Top Ten Movie Adaptations

1. Jane Eyre (2011), based on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It packs a lot into its limited running time, and manages to capture the emotions and feel of Bronte's classic beautifully. Plus Michael Fassbender.

2. The Princess Bride (1987), based on The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It's so faithful to the book and just plain awesome.

3. The Notebook (2004), based on The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. One of those rare movie adaptations that's actually better than the book. Much, much better.

4. Never Let Me Go (2010), based on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Gorgeous, heartbreaking movie to fit a gorgeous, heartbreaking book.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), based on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The acting is a highlight of this classic adaptation.

6. The Secret Garden (1993), based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It may not always be faithful to the letter but it is very faithful to the spirit of the book, filled with the same whimsy and magic that's present in the original.

7. The Last Unicorn (1982), based on The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Sure, the animation isn't exactly high-tech, but it does manage to convey a lot of the same beautiful imagery that's in Beagle's book. Such a strange, kinda creepy but magical tale.

8. Clueless (1995), based on Emma by Jane Austen. It says a lot about both the movie and the novel that studying them in high school didn't forever sap my enjoyment of them. On a superficial level Clueless doesn't have a lot in common with Emma, but below the surface they are clearly kindred spirits.

9. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It's just not Christmas without this book or movie. And Gonzo as Dickens? Pure genius.

10. Little Women (1994), based on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. A gorgeous movie that hits all the right emotional notes. Which means a few laughs and a helluva lot of tears.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Be My Guest: Kayleigh from Nylon Admiral

This week I'd like to welcome Kayleigh from Nylon Admiral for Be My Guest. Kayleigh writes awesome reviews for an eclectic range of books like Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan, and I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. She also finds fun Monday Links and does amazing crafty things like these DIY Harry Potter wands and this Christmassy baking. Take it away Kayleigh!

What are we eating and drinking at this party?
Since I'm rereading Harry Potter it'd have to be as close to one of their amazing feasts as possible! Everyone's favourite foods would cover the tables, plus LOTS of Butterbeer, and all the sweets mentioned in the books, fizzing whizbees, chocolate frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans with the gross ones already picked out). We'd finish the night feeling very, very happy but about 5kg heavier!
 

What part of the world do you hail from, and what's something not many people would know about that place?
I've lived all over Australia and in Hong Kong but I spent the biggest portion of my childhood in Cairns, which is a tropical town in North Queensland. There's a series of waterholes and waterfalls called crystal cascades that are something of a local secret. They're a gazillion times nicer than the beaches (which are like swimming in a warm bath), gorgeous and so fresh you can drink the water as you swim!
 

Tell us one random fact about yourself.
I'm an avid Dungeons and Dragons player. I only got into it two years ago, but it's become a weekly occurrence for my merry band of friends.

What do you do when you're not reading/blogging?
I'm a PhD student, writing my thesis about zombies in Asian film and how the genre changes in a new cultural environment. It's easily the most fun I've had, but also one of the most frustrating and stressful! 

What kind of books do you read, and what is your ultimate favourite?
I'll read just about anything but I tend to favour the dark realism of Warren Ellis, Irvine Welsh and Hunter S. Thompson with a dash of fantastical Neil Gaiman for variety.

Ultimate favourite has to be the Harry Potter series. It doesn't matter how many times I read it, I never get bored and I have mad, crazy love for the characters and world.
 

Describe your blog in three words.
Enthusiastic, Eccentric, Hyperbolic.

What is your favourite thing about your blog/blogging?
The excuse it gives me to read as much as I do and the people I've met. Book guys and gals are the raddest folk around! 

What post or review are you most proud of, and why?
Tough question! Any review that gets some conversation going in the comments makes me really happy. 

Last year when I started my PhD I wasn't sure how I was going to keep the blog going because reading was the absolute last thing I wanted to do when I got home from 10 hours of academic reading and writing. So I tinkered away and eventually worked it out and the post I wrote about it is one I return to often to keep myself motivated when things get tricky with the work/blog balance.

What are your top three favourite book blogs, and why?
I give myself half an hour every morning (longer on weekends) to scroll through my blog roll, but if I don't have the time the three I make sure I check is your blog, Laura's blog (Devouring Texts) and Gabe's blog Gabriel Reads. All three share similar general tastes with me (bookish and other) but also help introduce me to genres and books I wouldn't normally pick for myself.
 

Can you think of a time another blogger's review made you actually buy/borrow/read a book?
Too often to count! I wouldn't have read The Hunger Games if it wasn't for the enthusiasm of 20 or so book bloggers I follow, and that's probably true for any YA (other than HP) I've read since starting this blog.
 

What were the first and the last books that made you...

-Laugh. I don't think it'd be inaccurate to say that one of Roald Dahl's books was the first to make me laugh. Probably Matilda (the best!). Most recently it's probably Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which I've just finished rereading. JK Rowling (like Roald Dahl) has a talent for creating humour even in the most unhappy of situations.

-Cry. I'm not sure what the first book that made me cry would be. That I can remember would probably be Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but I'd be really surprised if a book hadn't made me cry before then (I'm something of a wuss). And I'm sure I've had books moisten my eyes since, but the last book that had me straight out ugly cry was Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguru. It's an amazing book, but oh my god, I could not keep it together!

-Throw them across the room in fury. Not sure about this one. Recently I read about two pages of 50 Shades of Grey at a book store and if I hadn't thought they'd kick me out/make me pay for it, I'd have drop-kicked that piece of trash! Not sure which book had me react like that first though. 

-Push them onto others. I recommended Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci series to everyone as a kid (still do!) and now it'd probably be Stephen King's The Stand. Regardless of your thoughts about King, this is one of those books everyone *needs* to read.

-Stay up til 2am reading. As a kid I used to stay up reading late into the night. If I had chapters left and it was a good book, there was no way I'd be getting any sleep until it was done. I definitely stayed up reading the Harry Potter books, and probably my fair share of BSC and Sweet Valley High books. More recently was my reread of The Hobbit while I was away after Christmas. I only had two chapters left, I could hardly leave it could I?!

Thanks so much for joining me Kayleigh! I totally want to visit the crystal cascades, play Dungeons and Dragons and read your brilliant thesis (zombies FTW!). And Never Let Me Go made me ugly cry for days.

Top Five: Books That Make Me Cry

Reading makes me happy, but that doesn't mean all books do - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it feels good to just have a cry. Aside from that, it's wonderful to be so involved in a story that it really makes you feel - even if those feelings aren't always warm and fuzzy. A good story, well-told, has the power to make you experience all kinds of emotions, and if something moves me to tears, it means I've had a great read, if not a great time. Here are the top five books that have left me a blubbering heap of despair (in a good way, of course)...

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Oh my goodness, this book floored me. I was a wreck not just at the end, but all the way through it. Telling the story of three friends whose fate was already decided even before they were born, it's a devastating tale of love and loss. It's beautifully written, but an extremely intense - and at times excruciating - read. The worst (and best) part is that you kind of know what's going to happen, and getting there is wonderful and awful all at once. It's one of the best books I've read (and one of the best movies I've seen) this year.

2. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Henry has a disorder that causes him to time travel uncontrollably, complicating all aspects of his life - especially his relationship with his wife, Clare, who first met him as a little girl on one of his trips through time. What I found most interesting was the idea that Henry and Clare had no choice but to love each other - when they each met the other for the first time (Clare as a child meeting adult Henry in the "past", young adult Henry meeting young adult Clare in the "present") the other is already in love with them (adult Henry with his wife Clare, young adult Clare with the Henry who has visited her all her life). It's this lack of control that is the most frightening aspect of the story, especially as - like with Never Let Me Go - you get closer and closer to what you suspect is going to happen. I devoured this book in two days, and when I finished it I literally sobbed for about half an hour.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. You go into a story set in Nazi Germany (narrated by Death himself, no less) knowing it's not exactly going to be all sunshine, rainbows and lollipops. But The Book Thief surprised me by how whimsical, beautiful and even delightful it was. Which, of course, just made the inevitable sad parts all the more heart-wrenching. I read it over a year ago now and I still get that punched-in-the-gut feeling when I think about certain parts. But it's the wonderful characters that stay with you more than anything; from the book-loving thief of the title, Liesl, to her cheeky, caring friend Rudy, to her abrasive-but-loving foster mother Rosa and her quietly heroic "papa", Hans. This is one of those books that I nag everyone to read - so if you haven't, go do it. Now.

4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's a cold, cold person who can make it through Little Women - the classic tale of three remarkable and one extremely annoying four remarkable sisters - without crying. I always know what's going to happen, but it gets me Every. Single. Time. As soon as Beth goes to the Hummels, that's it, I can barely continue reading through my tears. Why couldn't Amy have gone instead?! I mean, er...

5. Checkers by John Marsden. I read this when I was about 11 or 12, and it's the first book that I remember really crying over - like, really crying. Told in flashbacks by a teen girl in a psychiatric hospital, the events that led her there - involving her beloved dog Checkers, her dad and the state government - are slowly revealed, with heartbreaking results. I revisited it again years later, racing through it in a matter of hours - and was still utterly gutted by the end of it. While I haven't read it in awhile, I'm still haunted by its contents whenever I catch a glimpse of the cover on my bookshelf.

What books have really made you cry?

Image via I Can Has Cheezburger

The Movie Was AMAZEBALLS: Never Let Me Go

It's rare that a movie is better than the book it's based on - especially an amazing book like Never Let Me Go - but I think this one might just have done it. Well, it was at least as good as the book... beautifully shot, brilliantly acted and wonderfully told. It hit all the right marks, and was just as heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching and just generally wrenching as the novel. I'd normally do a detailed comparison of the changes from book to movie, but I don't think I can do it this time. It would be a shame to pick it a part, as it's such an emotional experience. Plus, it's incredibly faithful to the book - there were a few changes, but they were mostly pretty minor and worked well in the film. I seriously can't fault it.

Did I mention how brilliant the acting was? Andrew Garfield, holy moly. I loved him before, but wow. He perfectly captured Tommy's vulnerability, sensitivity, hope and heartbreak. Man, the heartbreak...And Carey Mulligan! She did such a wonderful job of bringing Kathy to life, conveying so much emotion in just one look that I felt for her even more than I had in the book. Keira was also great as the nasty Ruth, who I actually managed to feel sympathy for at one point. The child actors were also amazing - not only did they look a helluva lot like their adult counterparts (young Kathy especially looked freakishly like Carey), but they could also actually act. This was so important, as their story does take up a large part of the movie, and without this strong foundation it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful later on. As it stands, it's probably the most powerful film I've seen in a long time.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This was both an easy and extremely hard read.

It was easy because it's superbly written and compelling. I couldn't put it down and got through it in two sittings – if you don't count the number of times I had to set it aside for a few minutes, just to catch my breath. It was very, very hard at times to keep reading in anticipation of the distressing events to come.

We’re told at the beginning that the setting is “England, late 1990s", but you immediately know that there’s something unusual in this England, with the casual mentions of “donors” and “carers”. The narration is set up as a kind of conversation between the protagonist, Kathy, and the reader, so there's an assumed knowledge of her world and her place in it. Of course, we have no clue, but it infuses the slow build to the big reveal(s) with a kind of dread as we, like the characters as children, have been "told, but not told".

The plot centres around Kathy’s relationship with her two best friends, Ruth and Tommy, and their complicated love for each other, made even more delicate by time - when it’s wrong, when it passes, and when it’s very, very limited. The characters seem very much aware of the shadow of time looming over them, but that doesn’t stop them from making mistakes, from hurting each other, and from holding back from what they want. For all their love and creativity, these things, more than anything, are the most forceful evidence of their very real humanity.

This is not what you would describe as an enjoyable book. I don’t think it’s giving too much away to say that it’s a tear-jerker – and then some. In fact, in certain places, it’s downright unpleasant. But that just shows how powerful it is. You really FEEL for the characters so that, on more than one occasion, I actually felt that my own heart was breaking.

Rating: 4/5

Talking Points

• The story stays with you for long after you've closed the book (warning: it is a mistake to finish this immediately before bedtime). At first I thought it was extremely depressing and sent the message that life was pointless and death inevitable. It certainly makes you consider these things. But after thinking about it I came to realise that it's actually about the opposite: yes, death is inevitable, but that just makes what you do with your life all the more important. You have to seize what you want now and not wait until it's too late.
• On a slightly shallower note, I hated Ruth. Kathy obviously loves her dearly, but she spends a lot more time focusing on her less than admirable traits and actions. Which is understandable, given everything that happens. Ahem...
• A lot of reviews - especially regarding the movie - have brought up the issue of why nobody tries to escape their fate. The thought did cross my mind, but I think when you consider the fact that they've been brought up their whole lives with their destiny/purpose drilled into their minds, it is realistic that they don't really consider running away. They have no families (except each other), nowhere to go, no real preparation for the outside world - no options, really. I said it was sad, didn't I?
• Not having much medical knowledge, I'd like to know how the third and fourth donations were possible. It wasn't a majorly important point for what the book was trying to achieve, but it did make me curious.

Eye candy
Again, having already watched the movie trailer prior to reading the book, I had Carey Mulligan as Kathy, Andrew Garfield as Tommy and Keira Knightley as Ruth stuck in my head. Which was pretty much perfect anyway, because I LOVE Carey and Andrew (to be honest, they're what attracted me to the book/movie to start with) and I don't particularly like Keira, so that worked for Ruth. The only thing that bugs me is Carey's weird mullet 'do in the trailer/stills, but she's so gorgeous I'll let it slide:

On a related note, this little clip made me so happy and (almost) pulled me out of the utter sadness I felt after finishing the book. Just. So. Adorable.