Top Ten Favorite Older Male Characters

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

It's a character freebie this week! I've always had a soft spot for the wise and/or ornery old man as a character. Here are ten older male characters I've enjoyed reading about.

1. Albus Dumbledore (from the Harry Potter series)
Does this one need explanation?

2. Allan Karlsson (from The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)
Allan climbs out the window rather than attend his 100th birthday party and decides to just go where life takes him, which it turns out is what he's been doing most of his life, with surprising consequences for world events.

3. Belgarath the Sorcerer (from the Belgariad and Malloreon series)
Belgarath is cranky but wise, mischievous but protective of those he loves. Hearing him banter with his daughter Polgara, who's also hundreds of years old, is delightful.

4. Hercule Poirot (from the Hercule Poirot series)
Poirot attempts to retire several times throughout the books that follows his crime-solving but can't ever stay away from the thrill of using his "little grey cells."

5. Harold Fry (from The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry)
Harold becomes an unlikely inspiration when he walks to the post office box one day and then just keeps on going up the length of England. He's a rather sad character, but you're cheering him on as he takes back some ownership of his life.

6. Leo Gursky (from The History of Love)
Leo has lost basically everyone who's ever mattered in his 80 years, but he's still going, seeking out new meaning and new connections and still trying to make sense of what has come before.

7. Matsu (from The Samurai's Garden)
Matsu stays for decades as the caretaker for the main character's family's house because of his devotion to a woman who was forced to quarantine herself up in the mountains. Through his quiet steadiness he teaches the main character a lot about what's important in life.

8. Nicholas Benedict (from the Mysterious Benedict Society series)
Mr. Benedict is the kind genius who brings together an assortment of gifted children to save the world. He's trustworthy and humble and loves to laugh — just the kind of mentor the children need.

9. Prof. Roger Malory (from the Raven Cycle series)
Malory is the only adult who takes Gansey's supernatural quest seriously and supports him via regular international calls. Although he shows up in the U.S. with a hilariously large amount of luggage and a dog and complains about everything, he provides the validation and encouragement the characters need when their search stalls.

10. Rucker Blakeslee (from Cold Sassy Tree)
Grandpa Blakeslee doesn't give two hoots what anyone else thinks about what he chooses to do with his life, despite living in a small Southern town at the turn of the 20th century. But he cares fiercely about those he loves — my favorite scene involves him working all morning on something to show his devotion to his late wife.

Who did I miss?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Five years ago I was reading: Love in the Time of Cholera, Catch-22, and A Suitable Boy
Ten years ago I was reading: The Appeal