These were the creme de la creme of the novels I read last year. They are all so beautiful and heartbreaking, so getting emotionally dragged was obviously my aesthetic in 2015. I’d recommend any one of these in a heartbeat though. There’s one more Raven Cycle novel. I’m so excited!
QOTD: What were your favorite books read in 2015? And what are you most looking forward to in 2016?
This is my January tbr. I’m almost done with Carry On finally. (It’s so perfect!) I also plan to read The Devil’s Only Friend by Dan Wells, which I’m really, really excited for. It’s the 4th book in the I Am Not A Serial Killer/John Cleaver series. Lastly, I’m going to start rereading the Harry Potter series. I am hoping to finish all 7 books by August 4th, which is the day I see The Cursed Child. 😀
QOTD: What’s your favorite book or series?
If you haven’t read The Raven Cycle, then you really, really need too! This series is amazing. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s magical in more ways than one. And the characters! They are so alive and absolutely intoxicating.
For my first Top Ten Tuesday, I chose to do my Top Ten YA Book-to-Movie Adaptations. So without further ado, here we go…
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
One of my biggest regrets in life is that I wasted so much time avoiding the Harry Potter series. My best friend finally made me watch the movies one weekend a few years ago, and I was hooked before the first movie ended. Danielle, Emma, and Rupert are perfect as the golden trio, and all the supporting actors are fantastic. The Deathly Hallows, in particular, is everything a movie should strive to be. It was fantastically written and directed. The cinematography is beautiful. It perfectly captures the fear, tension, the suspense, the grief and heartache of war, the aftermath… it’s beautiful.
2. The Hunger Games
I’ll admit that I was not initially fond of the casting choices for The Hunger Games (aside from Woody Harrelson as Haymitch) but all the leads really capture the essence of the characters. The movies are accurate and true to the books, but also entertaining and interesting as their own separate entities.
3. Divergent
Divergent is one of those rare adaptations where the movies are actually better than the book. I loved the Divergent series as books, don’t get me wrong, but the movies are amazing. I love Shailene Woodley as Tris! She brings this story to life in ways I couldn’t even imagine.
4. Ender’s Game
I have not read the book and I probably never will due to Orson Scott Card’s reputation as a homophobe and racist, but I did watch this movie one day [free] and I loved it so much!
5. The Maze Runner
Again, I have not read the book but I loved the movie. I’m actually scared to read the book now because I’ve heard it wasn’t as entertaining, so we’ll see. Plus, I mean, it’s Dylan O’brien! I’m sold.
6. The Fault In Our Stars
I loved this book! Loved, loved, loved. I laughed and I cried so much. This is one of the most accurate book-to-movie adaptations I’ve ever seen…and it was amazing. I laughed and I cried some more while watching. Again, Shailene was amazing as Hazel Grace, and Ansel was the perfect Augustus Waters.
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Okay, I haven’t read the book. It’s been on my tbr list for more years than I’d like to admit. Probably since Emma Watson was playing first-year Hermoine. Gosh, this movie makes me cry every single time I watch it. Every time! I can’t compare it to the book, but as a movie, it’s damn good.
8. If I Stay
It may not seem like it, but I’m not a huge fan of contemporary novels, so I shied away from this book. I still haven’t read it, and I’m afraid I won’t like it as much as I liked the movie. I even avoided the movie for along time. My love for Chloe Moretz Grace is pretty much the only reason I watched it…and I don’t regret it. It was a little slow, but it was interesting, and yes I did cry a little bit (when they sang “Today” at the bonfire I was done).
9. Breaking Dawn
Twilight is probably the worst movie that’s been made in the last 20 years. As an aspiring filmmaker, I feel like Catherine Hardwick and her screenwriter set women in the industry back years, but once they ditched them and got a new director the films got better and better. Breaking Dawn Part 1 & II were actually really good in my opinion. I love what they chose to do with the showdown in the last movie.
10. Holes
Okay, so technically, Holes is a children’s book and the movie is like 20 years old, but it’s so good. Who can resist a young Shia LaBeouf?