2011 Roundup

Dec 292011
 

Well it’s been a pretty good year for me and books.  There have been new releases from favourite authors and I’ve been introduced to new authors that have become favourites.  There have also been a couple of books that I consider to be outstanding and I would shout from the rooftops for people to buy and read them, whether print or e-book.

Speaking of e-books, my lovely husband bought me a Kindle earlier on in the year and I honestly didn’t think I would take to it as well as I have.  My love for paperbacks is as strong as ever but storing them does become a problem and that is where the Kindle is perfect.

Anyway, on to the books of 2011!

I could list all the books I’ve loved this year but I think that would make for a very long post so I’m going to highlight the ones I’ve found most special.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton Sister is a fascinating and enjoyable book that will pull you in and refuse to let you go until you know the truth.
Germline by T. C. McCarthy A gripping close up of a futuristic war in all it’s gritty, brutal, dark and horrific glory.
In Her Name: Empire by Michael R. Hicks In Her Name: Empire is a book that has heart, emotion, sacrifice, and courage and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh By the end I was firmly in love with Singh’s world and her characters, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.  I wholeheartedly pass on the recommendation that this is an author to love!
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey An amazingly exciting space opera, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!
Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead, Emma Vieceli, Leigh Dragoon Whether a fan of graphic novels or just love the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, this adaptation is a must.
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead A wonderful start to the new series and a book to be enjoyed by teenagers and adults alike.
Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen A very entertaining zombie rom-com, that I think a lot of fans of different genres will enjoy.
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher The Dresden Files is a series that just gets better and better, and I honestly think this is the best one so far.  So much so, I worry where it goes from here, can it actually get any better?  Does it need to?  I don’t have an answer to that other than, I need the next one now! Jim Butcher is the absolute ruler and master of Urban Fantasy and long may he reign!
Before I go to Sleep by S. J. Watson As a book, it’s brilliant.  As a debut novel for S. J. Watson, it’s just amazing.
Avenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden A great read and I look forward to the next book in this charming series!
Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a firm favourite and J. R. Ward is simply a genius in the genre.
You Belong to Me by Karen Rose You Belong to Me has now become one of my favourite books from Karen Rose and is quite possibly the best one she has written… so far!
Hellhole by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert If you like great science fiction on an epic scale, you have to read Hellhole.. really!

 

We’ve also said a sad farewell to two amazing fantasy and science fiction authors.

Dianna Wynne Jones and Anne McCaffrey; thank you both for the immense amount of joy you have brought to mine and others lives.

2012 Movie Preview – Book Adaptations

Dec 132011
 

Over on my personal blog, I’ve posted my annual movie preview for the year ahead, where I take a tiny subset of the movies coming out and make sarcastic comments about them.  You can see it here.  Grete asked me to write something for BookThing, and it occurred to me that many of those films are book adaptations.  Here’s a run-down of a few of them.

The Woman In Black (February 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596365/
http://www.womaninblack.com/

Harry Potter travels to a remote location and ends up investigating mysterious goings on that hint at something dark and dangerous. Oh wait, sorry, Arthur Kipps (played by Daniel Radcliffe) travels to a remote village and ends up investigating something mysterious, well you get the point.

Based on The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.

Dr Seuss’ The Lorax (March 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1482459/

What can I say
a movie a film
with voices and action
and all nice and trim

Animation and graphics
and wonderful sights
No doubt a huge hit
with those troublesome mites

The children.

Based on Dr Seuss’ The Lorax.

John Carter (March 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401729/
http://www.johncarterarrives.com/

Avatar, but the big aliens are green. Unfair? Maybe. Based on the John Carter of Mars pulp stories, the movie has dropped the ‘of Mars’ because Mars based movies suffer from the kiss of death. Much like Russian Mars based space missions. I’m not sure people will ‘get it’ but we’ll see. If it’s fun and light it might catch an audience.

Based on many John Carter of Mars pulp fiction novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The Hunger Games (March 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/
http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/

A book adaptation! How unique! Televised death matches, love stories, kids pitted against other kids, utopian world ‘supported’ by horrific practices? Nothing new here so I hope the implementation brings something exciting.

Based on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (August 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/

I’m pretty sure the title has everything you need to know. Seriously.

Based on Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.

The Bourne Legacy (August 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1194173/

It’s Bourne, without Bourne. Same universe (er, the real world?) but with a different undercover blackops blacklisted CIA operative who will probably have to do stuff, and put himself at risk, to save something. Without the ‘I don’t remember who I am’ schtick isn’t this just Mission Impossible: Solo or Bond #24?

Based on Robert Ludlum’s The Bournce Legacy.

Total Recall (August 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386703/
http://www.totalrecall-movie.com/

Total Remake! Will it bring something new? Will we get a fat headed special effect saying “Twwooo weeekkkss” and giving me nightmares for 10 years? Who knows. I’m quite excited despite myself. The original, as with many of Arnie’s sci-fi movies, was heavy and lumbering despite my enjoyment of it. I’d love to see an agile, light-on-it’s-feet remake which injects some pace and intrigue into this story. Also, hoping for some hot chicks in latex to complement the plot (Len Wiseman, don’t let me down now!)

Based on We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, by Philip K. Dick.

Cloud Atlas (October 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371111/

The Wachowski’s bring their talent to a sprawling story set over six different periods in time, hoping to tie them all together into an overall tale. It’ll either tank, or it’ll be a cult hit that eventually makes billions, maybe. Oh, and check out the cast!

Based on the novel Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/
http://www.thehobbitblog.com/

Need I say anything? This is it. The Film He Said He Would Never Make. The Movie That We Thought We Would Never Get. The start of it all. The journey that gave us Lord of the Rings. The tale that gives birth to a legend. The story that enthralled a generation. Bilbo steps out of his front door, and nothing is ever the same again. Beards, dwarves, wizards, pipes, hairy feet and Middle Earth. I’ll be there. I’ll be there if the reviews say it stinks worse than dragon shit. I’ll be there no matter what.

Based on a little known work, The Hobbit, by someone called J.R.R. Tolkien.

To Blog or not to Blog…

Dec 102011
 

Before I started BookThing!, I had my own personal blog that got sporadically updated (notice a theme there?).  I realised I hadn’t updated it in over a year as this site took my attention, and I also tend to chatter on Twitter as @bookthing_uk as well. So I’m going to take Tony’s excellent suggestion and blog personally here instead.  It won’t be that often and will most likely have to do with cats, my craft stuff and of course… books :)

So that’s why other posts might start appearing and you now know what is going on :)   Still undecided whether to copy the content from my other blog, I might do just for reference but again, that’s why if it all suddenly appears!

Grete
xxx

© 2011 Grete Evans A blog of myths, romance, fantasy and thrills. Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha