Geeky Book To Movies

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This week’s geek is all about movies:

So what are some of your favorite movie adaptations of books? Include trailers or scenes from Youtube if you’d like.

Also along with that question, or instead of that question, what book or series would you like to see be made into a movie or movies? Tell us why you think it or they would work as a movie. If the book already has a book trailer, include that, to help make your point.

I decided, on the spur of the moment, to get my family’s opinions on this. This is what they came up with.

Best movie adaptation:
Hubby: The Right Stuff

Fellowship of the Ring (not the whole trilogy; he really didn’t like the other two that much)

Ciderhouse Rules

M: The Princess Bride

C: Matilda

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (debate: which version is better?)

Me: Little Women (I happen to like the Susan Sarandon version, and I know that in many circles, this is heresy)

Room with a View
(I couldn’t find a trailer, so here’s a scene)

Sense and Sensibility

What should be made into a movie:
Hubby: Wrinkle in Time, the Prydian books (the Disney movie of The Black Cauldron doesn’t count), Phantom Tollbooth, Prayer for Owen Meany — some of his favorite books, they’re interesting stories, and if well-done, they’d be great movies.

Me: Graceling — because the heroine is fantastic, and I’d love to see a visual representation of the world

Austenland — because I think it’d be a fun romantic comedy.

M: Blue Sword (actually, any Robin McKinley book… alas, they will never be made) — because it’s really a fabulous book

C: the Sisters Grimm books — because she LOVES the books. While I was reading them outloud, she’d spend hours casting them

There you have it: my family’s opinions on the best movie adaptations. What are yours?

Making Up for Missing Out Last Year

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Stolen shamelessly from Fizzy Thoughts (thanks, softdrink!)

Thanks to the magnificent Amy, the 2nd annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) will be taking place in September. What is BBAW, you ask? Well, read on for all the details…

WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!
WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recognizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.
WHEN September 14-18, 2009
WHERE Over at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)
WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, loves this community of bloggers and wants to shower appreciation on you!

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
Please help us spread the word about Book Blogger Appreciation Week by posting about it on your blog, twittering about it, and telling everyone you know that it’s time to have a party and celebrate book bloggers! Please register by filling out the registration form! Registering ensures your inclusion in the BBAW 09 Database of Book Bloggers and enters you into the drawing for the BBAW 09 Grand Prize! Come back often as there will be many updates! And follow us on Twitter!

AWARDS
BBAW Award Nominations are now open on the BBAW Awards Blog.

Many, many, many thanks to Amy for all of her hard work and continuing this awesome tradition!!

Fragile Eternity

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by Melissa Marr
ages: 14+
First sentence: “Seth knew the moment Aislinn slipped into the house; the slight rise in temperature would’ve told him even if he hadn’t seen the glimmer of sunlight in the middle of the night.”

I don’t know if it’s me, or the book, or my waning interest in the world, but I just couldn’t get into the story.

I tried; I gave it 150 pages, but everything was so angst-y, and off-kilter and… well, let’s just say that every single character, even Seth and Aislinn, was driving me bonkers.

So, I skipped forward, read the last four chapters to see how it ended, and then bailed. (Hey, at least I know how it ends…)

For more legitimate reviews, check out Becky’s or Softdrink’s or Amy’s.

Previously Engaged

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by Elodia Strain
ages: adults, but if there’s interest, 14+
First sentence: “Apparently, weddings are breeding grounds for disaster.”
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.

First, some history: I did as little as possible to make my wedding my “special” day. It didn’t help that I was getting married in a state halfway across the county from where I lived at the time (relatives.), but really, I’m just not a frou-frou-y person. My mom made my dress, a friend did my flowers (on the wrist, not a bouquet), I didn’t have maids of honor, I didn’t have a line, or even a “proper” reception (opting for some more casual get togethers in three different states). Really, the only thing that mattered (you can see it coming!): the cake.

Sometimes I say that if I could go back and do it again, I’d do a period costume piece (either Renaissance or Regency — again, no surprises there), but really, the whole idea of a Bride Wars-inspired wedding hoopla turns me off (and for sweet revenge — or blessed irony — watch each of my four girls need something HUGE when/if they get married).

So, to be honest, I’m not the target audience for this book.

Annabelle Pleasanton is a Monterey-based writer who’s been dating her boyfriend, Isaac, for nine months, and she knows (in some visceral womanly way) that he’s going to propose to her. Except, things keep getting in the way. It doesn’t help that Annabelle’s old flame, Alex, shows back up in her life, throwing gifts and memories at her. It also doesn’t help that Isaac’s personal agent is a former model and flame from High School. Nor does it help that Isaac wants to move down to L.A., taking Annabelle away from her job — at which she’s applying for a promotion, her family, and her beloved Monterey. In addition, Annabelle has just won a $50,000 Dream Wedding — high couture, stunning settings, the best food — and it seems that even though it’s absolutely perfect, things keep falling apart at the seams.

It seemed to me that Strain was going for a Shannon Hale-esque cutesy chick-lit humor. But, while that generally doesn’t bother me, in this case it didn’t work. Not by a mile. The humor was grating (but then — as I’ve mentioned before — humor is such a fickle thing), as were all the “dear reader” asides. The dialogue was flat, and the vague Mormon-ness (it was published by a small LDS publisher) was awkward (either go all out, or don’t go there at all). But, what really bothered me was that Annabelle was shallow. Okay, so she attempted to redeem herself by being interested in philanthropic endeavours (like the company that recycles wedding flowers by giving them to women’s shelters), but really: shallow, one-dimensional, predictable, and (worst of all!) wedding-happy.

Yes, I did finish the book, and yes, there will be some people — read: wedding-happy women — who will really like this book. I am just not one of them.

Library Loot #27

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I was really good; I only picked up two books for myself… and I didn’t even put them on hold. 🙂

For A/K:
Circus Family Dog, by Andrew Clements/Illus. by Sue Truesdell
Have You Seen My Cat, by Eric Carle**
What’s That Noise?, by William Carmman
Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney**
Drive, by Nathan Clement
Down in the Subway, by Miriam Cohen/Illus. by Melanie Hope Greenberg**
Chocolate Wolf, by Barbara Cohen/Illus. by David Ray
The One and Only Marigold, by Florence Parry Heide/Illus. by Jill Mcelmurry
Belinda Begins Ballet, by Amy Young**
Gone With The Wand, by Margie Palatini/Illus. by Brian Ajhar

For M:
The Search for Truth (Erec Rex), by Kaza Kingsley*

For me:
The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan*
The True Adventures of Charley Darwin, by Carolyn Meyer

The roundup is either at Reading Adventures or A Striped Armchair.

*Ones that M eventually read.
**Picture books we really liked.

Sprout

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by Dale Peck
ages: 14+
First sentence (ARC): “I have a secret.”
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.

Sometimes, regardless of plot or characters or even how the book ends, a particular voice in a book (or of a book) totally and completely wins you over. Sprout is one of those voices: observant, witty, sarcastic, yet full of heart, longing, and desire. He completely won me over, in spite of the meandering plot and Kansas stereotypes in the book (which bothered me more than I care to admit).

In fact, Sprout’s observations — on his friends, his life, and eventually his love, Ty — are the reason to read this book. After his mother’s death, Daniel Bradford — Sprout — and his father move from Long Island to Hutchinson, Kansas (which is 45 minutes up the road from here). His father has not dealt with the death well; he drinks and collects stumps, preferring to hide in the trailer on their land outside of Hutch than get a job. Sprout takes out his anger in words — on the page, in carrying around his mother’s dictionary — and in making himself as unique as possible, hence the green hair. It’s only when, during the summer before his junior year, Mrs. Miller — the English teacher in charge of getting students ready for the state essay competition — singles him out as someone who can achieve greatness that Sprout begins to confront his inner self. Which not only includes dealing with his mother’s death, but also his gayness in a community that is not known for its tolerance, and finding first love with someone who is more broken than he is.

Hands down, my favorite passage was this:

Without missing a beat, Mrs. Miller rattled off a stream of obscenities so fully and completely unexpected that I fell off my chair. Mothers were defiled, and their male and female children, as well as any and all offspring who just happened to’ve been born out of wedlock. As for the sacred union that produced these innocent babes, the pertinent bodily appendages were catalogued by a list of nicknames so profoundly scurrilous that a grizzled Marine, conceived in a brothel and dying of a disease he contracted in one, would’ve wished he’d been born as smooth as a ken doll. The act itself was invoked with such a variety of incestuous, scatological, bestial, and just plain bizarre variations that that same Marine would’ve given up on the Ken doll fantasy, and wished instead that all life had been confined to the single-cell stage, forever free of the taint of mitosis, let alone procreation.

It’s not an easy book to read; especially near the end, when Sprout’s and Ty’s life get entangled, it’s difficult and depressing. But, ultimately, Sprout finds something we’re all searching for: an inkling of a place and hope in his own life.

Why Darwin Matters

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The Case Against Intelligent Design
by Michael Shermer
ages: adult (though anyone interested in this debate could read this)
First sentence: “In June 2004, the science historian Frank Sulloway and I began a month-long expedition to retrace Charles Darwin’s footsteps in the Galapagos Islands.”

Delivery, people, delivery.

When writing a book, SO much depends on the delivery, the tone, the way in which you present the information, characters, narrative, story.

In short: this book would have been much better if the author hadn’t constantly come off as a pompous ass.

It’s not that I disagree with his premise: that Intelligent Design is NOT science, that evolution is a fact and not a belief, that one can believe in God and accept evolution and not have it in conflict. But, I just don’t know who this man was trying to convince. He kept implying — and in some cases, he says it pretty explicitly — that the ID people are morons (which they might be, but that’s no way to present an argument), that they are crusaders (ditto), and that Science is Right and if you are a reasonable person, then you will accept that ID is bunk and Evolution is right.

Right.

Really, it’s no way to endear your reader to your position. And it’s no way to convince those who believe in ID, or are even on the fence, that you’re right and they’re wrong (even if you are).

Grrr.

Geeky World Reader

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This week’s geek asks us where we’ve “gone” in the world through our reading.

Are you a global reader? How many countries have you “visited” in your reading? What are your favorite places or cultures to read about? Can you recommend particularly good books about certain regions, countries or continents? How do you find out about books from other countries? What countries would you like to read that you haven’t yet? Use your own criteria about what you consider to be “visiting” — whether a book is written about the country or by a native or resident of the country. For fun, create one of these maps at this website ticking off the countries you’ve read books from – you might be surprised how many (or how few!) countries you’ve read. Include the map in your blog post if you’re so inclined.

I’m going to try and do this off the top of my head:

create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

Canada — author from (Margaret Atwood)
US — lots
Mexico — Set in (Hummingbird’s Daughter)
Bermuda/Trinidad and Tobago/Grenada — author visited (Embarrased by Mangoes)
Dominican Republic — set in (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents)
Argentina — author visited (Eight Feet in the Andes)
Brazil — Set in (Bringing the Boy Home)
South Africa — The White Giraffe
(I’m not sure, exactly if there’s more than that from Africa; nothing’s coming to mind.)
Austria — set in (The Musician’s Daughter)
Italy — author visited (Under the Tuscan Sun)
Netherlands — set in (Girl With a Pearl Earring)
Vatican City — set in (Angels and Demons)
France — lots (The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry; A Good Year)
Greece — set in (Oh. My. Gods.)
Ireland — author (Roddy Doyle)
Iceland — author visited (The Geography of Bliss; I could count this book for a lot of places, but I’ll just use my favorite chapter.)
Russia — author (Death of Ivan Illych)
Sweden — author/set in (Echoes From the Dead)
UK — lots
Iraq — author been (Baghdad Without a Map)
Iran — author from (Reading Lolita in Tehran, Persepolis, among others)
Israel — author from and set in (A Bottle in the Gaza Sea)
Turkey — author from/set in (Snow)
Afghanastan — set in (The Breadwinner/Parvana’s Journey/Kite Runner)
China — lots
India — author from (Climbing the Mango Trees)
New Zealand — author from/set in (Whale Rider)
Australia — set in (Everything is Beautiful)

Obviously, I should read more from Africa… As for me, personally, I’m not a world traveler. I’ve been to Canada (I ❤ Canada), the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Marshall Islands, Antigua, Bermuda, and St. Martaan on a cruise), and Germany. I'd like to go more places… but that will have to wait until the kids leave, probably.

How about you? Where have you been (either in person or on the page)? Anywhere interesting?

Oh. My. Gods.

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by Tara Lynn Childs
ages: 13+
First sentence: “When I’m running, I can almost feel my dad at my side.”

beach read: n. A book that is sufficiently fluffy enough to not require thinking while sitting in the hot sand, but fun enough to keep you turning pages.

Oh. My. Gods. = Perfect. Beach. Read.

Think of it as a cross between Maureen Johnson — our main character, Phoebe, is marooned (of sorts) on a Greek island when her mother remarries, and she has to Figure Out the New Life Changes — and Rick Riordan — except the high school she’s now attending is populated with descendants of Greek Gods. Sure, all the elements of your usual High School chick fare are there — snotty Evil Stepsister (they actually call her that) and her snotty cheerleader friends; jerk (but cute) boy with Heart of Gold that she falls for, in spite of her Best Interests; best friends (that Phoebe left behind) that are dying to know What’s Going On; new best friend with an Agenda; and the boy, who’s just a Friend. But throw in the added element of supernatural powers derived from being related to the Greek gods, a bit of a conflict with new best friend and Jerk Boy, and Phoebe trying figure out her place in the whole scheme of things (like why her down-to-earth therapist mother would run off with a Greek guy in the first place… which was never really explained), and you have enough to sustain a novel. But, really: it’s all about the hot guy and the main character getting together. Isn’t it?

If you don’t expect anything big or grand or life-shattering, it’s a fun romp (and an interesting take) through Greek mythology and your general YA romance fare. No, it’s not great literature, but it is a lot of fun.

Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.