Books to Movies (a constant work-in-progress)

Aren’t you glad that you live in a time when your favorite literary pieces could be turned into full-color and even 3D movies? I sure am! Below are some of my favorite print-film collaborations.

1. Harry Potter

Some movies were better than others but I couldn’t not watch any of them. So far, my favorites might be The Sorcerer’s Stone, The Goblet of Fire and Prisoner of Azkaban.

2. Pride and Prejudice 2005

Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen make the perfect Lizzie Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching this movie.

3. Lord of the Rings

I have only ever read The Hobbit (why, right?) but I’m amazed by the movies. Director Peter Jackson changed everything when he took on this project.

4. The Time Traveler’s Wife

One of the few instances when the movie made me want to read the book.

5. The Wheel of Time

Okay. Hahaha! This one is not entirely true! But rumors have been going around that the late Robert Jordan’s fantasy series The Wheel of Time will soon be turned into a movie. I sincerely hope so. I’ve only started reading his books lately but I have quickly developed a soft spot for the characters.

6. Girl with a Pearl Earring

I’m so forgetful I can’t believe I didn’t include this movie earlier. It was only in the middle of a blog discussion with a few peeps over at blog catalog that I remembered about Tracy Chevalier’s novel of the same name. This movie stars Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth and is about the famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring by renowned artist Vermeer!

On the other hand, here are a few movie projects which, you might be surprised to learn, are based on books!

1. Minority Report

This film which stars Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg is actually based on a collection of Sci-Fi stories called The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick.

2. Die Hard

Yeah… Shocker.

I can’t think of anything else at the moment so I might post a follow-up entry to this one. What about you?  Any thoughts?

The Amazing Kindle

The Amazing Kindle

I love the world of print. I revel in the smell of old and musty books. I like it when the pages have turned crisp and yellow. And I would much rather read a real book than look at a screen. But I must admit that Amazon’s Kindle sounds interesting. First of all, it’s lighter than a paperback (or so the Web site says). Imagine how easier life would be if you didn’t have to carry all your favorite books when traveling! Especially if your favorites are all on the heavy side! And since it functions on 3G Wireless, that means you don’t need to look for a Wi-Fi spot or even a modem (well, some of us still live in 1999) because you can automatically download your books from wherever you are. The signal is worldwide but you have to check the Web site to see whether your country or city has strong signals or not. Luckily for me, my city is covered.

Now, I know it sounds like I’m championing the Kindle but I can’t help it. I’m not a big fan of gadgets but I love it when I spot something easy to work with (or at least, something that seems easy since I know of no one who has one). I love that the Kindle doesn’t produce glares, not even when you’re outdoors with the sun shining down on you.

The downside of the Kindle, however, is that reading books might feel a little less personal. I really like holding on to something and turning the pages by myself. I like how different books use different kinds of paper, too. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to lend your books out to friends anymore. I don’t know about you but if I had a Kindle, I wouldn’t lend it to my friends!

The real upside of the Kindle though is that it might get my boyfriend to read more!

Photo via Amazon

Book I Want: Hungry by Crystal Renn

I’ve never read an autobiography or a biography in my whole life. At least, I don’t remember ever doing so. But here’s one that caught my eye. Well, the author, at least. Crystal Renn, the controversial plus-size model who went through dramatic changes for modeling, released her memoir called Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves mid last year. No clue as to how good or bad this is since I haven’t read the reviews but I’m curious.

The modeling industry has been under a lot of attack these past few years for encouraging already skinny girls to keep on being skinny until they find themselves saddled with all sorts of health issues. That is exactly what happened to Renn. At 14, she was told that she could land the pages of Vogue if only she could lose 9 or 1o inches off her hips. Her determination to shed all her weight nearly brought her to the brink of death and while she did land editorials, she was not as accomplished as she wanted to be. It was only when she decided to be true to herself and her body that she achieved great success. Hungry does seem to be an interesting read.  That and I can’t seem to take my eyes away from her gorgeous face and eyebrows (I have next to no eyebrows, you see).

Book Rec: When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris is a good read. It’s very funny and can have you laughing like an idiot by yourself in a bus or on the subway. A series of essays reflect Sedaris’ easy humor. Some are funnier than others but if you enjoy reading about people’s curious characteristics and habits, you’re good to go. I don’t know just how much is real and how much is exaggerated but at this point, who cares?  If you want a break from the heavy stuff or even the world, this book is the perfect one for you.

Enid Blyton (1897-1968)

Enid Blyton was a British children’s book author best known for her series The Famous Five as well as a host of other titles. According to Wikipedia, she was “one of the most successful children’s storytellers of the twentieth century.” I couldn’t agree more. She did get me to read after all!

It was through her that I discovered pixies, elves, gnomes, wishing chairs and enchanted forests. It was through her books that I learned what adventure was all about (since I was never allowed out of the house). Some of my favorite Blyton books include The Famous Five, The Adventurous Four, Malory Towers and of course, The Magic Faraway Tree Series!

As a young child, I was completely fascinated with all of these books as I’m sure a lot of boys and girls out there were as well. I read them over and over and over again! In fact, a lot of my afternoons were spent lying on the bed and reading her books from cover to cover. Little did I know that Blyton’s storytelling was hardly welcomed at all by a few children’s books critics and UK media giant BBC. Apparently, they thought that Blyton churned out mediocre stories and some of her work allegedly contained racist and sexist remarks. New reprints are said to have been altered since.

I’m not sure whether our copies are the originals or the reprints but some of our (my siblings and myself) Enid Blyton books are still alive to this day. That’s saying something since most of them had been passed down to us by our mother! And I’m turning 24 this year!

Now I don’t know much about Blyton’s  “life and times” but I just recently discovered that BBC did a film about her life in 2009. I’d like to find myself a copy of that since it stars Helena Bonham Carter and Matthew Macfadyen. I also wish somebody would make a movie about The Magic Faraway Tree series. I’d love to see Jo, Bessie and Fanny; Moonface, Silky and dear old Saucepan Man come to life.