Monday, May 28, 2012

Recommend A...




"Recommend A..." is a weekly meme, posted every Monday, hosted over on Chick Loves Lit. It's a quick, fun and unique way to recommend a book that you love!

Recommend A..book with a green cover!



By Juliet Marillier

Whistling Tor is a place of secrets, a mysterious, wooded hill housing the crumbling fortress of a chieftain whose name is spoken throughout the district in tones of revulsion and bitterness. A curse lies over Anluan's family and his people; those woods hold a perilous force whose every whisper threatens doom.

For young scribe Caitrin it is a safe haven. This place where nobody else is prepared to go seems exactly what she needs, for Caitrin is fleeing her own demons. As Caitlin comes to know Anluan and his home in more depth she realizes that it is only through her love and determination that the curse can be broken and Anluan and his people set free.


Love, love LOVE Juliet Marillier and as I was perusing through Goodreads I realized that I really haven't read that many books with a green cover and this was one of the few so obviously I jumped right on it! If you haven't read Marillier, go read something by her now. You're welcome.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Black Swan




The Black Swan 
By Mercedes Lackey 

After his wife's untimely death, a powerful sorcerer dedicates his life to seeking revenge against all womankind. He turns his captives into beautiful swans--who briefly regain human form by the fleeting light of the moon. Only Odette, noblest of the enchanted flock, has the courage to confront her captor. But can she gain the allies she needs to free herself and the other swan-maidens from their magical slavery? A monumental tale of loyalty and betrayal, of magic good and evil, of love both carnal and pure, and of the duality of human nature, The Black Swan is a rich tapestry, which is sure to become an all-time masterpiece of fantasy.

The Black Swan is part of Mercedes Lackey’s Fairy Tales series and it is a loose retelling of the story of Swan Lake. Like the original story, the princess Odette is turned into a swan by a sorcerer who vows that she will be turned back into her original form if her lover, Prince Siegfriend remains faithful to her. The sorcerer, Baron Von Rothbart, uses his daughter to trick the prince into betraying Odette so that she will be forced to remain in her swan form.

I am not extremely familiar with the original story (Okay, so I’ve only seen the Barbie version) but like most retellings, Mercedes Lackey molded this story into her own. The characters gain more depth and the reader is able to understand their motives. Even the Baron becomes a more solid character, as his motives are made clear though still rather unjust. I was extremely impressed with Lackey’s addition of another villain in the form of Queen Clothilde. She was the epitome of evil and made The Baron look almost innocent in his wicked ways. Prince Siegfried is a rather hard hero to fall in love with as he is represented as a womanizer and to be quite honest, I hated him for most of the story. Furthermore, though the reader thinks this story to be centered around the swan maiden, Odette, it is really Odile who takes center stage in the tale. Odette plays her part as the pure maiden seamlessly but it is Odile’s inner turmoil and growth that really draws the reader and helps one become invested in her tale.

This was one of the first fantasy books I picked up as a young adult, I read it so many times that my paperback fell apart and my mother bought me a hardcover as a replacement. I hadn’t picked this up in years but once I started reading it again I was immediately drawn in as I was so many years ago. I love the relationship between Odile and her father and I love the strength she gains as the story progresses. Each character grows in a different way and the relationships between everyone progressed in relatable and interesting ways. I also adored the land that Lackey creates. At one point Odile is using magic to carve out a “home” out of a treen for herself and the swan maidens and for some reason it is a part that stuck with me for years, the image is forever etched in my mind.

I still have yet to read anything else by Mercedes Lackey but I hope to read the rest of her Fairy Tales as well as her Elemental Masters series because I have heard wonderful things about both. This novel comes highly recommended to lovers of fantasy, strong female characters and those who love their fairy tale retellings as much as I do. 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Book Hoarders Anonymous


As some of you may know I went on a tiny vacation to Ithaca this weekend. I had planned on seeing some gorges, waterfalls and quirky downtown shops. What I did not anticipate was the absolute jackpot that Ithaca is in relation to bookstores! I could hardly fathom the amount of used book stores in the area and I just happened to show up on the last weekend of the HUGE Friends of the Library book sale. It was fate, I tell ya! Let's check out my finds from the weekend...Please excuse the quality of these pictures. The bed & breakfast where we are staying is a legit log cabin and totes reminds me of:"I have to go! There's a deer just outside, eating fruit from the orchard!" - Ross Gellar 


It's GORGEOUS here, but the lighting is not the best!




Many of you know that I collect Wizard of Oz books so I was almost hyperventilating when I saw this bundle at The Friends of the Library Booksale!! With the exception of The Scarecrow of Oz which I found from another used bookstore these were all purchased for 10 cents EACH!!! AHHH!!

The Shakespeare's Daughter and Shakespeare in the Movies were a dollar each and I thought they would go nicely with my ever growing collection of Shakespearean literature. Fairest number 1 and 2 by Bill Willingham came from the most well stocked and organized comic book store I have ever seen! No Go the Boogeyman was an awesome find, a hardcover for just $2.00 is not too shabby! Finally, I picked up Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for just 25 cents. Just in time for the read-a-long!

I am hoping that upon returning home my copy of Wintercraft: Legacy will be in my mailbox but there is no telling as Amazon UK stated Wednesday as the delivery date and ALAS! Still no sign!

What fun books did you grab this week?

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Outlander Read-a-long


June 11 - July 23



The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

I’m sure half of you are rolling your eyes at me thinking about how drastically I do NOT need to add another challenge to my list and the other half is just happy that I am finally taking the plunge and reading a book that they have been pushing on me since I was a youngin’ first blurring the lines between YA and Adult Lit. Outlander is a book that I have been wanting to read for a LONG time, in fact, it was featured on my Top Ten Tuesday list last week as one of the books I can’t believe I’ve never read. I was overjoyed when this read-a-long was brought to my attention and I am very excited to participate!!

Here’s the deal…

The read-a-long is going to go from June 11th to July 23rd on Mondays and the schedule and hosting blogs are as follows:

Monday, June 11th:

Questions for chapters 1-7 announced at Gone with the Words

Monday, June 18th:


Questions for chapters 1-7 answered & questions announced for chapters 8-14 at Stalking the Bookshelves

Monday, June 25th:

Questions for chapters 8-14 answered & questions announced for chapters 15-21 on Tangled up in Blue

Monday, July 2nd:

Questions for chapters 15-21 answered & questions announced for chapters 22-28 on Into the Hall of Books

Monday, July 9th:

Questions for chapters 22-28 answered & questions announced for chapters 29-35 on Logan E. Turner

Monday, July 16th:

Questions for chapters 29-35 answered & questions announced for chapters 36-41 on The Reading Housewives

Monday, July 23rd:

Questions for chapters 36-41 answered on Gone with the Words. The end.


Special thanks to the participating blogs for hosting this awesome read-a-long and getting my butt in gear to read a series I am convinced I will LOVE!!


Thursday, May 17, 2012

Wintercraft: Blackwatch



Blackwatch
By Jenna Burtenshaw


Kate has escaped the clutches of the High Council and Silas has left Albion for the continent. But their lives are forever linked and as the veil weakens, causing Albion's skilled to fear for everyone's safety, Silas and Kate find themselves drawn together by the mysterious and corrupt Dalliah Grey.

Blackwatch begins with Kate on trial because she has been falsely accused of murdering one of the leaders of the Skilled. Kate learns who she truly can and cannot trust while on trial and she is disheartened to find that those she believed loyal to her, those she risked her life for, are really not as loyal to her as she believed. Kate and Edgar escape from the Skilled into the underground caverns only to be caught by the Blackwatch, the Continent’s most elite warriors. Across the sea, Silas is also being hunted by Blackwatch and it is through Silas and Kate’s blood tie that they are both captured and forced to try both Silas’s patience and Kate’s power.

This story delves deeper into the tie between Silas and Kate and the powers that Kate has inherited as one of the Skilled. One of the reasons I adored Shadowcry was because of how dark it was as a young adult novel, and Blackwatch was no different. Jenna Burtenshaw delves deeper into what the veil represents and how it affects both Kate and Silas as well as how Edgar’s role as Kate’s only confidant will affect her power over the veil. The novel also provides the reader with glimpses into past which assists the reader in understanding both how Wintercraft came to be and how easily one can be consumed by darkness.



A new character, Dalliah Grey was introduced in this novel and she was a nice addition after the absence of Da’ru, though it is still a little unclear if her motives are going to be detrimental to Kate or not. It is no question that she does not have Kate’s best interests at heart and only wants to use her to accomplish her own (less than godly) goals. The shift in POV between Kate and Silas also offers a nice addition so the reader is able to glimpse some of Silas’s inner turmoil as he starts to gain a conscience. That being said, the last few pages of the novel were probably my favorite as they really gave the reader a more solid view on the man that Silas is growing into, no word yet on the romance but one can only hope (okay, pine for.)

Like in Shadowcry, Jenna Burtenshaw uses impeccable descriptions to describe the world Silas and Kate travel through. As I was reading about the caverns underground and the city housed in them I was amazed at how vivid they were in my mind. The climax of the novel was also brilliant in my mind and I found myself feeling a range of emotions as Kate struggled with the situation she was thrown into. I am thrilled to say that my copy of the conclusion to this trilogy, Wintercraft: Legacy, just arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to find out the extent of Kate’s power and Silas’s strength.

This series comes highly recommended!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday



Top Ten Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday ‘s topic is actually “top ten authors I’d like to see on a reality show and which reality show,” but I don’t really watch reality tv and therefore thought my list would be rather boring. So instead I decided to go with one of the topics already done over at The Broke and the Bookish and one that will hopefully light a fire under my bottom to go and read these books ASAP.

ANYTHING by Neil Gaiman – Give me some recommendations, people. I know his awesomeness exceeds many but I have yet to witness it first hand!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – I see this on so many lists every week and have yet to read it!

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll– Like some friends of mine, I have a problem reading books that I own. The bf actually bought me the annotated version for Christmas, I think he is trying to tell me something...

The Iliad by Homer – How this one has escaped me I’ll never know as I have written about the Odyssey more times than I can count.

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon – Every single person who knows that I love Juliet Marillier tells me I need to read these authors. My mother bought me the first book YEARS ago and I still have yet to pick it up.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin – I am obsessed with the show and admittedly started book one and never finished. Not because it wasn’t awesome, because it was, but I had a hard time reading that one while reading others that needed to be reviewed and so forth. Summer break will be when I reinstate my love affair with Jon Snow.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides – People are always appalled that I haven’t read this one but honestly it doesn’t really appeal to me. Someone change my mind?!

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – Another book that those I trust tell me that I would absolutely adore!

Divergent by Veronica Roth – With all the hype this one is getting I can’t believe I was not one of those bloggers counting down to book two!

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson – I am a little obsessed with Shakespeare so I can’t believe that I haven’t read this one yet!

What books are you surprised that you haven’t read yet?

Monday, May 14, 2012

Wintercraft: Shadowcry




Wintercraft: Shadowcry (Book one in the Wintercraft trilogy)
Jenna Burtenshaw 


Ten years ago the High Council’s wardens took Kate Winters’ parents to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. A far more dangerous enemy hunts Kate and her friend Edgar. Silas Dane -- the High Council's most feared man -- recognizes Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft -- a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft. To help Artemis, Edgar and herself, Kate must honor her pact with a murderer and come face to face with the true nature of death.

In Wintercraft, we meet Kate Winter’s, a young girl living with her uncle tending to a small bookstore not realizing that she is one of the Skilled and that she is wanted by many. One day, Kate and her uncle notice hundreds of birds flying over their small town; suddenly, the birds all plummet to their death and Artemis warns Kate to hide because he knows that the birds are a sign that the wardens have come. Kate has been given little to no information on the wardens, save that they took her parents for the war so she doesn’t immediately heed his warning. Instead, the picks up one of the poor birds and finds that the bird is brought back to life with her touch. Thus begins a whirlwind adventure for Kate and her friend Edgar in which Silas Dane, the most feared man in Albion, hunts them. Silas works for the High Council but he has an agenda of his own. Silas has been given a half-life, his soul has been separated from his body and he is forever trapped in the land of the living while still keeping half of himself in the veil between the living and dead. Silas is convinced that Kate has the power to find him the peace he has been longing for and therefore does what is in his power to keep her safe while still acting as if he is loyal to the council.

I found this book while perusing on Goodreads one day and fell in love with the cover. It seemed like such a different type of story from the blurb and I am always intrigued by the “dark” young adult novels so I decided to pick it up from my local library and I am so happy that I did! I flew threw this book in an afternoon and immediately started book two.

The characters in this book are fascinating to me. Kate Winters is a strong female character but she isn’t without fault. Jenna Burtenshaw gives all of her characters many layers (okay, maybe not Da’ru) and the reader is able to appreciate the conflict Kate faces as she comes into her “power” and determines the morally “right” decision in the face of danger. Though she seems stubborn, it is in an educated way so that she doesn’t look like a child. Though the reader can still understand that Kate really is just growing into a young woman and is facing dangers that she has never fathomed. Edgar is Kate’s best friend and though he provides some comedic relief he is far from a silly character. Edgar is faithful and caring yet there are many things about him that Burtenshaw has only alluded to. Many other characters make allusions that there is more to Edgar than meets the eye and I am really intrigued to see who his character turns into. Finally, it is no surprise that Silas Dane is by far my favorite character in the novel. Though he is a foreboding and one can argue, evil, character he is still a loyal soldier who doesn’t make promises he doesn’t intend to keep and he always fulfills his debts. Like Kate and Edgar he is also extremely layered and grows into someone the reader can empathize with come the end of the book. I should probably add that he is extremely swoonworthy. He is intelligent and brooding (my favorite!) and he has a pet crow! Who wouldn’t love that in a guy? I have to add that as of right now there is no romantic plot in the story and though I may have yearned a little I really loved and appreciated the story in a different way. I hadn’t noticed how much more depth a story can have when the “I do everything for love” plotline is taken out of a novel.

The world Jenna Burtenshaw creates is richly imaginative and in a word, magical. It completely drew me in as a reader and I found myself savoring every part of the novel in a wonderful way. I recommend this book to lovers of fantasy and darker young adult fiction.


Make sure to check back later in the week for my review of book two in the Wintercraft series, Blackwatch.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Wintercraft: Legacy
Jenna Burtenshaw
May 10, 2012


The veil which marks the division between life and death is falling. Lost souls are seeping through to roam Albion's graveyard city of Fume. Kate Winters' recent memory is lost. Relieved to be heading home to Albion, Kate can't shake the feeling that Dalliah Grey, the woman she's supposed to be working for, is not to be trusted. Disgraced warrior Silas Dane plans to rescue Kate and save Albion from the advancing armies seeking to profit from the confusion. But the veil will not be easy to repair and Silas knows sacrifices have to be made. Kate must return to the dark secrets detailed by her ancestors in the ancient book of WINTERCRAFT and learn from their mistakes to save herself.

I just started this series last week and I am loving everything about it. It is dark and mysterious and not at all what I thought it would be. Silas Dane is swoonworthy and Kate is a very strong female character. I already ordered my copy from Amazon UK and I can't wait for it to come! Make sure you check back soon for my reviews of Shadowcry and Blackwatch!

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday


Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!

This one was actually pretty hard for me because I LOVE quotes and literary quotes are my favorite. I decided to not include any Shakespeare or Chaucer because they would take up my entire list and tried to keep it to one or two from a favorite author/book. So, here are my top ten favorite quotes that popped into my head…

“I’m tired of being strong.” She laughed at me, laughed as if I was ridiculous. “You are what you are,” She said. – Juliet Marillier, Daughter of the Forest


“Sometimes you deal with the devil not because you want to, but because if you don't, someone else will.”Laurell K. Hamilton, Cerulean Sins

“Celia, wait,” Marco says, standing but not moving closer to her. “You are breaking my heart. You told me once that I reminded you of your father. That you never wanted to suffer the way your mother did for him, but you are doing exactly that to me. You keep leaving me. You leave me longing for you again and again when I would give anything for you to stay, and it is killing me.”
“It has to kill one of us,” Celia says quietly.” – Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone

“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

“...looking at him makes her feel like laughing all over - as if she could laugh not just with her mouth but with her eyes, her heart, her very limbs.” Gregory Maguire, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister 


“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?” Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls

"How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.”Bram Stoker, Dracula


“Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.” - Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

“How could you not know?" His voice was full of wonderment. "You changed me utterly. You were like a...like a bright, wonderful bloom in a garden full of weeds. Like a graceful capital on a page of plain script, a letter decorated with the deepest, finest colors in all Erin. Like a flame, Caitrin. Like a song.”Juliet Marillier, Hearts Blood

What favorite quotes do you have on your list this week?

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Matched



Matched 
By Ally Condie 

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.


The story begins with Cassia on her way to her Match Banquet. It is a banquet where Cassia will be given the perfect “match” for her to marry, have children and grow old with. The society in which Cassia lives tracks and nearly controls her every move, therefore they are the experts on who she statistically should be matched with. It comes as a surprise when Cassia is matched with her best friend and neighbor, Xander and she couldn’t be happier. However, when Cassia takes the time to view her microcard in order to learn more about Xander it is not his face that appears on the screen but another boy who lives on her street, a boy named Ky Markham. This so called glitch in the system begins to take over Cassia’s thoughts and she becomes obsessed with the idea that The Society made a mistake regarding her match. She soon begins to wonder if it is possible to be matched with two people and decides that she needs to find out more about Ky before deciding whether or not Xander is right for her.

First, the narrative was absolutely gorgeous and I fell in love with Ally Condie’s writing style immediately. It is beautiful and strong and just resonating in a way that a lot of young adult novels are not.

I loved the way in which Cassia starts off as a character who is naïve and young and excited to learn about who her match will be because it is a moment she has been waiting for all her life and then grows into an intelligent and strong individual who takes risks to save those that she loves. I immediately fell in love with Ky and really couldn’t stand Xander almost as soon as he was introduced. Ky had all of the qualities I love in a male character. He was smart (he taught her how to WRITE!!), stubborn and stealthy and brooding and I just loved it. I felt sad for him and elated when his story was told in small ways and really couldn’t help understanding how Cassia fell in love with him. I am going to ignore the fact that she may have never glanced his way had she not seen his face pop up on her screen alluding that he was her match because that would ruin it and make me rather frustrated with the whole novel. Now I know many people have a hard time deciding between Gale and Peeta Ky and Xander but I really didn’t. Xander grew on me as the book went on but in the beginning I didn’t like him much. He seemed perfect but not in a good way, in a way that made me think that the society had molded him to be just what they wanted him to be. Finally near the end he has some acts of bravery where he takes a few risks and I cut him some slack but overall his character was flat and a little annoying. I was impressed at how present Cassia’s parents were since that is an element left out of many YA books and it really made me feel good to see their inner strength and knowledge in light of the society in which they live.

Though this wasn’t my favorite read of the year I have managed to host two teen book clubs on it and the kids absolutely adored the book and couldn’t say enough about it, no seriously we ran out of time before we ran out of topics! I am pretty excited to read Crossed, which I just picked up from the library and will surely be reading the trilogy’s conclusion, Reached, when it hits the shelves on November 13! This book is highly recommended to those who are looking for a dystopian romance. 

“…between the only life she’s known and a path no one dares to follow…between perfection and passion…”

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Girl of Nightmares (Anna, #2)

Girl of Nightmares
Kendare Blake
August 7, 2012

In this follow-up to Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas begins seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he’s asleep, and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong. These aren’t just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn’t know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn’t deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it’s time for him to return the favor.


Well, we all know I loved Anna Dressed in Blood, and I actually just recommended it to one of my young patrons at work and that reminded me that I am eagerly anticipating its sequel so why not give it a shout out?! Look at this cover, the colors are awesome and Anna's come hither-ness is somewhat creepy and also endearing a little, no?

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday


Books I Would Love to See Made Into Movies



Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!


This is obviously going to be a list of my favorite books because why wouldn’t I want to see them on the big screen? However, this list is tentatively put together as I don’t want any big names ruining one of my favorite books (I’m lookin’ at you, Beowulf!) I think if done properly these books would make fantastic movies that I would obsess over again and again.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – This story was so vibrant and sweet in so many ways, I really loved it. I hate to be one of “those” but I do think it would be enjoyable as a “Harry Potter for adults” story.

The Child Thief by Brom – An extremely dark retelling of Peter Pan, I LOVED it! They might have to scale some things down to make it not so scary and less of a horror story but I think it would be great!

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers – How could this one not be popular? It’s assassin nuns! I would be so wary to see this one because I really don’t want anything to ruin the images in my imagination but I would be curious to see the slow burn romance come to life!

Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede – My favorite fairy tale! I would be interested to see how this would look on the big screen especially with all of the fey elements.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostava – When I first read this book a few years ago there were rumors that film rights had been negotiated. Sadly, after some research I see that no one has gone forward with production. This book provided a new twist on the Dracula tale in a different way than the typical vampire novels or Dracula in Love and it made me remember all the reasons I loved Dracula growing up.

The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey – Ahh one of my favorites from my tender teen years, I can’t say why this book stuck with me so much after all these years but I love it. It’s a retelling of a popular fairy tale but it is also somewhat dark in a way and I think it would be very popular if done well.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr – I LOVED the world building in this one I think it could be really interesting to show the duality between the real world and the sort of “in between” that Bek travels to. 

Frankenstein and/or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - I know these have been done but I would love to see a remake. When I think of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde I think about the first scene in Van Helsing where he is chasing him through the bell tower and it just makes me wonder why it hasn't been done! Maybe this is really more of a want for a Van Helsing two...hmm

Wicked by Gregory Maguire - Even though I have seen the Broadway play four times - yes, FOUR times - I would still love to see this as a movie! I wouldn't argue having Idinia and Kristen reprise their roles on the big screen either!

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion – Cheating a bit at this one I know since it is already post production but I am so excited for it. I loved this book immensely more than I thought I would and was surprised to find myself having a crush on a zombie!


That's it from me this week, what is on your Top Ten Tuesday?


The Night Circus