Book things

Movie & TV Adaptations That I’m Terrified Of (Part 1) | Book Things

aquapages // eline3 Comments

I started writing this post and realize there’s SO MANY book adapted movies and tv series coming out this year, along with announced this year, that I’m making this post at least two parts.

Movie and tv series produced by Lionsgate, based on book series by Patrick Rothfuss

I was out of my mind excited when I heard my favourite fantasy books were going to get a tv series, and a movie also which is confusing.

Let’s first look at the movie: Sam Raimi was announced would no longer direct it two months ago, to a mostly relieved reddit crowd it seemed like. The movie will follow the actual kingkiller plot, which is what could be a big hit or miss, depending on how close to the original material they are and if they’re serious about it. Patrick Rothfuss, the author, is heavily involved and also got Lin-Manuel Miranda on the team as a producer, so that’s a relief. I’ve heard Rothfuss quote Lin as “being the chairman of the dont-fuck-it-up committee”, so we’re all nervous here. Also Lin is writing the music, which is a joy!

The tv series will be set a generation before the actual book series, which I have better faith in because there’s no expectation. In summary I’m absolutely terrified and excited about it all.

When? No one knows when production starts, I don’t think the actual script is done either.

Movie produced by Disney, based on the book by Eoin Colfer

This was one of my favourite series as a kid, with the protagonist Artemis Fowl being a rich, criminal mastermind of a kid. He’s always on the edge of being a villain and doing good, and has a butler named Butler who protects him. With fantasy elements like fairy-officers and goblin criminals the movie can turn out really bad. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping they get both the effects and the main character personality and motives right, because that will make or break this film. It’s supposed to be geared towards kids in that there’s humour, but I just hope it hasn’t lost its cleverness. I honestly didn’t get any info or vibe from the trailer, so I’m not certain what to believe.

When? 9. August 2019

Movie produced by Warner Bros & Amazon, based on the book by Donna Tartt

I love this book, but it was very much chaotic and surreal in how fast things develop – going from one place to an entirely different one multiple times – and it’s going to be really interesting to see how they solve that on screen. I’m not so excited about Ansel Elgort as the main character, honestly some of the cast choices makes it feel like they’re going to downplay the craziness of the book and make it boring and average. The synopsis is that “A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” which is technically true, but even that sounds boring as hell and isn’t really an intro to the whole plot.

When? 11. October 2019

Tv series produced by Netflix, at least 8 episodes, based on the book series by Leigh Bardugo.

Netflix is exciting! I personally didn’t like the shadow and bone series, but the six of crows is included as well in some way. I had hope, then I saw the screenwriter of birdbox is on it and that the two book series would go parallell and interlap in the tv series. No, please, don’t. I’ve seen a lot of negative reactions similiar to mine. I know it was just announced, and they should get a chance, but I’m nervous on their behalf trying to weave two very different and complicated stories together just because it’s placed in the same universe.

When? It was just announced, so no idea

Movie produced by Disney, a remake, but technically based on story from The book of thousand and one nights so that counts 

I like the cartoon Aladdin. Disney haven’t had much luck with getting me to watch the remakes lately. There were a Belle one? The Lion King is coming soon? Freaking Dumbo? The jungle book of 2018 was good, but average. I hadn’t heard about the little mermaid before it popped up on netflix. It has a shockingly low 20% on rotten tomatoes – I got to watch this one now, to see why. I’m honestly more excited for Mulan, after it got its asian cast.

When? 24. May 2019

Harry Potter Book Tag

aquapages // eline3 Comments

I do not remember where I first saw this book tag, I’ve had it saved as a post idea for a while, but you’re welcome to do it if you want to! The Harry Potter Book Tag was created by Trang and Lashaan at Bookidote. 

A book you found the theme interesting, but you’d like to rewrite it.

This is most books I don’t like, because they usually had something special in their synopsis that made me read them.

The first book in a series that got you hooked.

A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan is the first book of a series called Cirque du Freak and absolutely got me hooked not only that series and the more gruesome Demonata series, but vampires, monsters and demons in general as a (way too young haha) kid. People ask me if X book is appropriate for their eight year old? I’m like “YES and also I’m not the right person to ask because I mostly say no to only game of thrones and lord of the rings (for different reasons)”

A book you wish you could have right now.

Like every collector’s edition. Six of crows collectors edition is even cheap, but I can’t bring myself to buy it because I move next year for uni and what then? I don’t need books that I’ve already read? But I want them all, so badly. A dedicated library is my dream in whatever apartment or house I live in as a “real adult”.

A killer book. Both senses. Take it as you like.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga.

A book that you found really confusing.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I knew I liked it, but I didn’t understand it at once. I still don’t get all of it after one read through, but firstly I know who Kafka is now. I expect a tiny applause and lots of gasps at that, I know it’s weird. Murakami answered 1200 questions about it allegedly and I’m going to delve into it after some more readthroughs once because:

In an interview posted on his English language website, Murakami says that the secret to understanding the novel lies in reading it several times: “Kafka on the Shorecontains several riddles, but there aren’t any solutions provided. Instead, several of these riddles combine, and through their interaction the possibility of a solution takes shape. And the form this solution takes will be different for each reader. To put it another way, the riddles function as part of the solution. It’s hard to explain, but that’s the kind of novel I set out to write”.

A dark twisted book.

The tv series “You” on netflix. Book-wise is harder. The torture and physical and psychological conditions Kaladin is put under in The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson really struck me as so amazingly written and utterly terrifying because it’s such a cruel play on having to work together as a team, but everyone dying before trust can be built. 

Your spirit animal book.

I don’t know what this means, but the answer is “Graceling” by Kristin Cashore. I need to reread it and review it as an adult, but it was so precious to me growing up. Katsa is a really fierce, violent warrior who has emotions, but doesn’t let any hardships she’s put through stop her. I love her so much and would carry her in my mind like she could give me strength. 

A book that surprised you in a great way, reveals more than it is

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins seems like such an average title, cover and synopsis, but it went freaking MAD. It built up forever, both the world and the character with their interactions, and then ascended in chaos as worlds were torn down and Gods missing and the main character isn’t as unassuming as she’s been the whole book. It’s one of those books that sticks in your mind afterwards and has become one of my favourite, but I can’t promote it to people without SPOILING THE WHOLE DAMN THING. It’s just plot-twists!! But they’re not really plot-twists, they’re just a twisted plot. Led by twisted characters? I love it and I think a lot more would as well, if they picked it up. 

Why Audiobooks Are Great (I Changed My Mind) & Some Recommendations

aquapages // eline7 Comments

I’ve experimented with what kind of audiobooks I like, through different free trials of platforms, before eventually paying for one. I went through the whole summer on free trials, listening to the beginning of a lot of books. I didn’t like audiobooks until this summer because I really like to read books myself. I’ve read a lot and have become good at it, I don’t need to narrate voices in my head always, so info can go in and translate to pictures in my head – it’s a lot faster. Reading physically I can choose the pace myself, pausing at sections with beautiful writing. Physical books are easier to bookmark or take notes in.

But here’s why I changed my mind and now also like audiobooks:

  • Audiobooks can be enjoyed by people who don’t like to read for so many different and good reasons, like just not being able to sit down and focus for that long. It makes books more accessible.
  • There’s easier to find time for audiobooks and you can do other things while listening (the reason I love podcasts), like cleaning, training, sitting on the bus for hours or try to fall asleep
  • BUT MOST OF ALL – I was admitted to the hospital this summer and because of illness I could not focus enough to read. It’s so hard to read without concentration or your mind in the right place, in a way it isn’t so difficult to listen to small chunks of audiobooks. This really converted me, as I saw why audiobooks are better than physical ones in certain situations or for some people
  • It’s so much cooler to hear a memoir told by the author themselves! This is my favourite type of audiobook as you’ll see in my recommendations, it’s just so comforting or adds an extra layer of emotion and realness to the story.

Here’s the recommendations:

Memoirs narrated by the author

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: IF YOU WANT TO PICK ONE, PICK THIS. It’s so damn good, as Trevor is already a driven comic and an amazing story-teller. It’s hilarious, it’s heart-warming, heart-wrenching, informative. Just 10/10 will listen to it a lot and one that many will love without knowing much about Trevor Noah.

Buffering by Hannah Hart: I wrote and then lost the review of this book, but it’s so heartwrenching, good and honest. She talks about being lesbian and how it was to realize that in a family where her dad later became jehovas witness and her mom was a schizofrenic. About having to make choices for the family and the best of her sister, of growing up to soon and trying to find herself afterwards. I cried, a lot.

My Fight / Your Fight by Ronda Rousey: Listen to this to get motivated to train your ass off or excell at anything really. It’s written before she lost and her popularity went downhill quick, but it really brings out the human sides of Ronda as well, in a sometimes natural way.

Secrets For the Mad by dodie: If you like dodie, her voice is really calming to listen to for so long and the audiobook itself is excellent. If you don’t know who she is, don’t pick it up, it doesn’t really tell a powerful stand-alone story like the others here.

I’ve Only Found One Fictional Audiobook I Loved? And A Lot of Okay Ones

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo reads like a memoir/biography, only it’s fictional and not only is the story excellent, but it’s the only fictional audiobook I really fell into and embraced as possibly better than the physically reading it. The narrator is excellent.

If you just want to find audiobooks that have good narrators here’s a short list: If we were villains by M. L. Rio, The poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, The price guide to the occult by Leslye Walton (didn’t like the story personally) and The power of habit.

PS: If you want more – here’s all my audiobook reviews tagged. And if you like poetry, poetry collections on audio are so great to listen to! I recommend Mary Oliver’s.

Do you like audiobooks or do you prefer ebooks/physical books? I’ll appreciate audiobook recommendations!

2019 TBR!

aquapages // eline10 Comments

I don’t usually follow TBR’s anyway, but I looked around and saw I already owned a lot of the books I want to read this year, which makes it much more likely I’ll stick to it. My biggest genre is fantasy, but I’m excited to also read more science books in preparation to hopefully go to university, along with poetry, about writing, new ya releases and some classics.

One of my big goals this year is also to read about physical pain, which needs some explanations. As someone who is chronically ill I’ve avoided books about pain or disability like the plague (or the flu, because that can really fuck me up also). Mental illnesses are fine for me to read about, because I can learn a lot (as long as I check it’s true to real people’s experience). But when it comes to physical illnesses, it’s been very difficult when authors get it wrong or if the character feels hopeless, because there’s no distance between me and the character all of a sudden. Still I love when for example there’s a character with a disability in fantasy books, if done right. I do also really want to find a good discription or a book I can show someone who asks about chronic illness or pain, which is what I’m trying to do this year, starting with “the body in pain”. I can’t find the right words to describe it, so I’m searching for people who are. Last year I found “when breath becomes air” which is one of my favourite all time books, and inspired me to do this.

January is nearly over already, but I’ve read like 9 other books. There’s around 46 books on this list, and I read 60-80 books a year, so I have good chances I think! We’ll see at the end of the year.

Let me know if you are going to read any of these books, at any point this year and if you want to read them around the same time and discuss them! Like a buddy-read with not strict times to finish it hahha

Books I already own:

2019 or recent releases:

Older releases:

Authors I’ve read and liked:

Other books:

20th Birthday, Mary Oliver and New Posts: Bi-Weekly Update

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New book posts:

Other books I’ve been reading:

  • The waste land and other poems by T. S. Eliot
  • Six easy pieces by Richard Feynman (currently)
  • At blackwater pond by Mary Oliver audiobook (currently)

Added to my TBR:

  • Artificial generation by A. H. Haga
  • City of thieves by David Benioff
  • Solitaire by Alice Oseman – great author
  • The past and other things that should stay buried by Shaun David Hutchinson – great author
  • We are displaced by Malala Yousafzai – so anticipating reading this
  • Wilder girls by Rory Power
  • soft magic by Upile Chisala
  • Wicked saints by Emily A. Duncan
  • Skin deep (Legion #2) by Brandon Sanderson – great author and first book
  • All the lonely people by David Owen – recommended by one of my fav authors Alice Oseman
  • Army of none by Paul Scharre – recommended by Bill Gates

Recent book buys:

Trying to save money ! But I did buy City of thieves by David Benioff, because the kindle version was on sale.

Three things on my mind:

  • RIP Mary Oliver. I cried a few tears when I realized she had passed, after seeing so many of her poems resurfacing on social media at once. She became 83 years old and really was my favourite poet, so talented and a goal in life, living in a small sea-town in Massachusetts with her wife Molly until she died fourteen years ago. I tried to describe her poetry to a few friends a couple days before her death as: criticizing humans through wonderful pictures of nature. I’ve always admired her perspective, but also how she put her thoughts out in the world.
  • I’ve been doing so much better the past three weeks health and mood-wise. I’m amazed at how good I’ve been feeling and the change it makes, like problems is still thrown at me daily, but I have the energy to deal with it. Then I started losing my voice and coughing today, so we’ll see how long that lasts. (I’m going to be mad if it doesn’t last longer, honestly, and I think that’s quite okay of a feeling this time).
  • With this input of energy (sidenote: I’m studying electric currents for physics test in a couple days and I can’t stop sliding in terminology in the most casual conversations, then catching myself doing it and groan. This is a light example, honestly). With this input of energy I’m also doing a lot more things. Lots of studying and actually being close to on top of things. Seeing friends! Enjoying myself! Celebrating my birthday for the first time in three years! I’m pretty proud and greatful for that, seeing as I’ve been too ill to want to the past years. It was my 20th and I chose to do things my introverted ass wouldn’t normally, like drinking the whole day and evening. I have a weirdly high tolerance for someone who doesn’t drink, but inevitably blacked out for the first time. Three hours gone. I mean – wouldn’t necessarily recommend, but it was great with good friends around me and lots of dancing.

Let’s Start the New Year with an Update

aquapages // eline3 Comments

These are usually bi-weekly, but the last one was end october.

Here’s my TBR of physical books that I probably should get through in 2019, so I’ve halfways committed to it:

New book posts:

Other books I’ve been reading:

  • La belle sauvage by Philip Pullman, 4/5 stars
  • Six easy pieces by Richard Feynman (currently)
  • At blackwater pond by Mary Oliver (currently)
  • The grand design by Stephen Hawking (currently)

DNF:

What if it’s us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli – I like fluffy, but this felt like a romance just describing everyday things. I wanted to like it so much, but it wasn’t for me and after the karaoke bar I was out

Added to my TBR:

  • The five stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson (queer ya)
  • The apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by
    Shaun David Hutchinson (queer ya)
  • Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (sci-fi)
  • Ender’s game by Orson Scott Card (sci-fi)
  • Emergency contact by Mary Choi (ya)
  • Circe by Madeline Miller (fantasy)
  • How the immune system works by Lauren M Sompayrac (science)
  • Immuno-biology by Charles Janeway (science)
  • By grand central station I sat down and wept by Elizabeth Smart (poetry)
  • The falconer by Elizabeth May (ya fantasy)
  • The armored saint by Myke Cole (fantasy)
  • No matter by Jana Prikryl (poetry)
  • The year of femme by Cassie Donish (poetry)

Recent book buys:

  • Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
  • These shallow graves by Jennifer Donnelly
  • The grand design by Stephen Hawkings
  • Netgalley: Monument by Natasha Trethewey
  • Netgalley: Lord of the butterflies by Andrea Gibson

Three things on my mind:

  • 2019 is the year of Change for me, where change will come whether I like it or not and I don’t yet know if it’s going to be net-positive or net-negative. Last year had it extreme bad times and also very-good times. So I’ve decided to embrace it, to throw myself into the ocean of change and see what happens.
  • Coffee is my new love. I got a moka pot and it’s been my savior for the end of december and the beginning of january so far.
  • Nearly every toilet visit ended with blood for the last week, and I’m not on my period. TMI I know, but that’s life with crohn’s. I need that change – whatever it is – to come soon, I think. I feel like in a good space right now, but also like I’m watching a house burn around me and not feeling the heat of the flames yet. In other words – hell is surely coming. I’ll read in the meantime. Cheers.

Bookish Items on My Wishlist | Top Ten Tuesday

aquapages // eline7 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl to bring bookish friends together. A new topic is posted each week.

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Harry Potter inspired magical wand T-shirt (is also available as a pin)

“Still I rise” by Maya Angelou pin (also available as tshirt)

Nevermore raven pin from Edgar Allan Poe

Frankenstein pin – all by Literary Emporium

 

kindle

I’ve actually bought this Slytherin-inspired kindle case, Klevercase has it for several models.

 

 

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Literary cat pin

You’re tea-rific teacup pin

Lumos pin – all three from justinegilbuena on etsy

 

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LiliLite bookshelf with light that turns off when you put a book upside down on it

 

And finally we have quite the meme –

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The prism glasses for all your lazy or sick in bed needs!

Do I want to watch Fantastic Beasts 2?

aquapages // eline1 Comment

Visually it seems stunning –

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a bit of background

Harry Potter was a series I loved growing up and still do. I was so quickly immersed in that universe and while it wasn’t these books that got me into fantasy, like with many others, I certainly was introduced to liking the universe as well – memorizing spells and fan theories and non-canon storylines. There were so many talented, and funny, fans that when “Cursed Child” came out I was screaming in horror. What the actual fuck was that plot? It made me lose all trust in more hp content. I don’t think I even did a review, because it was such a mess that I’ve mostly deleted it from my mind. I mean here’s my thoughts on cursed child summed up in something that happened this week –

Friend: “How many hp books are there really?”

Me: “Seven of the main series, and three others about quidditch, fantastic beasts and tales of beedle the bard”

Other hp fan: “Well, actually cursed – ”

Me: “NOPe, not that one.” Lots of glaring. Realising cursed child is basically Voldemort in that it shouldn’t be named.

 

ANyway – back to fantastic beasts

I liked fantastic beasts 1 as a movie. It was set in a different time, which made it less of a “threat” to the original work. I was excited to see the creatures come to life. How it was shot and the cinematics I thought were beautiful, even though it gave me “alice in wonderland” vibes sometimes. The story itself was just boring and bland. 

When I finished the hp series the first time I wanted to know so much more about the characters and the universe. There existed wikis to check for every canon detail, there were as I said before tons of fan-theories and soon the collective imagination gave stories either for the original harry, hermione and ron’s future, their parents generation’s past or plotholes that appeared. J K Rowling has tried to fill every plot-hole in that series since, even the cultural “missings” like diversity. But fans already adopted these characters in so many ways, including writing an asian harry or darker skinned hermione. I do get angry at J K trying when throwing out things like Dumbledore was gay from the start, to write that in with nothing new backing it up. It would’ve been okay to me if the fantastic beasts team decided to write it in this film, making it one of the major points. And I’m kind of interested to see if they do, if they dare take any turns from the original universe and make itself worth being spoken about as its own series.

Someone told me there would be five fantastic beasts films yesterday, while we were discussing this upcoming film. My immediate reaction “they’re trying so hard to grab all the money they can”. The fact is that with the budget and the available talent these movies should be great! I think they’re too limited in chances they’re willing to take and creative space they’re willing to lend to writers, because I’m seeing little interesting (from the first movie at least). I do want to watch it – to see if this one is better – but it feels like I’m setting myself up for failure here.

These movies are too early for playing on nostalgia (like star wars reboot does for many) and too late for being a natural extension of the harry potter universe, giving answers fans like me wanted at that time and filling the hole it left after it was finished. Still don’t know if I should see Fantastic Beast. My friend listened to most of this and concluded that she still wanted more of the hp universe. I’m not so sure.

 

 

Reading Goals of 2018 (November Update)

aquapages // eline1 Comment

I had a couple informal reading goals this year.

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I wanted to: 

  1. Read more books with queer/lgbt characters
  2. Continue to read poetry and find what I like
  3. Read more science-focused books
  4. Read more than 40 books

I finished goal four, at least! As of november, this is where I’m at –

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Queer/lgbt books

I’ve definitely seen an increase in how much queer characters I read about. Both because I’ve seeked them out and definitely because of more diversity and representation. Before a lot of the mainstream books were “coming-out stories” and honestly, while it’s absolutely important to read about other’s struggles, what I need personally is  fluffy and cute stories to at least balance them out and give me back hope for my future and the world in general.

So here’s a few queer books I recommend from what I’ve been reading this year –

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (of course) by Becky Abertalli

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Finding poetry I like

Continuing last year’s theme by liking everything by Mary Oliver; here’s a review of the new and selected first collection, here’s of the second one.

Other than that there’s been a whole lot of mediocre poetry collections I’ve been reading. I think it’s because of the trap I often walk into by picking up what turns out to be this new modern “milk and honey” instagram poetry, which I have to admit to myself I don’t care for.

Counting Descent by Clint Smith was a powerful and brilliant collection as well, about being black in America and connection between history and present day.

I’ll say I mostly failed on this goal, and I’ll try to make up for it before the end of the year.

Science books

Here’s the terrible and guilt-ridden list of the science booksI’ve started and not finished this year:

  • The last half of Einsteins biography by Walter Isaacson
  • Letters to a young scientist by Edward O Wilson (horrible)
  • We have no idea: a guide to the unknown universe by Jorge Cham (interesting)
  • Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feyman (most likely to finish soon)

I also have bought Stephen Hawkings “The grand design”, and “the concept of anxiety” by Søren Kierkengaard. I finished “sapiens” though, so does history count? I definitely have failed this one, and it doesn’t help that I want to continually pick up new ones like I’m ever going to get to them.

Bi-Weekly Update #5

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It’s been three weeks, with a lot of studying (those 12pm deadlines, several days in a row you know), too much stress, all-out partying for once and in-depth reading over quantity. Also autumn, which I love dearly, lasted for two days in between massive rain and the frost laying upon us like a blanket of death. FUn. Also I made my first embroidery:

New book posts:

Review: “An absolutely remarkable thing” by Hank Green

Spoiler-review: “An absolutely remarkable thing” by Hank Green  (when you have so many thoughts, you make two reviews, basically just listing favourite moments in this one)

Short review: aliens & feminism

The sunshine blogger award

Top Ten Tuesday: Longest books I’ve read

Top Ten Tuesday: Libraries & bookstores I’d love to visit

Quote of the Week #16: on writing

Quote of the Week #17:

Other books I’ve been reading:

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman (currently reading) 

Three things on my mind:

  • It’s been the most inconvenient time for the library to shut down for a month, the one time in the last three years I’ve needed it, to get books for school essays. This library is really run-down and have nothing, and it’s finally going to get a completely new building and more books!!! I’M SO SO EXCITED, I love libraries and want a space to meet and hang out with bookfriends, hope that happens
  • I’m still not doing a lot of reading, because there’s so much schoolwork. But I’ve also been partying, so it’s not like I’ve been locked in my house studying like some certain other weekends (the previous one). Is that this balance thing I was looking for in my life? Non-stop studying or downing a bottle of (low-percentage) vodka? Sounds like I’m an actual student. Caffeine intake have increased about 300%, so everything’s GrEAT
  • I’ve been watching “Chilling adventures of Sabrina”, the new netflix series based on Sabrina the teenage witch. The cat, Salem, doesn’t speak, which was a let down. But I’ve really loved and enjoyed this series, it’s perfect for fall and I’m just a very big fan of most things witches.

Recent book buys:

Netgalley: 

  • Glass moon by Megan Pollak
  • How to fracture a fairy tale by Jane Yolen

Other:

  • His dark materials series by Philip Pullman in ebooks, because that literature class paper isn’t writing itself unfortunately (I waited to see if it would, with no luck)