#SBPT Top Five Favorite Movie Adaptations of Books

Hi all!

This is the last #SBPT post so I thought I'd do something fun which is why I chose my five favorite movie adaptations of books.

1. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
2. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
3. Horns by Joe Hill
4. Girl by Blake Nelson
5. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

#SBPT 3 Books that Angel from Avid Reader thinks I'd like

3 Book Recs for Tanya & You - Angel @ Avid Reader

Hello everyone! My name is Angel K and I am the blogger behind Avid Reader! I’m here to take over Tanya’s blog one last time with a Summer Blogger Promo Tour (SBPT) post. If you’re unfamiliar with what SBPT is, it is a two month long post tour created by The Book Bratz, where Tanya and I partner up and bring fun content to y’all! Today’s I’m going to be recommending 3 books that I think Tanya and you guys might enjoy! Let’s go….

1. Ms. Marvel by G Willow Wilson - for those who love comic books, Ms. Marvel is a must read! The Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan series is my most fave comic book series ever and I recommend it to pretty much everyone!
2. To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo - honestly, the main reason I recommend this book is because it has sirens in it and I love anything and everything to do with such mythical creatures! TKaK does not disappoint in bringing out the ferocity that a siren typically has, while also showing off complex characters, a spectacular plot, and a pretty good romance!
3. The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh - as one of the most gorgeous romances evere, TWaTD is a definite must read! The characters and plot are so well developed and thought out, the setting is beautiful, you’ll want to eat some pretty amazing food and, again, the romance is to die beforeeee!

Aaaand that’s it! Now, what book(s) from the list have you read or are you interested in? Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out Tanya’s guest post on my blog! Thanks, have a great day/night and tata for now!

Angel

Avid Reader

Red Bubble ❙ Society 6

#SBPT #BooksToMovies

Hi everyone!

It's time for another #SBPT post. This one is about book tags so I decided to do my top five book to film/tv adaptations.

1. The Virgin Diaries by Jeffrey Eugenides
2. The Never-ending Story by Michael Ende
3. The Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith
4. Carrie by Stephen King
5. IT by Stephen King

#SBPT Five Books That Describe Angel from AvidReader

5 Book Titles That Describe Me - Angel @ Avid Reader

Hello lovelies! My name is Angel K and I am the blogger behind Avid Reader! I’m here to take over Tanya’s blog with a Summer Blogger Promo Tour (SBPT) post. If you’re unfamiliar with what SBPT is, it is a two month long post tour created by The Book Bratz, where Tanya and I partner up and bring fun content to y’all! Today’s fun content is to use 5 book titles to describe yourself! Hope you enjoy:

1. Strange The Dreamer - I daydream a LOT, can be considered a little strange I guess hahaha, and, in the book, Strange loves books like me!
2. I Believe In A Thing Called Love - just like the title says, I believe in a thing called love and am quite the hopeful romantic!
3. The Girl From Everywhere - I’ve moved around quite a few times and have picked up words, accents, personalities, and loves from everywhere I’ve gone so, every time I am asked “where are you from?” I say “pretty much everywhere”
4. An Ember In The Ashes - I’ve quite a lot of goals and am very ambitious, so I like to think that I’m an ember in the ashes, waiting for the spark that will turn me into a torch against the night *winks*
5. Seeker - I love learning, both in school and outside of it! It’s so much fun and there are so many interesting things to learn about, so I’d definitely call myself a seeker!

Aaaand that’s it for today! What book title(s) describe you? Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out Tanya’s guest post on my blog! Thanks, have a great day/night and tata for now!

Angel

Avid Reader

Red Bubble ❙ Society 6

#SBPT Top Five Most Anticipated Books

1. Cat Woman: Soul Stealer by Sarah J. Maas
2. Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
3. The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
4. Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
5. Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

#SBPT Red Queen Dream Cast

Red Queen FanCast - Angel @ Avid Reader

*this post includes affiliate links I have with Amazon*

Hello everyone! My name is Angel K and I am the blogger behind Avid Reader! I’m here today because I get to take over Tanya’s blog (again!) to bring you a Summer Blogger Promo Tour (SBPT) post. If you’re unfamiliar with what SBPT is, it is a two month long post tour created by The Book Bratz, where Tanya and I partner up and bring fun content to you guys! Today Tanya and I are each making a fancast for Red Queen* by Victoria Aveyard! I got all the pictures from Pinterest. Hope you enjoy:

Mare Barrow Shade Barrow    Prince Maven  Prince Cal

              

And that’s my dreamcast for Red Queen*! What do you think of the fancast? Is there anyone else you would cast for the characters? Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out Tanya’s guest post on my blog! Thanks, have a great day/night and tata for now!

Angel

Avid Reader

#SBPT Review of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Roberto Aguirre Sacasa and Robert Hack

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina tells the tale of Sabrina Spellman who is half-witch,half human. I only recently discovered this comic after it was announced that Netflix is creating a show based around it. After reading the description I knew it was something that I would enjoy reading and I was right. It is much different than the previous television show based on the comic. The comic book is much darker and it toes the line into horror. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and I read the book cover to cover in one sitting.

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

#bookeveryweek Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Onyesonwu is young woman who has spent her life as an outcast, for the crime of her birth, but was destined to save her world. In a far-future post-apocalyptic Africa, the pale-skinned Nuru and dark-skinned Okeke are at war, and Onyesonwu as an Ewu (child of the rape of an Okeke by a Nuru) is reviled and feared by nearly all. This world has magic and sorcerers, pulling from a variety of African traditions, but also deals with gender politics and power struggles on a more political level. It's a rich and complicated world well-described.

The story itself is a pretty traditional quest tale, with Onyesonwu finding herself and her power and her supporters and setting out to defeat the bad guy and change the world. Along the way, there's a lot of body horror and violence (rape, genocide, female circumcision) that can make it hard to read.

While there were many moments that amazed and thrilled me as I read, some parts of the book seemed to drag. Onyesonwu's waffling in self-confidence might be realistic, but it was frustrating and sometimes she seemed to waffle just to artificially create an obstacle in the plot and not from any impetus to make her doubt herself.

For every animal transformation, growth of power, and exploration of The Wilderness that moved the story and Onyesonwu's quest forward, there were two or three ridiculous arguments and small betrayals among the central group of friends. I expected more to come of the core group of female friends who went through the 11th year rite together than ever actually came about. While some of it was good and let the story explore issues of race and difference, a lot of it was just bickering among friends, which I found myself wanting to skim.

Still, I found the world fascinating, and Onyesonwu interesting and complicated. Despite the pacing issues, I never considered putting the book down. It's a compelling read, with echoes of Octavia Butler.

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Post by Samantha Bryant, another bookish fangirl. You can learn more about her and her work at http://samanthabryant.com

Waiting on Wednesday Guest Post - Angel @ Avid Reader

Waiting on Wednesday Guest Post - Angel @ Avid Reader

*this post includes affiliate links I have with Amazon*

Hello lovely people of the world! My name is Angel K and I am the blogger behind Avid Reader! I’m here today because I get to take over Tanya’s blog to bring you a Summer Blogger Promo Tour (SBPT) post. If you’re unfamiliar with what SBPT is, it is a two month long post tour created by The Book Bratz, where Tanya and I partner up and bring fun content to you guys! Today’s fun content is a bookish meme post like Top Ten Tuesday or Waiting on Wednesday, and I picked Waiting on Wednesday and I’ll be sharing 3 books I can’t wait (get it? 😂) to read!!!! Hope you enjoy:

1. Muse of Nightmares* by Laini Taylor - OMGGGGG I am beyond excited for this one!!! It is the second book to the amazing fantasy read that is Strange The Dreamer which happened to be one of (if not my #1) favourite book of 2017! It is quite dreamy (ahahah) and I absolutely loved it so I cannot wait to see what happens next!!!
2. Wildcard* by Marie Lu - ok so this is the second book to Warcross which is a pretty awesome sci-fi/dystopia gaming book that, honestly, I didn’t know if I’d like! In the end, I so adore it and am sooooo excited to see what happens to Emika and the Warcross world!!
3. Times Convert* by Deborah E Harkness - this is a spin-off of sorts for a character (Marcus MacNeil) from Deborah’s All Souls trilogy aka one of my favourite series of all time!!!! I reread the books at least once every year; I just love it so much!!! So I can’t wait to read more about and get to know Marcus more because we barely got a glimpse of him in the books it felt.

And that’s all for today! What book(s) are you excited to read in the coming months? Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out Tanya’s guest post on my blog! Thanks, have a great day/night and tata for now!

Angel

Avid Reader

Red Bubble ❙ Society 6

*this post includes affiliate links I have with Amazon 😀

#SBPT blog tour

Hi!

I signed up to be a part of The Book Bratz's #SBPT blog tour. My partner is Angel from Avid Reader. I'm excited to see what kind of posts she comes up with and I'm looking forward to returning to blogging after a long break. So stay tuned for lots of fun posts in the coming weeks.

💎 true story: in 2015 when I went to YALLFest, my dad and I met @reallyrichelle at a signing, and I of course wanted to talk to her about her books; but she and my dad wound up talking to each other for ten minutes about bacon. 🤷🏽‍♀️ hey, it still made for a unique experience and a funny memory! And Richelle is one of those authors who is super chill and down to earth when you meet her, made the experience that much better chatting about breakfast foods 😂 💎 are you guys excited for the third addition to #TheGlitteringCourt series? #TheEmeraldSea looks like it’s going to be great, and I can’t wait to put all three covers side by side!How gorgeous have these covers been?! 💎 QOTD: what is your favorite Richelle Mead series? I personally love her Vampire Academy books, through and through. I tore the series apart when I was in high school, reading a book every other day until I finished!

via Instagram

via Instagram

Review: Bladerunner 2049

Finally made it out to see Bladerunner 2049 last night. Everything I'd heard about the movie had given me mixed feelings, so I didn't hurry to spend my theater dollars. All the same, I *did* want to see it on the big screen, so hurray for second-run theaters!

If you want the TL; DR, I think I agree with everyone else: it's neither as bad as I feared it would be, nor as good as I hoped it would be.

I'm a big fan of the first movie, Director's Cut (the one without the voiceover and with the lovely ambiguous ending). I hesitated to even see this one because if Deckard was still alive, that meant he wasn't a replicant, spoiling that lovely ambiguity. But in the end, I wanted to see what they did with it.

The second movie is definitely proof that more isn't necessarily better.

Both movies are gorgeous to look at, but the new one is just too slow. I never saw cinematography so in love with itself outside of an art house. Every second was lovingly filmed . . . which meant that it felt static. I can't stay interested in watching someone walk up stairs for more than a second or two, no matter how artsy and weird the lighting is. And why would anyone (even Jared Leto with creepy cyber-eyes) choose to light their space like that?

In the original film, there are images that have stayed with me, like the blood floating in Deckard's whisky glass lit from behind. That image is one of my favorite in all of film, and it stays with me because it said so much about the character and the moment and the world all at once, yet was so brief. It also wasn't one of seven "wow" images in a row, each lessening the impact of the others.

The ending image in 2049, by contrast was so overdone! We saw K looking down at snow on his hand (an image we'd already used repeatedly earlier in the film) in an obvious echo of Roy's death at the end of film one. Then we watch him lay down in the snow, at peace. Then, we switch to an above view to watch him lie in the snow. Then, we switch to the side. So, I get that Ryan Gosling is pretty from many angles, but for goodness sake, choose an angle, decide what you want to try to make us feel and stay there.

Nearly every moment in the movie could have been cut by 30 seconds without anything important getting lost, and the pace of the whole thing would have picked up considerably.

I give the writers cred for the main twist in the story. It surprised me and had good emotional impact. I won't spoil it for you here, in case you want to see it, too. But that was some good storytelling with a long build that really paid off.

Our villainess, Luv, fell into two tropes that I am completely bored by: androids go mad when confronted with emotions AND the woman scorned gets violent. Bleah. Joi, K's cyber-girlfriend was an interesting idea, but felt tacked on and didn't impact the story as much as she might have.

The big bad boss, Wallace, is a weak substitute for Tyrell (the man behind the curtain in the first film). While Tyrell felt complex and interesting, a man with many motivations for his work, Wallace was just a one-note creepy dude out to grab power through slavery.

Most disappointing were the attempts to bring back things from the first movie. Edward James Olmos's cameo didn't add a thing to the film. Revisiting dialogue in playback felt tacked on. Worse yet, the new version of Rachel to manipulate Deckard with. Not worth the screen time. Come to think of it, neither was Deckard really. The whole movie could have left him out of it and we'd have lost little.

I think I'll stick with the first film. Thanks.

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Post by Samantha Bryant, another bookish fangirl. You can learn more about her and her work at http://samanthabryant.com

Greasers and Socs

There are two kinds of people in this world: Greasers and Socs. Which one are you?

The terms come from S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. It's a classic of young adult fiction and if you haven't read it, shame on you! There's a movie, too, which I have fondness for in spite of the fact that Tom Cruise is in it.

It's a story of two gangs: The Greasers and the Socs.

Socs take their name from "socials." They are children of privilege with letterman jackets, nice cars, and an overinflated sense of self importance. They are definitely the bad guys. Hinton's sympathies (and the readers') are solidly with the Greasers.

Greasers have it rough. They don't have "good" parents or even any parents at all. Their lives are impacted by need, violence, neglect, and substance abuse. They meet with societal censure for their clothing and homes. They are from the wrong side of the tracks.

It might be a very simple world view, but I think all of us are either Greasers or Socs. Once we are adults, it's more about your life attitude than your socio-economic-status, but the designations hold. Let's talk for just a few minutes and I'll tell if you are one of us or one of them.

Socs have money. They have always had money. They don't know what it's like not to have money, and they don't have sympathy for money problems. If you grew up poor, it's less likely that you will ever be a soc. Because they don't know what it's like not to have something you need, Socs don't appreciate what they have. The worst of them don't even know what it's like not to have something you merely want. Having all the things they want doesn't make them generous. In fact, it makes them hoard what they have, trying to collect more and more and not caring that they have more than they need while others struggle to meet their basic needs. As adults, they drive BMWs too fast and cut off other drivers. They shove in line. They think the rules don't apply to them. They worry about me and mine first at all times.

I'm a Greaser. Compared to some of my childhood friends, I grew up privileged. But I still know what it's like to have to wait for things I need and not be able to get things I want. I've seen ebb and flow in income and know that sometimes you have to look at the long game. You have to sacrifice in one area to do what is needed in another. Because I couldn't and can't have whatever I want when I want it, I have learned to prioritize needs and wants and to appreciate the things I have. I try to help others. Us Greasers are in this together. We support one another.

“That's why people don't ever think to blame the Socs and are always ready to jump on us. We look hoody and they look decent. It could be just the other way around - half of the hoods I know are pretty decent guys underneath all that grease, and from what I've heard, a lot of Socs are just cold-blooded mean - but people usually go by looks.”
― S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders 

For this reason, parents, I argue against raising Socs. Even if you have the income to do it, you don't do your children any favors by raising them with a sense of entitlement and self-importance. It's a dangerous road, slick with oils and without enough guardrails. It's easy to veer off the path into questionable morality and then into outright illegal and immoral acts. Socs can go a long time without getting caught, the cost to the soul notwithstanding, but when the consequences catch up to them, it's spectacular. There are washed out mug shots and corpses littering the ground.

We all want our children to do well, but there's a difference between handing your children everything and giving them the life skills they need. Greaser children have empathy. They know that it's important to work hard and do well for themselves, but they also know that their needs might not be the most important needs in the room at any given moment. They understand that resources are limited and that they should go to those in deepest need first. They try to solve problems themselves, and are patient about waiting for help when it is needed.

I'd rather teach a room full of Greasers than a room full of Socs. Soc children will constantly call for my attention over things it is entirely possible to solve for oneself. They want the validation of my attention, even when they are snatching it from another child who needs it more. Greaser children will try to help each other first. Only after they've exhausted their options will they ask for help. When they get help, they remember to say thank you for it.

In fact, I prefer Greasers to the point that I have to watch my bias in my interactions with others, keep myself from assuming you're a Soc on the inside based on the appearance of your outside. I have a basic mistrust of people who are too pretty, especially pretty in a polished, practiced way. It makes me wonder about your priorities. If your surface is too smooth, I doubt you have depth.

“It seemed funny that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset.”
― S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders

One of the themes in the novel was the idea that we all watch the same sunset. It's another version of the old saw about all living under the same sky.  It's a nice idea. But I wonder about its truth. Maybe I'm just getting cynical as I get old, but I truly wonder if the Socs of this world really do see the same sunset I do. If we view it and interpret it so differently, is it really still the same sunset?

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Post by Samantha Bryant, another bookish fangirl. You can learn more about her and her work at http://samanthabryant.com

Why I Love Fan Conventions

Me with Angela Pritchett at the Southern Voices Book Launch Party. Picture by Leona Wisoker of The Scribbling Lion.

So, I went to Con-Gregate for the second time this summer, a small sci-fi/fantasy convention in High Point, North Carolina, where I was a guest author. I knew I was going to have fun, and my expectations were exceeded. There's nothing like spending time with people who love the same things you are passionate about. And--hey, bonus! I sold some books, too.

I was thinking about what makes time at a con so great. After all, there's a lot about a con experience that is hard on me. There's seldom enough quiet recharge time for an introvert like me. Or at least you have to choose whether you'll take the time for personal recharge or the opportunity to connect with like-minded folk (never an easy choice).

It costs money and I'm a schoolteacher in North Carolina, so I don't really have any of that. (As a guest author, usually my con fees are waived, but I will still need to get myself there, pay for a place to sleep and buy food and drinks).

If I'm to attend, then I have to rely on others (my husband and sister, usually) to take over the things I would normally have been doing--giving my kids rides, walking the dog, feeding people, etc. When you're a "giver" sort of person, it can be hard to be the one receiving help. I have to fight the guilt over being a little selfish and taking this time for me and my writing career.

But, still, even with all the cons of cons (ha! I amuse me) I *love* going to cons.

I was sitting in a session given by AJ Hartley, a Special Writer Guest of the con, called "What Can Genre Authors Learn from Shakespeare?" when I realized what it is. It's the level of discourse.

In my ordinary day to day life, I teach middle school. Some of my colleagues and students are brilliant shining minds that dazzle and challenge me, but a lot of them aren't. Not all of them are there because they want to be or because they love what we've come together to do. In fact, how few of them want to be there is a little depressing when you consider that I got into teaching, in part, to share my passion for learning and books.

But, as I sat in that session, I realized with a kind of rush that I was in a room of 30 some odd people (and some of us are really odd people) who love both speculative fiction AND Shakespeare. People with passionate opinions about things like whether the ghosts are really there in Macbeth and Hamlet or are just in the minds of the haunted.

Over the course of my weekend, I was part of conversations about moral boundaries in superhero stories, what white straight people writing more diverse characters need to consider, what constitutes cultural appropriation, why representation matters, what tropes serve stories well and which ones are offensive, advantages and disadvantages of different paths to publishing, why gender and race are more than check-box categories, and the difference between true (nonfiction) and heart-true.

My TBR list which is already longer than the time I will probably be on this earth grew by leaps and bounds, as did my list of shows to watch, music to explore, clothing to buy, places to go, and stories to write. It reminds me of the best moments of college.

It's worth the introvert coma that follows just to talk this deeply for a few days. It really is. Do any of you have any favorite fan conventions in your necks of the woods? If not, how do you get your geek on?

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Post by Samantha Bryant, another bookish fangirl. You can learn more about her and her work at http://samanthabryant.com

Back to Hogwarts: The Hogwarts Tag

I was not a fan of school, but you better believe that if I got my Hogwarts letter I'd march right back to the education system for seven years of magical learning.

To celebrate the 1st of September, the official day that Hogwarts students take the Hogwarts Express back to school, I'll be doing the Hogwarts Tag. I'm not sure who the original creator is, but I saw it done by Dawlyn and Krista at Little Blind Book Finds. Be sure to check out their post and see the different answers they each have.

Am I Pure-blood, Half-blood, or Muggle Born?

I saw it explained somewhere once that a Pure-blood is a person who has read all of the books and seen all of the movies. Going by this statement, I'd surely be a Pure-blood Wizard (though not like the Malfoys! Much nicer.). ;)

Which wand chose me?

My wand, according to Pottermore, would be made of Elm with a Unicorn hair core, 10 3/4" with hard flexibility.

Did I take an owl, cat, rat, or toad with me?

An owl I can borrow from school if I need to, but I couldn't get through months of work like this without a cat by my side. 

Where did the Sorting Hat put me?

I would have been surprised to go anywhere else! Ravenclaw is home for me.

What house did I want to be in?

I don't suppose Hufflepuff would've been too bad and I do get it as a secondary house sometimes on quizzes. To be fair, though, my hybrid house is Slytherin, so I may well have found myself in green at Hogwarts.

What lessons are my favorite and least favorite?

Favorite: Charms. 

Least Favorite: History of Magic. I wouldn't mind reading Hogwarts, A History on my own time, but Professor Binns sounds downright dreadful. 

The form my Patronus takes.

How perfect that my Patronus is a cat. I wonder if I'd ever learn how to make three at once like McGonagall?

What does a Boggart look like to me?

Since I don't think a Boggart could accurately portray my fear of heights, I'll say Umbridge. This emotionally abusive, manipulative witch is something I couldn't deal with.

Do I partake in any magical sports or school activities?

According to the Harry Potter Wikia page, there was a knitting club at Hogwarts. It sounds like something I would've joined as, while I love Quidditch, I don't think I'd actually be a good flyer. In this club, I bet we'd learn how to make the images on our more involved projects move like wizarding photographs. Neat!

Where would I find myself hanging in my spare time?

While the library would probably get a lot of attention, I think I'd also sit under a tree next to the Black Lake as well. I do want to see this enormous squid!

What would I most likely get detention for?

Staying too late in the library, whether due to schoolwork or personal interest.

What career do I want after leaving Hogwarts?

I took a quiz and got Professor. The librarian at Hogwarts could be considered a professor, right? *lol* I'm not sold on the idea of teaching, but as Hagrid and a few others have shown us, it can be fun. I'd probably be the person in the gif, dancing around with the books after all the students have gone. :D

I tag anyone that would like to do this tag! A new year at Hogwarts has begun and we have until May, when inevitably some sort of trouble will occur. Maybe we can get through our exams this year. ^^;

All pictures, quotes, and videos belong to their respective owners. I use them here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.