Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Six Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

Okay, guys. Sorry to shortchange you this week. BUT I was struggling to find ten since I read so many books that are part of a series already. My thought process, growing progressively more desperate:

“Atonement by Ian McEwan? Too depressing. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold? But she’s already dead! Roanoke: A Novel of the Lost Colony by Sonia Levitin – Doesn’t the colony disappear at the end?? Come on, Meg!”

So in the end I just gave up (a good life strategy, no?) and just picked the six I felt most strongly about. And I DO have some strong feelings:

(Credit for original weekly feature all to the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish)

1.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (and just about any other novel by her… except you, Mansfield Park, go back to your corner)

 

I KNOW you guys are with me on this one! How do know this? Oh, just judging by this tiny sampling of the vast body of P&P continuations/spin-offs, like these that I have read:

An Assembly Such as This, P&P&Z, Austenland

 And these that I still NEED to read:

Why so many vampire/vampyre Darcy's? I do not know, but I'll allow it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Beginnings and Endings!

In which Sam rants about the English language, raves about Hemingway (as usual) and rambles on absolutely forever. 

For this week's TTT, we've been asked to share the best book beginnings & endings. I took this rather literally and sought out the words that most shook me up when I read them first (rather than "I'm so glad that X person got a dragon in the end" because, well, I am nearly always glad to rave about the presence/rant about the absence of dragons.)

Also, this TTT is super long. You've been warned. 

And as always, credit to The Broke and the Bookish for this fabulous feature!

Snips & Specs & New Projects!

Well hello, ladies and gents! Let's crank up that rumor mill, 'cause we've got lots of speculatin' to do, plus we'd like to allude to some future features you are sure to enjoy! Here's a fast five for today's Friday Snip & Spec!

#1  I STACK MY AUSTENS LIKE BENJAMINS

It's still a concept image - the release is 4 years away!

For all of you Austen fans, this is pretty cool news! She'll be on the 10-pound note. Link in the title to the Jezebel article where we first saw the story, and check out the video from the Bank of England!

#2 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL .... IN SPACE!

THIS...almost

Okay, on a scale of 1 to Total Speculation, this is really out there, but if you are a huge Star Wars nerd and reader and YA fan, you might be curious if (1) They're really going to base the rumored sequel on Heir to the Empire and (2) OMG REALLY CAST RYAN GOSLING AND ZAC EFRON! Okay, okay, this rumor came from self-proclaimed gossip hound Perez Hilton, but ... we want to believe!

Hey girl.

....That's right.

***Update*** It looks like the Ryan Gosling thing really was a rumor...there's still hope for a Cosmic HSM, though! And may we make a replacement suggestion ....

You're welcome.

#3 HI LADIES....I'M HADES

Have you spotted the new EPIC cover to House of Hades yet, out October 2014? We're pretty pumped about it - thanks YA Book Crush for tuning us in to its release! - and it distracts us from what is sure to be another disappointing film adaptation.

LOOK HOW EPIC

#4 LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES! LET'S GO SEE THE STARS!

When you're a star rays of light shoot out of your chest!

Speaking of movies, we are very excited to announce a new REGULAR FEATURE where we review BOOKS & THEIR FILM ADAPTATIONS! This magical recurring journey of joy will commence with the premiere of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. We're planning to attend the film together and co-author our first TRIPLE REVIEW! Could this list item feature MORE CAPITALIZATION?

"If she does it again...I'll kill her."

#5 YOU'VE GOT TO ASK YOURSELF ONE QUESTION

"Do I feel ... like taking a monthly personality quiz based on my favorite YA books?!!?"

Well...DO YA!?!?

Clint Eastwood. Casual.

We've got plots and plans in the works for a quiz feature. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by, guys! We appreciate the views, the love, the comments, and your input!

-Sam

Top Ten Tuesday: Best & Worst Film Adaptations

In which Sam rants and raves about five of the worst and five of the best film adaptations of YA/NA novels, including (1) a quick synopsis, (2) whether the book is worth the read, and (3) whether the movie is worth the watch!

Without further ado, we here at Mad But Magic are very excited to share our Top Ten Tuesday list of Best & Worst Movie Adaptations – original feature, as always, courtesy of The Broke and Bookish :)

TOP 5 BEST MOVIE ADAPTATIONS

#5 S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders and the 1983 film adaptation, The Outsiders

Synopsis: Young men on the edge – of sanity, of society, of adulthood – stalk the night streets in leather jackets and linger on in your heart.

Is the book worth the read? YES! One hundred times, yes. The Outsiders was written by a woman who wandered the streets getting to know young men just like her protagonists – who, by the way, have some of the best names you’ll ever encounter in fiction – Ponyboy and Sodapop are my favorites. True to publishing industry fashion when it comes to female authors like J.K. Rowling, S.E. Hinton is really Susan Eloise Hinton – and she wrote the book while still in high school!

Is the movie worth the watch? Absolutely – it’s old but it’s fun, and it’s a bit of a tearjerker, too. Also, it’s a delight to look for today’s well-known stars in some early roles, like Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Maccio, Rob Lowe, and Tom Cruise!

In sum: Do it forJohnny.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2013

This was kind of a tough week for me as I’ve read a string of YA books recently that were just not as good as I wanted them to be. But still! I’ve managed to put together a (rather dark and murdery) list of the top 10 books I’ve read so far this year:

(Original feature courtesy of The Broke and the Bookish)

1.       The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

If you’re a Greek mythology nerd like me, you’ll love this beautiful take on Homer’s Iliad told from the perspective of Achilles’ lifelong companion Patroclus. It’s an intimate look at the boys’ relationship both before and during the Trojan War. Miller’s prose is lush and gorgeous, too. Definitely the best book I have read this year!