Category: Memes

Discussions, Let's Talk Bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish: What Makes a Good Sequel

by wren @ wingsandfables6 Comments on Let’s Talk Bookish: What Makes a Good Sequel

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic was suggested by M.T. Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left and is What Makes a Good Sequel.

What do you like to see in sequels?

A good amount of character development is always at the forefront for me. We got to meet the characters in the first book, I want to see them grow and become something more in the second book. I also like to see some actual plot for the second book and its own resolution or development. I want it to have a story arc of its own and not just be a part of the bigger picture of the series.

Are there any sequels you liked more than the first book?

Definitely! I have several sequels that I loved more than the first one. A few of them are:

  • Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass series)
  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses series)
  • Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls series)
  • The Wicked King by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air trilogy)
  • The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi (Shipbreaker trilogy)
  • The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Ascendance series)
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Memes, Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Liked Better Than the Adaptation

by wren @ wingsandfables8 Comments on Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Liked Better Than the Adaptation

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Bionic Book Worm and is now hosted by Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic is Top 5 Books You Liked Better Than the Adaptation.

This topic. This topic was SO HARD for me because I generally like both the book and the adaptation equally in their own ways. So think of this moreso as a I-love-them-both-equally-but-if-I-absolutely-had-to-pick-I’d-pick-the-book-but-that-causes-me-a-LOT-of-pain-to-think-about-and-also-I’m-a-Gemini-so-I-can’t-make-decisions-to-save-my-life-sometimes-so-I-did-my-best list.

1. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Okay this is a legitimate the book was better than the movie because what even was the movie? The second film was better but the first one was so messy and I remember being supremely upset that they didn’t make Annabeth blonde in the film (although they did in the second??). I think Logan Lerman did a great job in the movie but I’m eager to see what comes of the television show and have high hopes for it.

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Discussions, Let's Talk Bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish: Creating Bookish Content

by wren @ wingsandfables18 Comments on Let’s Talk Bookish: Creating Bookish Content

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic was suggested by Rukky and is How Do You Create Bookish Content.

What’s your posting process?

My posting process is pretty simple. I utilize the draft and scheduling system of WordPress extensively, partly because I have a pretty bad memory sometimes and partly because I’m a Virgo moon and Thrive on Organization haha. I always title each draft so I know what it’s intended for and add my personal header for whichever type of post it is (review, book list, bookish talk, etc.) and add in my usual formatting if it applies such as the way I add a quote to the beginning of every review. I often will write notes to myself in the draft as well as a way to get my thoughts down. If it’s part of one of the weekly memes I participate in, I like to copy + paste the prompts for each week into the draft so I’m able to start working on them immediately when I have time. Nearly every post you see that appears on this blog was written weeks ago and then scheduled for the day that you see it, including my book reviews. For instance, I’m writing this post in the evening of April 24th when it doesn’t release until May 21st. This is also why I’m sometimes slower to respond to comments or appear active when I’m actually not. I get on WordPress a couple of times a week, depending on my schedule and mental health status, so some days I’m extremely active in liking and commenting on others’ posts and sometimes I’m a ghost for a few days at a time. And by “mental health status” I mean that I have a mood disorder which affects me certain parts of the month worse than others so I actively cater when I write my posts and reviews to my “good time” because I’m extremely unproductive during my low days and want to still be able to put out consistent content despite my health.

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Memes, Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Adaptations I Liked Better Than the Book

by wren @ wingsandfables6 Comments on Top 5 Tuesday: Adaptations I Liked Better Than the Book

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Bionic Book Worm and is now hosted by Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic is Top 5 Adaptations You Liked Better Than the Book.

1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I feel like this is a very obvious answer. Rosamund Pike’s portrayal of Amy completely stole my heart. I did enjoy the book, of course, but I really loved the film. Everyone knows the iconic monologue of Amy when she explains how she pulled off her own disappearance and the way Rosamund reads it truly brings a whole new vibe to the storyline. I love the twisted ending and the final shots of Amy laying with her head on Nick’s stomach which parallels a frame of her doing it earlier in the film, bringing the story full circle. It has great cinematography and didn’t take too many liberties from the book which I enjoyed.

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Discussions, Let's Talk Bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish: Books Based on Games/Shows/Movies/Comics

by wren @ wingsandfables8 Comments on Let’s Talk Bookish: Books Based on Games/Shows/Movies/Comics

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly series hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic was suggested by Dani and is Books Based on Games/Movies/Shows/Comics.

“The book is better” is a common outcry amongst book worms, because the book came first…but what about when it didn’t? How do you feel about book adaptations of movies? Books based on video game worlds? Books that tell alternate stories from television worlds? Or even books featuring your favorite superheroes? Do you have any favorites in these genres? Is the book still better?

I had to really think about this week’s topic and consider if I’ve ever actually read a book based off of something else already created in the media. I have read a few and all of them are books based off of movies. In my limited experience so far, I’ve found that these books often follow very closely to their original basis compared to their counterparts. We’re all very familiar with movies and television shows taking creative liberties for various reasons whether it be to make them more appealing to the general population, to make them more relevant to the gen pop, or to make them more “interesting” and more marketable, but it’s rare that we ever see a movie/television show that actually follows closely to its book basis. But when it’s a book based off of a movie, it’s nearly identical to its source material which is interesting.

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Memes, Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Wish Had TV Adaptations

by wren @ wingsandfables10 Comments on Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Wish Had TV Adaptations

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Bionic Book Worm and is now hosted by Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic is Top 5 Books I Wish Had TV Adaptations.

This week’s prompt was a bit more challenging for me this week because so many books I would put on this list are actually becoming TV series already! I’m so happy that many more young adult books are being adapted to screen nowadays. Even if they’re not perfectly true to their source material, I’m happy that more authors are getting an opportunity to see their creations come alive in a different way.

1. Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn

This series defines my teenage years and I have such a deep connection with the books. It’s a Christian young adult series that follows a Wisconsin girl who spends the summer with her aunt and uncle in Newport Beach, California. She falls in love with one of the surfers and he introduces her to the concept of having a real relationship with Jesus, not just an I-attend-church type of vibe. The original series has 12 books and the author has gone on to write the characters through their college lives, their marriage, and her newest books focus on them becoming parents. There are so many ups and downs in the series from Christy’s family moving across the U.S. to the love interest, Todd, cutting off their relationship at times to Christy selecting a life path only to find out that it really isn’t for her. There’s loads of material that could be used in a TV show adaptation and a few of Gunn’s books have already made it to the screen on the Hallmark channel. I’d love to see Christy Miller take a spot as well.

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Discussions, Let's Talk Bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading YA/Middle Grade as an Adult

by wren @ wingsandfables8 Comments on Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading YA/Middle Grade as an Adult

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic was suggested by Sam @ River Moose Books and is What Makes You Continue Picking Up YA/Middle Grade? Or Why Don’t You?

As adults some of us leave YA/Middle Grade behind and some of us continue to revel in it…but what separates us as readers? If you still pick up YA/Middle Grade, what draws you to them instead of Adult Fiction?

I am in the camp of someone in their 20s who still reads both young adult and middle grade. I think I still prefer to read them for multiple reasons. Although I read far more young adult than middle grade, I still find myself picking up middle grade from time to time. They’re often series that I loved as a child and want to go back to read more installments that have since been published or just to reread my favorites. I’m always amazed at how much development middle grade has, especially since they tend to be shorter books. I also don’t think books have an age limit. As long as you enjoy it, that’s all that matters!

Firstly, I think I’m drawn to young adult because I relate to the characters more. Although I’m old enough to live on my own, I’ve chosen to remain with my parents and sibling for the time being so I can’t relate to some of the struggles that adult fiction portrays such as dealing with relationship issues with a spouse, taking care of a family or raising a child, running a household, and so on. When I do read adult fiction, I tend to avoid contemporary novels because of the aforementioned themes and prefer to read historical fiction, fantasy, or cozy mysteries.

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