Monday 17 August 2020

Six Books I Want Adaptations Of

Book to movie adaptations have been huge for years now, but it seems Netflix have made them super popular again. Everyone is loving their adaptations recently and I am constantly seeing lists of books people think Netflix should adapt next. I love a book to movie adaptation and often find myself wishing for some of my favourite books, and even some I didn't particularly love, to be adapted. I have compiled a list of 6 (there's more than 6, I cheated) books I think would make great movies or TV shows.




1. The DIMILY series by Estelle Maskame

I really love this series and I definitely think it should be next series Netflix picks up to adapt. This series follows Eden who goes to live with her father and his new family in California for the Summer and ends up falling for her step-brother. I think this would be such a fun movie series.


2. Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour

This is a story about a young set designer trying to break into the industry, who finds a letter from a famous actor that reveals some secrets. Can you just imagine how beautiful a movie where set design is such a prominent feature would be? This also feature the most adorable f/f relationship that I just need to enjoy in movie format.


3. Anna and the French Kiss series by Stephanie Perkins

I've been waiting for this one for years! This is another one of my favourite series and from the very first time I read these books I thought they would make amazing movies. All of the stunning locations featured in this series would make for beautiful films and I would love to see some of my favourite book couples brought to life.


4. All of Morgan Matson's books

Everyone one of Morgan Matson's books would make amazing movies. They are all full of fun and really heart-warming moments. The small town beach setting would be perfect for a movie. The fact that they're all set in the same town and have characters from other books making cameos would make the movies so much fun. I really need this to happen because I'm now getting excited about it.


5. You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

This is the most recent book that I read that made me think 'I would love to watch this is a movie'. Remember when Prom movies were a big thing? We need to bring that back with this one! This follows a girl who decides to run for Prom Queen in her Prom obsessed town in order to try and win a college scholarship, but feels she is too poor, too black and too awkward to ever win. It could be such a great movie!


6. The Unwind series by Neal Shusterman

I will never understand why this series didn't get adapted back in the day when every other dystopian series was being made into a movie. This series is about a society in which abortion is illegal and instead parents can choose to Unwind their child after the ago of thirteen, meaning all of their body parts are harvested for transplant. This could make a creepy as hell movie series and I would definitely watch it. 


Those are just some of the books I would love to see adapted for movie or TV. There are so many books I think would make great adaptations, and so many books that have recently been or are about to be adapted. Hopefully all of these new adaptations are encouraging non-readers to check out the books and encourage a whole new group of readers, just like Twilight and The Hunger Games did for me.


What books do you think would make great movies or TV shows?


Sophie :)

Tuesday 11 August 2020

Top Of My To Watch List

Over the past few of years, I have quite often shared the movies and TV shows I have been watching. The list of movies and TV shows I want to watch is about as extensive as the list of books I want to read, it is ever growing and never shrinking. I thought as a bit of motivation to actually watch new things, rather than constantly re-watching One Tree Hill on repeat, I would share five movies and five shows I really want to get to soon.

 

1. Hamilton
I'm a massive musical theatre fan so I was super excited when it was announced Hamilton was coming to Disney+. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to watch it yet but it is definitely first on the list on my next day off. 

2. Wreck It Ralph
I'm making my way through some of the Disney films I haven't gotten around to yet and this is one I have heard so many great things about. I actually don't know what it's about but everyone seems to love it.

3. The Kissing Booth 2
I watched the first film when I randomly came across it on Netflix and enjoyed it more than I was expecting. The second was released on Netflix recently and I definitely want to watch it soon.

4. Mary Poppins Returns
Despite this being released a couple of years ago now, I still haven't watched it yet. Mary Poppins was one of my favourite movies as a child so I'm sure I'll love this. I've heard great things about the songs as well.

5. Becoming
I read Michelle Obama's autobiography, Becoming, last year and loved it. She is such an inspirational woman and I really enjoyed learning more about her story. The movie is in part based on the book, but also just shares more about Michelle Obama and her life.


1. Manifest
I watched the first season of Manifest in like 3 days, I was totally obsessed. I waited ages for the second season to be available in the UK and then still haven't gotten around to it. I definitely need to start it soon.

2. UnReal
This is another one I watched the first season of a while ago and really enjoyed, but have yet to continue. I flew through the first season but I'm not sure why I never kept going. 

3. This Is Us
I have heard so many amazing things about this show. I've been recommended it by a lot of friends but just haven't started it yet. Hopefully I can start it soon and see what all the hype is about.

4. Workin' Moms
I've watched the first 2 seasons of this show but found it started to go downhill a bit by season 3. I decided to take a break since I wasn't enjoying it as much as I had been but I would still like to continue with it. It's probably been long enough now that I can give it another go.

5. The Vampire Diaries
I have been watching this show for years but still haven't finished it. I have made it half way through season 6 a few times but never any further. I don't know why as I enjoy it whenever I watch it. I really want to just sit down and finish it in the near future.

Those are the 5 movies and 5 TV shows at the top of my To Watch list. I have so many things I want to watch that I'm not sure if I'll get to all of these soon, but I really do want to. I love getting immersed in a good TV show or spending a couple of hours lost in a great movie and I'm sure I will love all of the things on this list. 

What movies and shows are you desperate to watch soon?

Sophie :)

Sunday 9 August 2020

July 2020 Wrap Up

 July was a blur, but I read some books. It went so quickly that I can't remember half of it or anything I did. However, thanks to Goodreads, I do know that I read 8 books. I read a bit of a mix in July, some great and some not so great. Let's talk about them.



You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson - 

This is a YA contemporary following a girl who decided to run for Prom Queen in order to win a scholarship, but she believes she is too black, too poor, and too awkward to ever win. I really wanted to love this. I love anything to do with competitions in my books, so this plot worked really well for me. I enjoyed the battle for King and Queen and all the antics that entailed. I also really liked the main character, she was great sassy, fun character, as well as her love interest. I thought Liz and Mack were a great couple, all of their time together was just adorable. The one thing that I just couldn't get past was the constant pop culture references. I'm generally not a fan of pop culture references in my books, but they were so constant in this book that I found it to be very jarring and completely took me out of the story. It would have been a really solid 4 star read, but I couldn't get over that element. I will definitely pick up anything else this author writes, though.

Rating: 3.5/5


Accidental Hero by Nicole Snow -

I picked this one up completely at random. This is an adult romance that tried to be a lot of things. It was a hate-to-love, fake dating, bad boy hero-virgin heroine, forbidden romance with daughter's teacher, romantic suspense. It tried to be everything and didn't do any of them particularly well. Essentially, the father of our heroine's student protects her against a date-gone-wrong and pretends to be her fiance, and everything spirals from there. For everything that went on in this book, none of it was particularly  exciting or memorable. The characters were also a bit bland and annoying.

Rating: 2.5/5


Out Of Love by Hazel Hayes - 

I love Hazel Hayes and have watched her videos for years, so I was excited when I heard she had written a book. Despite the stigma around Youtuber books, I had a feeling this one would be different. It follows a couple who have just broken up and tells their love story in reverse. This was such a unique concept, unlike anything I have read before. I did find it hard to follow at times and had to be concentrating in order to not get totally lost in the story. This isn't a grand, dramatic story, but it is quite beautiful and bittersweet story about love and hope. I'm interested to see where Hazel goes next in her writing and will pick up whatever she writes next.

Rating: 4/5


The One by John Marrs -

After hearing so many good things about this book over the past year or so, I finally got around to picking it up. This is a very unique thriller involving a scientific discovery in which DNA is used to find a person's perfect match. We follow several different perspectives who have found their match through this method and the crazy journey that takes them on. This was such a well-written book. The different perspectives worked so well in keeping the reader on their toes and ensuring you couldn't predict the next move. This was a crazy ride, so clever and unique, and I'm still not over it. It was a little bit slow at times but did always keep me interested and wanting to know what was to come.

Rating: 4/5


Fame, Fate and the First Kiss by Kasie West -

Kasie West is one of my favourite authors and the first book in this companion series, Love, Life and the List, is one of my favourites by her, so obviously I was excited to pick this one up. It follows Lacey, who we met in the first book, as she makes her movie debut alongside a teen heartthrob which isn't quite going to plan. This was a bit of a disappointment for me. I loved Lacey in the first book but this Lacey felt like a different character. She didn't have the same larger than life personality as she originally had and was a bit bland. I felt that the whole on-set sabotage mystery made the story feel quite juvenile and it did nothing to keep my attention. I found Lacey's relationships with the other characters to be the redeeming quality of the book. I particularly liked her friendships with her co-stars, as well as her strained relationship with her father. The romance was quite sweet as well, but not as great as I'm used to from this author.

Rating: 3/5


Crush by Tiffany Allee -

This was a super short novella that I picked up for free and thought I would give it a go. It follows a woman who runs into her childhood crush. who happens to be her brother's best friend, in Las Vegas and the two battle with their feelings for each other. The story was fine for what it was and had a good amount of substance packed into around 40 pages. However, it was really badly written. I wouldn't recommend it.

Rating: 2/5


The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas -

I have owned this book for the longest time and it is shameful that it took me this long to pick it up. I think everyone has already read it before me, but it follows a girl who witnesses her best friend being shot by a police officer and has to decide whether or not to speak out. This was incredible! It was a very hard book to read, given the topics it deals with, but so beautifully done. The writing was amazing, so amazing that the pop culture references that usually frustrate me no end felt so natural and didn't once pull me out of the story. The characters were well-rounded and wonderfully developed, each with a unique voice. I loved all of the relationships between characters, Starr's family relationships in particular. I like that this book had difficult conversations and told hard truths, that will hopefully make many white people question their actions and change their attitudes. I think everyone should read this book. I think it's one that children in schools should be reading. Angie Thomas wrote an incredible book, and I can't wait to read more from her. I also watched the movie and while I thought it was a good adaptation, the book was better for me.

Rating: 5/5


Maybe This Time by Kasie West -

Another Kasie West book and, unfortunately, another disappointment. It takes place during nine events over the course of a year, following a local florist/event planner and the new in town son of a famous chef. I think my problem with this book was the fact we only got to see these characters at each of the nine events, meaning we could go months between chapters. To me, this meant the story didn't really flow and the characters didn't have a lot of time to properly develop and show their growing. There wasn't really a lot to the plot, the fashion design aspect seemed like a side plot, so it was very character focused. However, the characters annoyed me, until their moment of growth in which they suddenly realised they needed to change so instantly did. It was an enjoyable enough book, I just expect more from Kasie West.

Rating: 3/5


That is everything I read in the month of July. Eight books seems to be the most I can read in a month this year and I've been pretty slumpy so far in August so it's not likely I'll beat that number this month. I guess we'll just need to wait and see.

How many books did you read in July? Did you read anything great?

Sophie :)