I’m back!

Hello loyal followers! Though I stopped posting on this blog a while ago, due to a renewed passion for blogging, and a desire to further my writing abilities (practice makes perfect) I would love to try to resurrect this blog. I’m not sure how often I will be able to post, especially because I have so many other commitments and blogs right now, but I don’t want this blog to disappear because I really enjoyed curating content for it. So if you stuck around, thanks, and you should be hearing form me again soon! (Also, please ignore the little bio at the bottom, that applies to my study abroad blog, but I’m not sure how to customize it to be different for this blog.)

“Wield your assets like a blade, Cousin. No man has invented a corset for our brains. Let them think they rule the world. It’s a queen who sits on that throne. Never forget that.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper

 

Book to Movie Adaptations

While I enjoy a well done book to movie adaptation, there’s no denying that the books are always better. Furthermore, there have been SO MANY terrible book to movie adaptations that it makes me wonder why they decided to waste their time and money. Below are all the books turned into movies that I have both read and seen (theres many that I’ve either just read or just seen, but I choose not to include those because obviously I have no way to compare the two!) This is basically my opinions on the adaptations, and if they’re worth watching!

The Hunger Games– It’s pretty common knowledge that this was a great adaptation of the novels that remained truthful to the book. I was so excited that they only made minor changes and stayed true to the story line of the book, making it a true adaptation. Every adaptation should be this well done! Definitely worth watching for everyone, especially lovers of the books.

Harry Potter– Absolute classic. Probably the best done adaptation in my opinion (despite the annoying glitch that was Harry not actually having his mothers eyes which was really really annoying). If you haven’t already seen them, but honestly what rock do you live under if you haven’t, go read the books and enjoy seeing them come to life in these wonderful films.

The Chronicles of Narnia– This series was very weirdly done. First of all they skipped the first book and the third book opting instead to only adapt the second and fourth books, which I somewhat understand, but still find weird. Luckily this is another adaptation that stays truthful to the books for the most part, but I honestly just recommend reading these books and maybe just watching the first movie!

Percy Jackson– This movie is hands down THE WORST book to movie adaptation in the history of adaptations. The amount of hatred I have in my heart for this loathsome movie is unquenchable. If you know what’s good for you, read the books and avoid the movie like the plague.

The 5th Wave– This adaptation was a shit show, not as bad as Percy Jackson, but in the same realm. I was especially upset because it had so much potential in the beginning, but it quickly went down hill and I have no idea how people who didn’t read the book had any idea what was going on. Personally I really enjoyed the book and recommend it, but I wouldn’t waste your time on the movie.

Me Before You– While I didn’t absolutely love this book because of the subject matter, I really enjoyed how different it was and how it explored topics that most books don’t. I though this movie remained very faithful to the book, and the casting was perfect. Honestly, I may have enjoyed the movie slightly more than the book. If I could go back, I’d still read the book, but I wouldn’t say it should be #1 on your tbr list.

Shadow hunters (TV show)– I watched the first season, and then gave up because I couldn’t stand this awful adaptation. While it kept the essence of the  book, kinda, it was just too much of a hot mess with a terrible script, awful special effects and weird af “plot twists” that I’d say you’re safer just enjoying these books and not bothering with the series. Maybe I would have liked it if I haven’t read the books, but these do not blend well together.

City of Bones– This movie tried so so hard to be good and honestly failed epically. It just didn’t work for me and as with the other adaptation of this book, I’d say just stick to reading the books.

Twilight– Ah the infamous Twilight. Personally, as someone who read the books and enjoyed them in my middle school days (though probably wouldn’t enjoy them as much now) I really enjoyed these movies. They stayed faithful to the book and it was fun to watch everything I had read about come to life. I’d say unless you are young and naive, don’t bother with either of these, but if you’re interested go for it because I really enjoyed my time with this series.

Ella Enchanted– So I read this book/watched the movie a million years ago and I really enjoyed both. I grew up on Ella Enchanted and have a special place for it in my heart, but I really enjoyed how in the book we are able to really explore her world and get so many details about her life that aren’t included in the movie. While the movie’s pretty different from the book, I’m not mad at it (maybe because I watched it first). 10/10 recommend both!

Holes– Who doesn’t love this movie! The book is basically the same story just takes longer and goes more into the characters heads. If you enjoy this movie, you’ll like the book, I just remember it being kinda slow at times.

The Help– I really really love this movie and I really enjoyed the book as well. The book had some added details as per usual and I highly recommend reading it. Both worth your time to enjoy.

Ink heart– I honestly read/watching this way to long ago to really write much here. Honestly watch/read it for yourself and form your own opinion. I seem to remember really liking them.

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children– This is another one of those where they changed the story line a lot in the movie, especially the ending, but I actually understood why they did it. Now that’s not to say I liked it, but I honestly didn’t really enjoy the book that much either, so I wasn’t too invested. That being said, a lot of people love the book so I’d say give it a chance but honestly I wouldn’t waste your money on the movie.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Like, comment and follow,

Dani

My Dream Bookstore Trips

These are the top 15 bookstores I would love to visit (in order). The stores on this list made it because they’re gorgeous and/or unique and interesting!

10. Shakespeare and Co., Paris

9. Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice

8. Ler Devagar, Lisbon, Portugal

7. Cafebreria El Pendulo, Mexico City, Mexico

6. Selexyz Bookstore, Maastricht, Holland

5. Baldwin’s Book Barn, West Chester, Pennsylvania

4. Barter Books, England

3. The Last Bookstore, LA

2. Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal

1. Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Thanks for reading 🙂 you can follow me on the bottom of the home page!

Love,

Dani

Laptop Case

I have gone two laptops now, almost 5 years, having a caseless laptop, so I’m very excited that I FINALLY got a case for my laptop. Of course I had to make my case book themed, so I decided to do it through the laptop case sticker trend that’s big right now. This post basically explains each of the stickers that make up my laptop case. Confession: I’ve had them for a couple months but I’m just now getting around to this post so some of the stickers are a little beat up!

So this sticker is the centerpiece of my laptop and I thought it would perfectly tie together all my stickers and kinda set the theme for my laptop case. I bought this at The Strand bookstore in NYC and I’m obsessed with this quote.

This sticker is a tribute to The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. It’s Tessa’s clockwork angel and I bought it on Red Bubble. This also was just kinda my nod to all of Cassandra Clare’s book because they were so important to my teenage years, they were the books that got me super invested in Fantasy again and I quickly became obsessed with both of her series!

This sticker is obviously from the bible and is also from Red Bubble. My faith is really important to me so I though it was important to have a bible quote on my laptop just to remind me each day to pray and devote time to God.

This quote on this sticker is from Jane Eyre and it’s my absolute favorite quote. This book was really important to me because it’s the first classic novel that I genuinely enjoyed and I read it during one of my favorite classes, senior year AP English. This class was so important to me because it’s the reason I have decided to become an English major in college! Also I’m obsessed with cats so the cat outline was perfect. (Red Bubble)

I also got this sticker while in NYC at The Strand, and I obviously got it because I’m a proud Slytherin! Harry Potter was an important book for me and so many others, and it’s amazing because almost everyone has read them or at least seen the movies, so it really brings people together (especially at William and Mary).

So this was also from Red Bubble and it’s Game of Throne’s themed! Confession I haven’t actually read the books, but I’ve been watching the TV show and am currently on Season 5 and loving it.

This sticker is from (you guessed it) Red Bubble and it’s an image of Aslan from Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia are such a special series for me because I grew up having my mom read them to me and they were one of those books that helped jump start my love of reading. I also really appreciate now that I’m old the biblical analogies and the greater message of this story. Definitely a series I want to reread soon.

I know this stickers looking a little sketchy but it is what it is. This one’s from Red Bubble but it was originally square shaped. Something about the aesthetic wasn’t doing it for me, so I cut it into an octagon which I wish had been a little more even but I’m a fan of my decision regardless. This is from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas, and it’s one of my favorite series of all time! This sticker pertains specifically to the second book and it’s one of those iconic images that only people from the fandom would recognize 😉

Big surprise another SJM book sticker, but she’s one of my favorite authors. This is from her Throne of Glass series that I have been reading for the past 5 years, so it has been a really integral part of my high school/college years and honestly has helped shape me as a person. (I’m not saying I wanna be Celaena Sardothian, but I wouldn’t complain). This stickers from Red Bubble.

Lastly, (sorry I know it’s kinda blurry) I have this cute little sticker of Belle that I actually got in one of my book boxes. Belle has always been the Disney princess that I have identified with the most, so she was the perfect finishing touch to my laptop case. (Side note: Get pumped for the Live Action Beauty and the Beast move it’s gonna be lit)!

Here’s a final picture of my laptop case!

Follow my blog for updates when I post, see y’all next week 

 Dani

Red Bubble Website

Why I love Sarah J Maas

Young Adult Genre

September Book Box

Reading in College

Hey y’all it’s gonna be a short post this week because I’m so flooded with schoolwork right now I can barely see straight! Speaking of school work, I often get asked how I am able to continue reading while balancing my college schedule, so here are 5 tips from my personal experience:

1. Audio-book: Audio-booking is great because you can do it at the gym, while you do laundry, walking to class, ect. and its a great way to get some reading in while still getting done what you need to do. Yay multitasking! 
2. Take an English Class: While this may seem like an obvious one, I read five books in my english class this past year and really benefitted from making myself read more classic, adult literature. Reading for an english class is the best of both worlds because you don’t feel like you are wasting time by reading because it’s required for your class. The only downfall is if the book your reading is awful, the fact that you you don’t get to read what you want and the stress of a class can take away the pleasure of reading.
3. Set aside time each night: Whether it’s 30 min or a chapter, setting aside some time each night before you go to sleep to read is both a great way to unwind from the day, and keep reading in your life despite a busy schedule.
4. Read on the weekends: The weekends are the best time for reading because there’s a lot less pressure to focus on homework and you have much more free time. Instead of watching a movie or going to a party, choose to spend a day/night or both reading! I promise you won’t regret it 🙂
5. Don’t stress yourself out: At the end of the day, if you can make these tips work for you great, if not THATS OK! I know I have months where reading just has to take the back burner because schools is piling up and I know I can’t beat myself up about it. Remember at the end of the day your mental health is a priority and whether that means setting aside time each day for yourself to read or cutting back on reading for a while to ease your stress, it’s your life and reading is supposed to be no pressure! During college my advice for getting in as many books as you want to read if you’re having trouble reading at school is read read read during breaks when you have free time and no responsibilities!

Follow my blog for updates when I post, see y’all next week 🙂

❤ Dani

School Books 2016

So though I don’t often read adult/classic literature, I really appreciate its value in discussion during english class. This past semester (Fall 2016) I took an english class titled “Modern British Literature” where I spent the semester reading poems and novels by “modern” (they still weren’t that modern) British authors. The class was set up so that almost every class period was spent in a socratic seminar style discussion . I decided for this post I wanted to go over what books we read, and my opinions on them both as a book and as a tool for an english class. I won’t be going over the poems because we read way to many, and I can’t remember most of them for the life of me. Also, I read a couple random books in other classes, but I won’t be discussing those here.

Heart of Darkness

This book is honestly more of a short story and can be read pretty quickly. I had actually already read it twice during my senior year of high school, so I felt pretty confident going into reading this novel. Due to my previous experience with this book, I was rather comfortable with understanding and analyzing this book, especially over many of other the more difficult books we read this past semester. I read this book in audiobook format while I worked out at the gym each day and this turned out to be a really affective way for me to multitask. In english class, this book was extremely effective for stimulating conversation, and it was amazing to see how vastly different the discussions of this book during my college course were from my high school discussions. The general themes discussed were the same, but in college we went more in depth as specific sections as apposed to the whole of the novel and payed closer attention to the more nuanced aspects of the book. That being said, this isn’t my favorite book, and it can be very difficult at times to stay focused while reading/listenin to it.

Reading Enjoyment: 5/10

Class Discussion: 10/10

The Secret Agent

This was probably my least favorite of all the books we read during the semester, and the most confusing. I remember feeling very lost during most of this book and the class discussion, especially after feeling so confident with Heart of Darkness. That being said, this is also a great book to stimulate class discussion, as long as you understand what is going on and can catch the nuances, which I really struggled with. I was relieved once we finally moved on from this book and don’t recommend to anyone unless you have a high level of patience, can analyze very difficult reading material well, and have a group to break down and discuss the book with.

Reading Enjoyment: 2/10

Class Discussion: 7/10

Sons and Lovers

This book was very interesting because a big subject referenced throughout this book was incest. While it never literally takes place, the author alludes to an unhealthy and possessive relationship between the mother and sons in this novel that’s borderline romantic. This book gives really interesting insight on relationships between both parent and children, and significant others. Personally, I was able to find some parallels to my  life as the parents relationship in this book was similar to my own parents relationship (though my parents are much more toned down). Studying these characters from an objective point of view really helped me understand my own parents better! This book was obviously kinda weird to read because of the undertone of incest, but it provided a compelling way to look in depth at human relationships. However, this book was a pain to read because it was so freaking long.

Reading Enjoyment: 7/10

Class Discussion: 8/10

Mrs. Dalloway

This book focused around the idea of past vs. present. It contrasted a past relationship with a current relationship, and discussed how the war, which takes place before this novel begins, is still affecting everyone currently. This book was told in a very interesting format because the entire book takes place within one day, with occasional flashbacks to the past. It also doesn’t contain any chapters, giving the book a unique sense of flow and constant stream of consciousness. What I enjoyed most about the discussion of this novel was our look into interior vs. exterior especially through the character of Mrs. Dalloway. The way people view her from the outside, is very clearly a false representation of her character once the novel switches back into her point of view. This is such an important theme for a novel to explore because it’s extremely relevant to every day life and the tragedy that comes from making assumptions about others. I also found it compelling how Virginia Woolf suffered from mental illness her entire life, eventually committing suicide, and that is reflective in how she write her characters, especially the mentally ill Septimus. Overall and great read for discussion, and a somewhat engaging read for pleasure.

Reading Enjoyment: 7/10

Class Discussion: 9/10

Howards End

This book was hands down my favorite book of the semester. It contained plot twists, romance and strong women, all elements I appreciate in a story. I even ended up writing my second paper on this book which I received an A+ on! The characters and social dynamics in this book are very interesting, and these characters seem the most relatable of all the books we read. The ideas present in this book were really relevant to what was happening around the time we were reading it in regards to the 2016 presidential election in both the discussion of class relations and things being not what one would expect. I also enjoyed how we were able to watch parts of the film of this movie to really visualize what was happening in the novel. The discussion for this book was enjoyable because the book was an “easy read” (compared to our there books), which was useful for examining the greater themes of the book as a whole. I would honestly read this book outside of an english class, but I’m glad I read it in this class and got the opportunity to discuss and break down this story.

Reading Enjoyment: 10/10

Class Discussion: 8/10

As always, like, comment and follow my blog!

 

 

 

 

I’m Back

So I have been completely MIA for about a month which is absolutely terrible, but it was necessary. I said I was going to be posting over the break, but honestly I needed to recharge and take a full break this month and I guess that ended up including my blog! However, I haven’t taken a break from reading and I even had a book club during the break, so I still have plenty of new things to post and talk about. I’m going to try to post on here more regularly instead of a million things sparadically throughout the semester, so my current goal is to post once a week. If you have any suggestions for content you want to see on here let me know in the comments, but for now I’m just going to keep posting whatever suits my fancy! Don’t forget to follow my blog below and my insta at danisbookshelf22 for updates on my posts and reading.

Most Anticipate Releases

So as an avid fantasy reader, most of the books I enjoy reading are series. Unfortunately, this means I often have to wait a year for each new book in a series. This post is about the books that are coming out at the end of this year (November/December), and next year (January/February) that I am most looking forward to!

Heartless- November 8th

This is Marissa Meyer, author of The Lunar Chronicles, newest book and it’s a standalone retelling of the Queen of Hearts. I’m excited to read it (I bought it the day it came out) because I really enjoyed Marissa’s other series and her way of reinventing classic fairytales!

 

Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy- November 15th

So I’ve had Lady Midnight for forever and have wanted to read it, but I wanted to wait to read this book first because I heard there are spoilers and that it’s important for the plot of the new series to read this book. However, it was only released as a bunch of online stories originally and I didn’t want to pay individually for each story because that was hella expensive. So I’m hopefully going to read this book and then Lady Midnight very soon.

 

Scrappy Little Nobody- November 15th

I have actually already read this book by this point, and I really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to it because Anna Kendrick is super cute and feisty and I knew her book would be hilarious. It was so interesting getting an inside look at her life, the girl has done some incredible stuff, and I was able to get a sighed copy so that’s super cool.

 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Script- November 19th

Ok so who wasn’t So FrEaKiNg ExCiTeD for this movie to come out! I saw it the other day and loved it, though it was somewhat confusing at times. I hoping that by reading this book, maybe the movie will be a little clearer. I will definitely be seeing this movie again asap!

 

Crystal Storm- December 13th

This is the 5th book in the Falling Kingdoms series which I marathoned last year and ever since have been anxiously awaiting this book. Funny enough, while I didn’t initially like the first book, by the end of the second I was hooked and by the end of the fourth I was in love. SSSOOOO I’m very excited for this book!

 

Wayfarer- January 3rd

So confession, I haven’t actually read Passenger, the first book in this duology (I think?) but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it so I’m excited to read both. Also, the author Alexandra Bracken is coming to Blue Willow in January so I want to read her books and then go to her signing 🙂 (She also wrote The Darkest Minds series of which I have read the first book)

 

Windwitch- January 10th

So I read the first book in this series and it had great potential so I’m glad to see how this story develops. This series is also written by my favorite author’s (Sarah J Maas) best friend so that makes it that’s always exciting.

 

Carve The Mark- January 17th

This is Veronica Roth’s (best know for her Divergent series) new book and this cover is gorgeous. I’m interested to see how this book is and how she has grown as a writer since the Divergent trilogy. This book is also science fiction, so it will be interesting to see how she handles a new genre.

 

The Kings Cage- February 7th

So this is the third book in the Red Queen trilogy and I’m SO EXCITED for it! The previous two books were great and the second book left off with a big cliff hanger, so I can’t wait to see how everything wraps up.

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