This week the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish wanted to know which characters were still on our minds. Most of the books I’ve read have lingering characters but these ten stood out when looking over my list.

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Surprise, surprise. I still haven’t found a book that does the “what happens next” storyline justice.

Lou Clark from Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Did she live up to Will’s wishes of “Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t Settle. Just live.”? I sure hope so.

Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. One of the best endings. EVER. Even if you didn’t like it, it screams for a follow-up!

The Husbands from Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum and How To Be A Good Wife by Emma Chapman. Bruno Benz and Hector both had wives with serious issues and how they handled them was similar and questionable. What are they doing and thinking now?! I’d sure like to ask them.

Nella Oortman from The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton had to grow up quickly and deal with serious challenges in 1600s Amsterdam. I have a feeling she really persevered after the story ended.

Everyone from A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I still can’t let those characters go.

The Golem & The Jinni from The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I just fell in love with these two mystical “creatures” and still holding out for a movie or TV series or something!

Augusta from Life Drawing by Robin Black. One of my favorite reads last year and it is no happy story. Why then do I still think about her?

Peggy Hillcoat from Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller. If you’ve read this and witnessed her story and then the freaking ending, you’d want to know what happens next.

Ward Beach & Naima from The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr. ALL of the stories in this collection are great and ALL of the characters are memorable, but the last one titled Mkondo was sheer perfection.

Which characters are you still thinking about?