RTW: Best Book of January

Road Trip Wednesday is a 'Blog Carnival' where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing or reading related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hope from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic :)

This week's question is talking about the best book of January.

To be honest with you, it's a hard one to answer! I've read some really fabulous books lately. I read On the Jellicoe Road, which is an old one by Melina Marchetta which although I found it a bit hard to get into I ended up really loving it. I finally read The Book Thief which despite being hugely depressing was a great book, and of course Please Ignore Vera Dietz which was very well done. 

The best book though? Well I have a tie. My absolute favourite was The Fault in our Stars. I have since told everyone to read this book. My FH, my mum, both my sisters, my auntie and a number of my friends have all gotten stuck into this book and loved it just as much.

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It's written by John Green and is narrated by Hazel Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old cancer patient who's life changes dramatically when she meets fellow cancer sufferer Augustus "Gus" Waters. The story follows Hazel, as she fights with cancer and her parents while navigating this mysterious new relationship with Gus.

The story is beautifully and honestly told, it's funny, it's heartbreaking and it's most certainly a memorable read. I'd highly recommend this one.

The second book that I would recommend is JK Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy.

Now, this book has been subject to huge debate. It's not Harry Potter. Absolutely not. There is no ounce of a magical world within these pages at all. So if you see JK Rowling and expect Harry Potter, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. 

It is true this book does take a long time to set the scene. It's a little slow and very busy body, but I feel all of this is quite interesting. Seeing the different characters, the different voices of the novels and really getting inside their heads - the meek, the power hungry, the nasty, the manipulative, the scared... they're all there. I remember mentioning to my FH while I read this that it was interesting getting inside each characters head because you could quite clearly relate those characters to people in your own life.

The book is very well written. The climax near the end comes out of no where and is so completely surprising and heart breaking. I really found the book very real and relatable.

It is a black comedy, and some of it is pretty dark. It's not YA, I should mention that, but the other thing is that it's very British. The humour is British and that is perhaps why some have disliked it so much. It's certainly not for everyone but I do urge people to give it a try. I was very hesitant to read it after seeing a number of negative reviews but my friend pushed me into it and I'm so glad she did. It was worth it. 

If you've read either of these books I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on them? Otherwise, what was your best January book? 

RTW: Happy Halloween!

Road Trip Wednesday is a 'Blog Carnival' where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This week we're talking about Halloween! What is your favorite scary book or movie?

I'm an utter and total wimp. I'm just going to put it out there. When I was a teenager I loved scary movies. I'd watch them all with eager anticipation. Then something changed. I think I can pinpoint the exact time. It was about three years ago when I'd first started dating my FH and we went to see the first Paranormal Activity. I don't even know why I went. I was scared out of my mind. I spent the whole film curled up in a ball on the seat gripping the hands of my FH on one side and my little sister on the other. 

After the film I took the shortcut home which involved driving up a very windy and deserted road, in the rain, after midnight where you could see nothing but the dense bush and the very stunning but very creepy building of the Auckland Museum. I was convinced something was going to jump out at me any second. Later that night after my man and I had been asleep for a few hours, he awoke to find me standing beside the bed with my eyes open, staring out the window - very similar to one of the scenes in Paranormal Activity. I was dead asleep, despite my eyes being open. He woke me up, I freaked myself out and then got back into bed and fell asleep. Since then I have avoided scary movies like the plague. They just seem to haunt me well past the time the film is over!

So I can't say that I have a favourite scary movie; although I do have somewhat of an obsession for the Pretty Little Liars TV show, which at times can get very scary! Although I do love myself a little bit of Hocus Pocus and The Witches!

In terms of books - does Goosebumps count?! After I read a good portion of the Babysitter's Club books I started reading Goosebumps even though I thought they were really 'boys books'. I liked the ones that had alternate endings, where you chose what to do next. I'm sure Harry Potter could be pretty scary too. In fact, any book with a really evil and conniving protagonist I will probably find scary!

Sorry for being so fail on the scary books and movies front - it may be Halloween but... I really am a wimp!!

Happy Halloween!

RTW: From Page to Screen...

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.
 

 

The topic this week is: What is it that makes some books seem ideal for a film translation?

 

 

This is an interesting topic for me because as I said in my post earlier this week I am a big supporter of books into films. This means, whenever I read a book I love, I'll frequently say "holy moly, that would make a GREAT movie."

So I have a few books I've read over the past year or so that I would really love to see put on the big screen, some are in the YA genre, and some are more adult novels. 

So, here's my list!

The first one was Divergent. When I was reading the book I couldn't stop saying how much I loved it and how great it would be on the screen. After I finished the novel, as I do when I finish a story I love, I googled everything about it and read Veronica Roth's blog in it's entirety. It was there that I discovered that the film rights had been sold and there was a very good chance of the film being made in the near future. (For those up with the play, it's now really moving along- there's a director and the actress who may play Tris is in final negotiations.)

For those who don't know Divergent, it's about a young girl, Tris, who's dystopian Chicago society is divided into five factions. Each faction is dedicated to a particular virtue of which the factions members must devote their life to. One each member of society reaches the age of 16 they must decide whether to remain with the faction they have grown up with, or choose another faction all together.

The second one I could imagine being made into a film is Hourglass by Myra McEntire. Again, this is actually another (amazing) book which has had the film rights sold (to Twentieth Century Fox of all places!) I guess I wasn't the only one who thought this novel would translate beautifully into film!

 Hourglass is a time travel based book which follows a 17-year-old girl who can see 'rip's'. That is, apparitions of people from the past appearing right in front of her in the current day. Naturally she thinks she's going crazy, but it turns out there's a lot more to it that she could possibly imagine. Things that could change her present, future....even her past... in extremely terrifying ways.

The third is Skylark. While I wasn't wild about the writing of this book, I really liked the premise and I'm convinced that it could work really well on screen. I can even imagine all the scenes so clearly and I know it'd be very do-able so that'd be cool!

Skylark is a novel I read primarily because part of the premise was very similar to my WIP at the time. Turns out, of course, that the actual story of Skylark was so incredibly different from my story than you could ever imagine. Once I started reading, I wanted to know more. It follows a young girl, Lark, who has never been outside her domed city. The city's dome is powered by the magic (or resource) harvested by the children of the dome. Once you're harvested you become an adult. Lark has been waiting for years to finally be chosen for harvesting, however once it's her turn, the last thing she imagined was to become the city's power supply rather than just another citizen of the city. Consequently she then has to plan an escape and discover the horrors of life outside the dome. This story was full of twists and turns I never expected, so I'd really love to see it on the big screen!

Although it's an old book, I'd really love to see The Giver made into a film as well, and maybe its sequels could be included in there somehow! That could be awesome! The Giver is, of course, one of the classic dystopian novels about a young boy who is content with his plain, black and white life. It is only when he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory that he begins to understand his world isn't quite what it seems and there are some dark and complex secrets right underneath the surface.

Aside from solid YA novels ...

I've talked about this book time and time again, but really, I love it so much. The Tea Rose. Although this book is so hefty it might be better as a mini-series. Oh, how I would love to see this on the screen! I'd love to be the one to put this on the screen! I have all the plans in my head, if only I could make it a reality!
 Read my review on The Tea Rose here.

Another would be 'A Grown Up Kind of Pretty' which is a relatively new book this year. It's not the typical book I read, but something about the cover and the premise made me pick it up and read it. Of course it hooked me in. I think it could translate quite well to the screen.

A Grown Up Kind of Pretty is a saga about three generations of women. Fifteen year old Mosey is terrified she's going to wind up pregnant at fifteen just like her mother and grandmother before her. Mosey's world is turned upside down when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard. Liza, Mosey's stroke-ravaged mother is haunted by her past and the choices she made as a teenager; and Jenny - or Big - Mosey's kind-hearted and strong grandmother who's love binds the women together and who will stop at nothing to defend the family's future.

There are so many more I could list. Any book I truly love I can typically imagine turning into a film, but at the moment these are my top picks! That's not to say that if they're made into films, they'll do the book justice. In my head I can see exactly how each of these books could be made into films, yet your ideas are probably very different from mine which is exactly why so many people are disappointed in seeing their favourite books made into films. As I said in my last post, I just accept it and enjoy it for what it is. I find it the best way to go!

What books do you think would translate well into film?

RTW: NaNoWriMo ... Oh how I wish!

Another hump day which means another Road Trip Wednesday - one of my weekly highlights!

Road Trip Wednesday is a blog hop hosted by YA Highway! The lovely ladies at YA Highway post a topic and everyone writes their answers to the questions on their blog before hopping all over the place to check out all the other answers. It's fun!

This week's question.... Are you doing NaNoWriMo, or have you ever? Does having a deadline inspire you?

The short answer is no. To be honest I only recently found out about this. I'm sorry, I've been living in a cave and should really hold my head in shame.

The longer answer.... I really, really want to do it. It would be such a great experience and would be so much fun! Unfortunately my American work visa expires in November and I'm then taking off with my significant other on a two month road trip across America! (I'm bound for St Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Montgomery, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, Denver, Vegas, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Long Beach, Anaheim, San Diego, Los Angeles!) So I'm going to be on the road without a computer for a good part of November, December and January. I'll be in full on tourist mode and will be beyond exhausted.... so unfortunately the prospect of entering NaNoWriMo isn't even a possibility this year. I will be spending countless hours on buses and a few airplanes here and there so will be getting plenty of reading done!

Next year however, I will hopefully have finished my WIP (which has been in the planning phases for the last six months but I'm holding off writing it until I'm back in New Zealand in January and can give my full devotion to the book), and I'll have plenty of peaceful me time that can be devoted to NaNoWriMo. I'm looking forward to it already! I must confess, I have spent a lot of time pouring through the website wishing I could sign up, but I must be patient! Patience, they say, is a virtue.

Just to give you something pretty to look at, this is the view from the balcony of my little piece of paradise, my writing retreat in New Zealand. If I'm lucky and work doesn't get in the way too much, I'll spend my NaNo month up there next year, pumping out a story!

As for the part about the deadline - I love deadlines. I find it hard if I don't have an initial idea, but a deadline really puts my a into g and gets things moving. I often set deadlines for myself, which is why I haven't started writing my WIP yet beyond doing full on plot, setting and character breakdowns. One I start writing I'll be able to put a deadline on myself and work towards that. Without a deadline I'm known to flounder a bit like a fish out of water.

What about you... are you doing NaNo? Have you done it before? I want to hear all about your NaNo experiences! What do you think about deadlines? Do they help you or hinder your creative process?

RTW: Retelling of a fable

Another Wednesday, another Road Trip! Road Trip Wednesday is a blog hop hosted by YA Highway!
 
 This week the topic is - Name a fable or story you'd like to see a retelling of. If you're feeling creative, come up with a premise of your own!

I had a lot of trouble answering this weeks question as there are a number of stories I'd love to see retold.

The first one would be The Princess and the Tin Box. Just because it's not very well known, it's a great little fable and it'd be interesting to see how this story could be turned around. Since this story was originally told, the values of society has shifted dramatically. I'd love to see this story retold from a modern perspective and retaining the original message while adding in more currently relevant messaging.

The second would be The Emperors New Clothes, simply because when I was 12 I acted in a production of this story, except it was an original script with a few interesting spins in it. I'd also love to set this story in the Victorian era, with the main characters being a mischievous girl and boy who are causing trouble around the palace. Perhaps the swindlers aren't actually swindlers, perhaps they're legitimate clothes tailors and it is the young duo who cause all the ruckus that the "swindlers" get blamed for. Hmm that sounds a bit too much like a children's story... it'd certainly need a lot of work to create a brand new story while still remaining true to the original!

The final story I'd love to see retold would be The Princess and The Pea. This has long been a favourite story of mine, and again is another tale I performed on stage, this time when I was around 14. My family always teased that I was the princess as if there was anything in or on my bed (food, jewellery, lego etc), I'd feel it and wouldn't be able to sleep until it was gone. This is such a classic old tale it'd be interesting to see how it could be retold. I'd love to see this one set not in the present day, but either in the last century or even in the future. It's nice to mix it up a bit!

There's so much potential! The old fables and fairytales we've grown up with are so great to look back on and reflect, I really love pouring over books which retell the stories to see how it's been done, and to fall in love with the plot all over again!