The Book Adaptation Tag

I'm pretty sure The Book Nut created this tag, so go check out that post if you're interested. I'm currently in a bit of a rut. I haven't been doing a lot of book reviews lately but that is because I haven't been reading books I've felt the need to review. So I guess bear with me throughout my journey of making lists and doing tags. But if you enjoy these over reviews then I guess it's a win-win.

1. What is the last book adaptation movie you saw?

This one was so hard cause I have not been watching a lot of movies. If we were including TV I did watch part of the first episode of Shadow and Bone before I gave up on it if that counts. I really can't think of a movie so I will have to stick with that. 

2. What book movie are you most excited for?

The Night Circus. I found out they were making this book into a movie and I just hope they can capture the magic on screen. This book was so magical and I want them to get it right. This book holds such a special place in my heart and I want the movie to be perfect.

3. Which upcoming book movie will you definitely NOT see?

All of them? Can I say that? I'm probably not watching any of them. I'm a bit tired of book to movie adaptations. I want original content. If I have to choose though I'd probably go with Dune. I know everyone is so excited about it, but I've never read the book. I don't think I'll watch the movie. I know Zendaya's in it and I love her, but I just don't think she is enough to make me watch that movie. Also, I'm pretty sure it's sci-fi. I don't care for sci-fi. I haven't even seen Starwars.

4. Which book movie would you NEVER watch again?

Jane Eyre. They just sucked the life out of her. I loved the book so much because I loved Jane. The issue is that a lot of Jane's character-building happens in her head. There isn't a ton of dialogue in the book. We get to know and understand Jane through the story she is telling us and there is none of that in the movie. They didn't even try to do a voice-over or anything. Like you got no sense of her personality, there was no connection to her. Also Mr. Rochester was supposed to be ugly. He was not. 

5. Is there a movie you saw that made you want to read the book if you hadn’t yet?

Pride and Prejudice. I was just not interested in classics at that point. I watched Pride and Prejudice 2005 because I think I was just writing in my journal and the movie had just started so I figured why not. I ended up really enjoying it and decided to actually read the book. I can't say I regret it.

6. Conversely, is there a movie that made you never want to read the book?

Girl, Interrupted. I enjoyed the movie simply because of Angelina Jolie, but the movie itself was not very good. I have no intentions of ever reading that book because the main character is a drag. Unless I have to read it for a class or something I am not reading that book.

7. Name an adaptation that has almost nothing to do with the book it’s supposedly based on.

The Princess and the Frog. Now stick with me here while I explain myself. So once upon a time, I read this book called the Frog Princess by E. D. Baker. I read this entire series and loved it and then I found out they were supposedly making a movie adaptation of it. The movie comes out. I watch it. Literally, the only thing that is the same in both is that the princess kisses the frog and turns into a frog. That's it. I'm thinking there was a producer or writer out there somewhere that read this, liked the idea, but then legally had to credit this book because that's where they got the idea. I love the book and the movie separately, but that movie was not an adaptation. I felt lied to. 

8. Have you ever left the theatre during a movie adaptation because it was so bad?

No, I can have fun watching a bad movie. The only time I've ever left a movie in theatres is when my friend and I went to see Joker and she got so sick that we left and I had to refund the tickets.

9. Do you prefer to watch the movie first or read the book first?

I mean I always prefer to read the book, but sometimes I'm full of shit and I'll watch the movie anyway. 

10. How do you feel about movie adaptations that age characters up? (ex. characters that are in middle school, but in the movies, they’re all 18)

Like I get that production studios do this because of child labour laws, but it pisses me off. I don't want to watch a movie about teenage Percy Jackson. I want to watch Percy Jackson with age-appropriate Percy Jackson. Is that too much to ask? The new show is probably one I will watch. 

11. Do you get angry when the actors don’t look like you thought the characters looked?

I mean it definitely takes me out of it a little bit, but usually, it depends on the book. Like one of my favourite books is Practical Magic and the movie characters look almost nothing like how they are in the books and I still loved both. It also really depends on their acting. If a character doesn't look right but definitely acts right then it doesn't matter. 

12. Is there a movie you liked better than its book?

The Princess Bride, but only by a little bit. The book gets a little convoluted and confusing. I like that the movie keeps it simple with the grandfather just reading the book. Also, that casting was so perfect. I honestly don't think they should try to remake that movie because it will never be as perfect as the original. The stars aligned for some of those castings. Like Andre the Giant was perfect. 

13. Name a book that you would love to see as a movie.

Wolfsong. It's an amazing book and has so much LGBTQ+ representation. There's just a little something for everyone. God and if T. J. Klune helped with the screenplay this could be one of the saddest but funniest romantic movies ever. Like I would kill for this to be a movie.

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I Hate Everyone But You Book Recommendations

I saw Steph Bohrer do this over on her channel and I couldn't help but think of all the recommendations I had for this category! I linked her video if you want to go watch that, and I would recommend it, she has some great books on there. I have this split into two sections. There's a new adult romance section and a YA section. In case you don't really know what this trope is, it's pretty self-explanatory. Romances where one of the love interests hates everyone except for their person. One of my favourite tropes.

New Adult Romances

The Sea of Tranquility

“I know at that moment what he's given me and it isn't a chair. It's an invitation, a welcome, the knowledge that I am accepted here. He hasn't given me a place to sit. He's given me a place to belong.”

The main character Nastya has a major chip on her shoulder throughout the entirety of this book, same goes for her love interest Josh. They both sort of hate the entire world around them, but they find solace  in each other. This was such a tragic but beautiful love story. It leaves off on a bit of a cliff hanger, but I'm optimistic. I believe in them. I believe in their love. And absolutely beautiful love story. 

Killswitch

“How I’d never hated anyone as much as I hated him, but how I loved what I felt with him more than I loved anything I felt with anyone else, either.”

Does Damon like anyone? The answer to that is no. Except Winter. And not even in the beginning of the book. I just loved these two. Damon has always been my favourite character in this series and I loved reading his story. 

The Other Man

“Why the hell did I like him so much?
He was uncivilized.
Churlish.
Uncouth.
And strangely, kind of Sweet”

Heath is rough around the edges. He's such an asshole to everyone around him. He is absolutely terrifying, but he has such a soft spot for Lourdes. It really makes you feel special just reading about it. 

Fever series

“Unpredictable as a hungry lion, he might be feared by everyone else, but he never ripped out my throat, only licked me, and, if his tongue was a little rough sometimes, it was worth it to walk beside the king of the jungle.” - Shadowfever

Barrons literally hates everyone. SPOILERS: There were a few instances throughout the series where it was heavily implied that if it were not for Mac, Barrons wouldn't even really be in human form most of the time. Or at all. He would let his monster take over. 

Young Adult Romances

Carry On

“What you are is a fucking tragedy, Simon Snow. You literally couldn't be a bigger mess."
He tries to kiss me, but I pull back- "And you like that?"
"I love it." He says
"Why?"
"Because we match.”

Need I say more? Baz is a total snob and doesn't really have any real friendships in the beginning of this series. He isn't close to anyone but Simon who he pretends to hate. 

Dare You To

“You're a lot like that bird in the barn. You're so scared that you're going to be caged in forever you can't see the way out. You smack yourself against the wall again and again and again. The door is open, Beth. Stop running in circles and walk out.”

Beth has issues. She is a pissed off teen whose defence mechanism is snark. She has like one close friend. She hates everyone around her because she has no reason to like anyone. 

Stalking Jack the Ripper

“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.”

I don't think this one is necessarily hate, but Thomas does not have any friends. He doesn't like anyone around him. He loves Audrey Rose, but everyone else around him is pretty much replaceable, except for his sister. 

Cruel Prince

“Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It's disgusting, and I can't stop.”

The title really says it all. Cardan is salty as fuck most of the time. He even hates Jude most of the time, but she plays his games. Everyone else around him is either abusive or an ass kisser. 

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5 Gothics I Like and 5 Gothics I Want to Read

I've been so into Gothics lately. I don't know what it is. I'm just in a very spooky but romantic mood. I want to read all the Gothics. Some of my favourite novels are Gothics and in general, I feel like Gothics are a very underappreciated genre. I could be wrong but I don't think I've ever read a Gothic that I hated. Just to keep this post concise, I'm only doing five books I liked and five I want to read. There are so many I want to read but I'll just keep it simple for now. Also, I used Goodreads to confirm that these books are in fact Gothics. If I get any of them wrong, don't blame me. Blame Goodreads. 

5 Favourite Gothics

Beyond the Sea

“I no longer believed in curses, but I did believe that to live was to suffer. However, it was the sweet, heart fluttering moments like this, and the exhilaratingly exciting ones scattered in between, that made all the darkness, all the pain and the anguish worth it.”

I bought this for a very specific reason. That reason being I wanted to read this in the dead of winter while it was cold and snowing outside and I could sit in my new little reading chair and I could be a moody young adult. This did not come to fruition. My plans were foiled. It did not snow very much in Vancouver this year, my new reading chair is not very comfy, also my cat decided that my reading chair is actually hers and I listened to the audiobook. I wouldn't change anything about the experience though. A woman with a lovely Irish accent read this mysterious, romantic book to me. It was one of my favourite books of 2020. If you have a chance, I would highly recommend the audiobook. It's great for if you don't know how to pronounce Irish names. Which I don't.

Jane Eyre

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

This is an OG favourite of mine. I originally read it because it was mentioned in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Didn't think I was really going to enjoy it as much as I did. I read this while I was literally at Niagra falls. My aunt got so mad at me since we went all the way to Niagra Falls to see this great wonder of the world just for me to spend half the time reading this one on my phone. No regrets. 

Frankenstein

“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!”

I just recently read this for a class and I really loved it. Mostly cause I really just like Mary Shelley. And her mother. I wrote a whole paper about Mary Wollstonecraft's possible influence on this book. It was a great time. 

The Cask of Amantillado

“He did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.”

So this isn't technically a book, but a short story. If you haven't read it yet, you are missing out. I love revenge. It is a great revenge story. You can find it probably out there on the internet. It's like a five-minute read and just leaves you wondering about the context. I mean, this is simply iconic behaviour.

Stalking Jack the Ripper

“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.”

I love the girlies with morbid pastimes. There is something so satisfying about having this girl who should be really prim and proper being a medical examiner. Goals. More iconic behaviour. Living for it. Live your best life, my dude. If you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for? I promise it is so easy to read. It's so easy to get into. Even if you aren't really interested in the Jack the Ripper killings. I am in that same boat. I am not interested in those whatsoever, but this book got me interested. 

5 I Want to Read

Rebecca

I accidentally watched the newish movie version of this without realizing it was based on the book and I am now invested. This is actually on the reading list for a summer class I'm taking so I will be reading this one very soon. I'm very excited to do so. I'm constantly hearing about how this book has one of the best first lines.

Mexican Gothic

Everyone and their mother are talking about this book. It has a beautiful cover and an intriguing storyline. I'm constantly hearing jokes about American Gothics and English Gothics, but I really have no idea what a Mexican gothic would be like. I'm so excited to read something new. This sounds like it would be right up my alley. 

The Year of the Witching

Perfect mix of gothic and witches. You guys know how I feel about my witches. I love me some witches. This one is also being talked about by everyone and their mother. 

The Shadow of the Wind

I've heard nothing but good things about this book. I've been meaning to read it for years and it sounds amazing. Like I literally don't think I've ever heard someone say they hate this book or even mildly dislike it. 

The Governess

This book seems like the perfect blend of trashy romance and intriguing plotline, you know? You know. Sometimes regular old romances are boring. You gotta add a little darkness and mystery. Really spices things up. 

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The Nope Book Tag

This tag was created by The Farah Project over on Youtube. I need to do a big spoiler warning because honestly, I will be talking about things that happened during these books.

1. NOPE. Ending: A book ending that made you go NOPE either in denial, rage, or simply because the ending was crappy. 

The Beginning of Everything. That ending made me so mad. It felt like we were leading up to this big conclusion that would hopefully have a brightside to it. Nope. No brightside in sight. Spoiler alert, but the main character's dog fucking died and then he found out that his girlfriends brother died while hitting HIM with a car. She then breaks up with him because she feels guilty. That was the most garbage ending I've ever read and he didn't deserve all that bullshit. He was a pretty good main character.

2. NOPE. Protagonist: A main character you dislike and drives you crazy. 

Zoey Redbird from Marked. She had a fucking god complex. She just acted so holier than thou and acted like she was so much better than everyone else. She looked down on others, but she would do exactly the same thing, sometimes worse. She basically thought Aphrodite was such a huge slut for almost giving her ex boyfriend a bj but then Zoey turned around and fucking cheated on her boyfriend. Like, one of those isn't even bad.

3. NOPE. Series: A series that turned out to be one huge pile of NOPE. after you’ve invested all of that time and energy on it, or a series you gave up on because it wasn’t worth it anymore. 

Divergent. I was reading it because it was "the next Hunger Games". It wasn't as good. I would go so far as to say it was very bad.

4. NOPE. Popular pairing: A “ship” you don’t support.

Lara Jean and John Ambrose. They seem like good friends, but everyone wants them to be together and I just don't see why. I like them as friends and I never wanted them to be anything more than friends.

5. NOPE. Plot twist: A plot twist you didn’t see coming or didn’t like. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Finding out that she was just living her second life. She never bothered to question anything, never bothered to wonder how she got where she was. This plot twist did nothing for me. Finding out she had a past life just left me like, "Okay. So?".

6. NOPE. Protagonist action/decision: A character decision that made you shake your head NOPE. 

In Magic Lessons when Maria gave her daughter to the evil bitch. I hate dramatic irony. Just knowing that that woman was evil the whole time and then just watching as Maria probably makes the biggest mistake of her life was so frustrating.

7. NOPE. Genre: A genre you will never read.

Non-fiction science books. I'm not a science person. I find it boring. Unless it's something I'm very specifically interested in then I don't want to read it. I'm pretty open to most things, it's just that when it comes to non fiction I won't read it unless I either A. have to for school or B. am really interested in the subject.

8. NOPE. Book format: Book formatting you hate and avoid buying until it comes out in a different edition

Mass Market Paperbacks. Whoever created Mass Market Paperbacks deserves to be shot. 

9. NOPE. Trope: A trope that makes you go NOPE. 

Love triangles unless they are genuine love triangles. I want to see all the characters being into each other and not knowing how to choose. I don't want just one person being an asshole and not picking. I hate it.

10. NOPE. Recommendation: A book recommendation that is constantly hyped and pushed at you that you simply refuse to read. 

Winter. My dumbass kept reading these books until I finally got to the last book and came to the realization that I don't have to read shit. Everyone loves this series and I do not. I will not waste my time reading this book because I know I won't like it.

11. NOPE. Cliche/pet peeve: A cliche or writing pet peeve that always makes you roll your eyes.

Girls just hating each other because they are into the same guy. Bruh, I am a girls girl. I will get drunk at a party and befriend every girl there. It makes me so mad when a character just hates every other female character. Obviously, people have genuine people they don't like but just making it every other girl they encounter that may show interest in the guy they are interested in is just gross.

12. NOPE. Love interest: The love interest that’s not worthy of being one. A character you don’t think should have been a viable love interest.

Where do I even start. There are so many that I'm just going to give a type and an example. Broody controlling assholes. Case in point: Tamlin from ACOTAR. In the first book, I was along for the ride, but it wasn't until I read the next book and saw the difference between how Tamlin treated Feyre and how Rhys treated Feyre that I came to the realization that I strongly dislike characters like him. Even if you are a broody asshole and your significant other is okay with that, I will tolerate it if they aren't completely controlling. It's actually pretty charming when there's that broody asshole, but he actually cares about what you have to say and what you want. 

13. NOPE. Book: A book that shouldn’t have existed that made you say NOPE. 

Daughter of Darkness. I won't say any more than that. That book is a monstrosity.

14. NOPE. Villain: A scary villain/antagonist you would hate to cross and would make you run in the opposite direction.

I kind of have a thing for villains so this one is kind of hard for me. I guess Hitler? I've read some WWII books. Yeah, I'm gonna go with Hitler.

 

15. NOPE. Death: A character death that still haunts you.

How will I choose just one? I'm gonna go with Will Herondale. I know he died from old age, but still, what the fuck. Every time I read Clockwork Princess I just think about the fact that He's dead and Tessa is immortal and she has to live out the rest of her very long life without him. Just writing this has me tearing up. 

16. NOPE. Author: An author you had a bad experience reading for and have decided to quit.

Tie between Karina Halle and Ker Dukey. Karina Halle's books just are not my style. I never bonded with these main characters that she writes so I just refuse to read any more of her books. As for Ker Dukey, I thought I liked darker romances, but hers just got way too dark for me. I can't handle them. I had to stop reading them for my own sanity. 

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