the character "Older Brother" is known to be left handed. It was a quick and impactful read. I recommend.

I'm also using left handed booksellers unless I stumble upon another character in the course of my reading

Brittany wrote: "I just finished Interior Chinatown and the character "Older Brother" is known to be left handed. It was a quick and impactful read. I recommend."

Sounds great!!

Brittany wrote: "I just finished Interior Chinatown and the character "Older Brother" is known to be left handed. It was a quick and impactful read. I recommend."

I read that too, I also agree that it was a great read.

LeahS wrote: "I'm just hoping I come across a left handed character in my ATY reading. Could we stretch this to The Left Hand of Darkness?( (Probably not)"

Why not?!

Kim wrote: "LeahS wrote: "I'm just hoping I come across a left handed character in my ATY reading. Could we stretch this to The Left Hand of Darkness?( (Probably not)"

Why not?!"

Love this interpretation!

Kenya wrote: "Might be cheating but I'm probably going to read The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, since I've gotten back into playing Breath of the Wild and Link, the protagonist of the Legend of Zelda games, is apparently left-handed."

This is a really clever idea! I just took a look at a picture from Ocarina of Time, and he is holding his sword in his left hand, so I think it's safe to assume that he is left-handed.

Ellie wrote: "I do fortunately have The Left-Handed Booksellers of London on my TBR."

I was actually going to recommend this book. I read it the year it came out and really enjoyed it.

I thought I responded to this thread, but maybe it was in the general thread discussing all the topics.

Vassa in the Night has a character that is JUST a left hand.

I'm currently reading Portrait of a Scotsman, and the main character is left handed.

I'll try to look for some nonfiction books and see what I come across.

Dubhease wrote: "I previously posted:

Left-handed characters (from googling - take with a grain of salt)

Roland Deschain (Stephen King)
Ned Flanders (if you read a Simpson comic)
Arya Stark
Link (from Zelda)
Jame..."

Thank you so much for this list!! It has helped me to pick my book for this prompt...which will be -

*Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell
I am a HUGE true crime junkie, so this is perfect for me!!

HAPPY READING!!

I just stumbled on the fact that one of the main characters in One of Us Is Lying is left handed.

Evidently Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Bowie were both left handed, which means Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and On Bowie are a couple of nonfiction options.

I am reading Lady Midnight and it's mentioned in chapter 4 that the main character is left-handed.

L Frank Baum and Judy Garland are both left handed so I am reading Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts.

I stumbled onto a left-handed character in Still Alice (Tom was a lefty....)

Both protagonists in Ali Hazlewoods Check & Mate are left handed.

L Y N N wrote: "A Book with a Left-Handed Character

Oh, my! I just happened upon this one...
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (Left-Handed Booksellers of London #1) by [author:Garth Nix|8347..."

thanks for this one, Lynn. I'm devouring it now. Love it

I just realized that the character, Cole Kendall, is left-handed in Miss Meteor. Hence, this might be an option for those wanting to read books by QTBIPOC authors.

I read The Case of the Left-handed Woman, An Enola Holmes mystery for this prompt!

In Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells, the magic gene is linked to being left-handed.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear

The main character is born without a right arm below the elbow.

Julius Caesar was left-handed. Helpful if you enjoy classical lit or Shakespeare.

Prince William is left-handed. So the book Spare by Prince Harry or any book about Queen Elizabeth II or Princess Diana should work.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/royals/19767...

I planned to read Bright Young Women this year, so on a whim, I looked up if Ted Bundy was left-handed, and he was! That makes this one easy for me.

I'm reading The Relentless Moon, which is the third book in the Lady Astronaut series. Nicole is left-handed and now she's figuring out who else is for (reasons). Such a good sci-fi/alternate history series, if that is your thing.

Also would fit for Married couple not living together, Main character politician (Nicole is the governor's wife), Nature is the antagonist (one of a few), Chronic pain.

Graphic novels are great for this prompt, since you can see the character's hands. I used The Ghostkeeper, since the main character does a lot of writing, thus showing he's left-handed.