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: What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

[Goodreads page]

Author: Kat Zhang. Website|Twitter
Published: 27 September 2012 (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 343
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback

Source: Own (received as present)

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Imagine that you have two minds, sharing one body. You and your other self are closer than twins, better than friends. You have known each other forever.

Then imagine that people like you are hated and feared. That the government want to hunt you down and tear out your second soul, separating you from the person you love most in the world.

Now meet Eva and Addie.

They don’t have to imagine.

My Review:
When I first heard about this book last year I knew it was one I needed to read! The concept sounded so interesting to me. What's Left of Me tells the story of Eva and Addie, two souls who share the same body. Only one of them shouldn't be there.

The whole idea of two souls sharing one body is something that really grabbed me, and when I started reading the book I was completely blown away by how the author has made it work. Addie is the dominant soul, in that she has control of everything the body does. Eva is the recessive soul, the soul that should have died away in a world where one soul is expected to outlive the other leaving only one behind. What's even more brilliant is that the book is narrated from Eva's point of view. Eva can talk to Addie (their conversations are put in brackets and italics so as to stand out which I thought was really clever) and suggest what they do but has no control over their body. It's fascinating seeing the world from her perspective. 

The book is set in a distorted version of America. The country has isolated itself from other nations and set about to rid itself of "Hybrids" i.e people with more that one soul. That makes Eva and Addie's situation one they have to hide. I really loved the dystopian feel of the book and the themes and issues it tackles. It feels like there's a lot of ethical dilemmas in the book, from medical ethics to immigration. You really end up rooting for Eva and Addie as the world they live in is so controlled. You get that brilliant sense of unease as well.

It becomes clear that there's a lot more to Eva and Addie's situation and that there's a bigger story going on here, and as the plot unravelled I found myself unable to put the book down! I loved how Eva's narration really proves powerful and you see her character in particular go through so much and develop along the way. The other characters throughout the story are just as fascinating. I thought it would be confusing having characters with two souls and two personalities but not once did that fact get in the way of my reading of the story. It was so carefully crafted.

Reading this book just gave me that sensation that this was something special. I was blown away by everything, from the writing style to the plot itself. It's just such a wonderful book with so much action and suspense thrown in to keep you hooked! This is the first book in the Hybrid Chronicles series and I can't wait to read more. The climax of this book left me desperate to read the next installment as there's so much potential for this world. An absolute must read!

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Once We Were by Kat Zhang, the unreleased 2nd book in the Hybrid Chronicles
Books like this: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Trailers Galore!

I've been seeing new book trailers here there and everywhere recently, so I've assembled a few of them into one handy post (as well as one sneaky film trailer!). Enjoy!

Neptune's Tears by Susan Waggoner

(out now - Piccadilly Press)

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Waterstone's

Book Depository

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

(published 5th October - Mira Ink)

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Waterstone's

Book Depository

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

 (published 27th September - HarperCollins Children's Books)

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Waterstone's

Book Depository

And finally this trailer was just released for the film adaptation of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I'm yet to read the book but it's high up on my to-read list, and after this I'm even more excited to read it!

Beautiful Creatures Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

(book out now -Puffin/film released 2013)

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Waterstone's

Book Depository