Opinion: Books I Don't Want to See Made into Films

With all the amazing book to film adaptations coming up at the moment, it got me thinking about which books I don't want to see made into films. And not because I don't like them, but because I think they just work better as they are - as books. Here are a few I could think of off the top of my head. I am sure there are much more so maybe I'll do another post like this down the road. Enjoy!

 Feeling Sorry for Celia/Ashbury/Brookfield series by Jaclyn Moriarty

 This book, and the rest of the series, is told through written letters and notes between the characters. It's something that works so briliantly written down but I can see being really hard to translate onto the big screen!

Shiver/Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater

 Now I do love this series but there's something about the writing style that makes me think it could be lost if translated into film. It's so poetic and beautiful and I think getting inside the characters' heads is a huge part of the story with the multiple perspectives.

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

When I read this, I felt it was a book for book-lovers. The whole premise is based around a girl escaping to a book and I think you'd get the most enjoyment by reading it yourself. It certainly reminded me why I love reading.

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

The great part of this book was the internal monologue between the two main characters, two souls who are sharing a body. I don't know how that would be done well on screen because in the book the speech between the souls is set out differently on the page making it easier to differentiate. Internal monologue is usually the one big sacrifice when it comes to films so in this book it's even trickier, because you have two internal monologues.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Again, this is a book with a very distinctive writing style, due to the main character's illiteracy. That unique way it was written made me really love the writing. Whilst you could portray Todd's voice with the use of an accent or dialect in a film, I'd really miss reading it and getting lost in Todd's thoughts.

Are there any books you'd prefer stayed as books? Or do you hope to see a film adaptation of all of your favourites? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this so let me know in the comments!

 

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Author: Maggie Stiefvater. Website, Twitter
Published: 5 October 2009 (Scholastic)
Pages: 448
Buy: Amazon, Kindle, Waterstone's

Source: Bought.

Plot Summary: (from Amazon)

Grace is fascinated by the wolves in the woods behind her house; one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. Every winter, she watches him but every summer, he disappears. Sam leads two lives. In winter he stays in the frozen woods, with the protection of the pack. In summer, he has a few precious months to be human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. When Grace and Sam finally meet they realize they can't bear to be apart. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human - or risk losing himself, and Grace, for ever.

My Review:
This is the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. I picked it up for a bargain £1.99 after I read the blurb and looked up the book on Goodreads. I hadn't read anything by this author but it caught my attention and for that price I couldn't resist!

The book tells the story of Grace, who has been fascinated by the wolves living in the wood at the back of her house ever since an encounter with them as a child. She's drawn to one wolf in particular - one with yellow eyes who, when human, is a boy named Sam. The story is told from both Grace and Sam's perspectives as they both search for each other after meeting for the first time when Sam was a wolf. When they finally meet as humans they develop a close relationship as they battle to keep Sam warm and human.

I really loved the unique twist on werewolves that forms the basis of this story. The wolves shift when their temperature drops too low (hence the title of the book!) and it was just a really interesting take on werewolves that made the story feel fresh. It leaves this threat hanging over the characters throughout the story - the fact that winter is approaching and it means that the wolves time as humans is limited, which made it a really gripping read.

The relationship between Grace and Sam was what absolutely won me over with this book. It was unlike any relationship I'd read before - totally in a good way! There was no "does he/she like me" or anything like cliched like that. These two were already so comfortable with each other and just utterly perfect together and had this amazing chemistry that made me adore reading about them. Their bond is so special and they fit so well together that it's just an absolute pleasure to spend time with the characters. It was one of those books I didn't want to finish because I was just so in love with everything about their story!

As individuals, too, Grace and Sam are great characters. I liked that you got the story told from both their perspectives so you could get inside both of their heads. I think Sam's chapters were my favourite because he's such a special character. He's so vulnerable and sweet!

The writing in this book was so beautiful, too. The descriptions of the wolves, the weather and the emotion between Grace and Sam was just breathtaking.

If you like supernatural stories with a twist, or just a really good, non-slushy, beautiful love story between two awesome characters then this book is a must. I adored it!

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, the second book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.
Books like this: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong, Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes