Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Book to Movie Adaptations I Need to See

I always love and have lots of fun with this Broke & The Bookish topic. You can check out my 10 Most Anticipated Books to Movies from 2013 and also my 10 Best Book to Movie Adaptations for more fun. And of course the Book vs Movie tag below for my actual reviews. I'm going to split today's topic up a bit just because.




Let's start with some that I haven't seen yet but totally still need to:

1. The Fault in Our Stars --I know!! I can't believe it either! My middle sister went and saw it without me and I just never got to it.

2. The Book Thief --I didn't really have anyone to go see this with. :(

3. Paper Towns --this one actually looks better to me than TFIOS. Way less crying. (Her eyebrows though, they squick me out a bit lol.)

And a couple that I'm not sure if I should see (weigh in below!):

4. Divergent --I loved the first book but they just went downhill after that. Do I really want to set myself up for that disappoint? (Like Twilight?)

5. Maze Runner --I thought the books were just okay.

6. Percy Jackson --I really enjoyed these books, but I heard the movie wasn't that great. At all.

A few lot upcoming that I am looking forward to very much:

7. Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them --I don't care if JK Rowling is just doing it for the money or not: more Harry Potter world all the time please!

8. The Selection --sure it'll be super cheesy and pandering to young girls who only want to be princesses, but meh...pretty dresses! Lol.

9. Eleanor & Park --OMG YES PLEASE!!! All of Rainbow Rowell's books need to be made into movies TV series for years. :)

10. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies --this should be loads of fun. I really enjoyed the book.

11. The Statistical Probability of Falling in Love --this was actually my least favorite of Smith's books so far, but I do think it'll make a cute movie.

12. Looking for Alaska --do you think they'll make every John Green book into a movie eventually? It's kinda crazy. Oh wait, they're doing Let it Snow too, which I would really like lol. So they're just missing Will Grayson, Will Grayson. (Who else wants to see the Tiny Cooper Musical come to life??)

Book vs Movie: "The DUFF"

I've been excited to see this movie since I first heard about it. It sounded like such a great throw-back to all those silly teen movies that used to be around more: She's the Man, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc...now it's all dystopian and vampires and Shailene Woodley. ;) I actually went and bought the book (which I'd never heard of) because of the movie. That's a first for me, I think. No wait, I watched Beastly before reading it and ended up loving the movie more. Anyway, I read this book back in April and finally got to watch the movie last weekend, so figured it was time for another book vs movie! (Spoilers for either/both, so be warned.)

First of all, The DUFF was written by a 17 year old girl. That's so unfair cool. ;) I gave the book 3 stars; it's a quick, easy read and I enjoyed it. Bianca and her 2 best friends are going along in their lives happily, until the resident hottie, Wesley Rush, mentions to Bianca that she's the DUFF in their little group. What's a DUFF, you ask? Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Yeah. Kind of harsh. As I'm sure you all know, words can hurt.

Calling Vikki a slut or a whore was just like calling somebody the Duff. It was insulting and hurtful, and it was one of those titles that just fed off the inner fear every girl must have from time to time. Slut, bitch, prude, tease, ditz. They were all the same. Every girl felt like one of these sexist labels described her at some point.

Of course, Bianca is pissed and hates Wesley even more than she already did. Until she doesn't...hate him, that is. You know how it goes: you think about someone so much in anger, then all of a sudden, you're just thinking about them period. So what does she do? She sleeps with him. Yeah, that's smart. And that's where the book and movie start to differ, in a huge plot-changing way. (And big spoilers after this!)

In the book, Bianca & Wesley "hook up" a LOT, which surprised me a little. You don't see that very often in a young adult book and I suppose that's why they took it out of the movie. I can't say that I agree with their reasons for removing that plot though, it's not like teens don't know it's happening. Anyway, the other main difference was the relationship between Bianca and her parents. In the book, her dad is the one who is around, and despite their many problems, I really wanted to see that on the screen. So, as much as I love Allison Janney, I was pretty disappointed by that part of the movie. The additions to the movie (the mean girl, cyber-bullying, etc...) were all fine to me, as long as I didn't remember that it was a book lol. You really had to take these as 2 separate pieces, I think, to enjoy them. I really did like the movie and will probably buy it.

As far as the actors go, I thought they were fine. I liked the actress who played Bianca, obviously she's not fat or ugly, just normal looking but that's okay. I only watched the random odd episode of Parenthood, so she's not ingrained as that character for me luckily. I felt like Wesley looked too old, but that's how it goes in teen movies. And I honestly just don't get the whole Bella Thorne thing. Why is she popular? The friends were fine, if forgettable. Those few scenes where Bianca & Wesley are laughing and joking around were my favorite, they felt very natural and maybe ad libbed? The romance was there, maybe more so in the book of course.

“I think about you much more than any self-respecting man would like to admit, and I'm insanely jealous of Tucker - something I never thought I'd say. Moving on after you is impossible. No other girl can keep me on my toes the way you can. No one else makes me WANT to embarrass myself by writing sappy letters like this one.

Only you.”

When I was looking for gifs/pics on Pinterest, all I kept coming up with was Lizzie McGuire. People on Pinterest are obsessed with Lizzie McGuire. So I figured I'd end this review with her, just because. You're welcome. :)

Book vs Movie: "If I Stay"

I finally, finally got to watch If I Stay over the weekend...I know, what the heck took me so long?? Well I didn't manage to see it in the theater like I wanted and I knew my sister, A, would definitely NOT watch it with me, so I kept putting it off. But I'm so glad I finally watched it. Next up, The Fault in Our Stars lol! Anyway, I haven't done a book vs movie in awhile so here we are. There will be spoilers for the book/movie, so if you are still waiting to read/see it, stop here!

So...I read the book way back in 2011, before all the hype started, and I loved it. It made me ugly cry, I loved the musicality of all the characters, and it just really touched my heart. The movie had a lot to live up to. And did it succeed? I think so. What do you think? Did it live up to all the expectations in your little fangirl hearts? ;)

Let's break it down a little for discussion, starting with the actors & characters. Chloe Grace Moretz was a decent Mia, almost perfect. I felt her emotions come pouring out of the screen, especially in the scenes when she finds out her parents and Teddy have died. (Oh, Teddy!) Jamie Blackley played emo rockstar to perfection. And her parents were okay-ish. I liked their look, but some of their lines (especially in the beginning) felt very forced and unnatural. Like they were trying way too hard to be cool hipster parents. The scene where the dad is sitting in the hallway listening to young Mia playing her cello though...that was a beautiful scene. Teddy too seemed really forced and maybe a little older than in the book? I loved book Teddy and his relationship with Mia, but that didn't really cross over well to the movie. Same with her BFF Kim. I remember her being a super strong supporting character in the book and I can't remember any of her scenes in the movie. Gramps was perfect, simply perfect.

That scene with Gramps when he tells her it's okay to let go, omg I cried. So hard. It was so much worse than reading it! And then I was even more upset, for a different reason, when they left out Adam's full speech at the end. I loved that part so much and it just captured the whole theme of the story so well, it was disappointing not to hear it. Not to mention, setting up the premise for the sequel, which *fingers crossed* I hope they make!!

The story as a whole moved well, the flashbacks worked on screen, the scene of Mia's greatest day was perfect. And the music. Let me just say that I had to Shazam one of Adam's songs ("I Want What You Have") right in the middle of watching the movie so I wouldn't forget about it. I found this mix on 8Tracks that has all of the band's songs from the movie plus Mia's cello performance and have been listening to it plus several others all week. For a story that circles around love and loss and music, it nailed the music part.

Willamette Stone from Angxl on 8tracks Radio.

Book vs Movie: "Vampire Academy"

I rented the Vampire Academy movie from Redbox over the weekend and thought it would be fun to do another Book vs Movie special. I enjoyed the books quite a bit, some more than others, and actually like the Bloodlines spinoff series a LOT more. Sydney has really grown on me and Adrian is still way hotter than Dimitri. (Sorry sorry! I know I'm in the minority!) Okay, I have already gotten off topic so let's get back to the movie. Oh! If you haven't read at least the first book yet, you might want to stop here because there will be spoilers!

I had my doubts about this movie from the first trailer. It looked very cheesy and over-the-top Mean Girls meets Twilight-esque. And well, it was. But I still liked it, for the most part. I thought they did a good job of explaining the world in the beginning to those who haven't read the books. It can be very confusing at first. I realized I have been saying "Moroi" wrong in my head all this time. I've been saying "mor-eye", but duh, makes sense to rhyme it with "Strigoi", which I was pronouncing correctly. (Don't you hate when you've been reading 9 books in a series and suddenly realize you mispronounced a main word? Just me?) I thought the beginning was a little rushed, they kind of just threw us in the middle of a story, but it was like that in the book too, wasn't it? It's been a while since I've read those, but I think the movie stayed very true to the book. What do you think? Did they leave out any major parts that you wanted to see?

Okay, so yes, the plot was fine, as good as the book. Now let's talk about the actors. (I'm not going to bother looking up all their real names.) Rose was pretty close to what I expected, maybe a little curvier/sexier in the books. Her voice was kind of annoying at first but I got used to it and she had the sarcastic one-liners down perfect. Lissa was kind of meh to me. But then, I didn't really like her in the books that much either. And Dimitri? Well, you know I'm more Team Adrian so...I just didn't like him that much. He looked too old, first of all. (Although the actor was probably only 27-28 while filming.) He blended in with the other Guardians for the first 30 minutes or so. I will say though that the scene with the necklace spell was pretty hot. ;) Christian was perfectly dark and moody, but loving to Lissa. Mason was not what I expected but I liked it. Natalie was good, although she had red hair in the graphic novel.  (Not sure if this movie poster is fan made or not, but I like it a lot better than the originals!)

Finally, let's talk about the Strigoi. You know I had issues with how they were represented in the graphic novel. Well, at least they weren't blue like in the movie! What was that about? Yeah, he's the undead and doesn't get a lot of sun, but would it kill him (get it? kill?) to put a little bronzer on?? They were just so over-the-top Evil Vampire it wasn't even funny. Bah.

So, after all that, will I watch the next ones if they're made? Yes, because ADRIAN. :) And should you watch this one? Yes, if you loved the books. It was nice to see it come to life. No, if you haven't read the books or didn't enjoy them that much.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 More Books I'd Turn Into Movies or TV Series

I had a lot of fun exploring this topic last year with the Broke & The Bookish, so it might be kind of hard coming up with 10 new books that I'd want to be a movie or TV series. But let's give it a shot!

TV Series:
1. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick --although it would probably be called "The Garretts" :) I adored this book and that gigantic family and think it would transfer really well to a half-hour sitcom, with those "serious" moments thrown in every now and then.

2. The Willow Falls series (book one here) by Wendy Mass --this would be an ABC Family series about a magical little town where weird things happen on your birthday. And it's all connected to the town matriarch, the old lady with the duck-shaped birthmark, played by Bette Midler hah!

3. Ten Rules for Living with My Sister by Ann M Martin --bet you thought I was going to put Baby-Sitters Club, huh? ;) Nah, it's been done. Ten Rules is another that's perfect for a half-hour sitcom (let's bring back TGIF!!)...about 2 sisters who don't always get along, but love each other fiercely. Aww...can't you see the opening credits already?? Two girls arguing in a messy room and at the end hugging and smiling cheesily at the camera. Lol...

4. House of Night (books 9-10 here) by PC Cast --not the best written books, but maybe it would work better as a TV show, especially on the CW. How could it not? Witches, beautiful people, good vs evil, plenty of stereotypes and corny catchphrases...I mean, come on! It's perfect for them. (Another one that would be perfect (and better written) is Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent!)

5. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han --this would be a summer special series, obviously, and would follow Belly's path of self-discovery, love, and heartache. Bonus: sun-kissed tan boys in board shorts all the time. :)

Movies:
1. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson --it already has a built in movie soundtrack (which I have sloooowly been building on my 8Tracks for my upcoming review) and I think it has just the perfect amount of drama and comedic relief to show on the big screen.

2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon --with all the super-hero movies out and so popular the last few years, it'd be fun to see one about the artists and the process and also a little bit of history thrown in.

3. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Cohn & Levithan --a romp around New York City at Christmastime? How could that not be a perfect movie?? And the girl will be played by Shailene Woodley, of course!

4. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver --done well (which is the key to this Top 10, yes?), I think this would be an amazing movie. It could be so emotional and it has such an important message.

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern --just wishful thinking, because I love this book so much and would love to see the world brought to life. I'd prefer live-action, but I can totally see Tim Burton working his magic with it too.

(by KellyAngel, who also does this awesome comic 

about looking pretty that everyone should see!!)

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Most Anticipated Books to Movies

This week's TTT on The Broke & The Bookish is one that I actually just did recently on a freebie week, so I thought I'd switch it up a little. Then I realized that I'd already done what I was going to do too...10 Books I'd Turn Into Movies. Boo, now what? How about my Top 10 (or as far as I get) most anticipated book to movie adaptations? Sure, why not. :)


1. The Cousins' War series by Philippa Gregory (showing on STARS TV) --I've only read the first in this series, The White Queen, but I really liked it and have the second already. I think it'll make a great miniseries...too bad I don't have cable though!

2. Horns by Joe Hill --I haven't actually read this book yet, but it's on my to-buy and anything with Daniel Radcliffe is okay by me!

3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins --duh. Can't wait! I think it's crazy that I've only read this series once, when Mockingjay came out...I am making it a fall goal to reread the series before this comes out!

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak --this was probably my favorite book in 2011, so I am apprehensively excited about this movie lol. I really, really want it to transfer well but it's such a huge plot that I'm not sure if it will.

5. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead --live action will definitely be better than the graphic novel, right? I'm actually wondering if this would be better as a TV series, since it's so long and could spin-off into the Bloodlines series. And they better put Adrian in or I will boycott lol.

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth --super excited about this one, since I just read it recently.

7. Delirium by Lauren Oliver --as much as I disliked the ending of the series, I'd still love to see this first book movie-style.

8. Uglies by Scott Westerfield --I don't think this one is confirmed yet, but I think it would be amazing (as my 13 yo sis would say lol). You can view the official book trailer on Westerfield's blog also!

9. Locke & Key by Joe Hill --I just discovered this graphic novel series and have only read the first 2, but I am in love with it already and so excited to hear it is being made into a movie!

10.The Fault in Our Stars by John Green --I can't believe I almost forgot about this one! Yes, it is going to make me cry like a teenage girl who just broke up with her boyfriend and is now watching The Notebook, but I don't care! ;)


And 2 book to movie adaptation I am NOT looking forward to and should just go straight to the chopping block:
50 Shades of Gray --how how how are they going to make that a movie viewable by anyone??
Hush, Hush --more Twilight-ish, stalkery, watch you while you sleep, I love you so much I have to kill you, love story? No thanks.

Review: "Coraline"

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
3 out of 5 stars

It's October, the weather is turning cooler (much cooler for us Texans this weekend!!), Halloween is right around the corner, and ghosts, witches, & goblins are in the stores and on TV. It only feels right to read spooky books this month and I decided to start with Coraline. :) It has been several years (4+) since I've read this, so it was like starting over for me! I tried watching the movie when it came out on DVD and absolutely hated it. I don't know why.

I think I'm going to reread The Graveyard Book next and then maybe some Christopher Pike. Oh and I'm reading Edgar Allen Poe for my classic this month and should have several reviews up for that in the next few weeks. What are your favorite spooky books and movies for this time of year? Do you like the super scary books like Stephen King or are you a big coward like me and stick to the kid books? :) We watched Practical Magic yesterday afternoon, but our favorite Halloween movie is, of course, Hocus Pocus. (If you don't own this one, it looks like you can watch it all on YouTube!) And, since this has turned into a half update post...I'm thinking of doing a quick spooky book giveaway this week! I have a couple of extra Christopher Pike books so I thought it'd be a good time to give them away. It will probably be US only (I'll do a bigger one at Christmas!) so that I can get them sent out super quick. So look for that post tomorrow! Yay!!

Okay, on to the review! Coraline is a creepy story, yes, but it's more of an adventure too. Our titled character is a young girl (maybe age 7-8? It's not real clear) who has just moved into a large split-level house with her parents. She likes to spend her time exploring the large backyard and begging her mother for day-glo green gloves and froggy rainboots. Coraline is forced to stay inside one rainy day and so, at her father's suggestion, decides to explore the inside of the house. She counts all of the doors and discovers one that is locked. When her mother finds the key and opens it for her, she is disappointed to find that it is bricked up and once went to the flat next door, which is currently vacant. Her mother leaves it unlocked and Coraline goes on her way, but she can't stop thinking about that door.

Later on, Coraline again finds herself in front of the door and upon opening it, is (not so) surprised to see that it goes into a long hallway now. Walking thru she sees that she is somehow back in her flat, with her grandmother's old furniture and everything. But it all seems slightly off. Then she sees her mother. Or rather, her Other Mother. This woman sounds, looks, and acts just like Coraline's real mother, but she has flat, black, button eyes and there is something sharp and sinister about her. Same with her Other Father, although maybe not quite so much. Her Other Mother tells her that they have been waiting for her and want to do all the things her real parents don't have time for: play games, eat yummy treats, let Coraline wear whatever she wants, and really just pay attention to her. There is just one catch: Coraline must get new button eyes as well. That part really freaked me out lol.


Coraline declines, politely, and goes back to her own home, where she realizes her real parents seem to be missing. She knows that they are somehow trapped in the other land and that she must work up the courage to go back over there and save them. Luckily, she is not completely alone...she has a smart, sassy, talking black cat to help her and show her the Other Mother's true nature.

She wants something to love, I think. Something that isn't her. She might want something to eat as well. It's hard to tell with creatures like that.


Coraline's adventure to save her parents is funny in parts and terrifying in others. She comes to realize that she doesn't want "anything and everything" like her Other Mother is offering. No one really wants that. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted just like that, and it didn't mean anything? What then? She is a smart little girl, brave, resourceful and a real delight to read about. This is a quick read with illustrations scattered throughout that are guaranteed to give you the heebie-jeebies. And if you're a weenie, like me, you will read this in the middle of the afternoon on the couch with lots of noise going on lol. But if you are brave, like Coraline, tuck yourself in under the covers, late at night, with just one small light and prepare for delicious shivers up your spine.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I'd Turn Into Movies

This week's Top 10 on The Broke & The Bookish is a fun one! What books are you dying to see turned into movies? This was pretty easy for me actually...there are lots of books I'd love to see on the big screen.

1. The Thing About Jane Spring by Sharon Krum --this is definitely the one I MOST want to see turned into a movie. It's not a very well known book (at all) but it's so so good and I think it would make an excellent movie. I mean, come on! Just look at that cover! :) Jane Spring is a hard-core attorney but wants to find her "one true love". After a Doris Day marathon on TV one snowed-in weekend, she makes a drastic change.

2. Anna & The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins --one of my newest favorites; wouldn't this be such a cute teen love story?? As long as they don't cast Kristin Stewart and RPatz. Ugh...

3. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood --kind of like Jungle Book or Lemony Snicket in some ways, I think this would be a great kid's movie or maybe animated? Three children are found living in the woods as wild animals and are forced to learn "high society" behavior.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak --because I think, if done well, it would be an incredible story that everyone needs to hear/see.

5. Any of Vicki Lewis Thompson's Nerds books, in particular Talk Nerdy to Me --because I'm shallow and would love to see some hot nerds lol. Also, hello?? Hovercraft! :)

6. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart --I saw this on someone else's list already and I agree, it would make a great live-action movie. Speaking of, I still have the 3rd book to read hmm....

7. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci --a graphic novel (2 actually) about 4 girls named Jane who start an art tagging program to make their town beautiful. I think it would transfer well to the big screen.

8. Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 5) by Ann Brashares --because I want to cry uncontrollably obviously. :) *True Story: my sis and I saw the first Traveling Pants movie the same day we went to a funeral for a youngish relative. What were we thinking???*

9. The Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine --I think this would make an AWESOME TV series! Yes. Yes I do.

10. Garden Spells or any of Sarah Addison Allen's books --because they would be magical and full of sugary sweetness and I would love them.