Movie Monday: Future Book Adaptations

Hey all! Welcome to Movie Monday! We usually use this to compare movie and books that we have seen/read but today I'm going to tell you about what books you may want to pick up before their movies/TV shows come out later in 2015-2016!

Let's start with the fabulous sequels that are due to come out...

 Remember the movie, Maze Runner? Bunch of kids trapped in a maze? It didn't get a whole lot of publicity, which makes me sad because it was a good movie (especially for a book adaptation). Well, if you didn't know, Maze Runner is a trilogy and the sequel, Scorch Trials, hits the big screen September 15, 2015. Not a whole lot of time to catch up on this series but I do recommend the books and the movie :) I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing Teresa in a bigger part.





 Let's start with the obvious. Mockingjay Part 2 is set to make it's debut November 20, 2015. I'm personally excited to see one of my favorite actresses, J. Law, finish up this amazing movie series! I read Hunger Games before the movies came out and have been picking apart the movies (like I normally do) but I just can't be disappointed in them. They are great movies even if you read the book before hand. I expect nothing less from the final chapter (so to speak) of Mockingjay :)

This I am excited for! I loved Rick Yancey's, The 5th Wave, and am beyond excited to see what they do with it for the movie. I've seen a few different premier dates so I'm just going to say it's set to come out January 2016. If you haven't read this book yet, get on it! It's like the Walking Dead.... but with Aliens! We will see Chloe Grace Moretz (you may know her from Kickass as Hit-Girl) as Cassie Sullivan and Nick Robinson (Zach from Jurassic World) as Ben Parish. Overall, not a bad cast choice :) I'm excited to see where they take it!!




 Like most series --> movie adaptations, the final book will be broken into 2 parts. The first part is scheduled to appear on the big screen on March 18, 2016! I, personally, have procrastinated on the last book so I need to get on this quick. Luckily, I have some time. Like Hunger Games, I've been trying to read the books before watching the movies and have been slightly disappointed in the movie adaptations. As a movie, they aren't bad and it is obvious why they have a huge following. But comparing it to the books... I'm just not impressed. I think with these next few movies I will concentrate more on watching it as a movie instead of one based off a book.

If you are a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia, you are about to get excited! We are apparently skipping The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and are getting The Silver Chair, set to come out sometime in 2016. It does take off from Prince Caspin but this time we have 3 friends, Eustace Scrubb, Jill Pole, and Puddleglum, who set off on a journey to rescue King Caspin's son. Should be an interesting movie and is definitely something to keep an eye out for.


There we have some big names to look out for on the big silver screen in the coming year! But how about the small screen? Here are some book to TV show adaptations to keep a look out for ;)

 We are getting a second shot at enjoying The Moral Instruments!! After the flop of a movie, I'm happy that this series is getting a second chance! We will see Katherine McNamara (who will also be in Scorch Trials as Sonya) as Clary Fray and Dominic Sherwood (who played Christian Ozera in Vampire Academy) as Jace Wayland. A pretty interesting cast and also appearing on ABC Family has me all giddy inside for this!! I, again, have found many different premier dates for this so I will say keep an eye out in Early 2016!

The popular series by Tahereh Mafi is finally getting it's small screen debut!!! I prefer book --> TV show adaptations personally since the producers aren't really limited by how long the adaptation should be. Mafi posted on Twitter in June saying the series rights has been sold to ABC Signature Studios and that she is consulting a producer for the show! If the show is a go, we can expect to see this fabulous TV show appearing sometime in Fall 2016!! Plenty of time to read through the series!

This breaks my trend of YA books --> movie/TV show adaptations but I can't help it! I'm a Ward fan! For all my fellow Warden fans, I'm happy to share that the rights to her newest series, the Bourbon Kings, was sold to NBC in hopes of gracing us with a TV show!!!!...... at some point.....Yes, I do not have a more specific date but the news was just released from the Warden herself on Facebook a week ago. Also sadly, she does not have any potential actors in mind :'(

What do you think about these future book to movie/TV show adaptations?? What are you excited for? What are you dreading? Have you heard of any others not listed here?? Share below!!

The Nook Simple Touch

As many of you know, this past holiday season, I came into possession of a wonderful device created just to make the lives of us readers easier, I got a Nook Simple Touch. This device is the third of its kind to be released by Barnes and Noble. Its predecessors, The Nook First Edition was large, bulky and had a difficult touch screen and the Nook Color was more tablet than ereader. And thus, the Nook Simple Touch was born, with the benefit of just reading like the First Edition but more shapely like the Color.

My boyfriends mother got the First Edition for Christmas when it came out, and I will admit I loved the idea of an e-reader. I helped to set it up mostly because I was eager to play around on it, but I was disappointed by it, and it discouraged by wanting to get one. The idea was nice, but the tiny touch screen was difficult and you couldn't even use a stylus to alleviate the difficulty of using your finger to select keys the size of your pinky nail. Then my older sister got the Nook Color as did a friend of mine. Again, I helped my friend set up her Nook because I wanted to play around on it, and I liked how it had a lot of features, but the screen hurt my eyes, I liked the e-ink technology of the First Edition and so the idea of reading a computer screen hurt my eyes. I nevertheless borrowed my sister's Color so that I could see what it was like reading with it-this too failed to suit my needs.

And so I began to feel like Goldylocks waiting to try baby bears porridge. When the Simple Touch came out, and I played with it in stores, I was completely in love. It was small, had an e-ink screen, and it was light, but there was so much more to it than that.

Size
As someone that lugs her books back and forth, its important to have something small that I can use to read. During my time reading 11/22/63, I have come to appreciate my Nook even more. Weighing in at less than 8 pounds, this little baby is smaller than the average size of a paperback. Half the time I carry it with me just because it fits so snug in my purse. The page turning buttons on the side make it super easy to turn the page without needing both hands.

Reading

Side view of the
Nook Simple
Touch

I know that some of my friends don't like to use Nooks or other e-readers because nothing beats turning a page and holding a book, and they're right. I love holding books to and being able to turn the page myself. But how many times in turning that page have your eyes wandered too far ahead because a different typeset caught your eye? With the Nook that doesn't happen, and better yet, when its been awhile and your picking up in the middle of a book after a few months or another book in a series and you can't remember who that person is, you can search the book for that name or term. I did it when I was reading Mockingjay. I couldn't remember who Seneca Crane was and I hit find, and it gave the his name in context which lead to an "ahhh thats who he is" moment.

Another benefit is that you have your library right at your fingertips. Rather than lug 3 books with me on my trip to Pittsburgh, I brought one book and my Nook. When I finished my first book I still had my whole library on my Nook, and it was a good thing too because I finished a second book in the car. I'm not sure what it is about Nook vs. physical books, but I found that I read them a lot faster too.

Adobe EPUB

Library
One of the great benefits about the Nook and most e-readers is that you can get library books on them. While I can't get every single book, you still have access to a lot of e-books. On my library system, you register your library card online, and then you add 10 books that you want to "request" give them your email address and when its your turn with the book, follow the steps, download Adobe EPub (only once), connect your Nook to your computer and you drag the book to the little Nook icon, and then BOOM! You have the book on your Nook.

Cost
The Nook Simple Touch currently costs $99 plus tax depends on where you are, other than the Nook First Generation which you can no longer get from Barnes and Noble. The Nook Color is the second tier of Nook's costing $169 on the website. Lastly there is the Nook Tablet which starts at $199 for the 8GB and $249 for the 16GB. The cost of books then range from free to textbooks for $200 or $64 for a collection of books such as the Sookie Stackhouse books. The last expense is accessories like a cover or matte screen, or even a stylus.

Benefits
I love that I can just lie in bed and hold this over my head and simply use the other hand to swipe. I also love that all of Barnes and Noble's 3 million book library is at my fingertips so long as I have wifi. It was the best to finish Catching Fire and be able to download Mockingjay right then and there. One other great feature is the option to lend books to friends. A good friend of mine got the Nook app on her iPad and so I was able to loan her Mockingjay for her to read. I can also add Nook friends so that I can see what loanable books they have for me to borrow. I also love that I can download library books from my computer and not have to worry about going to the library to get them or return them. If I wanted to I could take notes on my books and change the font size so it would be easier to read. It's also great if you're traveling so I don't have to worry about bringing 12 books with me at once.

Disadvantages
As far as disadvantages go, its not the same as holding a book. I miss being able to judge how far I am in a book by pinching the pages. One of my other biggest problems with my Nook is that you need a light for it, so when I'm going on those early road trips at 5 AM with my dad, I can't read my Nook for a lack of natural light, but thats no different than reading an actual book. If you get a Color or a Tablet then its going to be harder on your eyes, but that's a matter of preference and opinion.

Overall
I like that I have my Nook for occasional use and that I don't need it all the time. I like that it has a long battery life, and that I can read it both indoors and outdoors. I also love that its so small an compact that it fits right in my purse and I don't have to worry about something folding the pages or the cover within my bag. If you're considering an e-reader just for reading, then this bad boy is your Nook, and you can even check out the new Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight out on May 1, 2012!

Amy's Review of Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)

Author: Suzanne Collins
Goodreads Rating: 4.09
My Rating: 3.5
Pages: 390
Reviewed by: Amy

Note from Nicole: Even though you already had a review from me on Mockingjay, I wanted to get Amy's take on the book. We're both very different people and I thought it would only be fair to you to provide her side of things.  


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains - except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the personal cost. 

Review: 

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)

Author: Suzanne Collins
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.08/5
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Pages: 390


With the newfangled technology that is the Nook, I was able to buy Mockingjay as soon as I finished Catching Fire. On one hand I was super excited to jump right into the series, on the other hand, I wish I had more time to digest Catching Fire and enjoy the series more. A lot of comment about this book was that it wasn't nearly as good as the other books, but it was still an amazing book.


Synopses from Goodreads.com:


Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.


My review after the jump!