Day 12 of the 30 Day Book Challenge is all about my favorite authors. These are the authors that I will read pretty much anything by, and more than likely love.
1. Jane Austen. I don't care how over-loved some people think Jane Austen might be. I love everything Jane Austen. The only problem is reading and watching all of it! You wouldn't believe how many Austen-based books there are! And then there are at least two different film adaptations for each of her books, and even film adaptations of some of the books based on Austen! It is an obsession for me.
2. Steve Berry. I just love every one of his books. I don't know how he comes up with all of the amazing quests that his main characters go on. And all of that historical information and all the different places that they visit throughout the world. I just can't get enough.
3. Stephanie Bond. I'll admit, I started reading her books because that would be my name if I was married to James Bond. Silly, I know, but I found a really good author from that bit of silliness. I love her romance novels :) Especially the ones that involve murder mystery.
These are my main favorite authors that I read all the time and even put forth the effort to own most books by each author!
What are your favorite authors? Are they ones that you just HAVE to own all of the books of??
Monday, August 13, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Day 11 Worst Film Adaptations!
Day 10 of the 30 Day Book Challenge is all about the worst film adaptations that I have ever seen. This is actually really hard because if you have seen any film adaptations of books, then you know that many of them are just terrible. Here are my three least favorite book adaptations to film.
1. Under the Tuscan Sun. If you have seen this movie, then you are probably wondering why it is on this list. Unless you have read the book too. I happen to LOVE this movie! I knew that it was based off of a book, but until recently, I had never read it. This book is NOTHING like the movie. Seriously. Where on earth did they get all that stuff from that book? About the only things that are the same are the Polish workers and the work on the house. Everything else is just a good film writer and not part of the book. The only thing that even made me like the book was the descriptions of the food and the recipes. But I still love the movie! It is just a terrible adaptation.
2. Pride and Prejudice (the one with Kiera Knightly). I know what you're thinking. Why is this on here when she had one version on her favorite list?? Because this is one of the worst versions of this classic book that I have seen. (the black and white one isn't really great either) They left SO much out! There is a reason for the good versions being mini-series. Because you HAVE TO to put everything in there! I do like the little bit they added at the very end with what he should call her because I think it is just adorable, but the movie just really disappointed me.
3. Ella Enchanted. I love Anne Hathaway, but I'm sorry, the movie was just not what it should have been. There are no giants in the movie. There is no plot to kill her prince. I just think that they made something about the strength that Ella gains for herself into a side show musical :( I read this book like 10 times when I was younger, and I was just disappointed in the movie.
1. Under the Tuscan Sun. If you have seen this movie, then you are probably wondering why it is on this list. Unless you have read the book too. I happen to LOVE this movie! I knew that it was based off of a book, but until recently, I had never read it. This book is NOTHING like the movie. Seriously. Where on earth did they get all that stuff from that book? About the only things that are the same are the Polish workers and the work on the house. Everything else is just a good film writer and not part of the book. The only thing that even made me like the book was the descriptions of the food and the recipes. But I still love the movie! It is just a terrible adaptation.
2. Pride and Prejudice (the one with Kiera Knightly). I know what you're thinking. Why is this on here when she had one version on her favorite list?? Because this is one of the worst versions of this classic book that I have seen. (the black and white one isn't really great either) They left SO much out! There is a reason for the good versions being mini-series. Because you HAVE TO to put everything in there! I do like the little bit they added at the very end with what he should call her because I think it is just adorable, but the movie just really disappointed me.
3. Ella Enchanted. I love Anne Hathaway, but I'm sorry, the movie was just not what it should have been. There are no giants in the movie. There is no plot to kill her prince. I just think that they made something about the strength that Ella gains for herself into a side show musical :( I read this book like 10 times when I was younger, and I was just disappointed in the movie.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Day 10 Five Absolutely Great Film Adaptations
Day 10 of the 30 Day Book Challenge is all about Great Film Adaptations. This is a very difficult subject for many book lovers. Movie adaptations are a very touchy subject for many book lovers, especially since MANY movie adaptations are horrible. To find 5, I thought I would have a problem, but actually I didn't :)
1. Pride and Prejudice (The BBC Version with Colin Firth) I had to be specific about the version of Pride and Prejudice because there are about 6 versions of Pride and Prejudice, and some of the other ones are NOT true to the book. There is barely a word changed or a sentence missing or added in this version. It is true to the book in the best possible way. Also, it has a handsome young Colin Firth in a wet shirt. Seriously, WATCH IT!
2. In Her Shoes. This one does have a few differences from the book, but it does not detract from the real meaning of the book. It focused on the sisters and their relationship, which is the heart of the book and I think that they did a wonderful job on the movie. I definitely recommend them both!
3. Lord of the Rings. I am putting all three together because otherwise they would be almost the whole list! Peter Jackson did a wonderful job at giving the Lord of the Rings the film adaptation that the epic deserved. The really are a different world and they are a beautiful world too.
4. Harry Potter. Now, obviously not ALL of the Harry Potter films are great adaptations. Just talk to any HP fan and you will quickly find that out. The two that stick out to me the most as the best adaptations are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Oder of the Phoenix. These two really captured each of the books for me. I was just as excited as Harry at first going to Hogwarts and I was just as angry at the situations that happened in the Order of the Phoenix.
5. Bridget Jones's Diary. I actually think that the movie surpasses the book in this one. The book was funny and relatable, but the movie was even more so! They did a wonderful job picking the actors and I think they really got the neuroses of Bridget very well. :)
These are my favorite film adaptations. Are there movie adaptations that you were like, "Yes! They got it right!" about??
1. Pride and Prejudice (The BBC Version with Colin Firth) I had to be specific about the version of Pride and Prejudice because there are about 6 versions of Pride and Prejudice, and some of the other ones are NOT true to the book. There is barely a word changed or a sentence missing or added in this version. It is true to the book in the best possible way. Also, it has a handsome young Colin Firth in a wet shirt. Seriously, WATCH IT!
2. In Her Shoes. This one does have a few differences from the book, but it does not detract from the real meaning of the book. It focused on the sisters and their relationship, which is the heart of the book and I think that they did a wonderful job on the movie. I definitely recommend them both!
3. Lord of the Rings. I am putting all three together because otherwise they would be almost the whole list! Peter Jackson did a wonderful job at giving the Lord of the Rings the film adaptation that the epic deserved. The really are a different world and they are a beautiful world too.
4. Harry Potter. Now, obviously not ALL of the Harry Potter films are great adaptations. Just talk to any HP fan and you will quickly find that out. The two that stick out to me the most as the best adaptations are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Oder of the Phoenix. These two really captured each of the books for me. I was just as excited as Harry at first going to Hogwarts and I was just as angry at the situations that happened in the Order of the Phoenix.
5. Bridget Jones's Diary. I actually think that the movie surpasses the book in this one. The book was funny and relatable, but the movie was even more so! They did a wonderful job picking the actors and I think they really got the neuroses of Bridget very well. :)
These are my favorite film adaptations. Are there movie adaptations that you were like, "Yes! They got it right!" about??
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Day 9 Favorite Quotes About Books
For a difference from Day 8, Day 9 of the 30 Day Book Challenge is all about my favorite quotes ABOUT books.
They are all pretty self-explanatory. They are about books. I love books. I think we can get 4 by adding two and two together. :)
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
― Jorge Luis Borges
“Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.”
― John Green, An Abundance of Katherines
“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”
― Oscar Wilde
“Some things don't last forever, but some things do. Like a good song, or a good book, or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down on the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there.”
― Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby
“I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited.”
― Sylvia Plath
“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”
― William Styron, Conversations with William Styron
They are all pretty self-explanatory. They are about books. I love books. I think we can get 4 by adding two and two together. :)
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
― Jorge Luis Borges
“Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.”
― John Green, An Abundance of Katherines
“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”
― Oscar Wilde
“Some things don't last forever, but some things do. Like a good song, or a good book, or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down on the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there.”
― Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby
“I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited.”
― Sylvia Plath
“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”
― William Styron, Conversations with William Styron
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Day 8 Favorite Quotes from Books
Day 8 of the 30 Day Challenge is all about my favorite quotes from books that I have read! I love quotes, but I never had really thought too much about quotes from books as I read them.
My ALL TIME favorite quote from a book is probably one that is a little bit over used and loved by many people but I cannot help it.
-I love Lord of the Rings and this is pretty much my favorite sentence from the whole thing. It screams adventure to me, and really kind of tells the mood of the books too. It's dangerous, but it something that must be done some times.
"If you alone found out what the lie was, then you're probably right—it would make no great difference. But if you ALL found out what the lie was, it might conceivably make a very great difference indeed." — Daniel Quinn
-This is a quote from Ishmael, which is a book that I really loved. I think that the idea of making a difference in the world is something everyone should aspire to, and this book makes you feel like you can do it. If only we could get everyone to open their minds and listen, we could all find out the lie.
-Another beautiful book, The Fountainhead has many quotable parts in it. I think that this quote is just universal. I happen to love to laugh and I think that a sense of humor is one of the most important things someone can have to ensure a happier life.
These are some of my favorite quotes from books that I have read. Is there a quote from a book that you just love? Let me know your favorites!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Day 7 Least Fav Book Read in Last Year
For Day 7 of the 30 Day Book Challenge, it asks what was the least favorite book that I read in the past year.
For the book I picked there are a few things that you should know: I read it for a class, I never actually finished it.
Bone Black by bell hooks
The Goodreads Synopsis: Stitching together girlhood memories with the finest threads of innocence, feminist intellectual bell hooks presents a powerfully intimate account of growing up in the South. A memoir of ideas and perceptions,Bone Black shows the unfolding of female creativity and one strong-spirited child’s journey toward becoming a writer. She learns early on the roles women and men play in society, as well as the emotional vulnerability of children. She sheds new light on a society that beholds the joys of marriage for men and condemns anything more than silence for women. In this world, too, black is a woman’s color—worn when earned—daughters and daddies are strangers under the same roof, and crying children are often given something to cry about. hooks finds good company in solitude, good company in books. She also discovers, in the motionless body of misunderstanding, that writing is her most vital breath.
I just didn't get into it. Wasn't my cup of tea, but other people I know liked it.
For the book I picked there are a few things that you should know: I read it for a class, I never actually finished it.
Bone Black by bell hooks
The Goodreads Synopsis: Stitching together girlhood memories with the finest threads of innocence, feminist intellectual bell hooks presents a powerfully intimate account of growing up in the South. A memoir of ideas and perceptions,Bone Black shows the unfolding of female creativity and one strong-spirited child’s journey toward becoming a writer. She learns early on the roles women and men play in society, as well as the emotional vulnerability of children. She sheds new light on a society that beholds the joys of marriage for men and condemns anything more than silence for women. In this world, too, black is a woman’s color—worn when earned—daughters and daddies are strangers under the same roof, and crying children are often given something to cry about. hooks finds good company in solitude, good company in books. She also discovers, in the motionless body of misunderstanding, that writing is her most vital breath.I just didn't get into it. Wasn't my cup of tea, but other people I know liked it.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Day 6 The Best Book I've Read this Past Year
For Day 6 of the 30 Day Book Challenge it asks what the best book is that I have read in the past year.
I actually have not read that many amazing books this past year, mainly because I had to read so many for school and I don't always finish them or like them.
I would have to say....
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran.
Now don't judge, I know it's not like a classic novel that everyone raves about, but I happen to really like it.
I have an obsession with Ancient Egypt and this has furthered by interest!
I loved the characters. The subject. The court intrigue worthy of the court of Henry VIII. I loved everything about the book and I cannot wait to read more from this author!!!
What is your favorite book that you have read in the past year??
I actually have not read that many amazing books this past year, mainly because I had to read so many for school and I don't always finish them or like them.
I would have to say....
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran.
Now don't judge, I know it's not like a classic novel that everyone raves about, but I happen to really like it.
I have an obsession with Ancient Egypt and this has furthered by interest!
I loved the characters. The subject. The court intrigue worthy of the court of Henry VIII. I loved everything about the book and I cannot wait to read more from this author!!!
What is your favorite book that you have read in the past year??
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