Books to Films Series...#2 - Dear John

Book...

This book has to be one of my all time favourites ever! I love the characters, I love the story and I love the ending. As with most Nicholas Sparks novels it makes me cry every time I read it and i've read it quite a few times. This was my first Nicholas Sparks book i'd read although it wasn't the first film of his that i'd seen although I hadn't realised that he was the author of the Notebook at that time. 

Film...

When this film came out in the cinema I really wanted to go and see it but unfortunately nobody else wanted to join me so I had to wait until it came out on DVD and when it did I had alread devoured the book so the film had a lot to live up to. After watching it I loved the whole thing apart from the ending because it wasn't as tragic as the ending of the book but I still loved the whole thing just as much and it lived up to my expectations and made me cry for at least half of it.

Comparison...

Plot...

The plot of the book and the film are very similar and I was really pleased that it did the book justice. I love the setting of both the book and the film and in terms of differences between the two there are very little that I have noticed. The story is so touching that it makes me cry both in the book and film every time I read/watch it, it's not often that you find a book to film adaption that hasn't missed out massive vital chunks of the book when making the film. The ending of the film differs from the book significantly with the books ending being more tragic and upsetting but the film being on a happier note, however the last time I watched the film I realised that there was an alternative ending in the Special Features which depicts the book ending which I found really exciting.

Characters...

In terms of characters I read the book first however I already knew what actors were playing the roles in the film so I already had an idea of what I pictured them to be like. However I feel that Amanda really does Savannah proud even though there is a slight difference of hair colour with Savannah in the book being a brunette and in the film being a blonde. I am also a huge Channing Tatum fan and so he was a perfect fit for John, at least in my eyes anyway. Other characters that I pictured a certain way were very well translated into human form from the picture I had in my mind and I was very pleased with the characters chosen.

Books to Films Series...#1 - Twilight Saga

Book...

The first time I read this I was around 16 years old and for me this was the first "friendly vampire-esque love story thing" that i'd come across and I adored it. The book really intrigued me and I loved the whole series. In the books my favourite was definitely Breaking Dawn because it had it all; the action, the suspense and the drama that I loved. However my least favourite book was New Moon, which turned out being one of my favourites of the films, but more on that later.

Film...

I went to see this film as soon as it came out and I was a little disappointed. From someone who has read the books so many times and could recite parts of it (embarrassing, I know) I knew a lot about what I wanted the film to be like and it did not live up to my expectations at all. Since the first film they have gotten better than the first one and looking back on it now the director must notice just how cringey it was. In the films my favourites are definitely different to that of the books with Eclipse being my favourite to date (although this may change when Breaking Dawn Part 2 comes out) and my least favourite film is Twilight. 

Comparison...

Plot...

The whole plot of this book had me sucked in (excuse the pun) from the get go. It was something new to me and I was really enjoying reading it. I borrowed the book from a friend but later went on to buy all of them for myself anyway and since then I have read the series a number of times (7 being that number). The plot was something that I loved about the book and for once in the film they actually didn't cut out a lot, this really surprised me because i'm so used to films leaving out huge chunks of important information but this one really didn't. All in all I definitely prefered the book even plot wise because even though the film was good plot wise it wasn't the same as the books. However i'd like to add that in the progression of the films the vampires abilities have become more what I expected them to be like, can we just take this moment to laugh at the vampires running in the first film? It's hilarious and i'm glad that it has progressed since then.

Characters...

This is where I have my rant. I loved the characters in the book. I related to Bella as if she was myself and then in the film they choose an actress who has the acting skill of a slug. She is just awful. I've seen her in a few other films but her acting has to be the worst in Twilight more than in anything else. Secondly in the books I fell in love with Edward and had pictures in my head of this amazingly beautiful guy that was amazing and we got Robert. What can I say? He is not the best looking guy and although his acting is marginally better than Kristen Stewarts it's not really award winning (well apparantly it is but I don't agree). Plus the rest of the cast are far too good looking, especially with these average looking actor/actress in the lead roles In the book I fell in love with Edward but in the film I fell in love with Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, Laurent, James, Pretty much all the wolves and Jacob...ahh Jacob...In the book I imagine him as being cute but not boyfriend material whereas in the film I just prefer him so much more to Edward, another member of the cast that's too good looking for the role.

Update on my Series

Hey everyone,

So this is just a little update on my series. 

The My Top 5 series has now finished but now I have a new one lined up for the next few weeks which is a Books to Films series detailing what I thought of the Book and then the Film and a comparison. 

I hope you all enjoy this series and i'll speak to you all soon.

Leigh xoxo

My Top 5...Romance

1. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

What can I say? This book is a classic love story and I adore it. It's also the book that I mention when I want to sound intelligent but that's besides the point. I fell in love with Jane and Mr Rochester and I think that this is the perfect love story ever written.

2. Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan

This is such a cheery love story that it captivated me from the instant that I started reading it. The characters were amazing, the plot was amazing and it was a lovely love story.

3. The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han

This is the perfect summer read. I love the story and the characters, it's a girly book and is really short but I really liked it, the second book in the series wasn't quite as good but still okay.

4. The Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger 

This is the ultimate love story, this book focuses on unconditional love no matter what. Even if the man that you love disappears without any warning and travels to somewhere else in a different time.

5. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks

This is another love story yet this one focuses on the relationship between people who are far apart and how even the strongest of love sometimes cannot last because of the distance. It's beautiful yet tragic.

Booky Wooky Tag...

Today I wanted to do something fun and new so browsed for book tags on youtube. So here are the questions:

1. Name a book you would take on a long flight?

Well I haven't been on a plane in 4 years and back then I wasn't a huge reader although I distinctly remember bringing Jane Eyre, of all things, on holiday with me (not exactly light reading, I know) but right now I would probably read A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R Martin because they are massive books and it would be good to read it somewhere quiet where I could concentrate on it.

2.What is your guilty pleasure?

Well my guilty pleasure used to be The Twilight Saga until they made the films and completely ruined the books for me so now it would probably be The Selection by Kiera Cass, i've heard so many bad reviews about this book but personally I loved it and could read it again and again.

3.Name three characters from any book, you wish you could be friends with?

1. Lena from Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
2. Maxton from The Selection by Kiera Cass
3. Tyrion Lannister from ASOIAF by George R. R. Martin (simply because he is hilarious)

4.What's your shoes size?

Not 100% sure why this is in a book tag but a 5 in trainers, 4 in heels and 6 in boots

5.If you could write your own book, name the title, and a brief synopsis.

I am probably the worst story writer ever so i'd never even attempt to write a book.

6.What's your favorite flavor of ice cream

Again, weird question not relating to books at all, Ben and Jerrys Caramel Sutra.

7.What book are you currently reading?

Right now I am reading:
A Clash of Kings
From Dead to Worse
The Lucky One
Linger
A Summer Fling 
Kiss me, i'm Irish

8. What room do you film your YouTube videos?

I don't make youtube videos...I just blog. But I blog in my livingroom.

9.Best YA series you've ever read?

Hmmmm..see I know most people would put either The Hunger Games or Harry Potter but sadly I wasn't the most huge fan of either. I'd have to say The Twilight Saga but only before they made the films.

10.What is your best physical attribute?

My Eyes.

11.Do you like manga or comics, if so name your favourite series?

Nope.

12.Do you sleep on your side or your stomach?

Stomach.

13.Favorite book mark?

My magnetic VW Campervan ones.

14.What song are you currently listening in your Ipod?

Luke Bryan - Drunk on You.

15Worst summer job you've ever had?

Well it wasn't really a summer job but the worst job i've had full stop is Food Servises Advisor in Debenhams.

16.What's your favorite band, or type of music?

I honestly love all music really and honestly couldn't pick but at the minute my favourite is Country. 

My Top 5...Series

1. The Southern Vampire Mysteries

I started this series on my birthday last year and when I got to book 3 I took my time getting through it. That one just wasn't capturing my attention like the others and I wasn't looking forward to carrying on the series, however, I already had books 4 and 5 and I really wanted to keep going so I read them some more and fell in love with the series all over again. I'm now on book 7 and i'm loving it so much that I don't want it to end.

2. The Mediator Series

I read this series about 4 years ago when I discovered the first book in a sale for £1 and I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like that so I went ahead and bought it and fell in love instantly. I'd never read anything like it before and I loved the new concept, well new to me at least. I read this book and soon after purchased the sequels and fell in love with them too. Unlike with other series this one seemed to progress to being better and better and I never wanted the series to end but unfortunately every series ends eventually but I seriously loved the ending and wouldn't change it at all.

3. The House of Night Series 

This series seems to go on and on but it's one that has been decent all the way through. I have every book up until the most recent and I liked them all, some more than others. I read somewhere someone describing the series as having one book with an amazing story and the next just being a bridging point between two massive storylines which I found to be true. There have been a few that i've thought that their wasn't much happening in terms of storyline at all but then in the next book the story has gone insane. I really can't wait to finish this series because i'm anxious to find out what happens to all of the characters and how the plot unfolds and i'm sure these last couple of books will be full of exciting storylines.

4. The Twilight Saga

Don't judge. I loved this series. It was the first of it's kind that I ever read and I thought it was an amazing new concept, little did I know the concept had been around much longer. Plus i'd never read anything about Vampires at all, i'd always thought that vampires were scary creatures that killed people and i'd never considered the fact that i'd want to be one. But reading Twilight made me want to be a vampire, I loved the idea of them being able to control humans and I would often dream of being immortal. Think of what you could do? Think of what you could see? All of the stuff you couldn't do in a normal life. I could run to France and pick up breakfast and back. I found all of this so intriguing and loved the series until they made the film...

5. The Chemical Garden Trilogy

I know this only has two books out at the minute but so far I love them. The story is so different and shows the destruction of the human race in the future. I really liked Wither and didn't think Fever could live up to it but it really has and I really can't wait for the next book in the series.

Book Review - A Game of Thrones

Hey everyone,

I really have no idea how is best to start this review because this book is so complex but i'm going to give it a go. 

A Game of Thrones is a fantasy novel written by George R. R. Martin. In this book there are around 70 chapters and each of the chapters are written by characters from different parts of the world in which they live, all taking part at the same time. Confused? I was too until I started reading this book and I instantly fell in love with it.

To start off i'll tell you about how I came across this novel.

My parents started watching AGOT when season 1 came out and I was never interested in the TV show but then I started my reading challenge and I followed a lot of Book Tubers and they all had great things to say about this series. The first person that I noticed had read the series and had explained it so well that it intrigued me was Ingrid or missglamorazzi on youtube. She explained the characters and the story so well that I actually considered reading it. After that I thought I would leave it for a while and see how I got on with trying to get to 50 books (I am now at 31) after that I was at college one day and I noticed one of my friends Alan (Shout out to you if you are reading this :)) was reading the first book so I asked him what it was like. He told me all about it and even though I still wasn't sure I was definitely intrigued. I did some research online, I read the first line of the Hobbit and got bored so I wondered if it would be like Lord of the Rings or not, but for anyone wondering it definitely isn't. I read that it was more about politics and that scared me even more. After deliberating for months I decided to finish my 50 books and then give it a go. Then, my step-dad bought it on his Kobo and asked me if I wanted to read a few chapters to see what I thought. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Plot...

The story is set in Westeros or the Seven Kingsoms where there is a North and a South. The King lives in the South and the Starks live in the North and right at the top of Westeros there is a wall where the members of the Night's Watch guard the kingdom from the monsters that lurk beyond the wall. The world that George R. R. Martin creates is something that you can so easily visualise which I love. Even without having seen the TV show I feel like I know the world and it's characters personally. I have since looked up the characters and who plays them in the TV show and I have a definitive idea of what each character looks like, I found this so much easier simply because it's easier to have a face to put to the many names in this novel.

Characters...

Each chapter is written by a series of characters in the novel, these characters are

Bran Stark
Catelyn Stark
Daenerys Targaryen
Eddard Stark
Jon Snow
Arya Stark
Tyrion Lannister
Sansa Stark

Now to the difficult part of explaining their relations to each other

Lord Eddard Stark (Ned) is the lord of Winterfell where he lives with his wife and 6 children, Catelyn Stark (nee Tully) is Ned's wife and together they have 5 children; Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon while Ned Stark has a bastard son named Jon Snow. 

In the south in King's Landing lives the King, his wife, Cersei Lannister, and their 3 children along with his wives 2 brothers Jaime and Tyrion Lannister. Their children are Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen with Joffrey being the oldest and heir to the throne.

There is also Daenerys who lives somewhere different entirely and even I am not yet sure where that is, she lives with her brother Viserys who will do anything to get back the crown that he believes rightfully belongs to the Targeryn bloodline and in order to re-gain the throne he will do anything including selling his younger sister off to be married to a man she cannot even converse with because of the language barrier between them.

In my personal opinion I have a few characters that I prefer and a few that i'm not so excited about when it comes to their chapter. Bran's chapter was the first of the book and for me I loved his perspective, he is young, innocent and yet strong which I love about him. Catelyn was another character that I liked in the beginning but as I learned more about her personality I discovered that she has a far more sinister side to her especially concerning Jon Snow and the way which she speaks to him, for this reason only is why I completely went off her character. Daenerys is one of my top 3 characters in the book, she is young and innocent and is often mistreated by her evil brother, Viserys, her parts of the book have progressed so far even in a few chapters from being a innocent, naive girl into a magnificent, independent woman. Ned's chapters, for me at least, are my least favourite. They go into a lot about the politics of the land and the king but even though they are my least favourite the book wouldn't be the same without them, they set the scene, let you know as a reader about what is going on behind the closed doors of the kingdom and help you to realise what is going on inside the castle. Jon Snow's chapters are okay, it's nice to see what's going on at the Wall and on the Nights Watch and hearing about all of the people up there and the terrible things that they have done but these chapters are boring to me. UPDATE: I've grown to love Jon's chapters and I must admit he is now one of my favourites. I'd much rather read about where something is going on apart from fighting. Arya Stark is one of a kind, she is a tomboy which isn't something that was frequent in those days and she lives life the way she wants, she is adventurous and brave and I find her so fun to read. Tyrion's chapters always have me in stitches and even though I despise the family that he is a part of I think that he is so funny, he has a great sense of humour and often makes fun of himself for being a dwarf, I look forward to reading his chapters a lot in the  next book. Sansa Stark is another character that I like, she is the more girly sister of Arya who is to wed Joffrey the king's son, for this I feel so sorry for her for because, to put it politely, Joffrey is a complete and utter idiot.

So to narrow it down my 5 favourite characters are:
Daenerys Targeryn
Jon Snow
Bran Stark
Sansa Stark
Tyrion Lannister

And 5 least favourite are:
Cersei Lannister
Joffrey Baratheon 
Jaime Lannister
Viserys Targeryn
Catelyn Stark 

Anyway that's all for me and I hope you all enjoyed this huge review compared to my usual quick ones.

Talk to you all soon 

Leigh xoxo

August Book Haul 2012...

Hey everyone, 

So it's that time again, already, for my monthly book haul. This months is a very measly 2 books (well technically 3 but we'll get to that later) which is very disappointing but at the moment I have very little money and can't afford to buy books which makes me sad. I may even have to start borrowing books from the library instead. Anyway on with the haul.

The first book that I bought this month was A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.

Now, this book has a really long story. I never expected this to be my thing but after actually sort of getting into season 2 of the TV Show I thought that I might give it a go and I am very impressed. I was looking into this book for several months and decided to hold off on buying it because I was unsure of whether it was my thing, but then my Dad (Hey if you are reading this) bought this book on his Kobo so I gave the first few chapters a go and fell in love with it. After I bought this in hard copy just over a week ago I began reading it from where I finished off and i'm now a third of the way through and can't wait to find out what happens. I love the characters. The Protagonists are amazing as are the Antagonists and you can't help but fall in love with every single one of them. I cannot wait to review this book in the future once i've finished it and continuing on with the series. Update: I am exactly halfway through this book and I absolutely adore it.

And now to the story. I ordered All Together Dead online with the Jason Stackhouse cover because it matched all of my other covers and plus Jason is a hottie right? But when it arrived in the post I opened it and got this;

Now unless i'm greatly mistaken that there is not Ryan Kwanten/Jason Stackhouse. That is in fact a woman. Who knew? So I wrote a letter to the sender about this and they said that they would give me a full refund and I wouldn't need to return the book. They were very nice about it and the person that I spoke to was very nice even though i'd been a little snappy in my e-mail.

Anyway so I went to another well known internet store and bought this one;

I've not really started reading this yet but I hope to once i'm off my AGOT kick. Anyway this is book 7 of The Southern Vampire Mysteries which I bought because so far i've loved the series and I managed to finish Definitely Dead in 4 days because it was so good. I'm looking forward to this and the rest of the series once this one is finished. Update: AGOT has most definitely taken over but I am halfway through this book and hope to have it finished ASAP.

Leigh xoxo