artsy musings of a bibliophile

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: TV Shows for a Perfect World

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I love TV shows! They’re the sole purpose of my existence (no, they’re not but this is a perfect world and so they’re today). So is unlimited tea, free time of course, books. So I came up with ten shows I’d be watching endlessly because I’ll never get tired of them. It’s all will be just very good.

Imagine six seasons for each of the book and extra episodes for the bonus scenes. I’m aware that I’m only on book two but that doesn’t make the show sound any less appealing which I’m sure would be hell of a lot more appealing than say, the *cough* Vampire Academy movie coming out on 14 February next year *cough*

“If I let myself love you, I won’t throw myself in front of her. I’ll throw myself in front of you.”

Mara Dyer sounds so much better than well, any creepy mystery show ever made. I love the process of unraveling a mystery, being engrossed in something deeply and still not get enough of it. Needless to say The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is all these things and more. There’d be a real Noah Shaw in the perfect world.

“Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.”

 

1876 Philadelphia. Zombies AKA the Dead. Eleanor Fitt. Does it get any better than this? I don’t think so. Just aim for the knees when it comes to Something Strange and Deadly and carry on.

“You have the curiosity of a cat and common sense of a goldfish.”

Assassin nuns. It’s like the catholic Game of Thrones. All the chilling intrigue, romance and politics in Grave Mercy would be something ah-mazing as a TV show.

“This is what I want to be. An instrument of mercy, not vengeance.”

As a TV show, Perfect Chemistry would be be like unlike anything ever seen on TV. Everyone hides their true self, Perfect Chemistry shows how.

“We’re actors in our lives, pretendin’ to be who we want people to think we are.”

Aren’t we all tired of shows where cases are dealt with on an episode basis? How about a heist per episode? Why is everything so much better in the perfect world? Oh, Heist Society. (There is a movie in the works, though).

“It is an occupational hazard that anyone who has spent her life learning how to lie eventually becomes bad at telling the truth.”




Edie is just the best character ever and she’d rock as a character on TV. I just love this series so much and have read it countless times, so just gimme a TV version of it. I deserve it.

“It wasn’t like I’d woken up and decided to be a bitch, it was more like I’d woken up to find bitchiness thrust upon me.”

Little Earthquakes is a beautiful book. Five mothers and their ups and downs in life. I wouldn’t mind watching
such a show.

“She thought of what it would be like to grow up without the one certainty that every baby deserved – when I’m hurt or cold or scared, someone will come and care for me – and how that absence could warp you so that you’d lash out at the people you loved, driving them away when all you wanted to do was pull them closer.”

In Remember Me?, Lexi’s memory loss due to a car accident came with many complications. She is sad, quirky and deep at the same time and I’d love to see her cope with her life when she’s actually living the one she had three years back. Intrigued, yet?

“The trouble with giving yourself a pep talk is, that deep down you know it’s all bullshit.”

Every girl on this planet have been called fat at least once in her lifetime and Jemima J is no exception.

“I do believe in fate, but I also believe that we control our own destinies, and I’m not sure which I believe in more. I think that mostly I believe that life is a bit like a tree, and that there are several branches we could take. I think that’s where the controlling our own destiny bit comes in. If we choose a certain branch then our life will go one way, and fate will throw things at us from then on.”

Have you been TV-ed yet? Leave a link to your top ten Tuesday post and I’ll be sure to visit!

Top Ten Tuesday: Secondary Characters

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Secondary characters are important and if it were up to me then I’d have made one on Harry Potter alone. But I restrained myself and went hunting through my shelves. Here are the results:

Hermione Granger has been a solid rock throughout for Harry even when Ron wasn’t. This is what I love about her. Not only that, she’s also smart, insightful and have a sharp tongue. As much as I believe in self-reliance, having Hermione in life would be a blessing.

Severus Snape. Oh, just where do I begin with him. He’s been the most infuriating character in the whole series, second only to Dolores Umbridge and I just hate him so much. I don’t even know why he’s in this list. Wonders of J.K. Rowling, maybe.

It doesn’t get any better than Dee in Just One Day. He’s such an expected character that I was taken aback by him. He never failed to surprise me. Dee is just an awesome friend to have!

Hassan Harbish is a friend anyone would be glad to have because they’re up for anything despite almost failing at life. Instead of being whiny and down, they’re there for their best friend’s crazy moments. And I love that.

Harrison is a good person overall. A combination of chilled out and caring which is really hard to achieve but Kody Keplinger did it awesomely.

Pushing the Limits would never be what it is if there was no Mrs. Collins. Seriously, that woman is the woman. I loved her role in the book.

Laila is the best friend in need. And Addison needs her throughout. They’ve have a very strong bond of friendship which we all aspire to have in life.

Will is such an enthusiastic character from being a partier to willing to do just about anything because why not. I love people who have such an approach to life. It’s refreshing and oh-so-cool.

Rue is one of the characters Katniss needed in that point in the arena and I was glad Katniss had someone like her. I loved all their scenes.

Cinna is the best character from Capitol. He’s a solid rock for Katniss and a guide who helped her in all the best ways possible. I loved him.

What do you think about my list? What secondary characters did you end up choosing? Leave a link, I want to know!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Tech-Heavy Surroundings

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Technology could be bad and it could be good but it never stops being cool. There, I said it. I like to read books set in the present because I can relate to the technological aspects mentioned in them. I like to read books set in the future because duh, new never-thought-of-before technology! Technology is one of the reasons I’m attracted towards sci-fi, dystopia and apocalyptic books. There’s just something so mesmerizing about the tech-heavy surroundings.

The tech-heavy surroundings of The Hunger Games cannot be missed out on! After all, there’s a whole district for its development! The weapons are technologically modified and that’s not the only thing! Remember the jabberjays, forcefields, holograms and of course, the hovercrafts? Just wow.
Simulation serum. Fear landscapes. Makes-you-a-robot serum. Dude, those are so freaking awesome! The technology in the headquarters of Dauntless and possibly Erudite are in a stark contrast to the untouched abandoned areas of Chicago. Go Divergent!
Provided that the technology is pretty much at a standstill in All These Things I’ve Done as the New York City faces a bleak future filled with crime, poverty and a severe lack of resources, the surroundings are tech-heavy where there is need and that is intriguing enough.
The technology in Pivot Point is advanced to the point that living in the human world is boring with the doorbells, phones and the zero action football games. It’s all very hush hush in the Compound so I’d love to know all the techy deets in the second book!
GenTex lab has made human-alien hybrid a reality by combining extraterrestrial DNA with human DNA and this is not even the coolest part in The Rules. There’s the chase, a mystery and major plot twist ahead.
While I wouldn’t ever want to live in the dystopian world of Matched, the concept of limited technology to humans is definitely one of a kind. Food, clothes, education, job; each and everything is predefined and carried out with the help of technology. Daunting.
Being a techno-thriller novel, Digital Fortress is full of gadgets, supercomputers and what not. It’s fast-paced, engrossing and so very techy!
In ExtraNormal, Mira is from Nreim which is a highly advanced planet that have overcome the flaw in genetics where humans failed to. There are electromagnetic fields, the ability to sense emotions of other people and the best of all, being able to stream with people back on Nreim through her mind. It’s all very innovative and engaging.
Spies and Prejudice is not exactly a techy-heavy book but it does make use of little technological inventions. It’s a spy story so that’s kind of a given anyway. I liked the use of the sunglasses doubling up as a spy camera.
Anti-matter? Anti-matter. When I was reading Angels and Demons and Dan Brown mentioned that there is opposite for everything out there then why not matter, I was speechless. It is pretty mind-blowing and scary! Imagine negative gravity or this gravity gun being real. I can’t even.

What do you think about my list? Good, bad, meh? What setting did you choose? Leave a link, I want to know!

Top Ten Tuesday: Beginnings and Endings

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Today’s post sure as hell took a lot of time to take shape. I literally started learning Photoshop yesterday and I thought it’d be great to incorporate some of my learning into something presentable. And then my internet decided to stop working so here I am, late to the Top Ten party this Tuesday. Anyway, all of these sentences are from my absolute favorite books however, I haven’t as much of time I’d have liked to ponder over them so there are not strictly the top ten. (See, I could be a perfectionist if I try really hard).

Note: The last line is a spoiler for anyone who hasn’t read The Hunger Games trilogy so please steer clear of it.

END OF THE BEGINNING

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer plays perfectly with words making them appear gloriously dark and creepy as proven by the opening line. It is just how I like my mystery to be.

Falling Under is another book that is ghastly beautiful and its play on words oozing out a liquidy dreaminess which made me want to go on reading it. (It made me spew out a hard-to-get-into sentence right there).

The opening line of Take Me There immediately made me wonder whether the place is physical or merely mystical and thus began a tumultuous journey with Dylan. I’ve no words to describe just how much I love this book. (I mean, I do have some).
No explanation needed for it’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

The opening sentence of Five Flavors of Dumb borders on ending up having a dramatic flair and in piquing my curiosity. This book is adorable and Piper is a very cool character. I think we could be best friends.

BEGINNING OF THE END

My thoughts exactly! But because I didn’t want From What I Remember… to end. It’s a perfect road trip book that is equal parts hilarious and emotional. Loved.
An epic cliffhanger ending if there ever was one! My heart was thundering when I finished the book and I had to calm myself down because everything was just so- bright and calm and what-the-what-! in my mind. Just One Day, I love you.

I wanted to pick the opening line instead but there’s just something so attractive when a book that made you feel ALL the feels ends on a driving-into-the-sunset note. Sigh.
There’s a world of difference between the Katniss of The Hunger Games and that of Mockingjay that never fails to astound me. Sometimes you just have to succumb to the disease of the mind before you succumb to your impending death.

I think I’d have died if I’ve read Catching Fire when it was first released because that cliffhanger of an ending is a killer. But it’s my favorite kind of a killer. Catching Fire is a shocker book and because of that alone, I just love it the best in the trilogy.


What do you think? Which five does it for you? Are you for beginnings or endings? Leave a link to your post because I’m all for sentences this week!

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Book to Movie Adaptations

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Today’s post is kind of so-so for me because I’ve haven’t that many (epic) book to movie adaptations. Yet, I did my best and cheated by adding a fairy tale and a comic. *looks innocent*

I only managed to overcome my nervousness to read The Hunger Games trilogy last December and I totally fell in love with the brilliant creation of Suzzane Collins. I was not going to miss its movie adaptation for the world. My only regret is that I couldn’t watch it in the cinema. As far as movie adaptations go, this one is pretty satisfying. Also, it’s JLaw.


I read and watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower back to back and let me just say, Logan Lerman played Charlie’s character perfectly. Stephen Chbosky was involved throughout the movie and suffice it to say that while the movie’s plot did veer from the book’s, the characters made up for it.                    

Silver Linings Playbook is epic. ‘Nuff said. (Haven’t read the book, though…)
Confessions of a Shopaholic is a lighthearted, fun movie and Isla Fisher was perfect as The Girl in the Green Scarf. There could have been some improvements but then I (mostly) enjoyed it.
I still remember when I first watched Great Expectations. I was bored out of my mind studying for O’ Levels and turned on the TV around 3 a.m. The movie was playing on HBO and I started watching it on a whim. I fell in love with it. Granted, I haven’t read the book’s unabridged version as yet. However, as a movie alone, it’s just fantastic.
Yes, this might be cheating but it’s still an adaptation so this counts. I just cannot leave out my favorite princess and fairy tale. Sigh.
I didn’t even know that Freaky Friday is a movie adaptation! This is such a laugh out loud funny that I also want to read its book. Oh yes.
Kick-Ass is awesome and I sometimes still laugh to myself whenever Mr. Bitey comes to mind. That scene is so ridiculously funny!
      
One day I’m going to read the series but I don’t think I can imagine a better Jason Bourne than Matt Damon. The trilogy is so freaking awesome!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

The Notebook is my all-time favorite, go-to romance movie. It’s classic, it’s swoon-worthy and it has Ryan Gosling. Do I even need to go on?!

Encore
I totally forgot about these two! I freakin’ love Life of Pi (visually stunning!) and while, Slumdog Millionaire is different from it’s book version (so I’ve heard), I’m pretty much okay with it.

So this is it, I really thought I would fail at compiling a list. Phew.

What do you think about my list? What adaptations are on your list. Are they good or meh? Leave a link, I want to know!