Bout of Books 17: Movie Adaptations

Today's challenge is hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale and is all about book-to-move adaptations! Now, I am extremely lenient with adaptations. For the most part, I am able to go into them with fairly low expectations and can usually view them as something completely different from the books. Because of this, there aren't too many that I absolutely loathe. As an example: I enjoyed the Percy Jackson movies even though they were so, so different from the books. Pretty crazy, but that's just how I operate.


Favorite adaptation:

I recently watched movies 2-4 of the Hunger Games this year and, out of all of them, I felt like Catching Fire did an amazing job at staying true to the books whilst providing the *new* and *exciting* we expect when seeing something in movie format. The acting was great, the storyline was emotional and tense, the scenes were edited together nicely and I just felt like it was so much more than the first one. I absolutely loved it!


Least favorite adaptation:

Ah. As someone who is lenient with movie adaptations, this one definitely pushed the boundaries of my patience. I wasn't really a fan of the book to begin with (TMI is not my favorite Cassandra Clare series), but the movie offered nothing new or exciting, and took out everything from the books that could have salvaged the experience, to be honest. The acting was awful, the romances were even more cringe-y, and I didn't really enjoy it, overall.

And there you have it! What are your favorite or least favorite book-to-movie adaptations?

Bout of Books 16: Top Five

Today's challenge is to pick five of our favorite... something. And because it's a read-a-thon, that something has to be book related! Thought it's probably a tad boring, I have decided to list five of my all-time favorite books (which was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be).

5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein: I love the adventure in this book, and how an ordinary, boring man can stumble into greatness just by taking that first step out his front door. I found it to be a very inspiring read and I fully enjoyed the eclectic cast of characters and all of the trouble they got into throughout their journey. I pick this book up whenever I am sad or in a slump, and it never fails to make me happy.

4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: Though I love the entire series, The Lightning Thief was where Percy's adventure began, and I enjoy going back to it again and again. I love how young, innocent and naive everyone is in this book, particularly in comparison to the later books/series, and I find something extremely relaxing about that. Also, the humor and wit is my favorite.

3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: I have only ever read this once, but what an amazing book! I had never really taken an interest in historical fiction before, but reading The Book Thief has turned me on to an entire new genre. I love how heartbreaking and real it is because it made me connect to the characters in a really personal way.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Full of magic, love and loss, The Night Circus reminds me a lot of Harry Potter; I become so immersed in the story that I often forget I am reading a book because everything seems so vivid and real. It is an amazing book. I love the characters, the story and the heart of it.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling: Obviously, I love each book in the series for a plethora of different reasons, but I feel like The Sorcerer's Stone is my favorite because it was the very first book and the one that started my love for Harry Potter, and I read it at least once a year, simply because I enjoy going back to Harry's first ever year at Hogwarts and experiencing the magic and wonder all over again. To me, this first book is like home; I feel safe and experience severe nostalgia whenever I pick it up.

Bout of Books 16: #shelfie

Today's challenge is to post some photos showing off your bookshelves!

- Some manga and my Alice in Wonderland collection.

- Rick Riordan and Cassandra Clare shelves.


- Contemporary (and some adult stand-alones in the corner).

- Completed series.


- Completed series.


- Completed series, incomplete series, YA stand-alones.

- Classics and nonfiction.

- Sarah Shephard, Lemony Snicket and J.R.R. Tolkein novels, as well as some Middle grade books.

- My Harry Potter collection.

- TBR.

- TBR.

- TBR.

What's on your shelves?

BoB 15: The Comfy Reading Spot

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "The Comfy Reading Spot," hosted by Once Upon a Chapter! For this, we must post a picture of our favorite/comfiest place to read!

 

This chair is my preferred reading spot! It comes with a blanket for snuggling, a pillow for quick naps, and is near a window - which provides the perfect amount of reading light.....

.....however, most of my reading is done in bed. I usually work during the day, so by the time I get home, all I want to do is cover up with some heavy blankets and read until I am too tired to keep my eyes open.

BoB 15: Villain Mash Up

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Villain Mash Up," hosted by Bingeing on Books! For this, we must choose two villains—from two different books—whom we would like to see fight one another.

 

» Voldemort versus Kronos! «

Reason: Voldemort and Kronos are frightening villains. They each have a power that is stronger and darker than anyone else in their respective series, and their inability to feel compassion or love makes them inhuman (literally, in Kronos' case) and dangerous. Though choosing Voldemort as a villain may be a cop-out, I do feel like a battle between these two would be epic and could very well result in an end-of-the-world scenario. Because both feel like they are above friendships and alliances, they would never be able to work together and neither one would want to share power. I would hate to be around if ever there were an argument between the two.

BoB 15: Rainbow

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Rainbows," hosted by Ranty Runt of a Reader! For this, we must make a rainbow—ROYGBIV style—out of books.

1. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

2. The Kill Order by James Dashner

3. The Beginning of Everything by Robin Schneider

4. The Body Electric by Beth Revis

5. Mockingjay by Susanne Collins

6. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

7. The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

BoB 15: Would You Rather?

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Bookish Would You Rather," hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale! For this, we are playing a game of Would You Rather, but with books.



1. Would you rather lend books to someone who dog-ears pages or to someone who reads with cheesy, Cheetos fingers?

I would rather lend books to someone who dog-ears pages. As much as I hate dog-earing, I feel like Cheetos stains would be extremely annoying and difficult to get out.

2. Would you rather be able to meet one character or one author of your choice?

I would love to meet a fictional character! As for which one, there are too many to name! I'd probably go with one of my many book boyfriends, to be honest.

3. Would you rather never be allowed in a book store again, or a library?

A library. I haven't been to one in years, so not being allowed back wouldn't be a huge deal. I would much rather have access to a book store!

4. Would you rather have to choose one of your favorite characters to die or a favorite couple to break up in their book?

As much as my fangirl heart loves a good fictional couple, I think I would probably rather see one of my favorite pairs break up. I would never want to lose a character for good!

5. Would you rather be required to read Twilight or The Scarlet Letter once a year for the rest of your life?

Probably The Scarlet Letter. I've never read either of these two books, but I have absolutely no interest in picking up Twilight.

The 365 Project

This project isn’t the first of its kind. In fact, it’s probably a few thousand down the list of similar projects beginning January first of 2016. Basically, it’s a 365-day journal.

Looking back, I have realized how few pictures and journal entries there are documenting the special, fun and ordinary moments throughout my life, simply because I didn’t have the time or energy to write a post or take/be in pictures. This is a way to remedy that. The 365 Project is a challenge I am creating for myself and will consist of pictures, videos, journal entries, music and random musings that make up the next year. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an every day thing (though I will certainly try my hardest to make it so), but it needs to be something. Something my future self can look back on and say “That was a really fun day!” or, “Maybe there is such a thing as being too obsessed with Bellamy Blake…” (there isn’t).

It is so easy to get caught up in the muddled, hectic occurrences of every day life; I sincerely hope that, by creating this blog, I will be creating something fun, memorable and personal that I can revisit again and again with the knowledge that I challenged myself to better document my adventures for later nostalgia purposes, and succeeded.

Here’s to a great 2016.

BoB 14: What to Read Next

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "What to Read Next," hosted by Sarah Reads Too Much! For this, we must recommend three books that we have read this year; books that we feel other readers will enjoy.



1. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: This has been my favorite book of the year so far! With multiple Londons set in separate dimensions, magic, great characters and an interesting plot, this book provided a really fun (and intense) reading experience.

2. The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons: If you're looking for a new, Dystopian read, then this book is for you! In this society, women are treated as "stock;" being captured, groomed and sold to the male population. All of this—coupled with a fierce/stubborn main character—help to make the book extremely interesting and difficult to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it, from beginning to end.

3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: TWO fantasy recommendations from me? Unheard of! Once again, I found myself impressed by a book from the fantasy genre. This one has a female assassin, a kingdom ruled by a crazy tyrant, magic, mystery and a deadly competition. Definitely a must read if you're into action and choices that could be the difference between life and death.

BoB 14: Character Soulmates

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Character Soulmates," hosted by Blue Books and Butterflies! For this, we must play matchmaker; pairing two characters from two separate books/series that we feel would be "Ship-able."



Pair #1: 

Tella Holloway (Fire and Flood) + Perry (Under the Never Sky)

Ship Name: Pella

In Fire and Flood, Tella is attracted to Guy; a strong, no-nonsense lover of nature. Perry possesses a lot of the same traits. Plus, he's tall, dark and handsome, which is definitely Tella's type. I can see her following Perry around as he navigates the wilderness, completely entranced with his knowledge of survival. And I think that Perry would enjoy Tella's sarcasm and wit. They are both loyal and protective of the ones they love and would probably get along splendidly.


Pair #2:

Amy Martin (Across the Universe) + Bellamy Blake (The 100)

Ship Name: BellAmy (I did not realize how complicated a Ship name for these two would be when I originally paired them up...)

Bellamy likes a strong, independent woman who is not afraid to speak her mind (in theory, as the TV show is a better example of this than the actual book), as evidence by his relationship with Clarke Griffin. Amy is very strong, clever and stubborn. Her life has not been easy, and I feel like she and Bellamy would be able to bond over their past experiences and work through them together. They would also challenge one another, which would be funny to watch; I can see many heated arguments, stubborn silences and lovely make-up sessions in their future!

BoB 14: 4 Seasons Book Covers

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Four Seasons Book Covers," hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads! For this, we must find book covers that correspond with the four seasons.

1. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen [Spring]

2. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson [Summer]

3. Compulsion by Martina Boone [Fall]

4. My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins [Winter]

BoB 14: M.A.S.H

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "MASH," hosted by Rocky Top Real Talk! For this, we are playing a game of M.A.S.H with a bookish twist.

I did all of this on paper but, because the pictures didn't turn out the greatest, I'll just go ahead and list everything here:

M.A.S.H.

Spouse:

1. William Herondale

2. Voldemort

3. Bellamy Blake

4. Percy Jackson

5. Augustus Waters 

Transportation:

1. Broomstick

2. Portal

3. Flying Car

4. Spaceship

5. Hippogriff

Place of Residence:

1. Hogwarts

2. Panem

3. London Institue

4. Camp Half-Blood

5. The Glade

# of Kids:

1. Two

2. Zero

3. Twelve

4. One

5. Three

Job:

1. Auror

2. Keeper for the Archive

3. Camp Councilor

4. Soldier

5. Unemployed

Pet:

1. Pandora

2. Gargoyle

3. Owl

4. Tracker Jacker

5. Hippocampus

Best Friend:

1. Magnus Bane

2. Simon Lewis

3. Nagini

4. Harry Potter

5. A Zombie

 My final results are:

I live in a shack at Hogwarts (Hagrid's hut, maybe?), am married to Augustus Waters (I mean.... he's no Will Herondale, but is still pretty awesome), have no kids, am unemployed (Yikes. Though, maybe Dumbledore could hook me up with a teaching position or something), travel around on a broomstick (yes, please!), have a Pandora for a pet and am best friends with Magnus Bane.

Wowza.

BoB 14: Book Scavenger Hunt

Today's Bout of Books challenge is the "Book Scavenger Hunt," hosted by The Book Monsters! For this, we must hunt for books that match the criteria given by our host.



1. A book that begins with "B" (for Bout of Books):

(The) Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

2. A book you're planning to read/are currently reading for Bout of Books:

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

3. Blue Book(s):

4. Books from your favorite genre:

Just ONE genre? No way, José; that is too difficult a choice!

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken [Dystopian]

Across the Universe by Beth Revis [Science Fiction]

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen [Historical Fiction]

5. A book on your TBR shelf/your TBR shelf:

Here is my TBR "shelf" in its entirety.

BoB 14: Fictional World Travel

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Fictional World Travel," hosted by Between Library Shelves! For this we must list 3-6 books that take place in a country that is not our own.



I live in the United States, so here are my six choices:

1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare [London]

2. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake [Canada]

3. The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan [Paris]

4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs [Wales]

5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer [The book takes place in "New Beijing," which is thought to be in or around China]

6. Across the Universe by Beth Revis [Space ;)]

BoB 13: Favorite Bout of Books Read

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Your Favorite BoB13 Read," hosted by Once Upon a Chapter! For this, we are supposed to take a picture of our favorite Bout of Books read and post it online.



Here is mine:

 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Why: This book had a little bit of everything; action, adventure, romance, humor and a great, kick-ass female protagonist. I found myself thoroughly enjoying this read and finished it in a matter of days. I loved it so much that I broke my book-buying "ban" of sorts and ordered the second book online, immediately after finishing the first!

BoB 13: Cover Color Challenge

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Cover Color," hosted by Wishful Endings! For this, we are supposed to chose at least four books of the same color and take a picture.



The color(s) I chose were: Yellow/Orange

1. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

2. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

3. The Kill Order by James Dashner

4. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

5. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

6. A Million Suns by Beth Revis

7. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

8. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

BoB 13: Modern to Classic Challenge

Today's Bout of Books challenge is "Modern to Classic," hosted by Ranty Runt of a Reader! For this, we are supposed to share a book that we believe will be considered a classic in 100 years time.



1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, published in 2005.

Reason #1: This book takes place during a time that is well-known in history and deals with not only the repercussions of Hitler's rule over the Jewish, but also the German. 100 years from now, historians and school children will still be studying World War II and this book will remain relevant.

Reason #2: Along with the subject, the thoughts and feelings that this story invoke will also remain a key feature of its excellence. Death, love, sacrifice, family, hatred, allegiance to one's country and war are all feelings that transcend time, allowing it to remain the darling of many generations to come.



2. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, published in 2006.

Reason #1: This book is a masterpiece. Falling under the genre of historical fiction, it perfectly embodies the time period from which it takes place, incorporating youth and maturity in a way that is both wise and insightful.

Reason #2: The book has everything that a good story should posses; action, adventure, romance and fun, all wrapped up into a delightful and sometimes heart-wrenching coming of age story about a boy and a circus.



I chose two, partly because The Book Thief is likely to be a popular pick and partly because I have so much faith in both of these books that I absolutely could not narrow it down to just one!

BoB 13: Character Face-Off Challenge

Today's Bout of Books challenge is a "Character Face-Off," hosted by LuLo Fangirl! We must pick two of our favorite characters and pit them against one another, listing their strengths and flaws, in an attempt to crown the grand champion of our own personal Favorite Fictional Characters list.



Because I don't necessarily want to compare my many, many book boyfriends (too cruel, that) and most of my favorite characters are labeled as my "favorite" for varying reasons, I am going to throw two, kick-ass females into the ring. Everyone knows I have a soft spot for girls who can kick butt and look good while doing it - all without assistance from the opposite sex - so I feel like this challenge will definitely live up to its title.

#1. In the first corner, we have Ruby Daly from Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds trilogy!

Pros:

— Extremely loyal
— Fights for what she believes is right and does not accept the "easy way out"
— Incredibly brave; will place herself in situations to further the cause and protect her friends
— Stubborn (in a good way)

Cons:

— Stubborn (in a bad way)
— Will keep quiet about things that she is afraid will hurt the people she cares about but, in the end, these secrets get everyone into more trouble


#2. And in the second corner, we have Tessa Gray from Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices trilogy!

Pros:

— Is not afraid to get her hands dirty, despite her upbringing (and lack of Shadowhunter experience).
— Does not let difficult decisions/situations get the better of her; she will keep her head and power through, even if it means certain death
— Loyal
— A visionary

Cons:

— She has a soft spot in her heart for friends and family and can be easily manipulated when they are involved.

. . . .

Winner: Tessa Gray

Why: Most of the time, Ruby Daly's decision-making skills are severely lacking and, despite her incredible bravery, she will sometimes land herself and her friends into situations that could have been avoided. Tessa, though a little too compassionate at times, does not allow herself to fall into traps or be pushed around without a fight. She may not necessarily be the strongest female protagonist out there, but she certainly holds her own and makes up for her lack of physical strength with a good head and heart.

. . . .

I was right. That was an incredibly difficult/painful process...

BoB 13: Bookish Survey Challenge

Today's Bout of Books challenge is a "Bookish Survey," hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale! We are given five questions to answer, which are listed below:

1. How do you organize your shelves?

Mine are organized by series (with separate shelves for those that are complete and incomplete), standalone books and specific author. I have separate bookshelves for my favorite books and TBR.

2. What is one of your favorite books that is not in one of your favorite genres?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I don't read too many adult books, but this one was fantastic!

3. What is the last 5-star book you read?

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.

4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon?

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I have heard some pretty amazing things!

5. What book do you recommend the most?

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. It has a little bit of everything.