Book to Movie Adaptations

This is a controversial topic all across the book lover community. Some people love seeing their favourite books get translated onto the big screen, and others hate this and want their favourite characters to remain in their books where they belong and can be safe from the media.

I really like book to movie adaptations. I'll admit it does occasionally get under my skin when they are so completely different from the book. But I also love watching movies where some scenes are word for word from the book because it creates such an amazing personal connection between the movie and the viewer. But despite all the cons to movie or t.v. show adaptations, they do have their perks. To me, it's so cool to see some of my favourtie characters on the big screen, where their stories can be shared with those who wouldn't know who they were otherwise.

For me, I generally like to read the book before I watch the movie, but there are those rare occasions where I just want to watch the movie so bad, I end up losing patience and watch it before finishing the book. Some of my favourite book to movie adaptations are:

1. The Hunger Games: How can I not mention the beauty that is the movie series and book series. (Everlark foreva!) The movies were so well done, even though they did exclude a few characters and scenes, they still hold the meaning and power behind the original story and that's what so many people love about them.
2. Harry Potter: Basically every Harry Potter movie ever is a true work of art. I remember watching the first movie for the first time after reading the first book (a lot of firsts) and enjoying that I knew half of the lines of the movie because they were word for word from the book, it definitely satisfied the fangirl in me! I think my favourite movie would have to be either Deathly Hallows Part 2 or The Prisoner of Azkaban.
3. Divergent: When the movie for this book first came out I was a little worried it wouldn't be done right. This was one of the first books I'd started to really get invested in, and one of the first books I read that made me love to read. But I  loved where they went with the movie! It sent the right message and gave off the powerful and strong feelings that make up this book, watching this inspired me to be more like Tris and try to be Dauntless (even though I wouldn't survive an hour with them). 
4. The Book Thief: I didn't even know this was a movie until I saw a bunch of people reacting to the trailer on YouTube. I watched the trailer and was immediately inspired to pick up the book. I got the DVD for this movie because I didn't get a chance to see it in theatres and this was the only movie  experience where I read the book along with the movie. I'd read a few chapters and then watch that part of the movie, and I just kept going until I finished the book, and then I watched the movie again from start to finish. It was such a cool experience but took a lot of restraint to not go ahead with the movie! But I did love the adaptation, I loved movie Rudy! <3
5. The Duff: Now while the movie was vastly different from the book, the movie managed to get the same important message across while still keeping the humor I adored in the book. I loved the entire cast and the plot took this really funny, yet cheesy twist that made it such an entertaining watch!

And I'm also looking forward to some adaptations that are in the works! Like the Throne of Glass and Shatter Me t.v. shows, and also the Red Queen and Selection movies!

Now for every awesome adaptation, there's always the few that even if you didn't compare them to the book they still weren't all that enjoyable *cough cough City of Bones*.

And of course there are also those adaptations that are so completely unfaithful to the book but still enjoyable as a movie or show. An example of this for me is the Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters movies. I watched both of these movies before I read the books (gasp!) and I enjoyed the movies themselves. I had a fun time watching Percy go on his adventures on screen. But after I read the books and went back to watch the movies again the book nerd in me was disappointed at how far they strayed from the plot of the book.

I think it's important that fans of the book learn to separate the book from the movie. It's ok to love them differently and in their own way. It's amazing to see fans of the books get so invested in the making of the movie. It's also amazing to see fans of the movie get invested in the book.

All in all, book to movie adaptations are a very controversial thing. It all boils down to personal preference. Personally, I would much rather get the chance to see my favourite story up on screen, even if it does flop. At least it was given a chance, and there's always going to be at least one person who enjoyed it. It's better to try and fail than to never try and always wonder why. (I know that's a quote from somewhere but I can't remember so please bare with me.)

This post ended up turning into more of a rant but I just really wanted to share my opinion on this topic. Let me know some of your favourite book adaptations!

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

*Images taken from Google.ca*

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini
Published: Feiwel & Friends, September 2nd, 2014
Pages: 374
Source: Hardcover, Purchased
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5

How I Felt: I really enjoyed this book, it was such a fun read! It's definitely a great one to pick up in you're feeling like you're in a reading slump; it got me right out of one!

The world was so interesting and complex and I loved getting to learn new aspects of it. I love how science mixed together with magic in this world and I love that this was such a large part of the plot and development. The characters were all so unique, but they were so fun to see together and watch their relationships develop.

This book was very fast paced and I was able finish the book very quickly and enjoy all of it. The writing was amazing and I loved getting to see from different P.O.Vs in the third person, that's one of my favourite things about fantasy novels. Lily was obviously my favourite though. But it was interesting to occasionally read from the P.O.Vs of Gideon and Juliet because they were so different from Lily, and it added so much to the plot.

I need to dedicate an entire statement to Rowan because he is just glorious. I love Rowan. That is all.

Caleb and the new Tristan were amazing and it was so heartwarming to see their relationship with Lily grow and strengthen. It definitely brought tears to my eyes a few times!

The ending was so cool! It wasn't the biggest cliff-hanger I've ever read (it wasn't soul shattering) but it still was pretty mysterious and left me wanting more! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book and devour it! (And see more Rowan)

Overall, this was a really great read. I definitely recommend it to fantasy lovers! Even if you're not the biggest fantasy lover, it's not that difficult to get into this story. I'm so excited to see where the series goes!

Favourite Quotes: 

•  “There comes a day when every girl loses the stars in her eyes. And then she can see clearly.”
•  “Funny how quickly the mind moves, but how slowly time does when you’re in pain.” 
•  “The people who love you will guide you like bright lights into the other worlds."
•  “Worldfoam. I like that. It sounds fluffy.”

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

***Quotes taken from Goodreads.com and Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini***
*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Image taken from Google.ca

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott
Published: Scholastic Press, February 25th, 2014
Pages: 305
Source: Hardcover, purchased
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5/5

How I Felt: This book was so good! I love Victoria Scott's writing, it's so fast paced and fun and funny! I flew through this book, it's a great one-sitting read! Definitely the best book I've read in a while!

I knew I'd like this book as soon as I heard the premise which is why I kept putting off reading it. I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down and that's exactly what happened. I was trying to do chores and read this at the same time; I brought it everywhere with me! This book is pitched as Pokemon meets The Hunger Games and that is 100% accurate! The concepts worked really well together and the addition of the animal companions (Pandoras) made the book so much more enjoyable and interesting.

I'm a little confused as to what genre this would be categorized in because to me it has a little bit of everything, this is literally the only problem I have with this book so that says a lot.

I honestly could talk for hours about how much I love Tella's character, she's one of the most (if not the most) relatable character I've ever read about. She accepts the fact that she's not athletic, and she's not as strong as everyone else, but she tries her hardest and she grows. I feel like in most YA books all protagonists have this hidden strength and fortitude they never knew about but just happens to show up in perilous situations. Tella is the first one to say she doesn't possess these qualities and I respect that. While she's running through the challenges she complains and says she'd much rather be getting a massage  among other modern luxuries and I thought this was a perfect representation of what any normal person would do in these circumstances. Another thing I love about Tella is that she's kind to everyone. All the Pandoras, and the people who tried to kill her. She kept her humanity despite what was going on around her.

Relationships. There were a lot. I loved Tella's relationship with her brother, Cody. It made me tear up to hear how much she loves him and what she's willing to do for him. I also loved Tella's relationship with Guy and how it progressed. Seeing them together also made me cry! Too many feels! I loved how the group of Contendors Tella met bonded and were really there for each other. I can't wait to learn more about all of them. And I can't forget precious Madox! The coolest Pandora around!

I can't wait to learn more about Tella's mom and discover more about her family and backstory, and about the situation with Guy. I hope we see more of Harper!

I really do love Scott's writing, and I have to admit, this book made me laugh out loud more than once!

I honestly have no complaints at all with this book. I'm actually still in awe. Victoria Scott is one of my new favourite authors now. I need Salt & Stone immediately!!

If it's not already clear I highly recommend you go read this book. Right now. Go forth and read! You won't regret it.

Favourite Quotes:

• “If my hair gets any frizzier, I'll shave it to the scalp. Or light it on fire. Whichever is easier.”
• “But there’s often more truth found when we sleep than when we wake. Dad used to always say that.”  

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

***Quotes taken from Goodreads.com and Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott***
*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca
 

2015 Reading Progress

I originally wanted to do the Mid-Year Book Freak Out tag but since it's now September and that time has passed I'll just talk about progress but use most of the same basic questions.

2015 hasn't been the best reading year for me so far. I've just been very busy and haven't had a lot of time for reading or blogging so it's become frustrating.

As of now, I've read 62 books this year (not counting re-reads) and am 9 books ahead of my 75 book goal. I'm okay with this number considering the circumstances but I really wanted to push myself to read 80. As of right now I don't think that's possible, but I'm going to keep trying anyway.

Looking back on my reading resolutions for the year, I haven't done too bad. In fact, I'm quite proud of myself. One of my goals was to expand my reading tastes by reading books from different genres. And I've done that a lot this year. I've read my first two graphic novels this year, and while I was a little underwhelmed, I'm glad I dove into this form of literature. I've also read quite a few fantasy and paranormal books this year, which at this time last year, were not generally books I gravitated towards. Now, I'm always looking for great fantasy recommendations, and some of my all time favourite books are now fantasies (*cough cough* Throne of Glass).

In terms of the books I've read this year I've read quite a few amazing ones. First of all I finally picked up Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and have become completely obsessed. Another stand out read is Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott; it's been about a week and a half since I've read that book and I still can't stop thinking about it! Victoria Scott has definitely become one of my new favourite authors! I can't wait to read more from her!

I haven't seen too many book to movie adaptations this year, and the ones I really liked were based off books I haven't read yet so I can't say anything about those. I think the only two book-movie adaptations I've watched so far this year were Insurgent and Paper Towns and I didn't really like either of those movies. But out of the two I liked Insurgent the best (or disliked it the least).

As of books I have yet to read but really want to get to, there are quite a few, as always.

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• I Was Here by Gayle Forman
• Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
• The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
• The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
• The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons
• The Cage by Megan Shepard
• Queen of Shadows by the Queen.

And the list could go on forever.

That's pretty much all I wanted to wrap up. I will do another one of these at the end of the year just to see everything I've read and accomplished.

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

Birdie's Books Update

Hello everyone, I just wanted to write this post to let you know why I haven't been reading or reviewing in a while.

School recently started again for me and things have been quite hectic. I've just been swamped with homework and haven't had a lot of free time to spend reading (or sometimes even sleeping). So as soon as I get settled back into the school routine I'll definitely be picking up some books and hopefully get some things put up on the blog.

And another, horrible reason for why I haven't been posting a lot recently is that I've just come to a point where I've run out of ideas for posts. I haven't been reading so I don't have any new reviews to put up and I didn't want to put up a sloppy post that was full of rambling nonsense.

I hope you can bare with me as I settle back into things. There should be a few posts going up within the next week or so, so look out for that!

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Published: Katherine Tegen, January 31st, 2012
Pages: 374
Source: Hardcover, purchased
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5

How I Felt: This was such a cool book! As soon as I heard this was about reincarnation my interest was immediately piqued because it's has always been something that interested me! The concept of this world is so unique I couldn't help but read it! It's set in a world where over a million souls reincarnate, then one year Ana is born. A newsoul, here to take the place of another soul everyone thought would come back.

Jodi's writing is beautiful, I loved the way she crafted the world and introduced the characters. I love Ana as a main character, her voice is so relatable and realistic for her situation and world and I really appreciated her character development. Her relationship with Sam was amazingly written. For once in YA I feel like I've found a couple who doesn't rush to be together and instantly know things will work out for them. Again, it was very realistic.

This world is so complex and full or amazing fantastical elements such as dragons and sylph. I'm so happy this book had dragons in it because it made me want to read more books with them! I understand why we didn't figure out too much about the world outside Heart in this book because Ana is figuring all this stuff out for the first time, so I'm interested to learn more in the next installments!

I didn't give this book a higher rating because while I really enjoyed the writing style, it wasn't the easiest for me to read. I found the pace to speed up and slow down multiple times so this book took me longer than expected to read.

Also, I found some of the concepts to be confusing so I hope they'll get cleared up in the sequels. I hope we get to learn more about sylph too because I've never heard of them before and I'm a wee bit confused.

Those were the only problems I had with this book. I loved everything else about it! I highly recommend it if you love fantasy. I can't wait to pick up the next book and see what happens!

Favourite Quotes:

• “There's always the option of deciding for yourself who you are and what you'll become.”
• “Did you have friends?"
  "I've read about them, but I don't believe they exist."
  "Your cynicism is amazing.”
• “Music overwhelmed me, soaked into my skin like water. I didn’t have words for the squiggles and dashes across the pages, or the way his fingers stretched across the keys to make my heart race. If I could hear only one thing for the rest of my life, this was what I wanted.”
• “It's difficult to focus on my studies when my best friend is struggling to get through the hour."
  He hesitated. "So I'm your best friend now?"
  My cheeks heated, and I shrugged. "It was between you and Sarit, and you have the piano. She just has honey.”
• “I think I died to be reborn with you”
• “Simple things are often the most challenging.”

 

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

***Quotes taken from Goodreads.com and Incarnate by Jodi Meadows***
*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*
*Images taken from Google.ca

Rating System

I thought I'd make a post about my rating system and how I rate books. This goes along with my review policy that you can check out by clicking here.

First I do want to point out that I rate books differently according to genre. For example, I will generally judge a fantasy book differently than a contemporary one. This is because I have different standards and factors I look for in each genre (i.e. world building). The same goes for series and standalones. I will judge and rate them differently because things like world building or character development are much more crucial in a standalone novel because there isn't as much room to expand. With all this in mind, here's my rating system!

Every book I read gets a rating out of 5 stars. The meaning of each rating is as follows:

5/5: Loved this book! I recommend it to everyone! Go tell your friends! Alert the presses! Serious fangirling going on, clear the area! Not necessarily a perfect book, but such good characters/world etc. I'm willing to overlook minor issues!

4/5: A really great read! Really enjoyed it! Still really recommend it! The book was great, but I had a few issues here and there. Full of potential, but a few ideas or plot points fell flat. Still definitely worth the read and I still recommend it! I've rated a lot of my favourite books of all time 4/5 stars.

3/5: An okay book. Enjoyable, but not the best book ever. Books that had a great concept, but not all aspects of it pulled through. A book in which nothing really surprised me and the plot kind of flat-lined.

2/5: Didn't like this book. Not really enjoyable. Had a few redeeming qualities that allowed me to push through it. A lot of annoying things happened to either tick me off or bore me. Don't really recommend. In special cases, book is recommended to lovers of specific qualities or genres.

1/5: Horrible book. I absolutely detested it. Never recommend to anyone ever. Don't go near this book with a 10 foot pole. Never speak the name of this book in my presence. Something obviously went wrong in this book if I gave it 1 star because I'm usually very generous and give most books I don't like a 2.

I hope this clears a few things up when you read my reviews! Like I mentioned, this system is subject to differ when jumping from genre to genre, but this is the main format. Is your rating system similar?

Thanks for reading!
~Birdie