50/50 Friday - Book to Movie

This is a meme hosted at The Butterfly Reader !

This week's topic is: Book to the big screen/Never to the big screen

Book to the big screen

 

I want Shiver to become a movie so badly! The wolves would probably be a bit CGI but it wouldn't really ruin the film for me. I think seeing Sam and Grace's romance on the big screen would be so sweet

Never to the big screen

 

Now this book is entirely different. I would love to see one of my favourite books played out in film, but having Skulduggery Pleasant  become a film could be really disastrous. Unlike with the wolves in Shiver, having the creatures in Skulduggery Pleasant be CGI would possibly ruin the whole thing. A lot of the creatures and people within the book are paranormal or fantasy, so it would be hard to create them through make up and costumes alone. I'd be worried it would end up super unrealistic and distracting. 

What would you think if either of these books were set to be filmed? Would you be excited, or would you fear disappointment?

 

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

 

Series: N/A
Author: Sara Farizan
Page Count: 247
Published: August 20th, 2013
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
  5 Stars ★★★★★ 

Sahar is in love with her friend, Nasrin. But there's a problem: they're both girls, and they live in Iran, where being gay can get you killed. Sahar has trouble imagining a life without Nasrin, so when Nasrin gets engaged she comes up with a drastic solution; become a man. 

As Sahar struggles with the uncertainty of the future and the prejudice present in her society, she meets some new friends and spends time with her gay cousin, Ali. She forms a plan to stop Nasrin's marriage and hopes for a happily ever after, but she is unsure of whether she will go through with it.

I wasn't planning on reading this book because it sounded too sad for me, but my book club voted it as one of the books of the month, and it was in my library, so I picked it up. I can say that I was absolutely correct, this is an incredibly sad book. I struggled reading about all of the things that Sahar had to deal with and I did my best to prevent myself from crying while I read. However, at the end of the book, I did shed some tears. 

The most striking thing about this novel, in my opinion, is how raw it is. Sahar's narration doesn't hold anything back, and reading about her hopes and fears was heartbreaking. I couldn't put the book down. This book isn't the type of thing that I usually read but I am so glad that I picked it up.

This story made me really stop and think. I thought about how lucky I am to live where I do, and reading about Sahar's situation made me so grateful that I have basic rights, which aren't really compromised due to my sexuality, as opposed to what she was facing. It also made me angry. Very, very angry that people have to live in places where they fear being jailed or even killed for who they are, and who they love. I feel like this book is a sort of call to action to readers, to look into what hardships LGBTQ people face in other countries, and maybe to consider helping them in whatever way possible.

Aside from the highly emotional aspect, Sahar's character was extremely likeable and she had a unique and memorable voice. She stuck out to me because of her struggles and her internal dialogue and narration, and I think that she was the perfect choice for a narrator. I feel that if Nasrin were narrating I might not feel the same connection, considering that some descriptions of her made her seem selfish or inconsistent. 

I can't say much concerning the accuracy of the author's portrayal of the setting, however I can say that I found myself fully immersed in the story and setting and that it was easy to understand what was going on despite cultural differences, terms, et cetera. I understood the danger that Sahar faced in her country and the rules and regulations very easily, as the author explained them well through Sahar's voice. 

While I recommend this book to anyone looking for emotional YA and LGBTQ books, I do want to say that I think that very sensitive readers might want to steer clear of this one. There are upsetting situations which could hit close to home for some people, and the theme of homophobia is rather dark considering the risk of violence and death.

As I mentioned, this book will be enjoyed by those looking for emotional YA and/or LGBTQ stories. If you're interested in a book that deals with being LGBTQ in a country where it's illegal to have same sex relationships, this book is for you.

Find If You Could Be Mine on Goodreads

50/50 Friday - Underrated/Overrated Book

This is a meme hosted at The Butterfly Reader

This week's topic is an underrated and an overrated book

An underrated book

 

I've only read the first two as of yet, but I own the third. I can't bring myself to read it quite yet, though....I don't want Isobel and Varen's story to end! I hope Kelly Creagh writes many more books. I wish this series was more popular...it's one of my favourites!

An overrated book

   

I like the idea of The Hunger Games trilogy, I enjoyed the film and novel. I just didn't find the book good enough to persuade me to read the next one, and I'm not rushing to watch the film series, either (I haven't even watched Catching Fire yet!). I can see why others would find this trilogy amazing, but I honestly wish that the hype from this might have been shared with Nevermore, my pick for underrated book!

What do you think of these books? Are you a fan of Nevermore or The Hunger Games?

This meme was really fun! I hope to continue to participate in the future :)  

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

 

 Series: Pretty Little Liars
Author: Sara Shepard
Page Count: 286
Published: October 1st, 2006
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  3 Stars ★★★ 

Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna are four girls with one thing in common - they were all friends with Alison DiLaurentis, who went missing. Now, several years later, in their junior year of high school, Aria returns from Iceland where her father moved their family right after Alison's disappearance. The girls have drifted apart, Hanna shoplifts, Spencer is an over-achiever and Emily is struggling with her relationship.  

They begin to receive texts from someone who calls themself 'A'. And this 'A' knows about some of their most personal secrets, secrets that only Alison knew. But she can't be back, can she?

The thing that I liked the most about this book is the way that the chapters tell the stories of each of the four girls separately, yet describes the ways that they are still tied together. While in third person, the narration of some of their thoughts gave a great insight into how they were dealing with their various issues and where the story would go next.

However, I can't help but to think that this book seems almost unfinished. I understand that it's a series, but there wasn't a whole lot of action really going on throughout the book. There were smaller things, with personal tensions and a few more major incidents, but nothing too exciting or mysterious. Even the description of 'A's texts were disappointing. I was hoping for more thrills and more close calls, but this book didn't really deliver on that expectation.

It actually seemed almost like an extended beginning of a book, like a really long introduction. I can say, though, that the big reveal and 'A's message at the end definitely sets up some interesting ideas for the next book. For a short read, this was enjoyable, however I feel like it went too slowly and was too short. 

Fans of contemporary YA novels will like this. If you're interested in YA mysteries this could be a good read for you.

Find Pretty Little Liars on Goodreads

Books to Movies

The other day, I finally watched the trailer for the Fallen film. I am super excited for the movie, however, I think that the trailer seems a bit disappointing. I'm unsure if I will like the movie as much as I liked the book, and I don't know if I like the actors they cast for each role. I'm a bit frustrated, to be honest, because I waited for the Fallen movie to finally be produced for a long time! It was one of my favourite books, and I was ecstatic to find out it was becoming a movie, but it was such a long wait.




Other books I've read that have become movies include Twilight, City of Bones and The Hunger Games. I kept hearing that they were going to make Shiver and Hush, Hush into movies, but nothing ever came of it. Then there was my excitement at hearing that Skulduggery Pleasant was going to be brought to the big screen, but then my hopes were later shattered as it turns out they decided not to go through with it. Sigh. 

When I found out that Vampire Academy was being filmed, I hurried to read the book before I saw the movie. I didn't mind the movie, though I felt it had a completely different feel than the book. I've never really been disappointed by a book to movie adaption, however the Beautiful Creatures film didn't exactly live up to my expectations, although I enjoyed it.

Alright, so all of my excited rambling aside, I want to know: what is the best book to movie adaptation that you've seen? What about the worst? Are you excited for the Fallen movie?