Movie Review time: Books to the big screen

I saw two of my favorite books turned into movies this week.

 

First, City of Bones, I attended the midnight showing. This series has been a favorite book of mine for 3 years now. I reread the books to have a fresh memory of what happens in time for the movie release. I almost think it is best to forget all about the books before seeing its movie. You know very well they are going to have to change things to make it fit into 2 hours.  Here are the seven things that I’m glad made it into the movie:

***Spoilers***

1. Clary is a heroine and not a damsel in distress. She is fearless and precisely how she acted in the book. (She was a little less redheaded than I imagined but it worked.)
2. Jace’s instant attraction to Clary and need to be with her even though he is a wounded soul.
3. Alec’s obsession with Jace must have gotten edited out because you didn’t see it much but when Clary accused Alec of being in love with Jace and he throws her against the wall was right on.
4. The Silent Brothers with their lips sewn shut and gouged out eyes were creepily perfect.
5. Simon with his Made in Brooklyn t-shirt was by far my favorite character in the movie. He stole the show with his broken-heart and big brown eyes.
6. Valentine is the perfect bad guy you almost feel bad for but in the end he is truly evil with a lot of fight scenes.
7. I was worried about how they would tastefully approach the end of book one. Like a lot of readers I was afraid people would be turned off by the revelation that our love triangle became incest with Clary and Jace being siblings. The movie addresses the issue and didn't make it at all creepy.

Well done, it was a great show. I’m planning to take my husband to see it. It has plenty of action and even if you haven’t read the books you will enjoy and understand the story line. 

NEXT STAY TUNED FOR MY MOVIE REVIEW OF "AUSTENLAND"...

Write - a - thon challenge 4,5,6

Challenge #4
Take the current book you are reading, or if you aren't reading one now (shame on you!) the last book you read. Try to write a one sentence “pitch” of the book. 

This challenge may sound simple (only one sentence!), but don't let it fool you!

My challenge:

"Witches of the Three Sister Island have to come together to save the island from the same fate as Atlantis."

(I'm reading Nora Robert's 3rd book in the series of the Three Sisters Island. You can read my book reviews on my other blog juliemartinwallace.blogspot.com )

My thoughts: Finding how to describe a book in one sentence is really hard to do. But those taglines are so important. 

Challenge #5
Make a list of the Top 10 Books (You Think) Every Writer Should Read. You can cater the list toward whatever genre you write (i.e. Top 10 Books Every Poet Should Read, Top 10 Books Every YA Contemporary Writer Should Read, Top 10 Books Every Picture Book Writer Should Read, etc.)

October Madness Challenge #5

My challenge: Top 10 YA Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Romance every writer should read:

1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

2. Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

3. Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray

4. City of Bones series by Cassandra Clare (city of bones) (book-review-city-of-lost *Spoilers)

5. Clockwork Angel series by Cassandra Clare

6. Kissed by an Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler

7. My Unfair Godmother series by Janette Rallison (My Unfair Godmother book review)

8. Erasing Time by C.J. Hill (book-review-of-erasing-time-by-cj-hill)

9. Dragon Slayers by C.J. Hill (book-review-of-slayers-by-cj-hill)

10. Eon & Eona series by Alison Goodman (book-review-of-eon) (book-review-of-eona-by-alison-goodman *Spoilers)

My thoughts: It's really hard to narrow my list to only top ten. I think as a writer, reading lots of books is the best way to learn. I included another top 10 of my favorite books I read over and over. They are in all kinds of genres but they help mold my writing. 

1. How I Write by Janet Evanovich  & Stephanie Plum series

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. All's Fair in Love, War, and High School by Janette Rallison

4. Dangerous Favor by Joyce DiPastena (Dangerous Favor book review)

5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

6. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

7. The MacGregor series by Nora Roberts

8. Zenobia - Birth of a Legend by Russ Wallace (book-review-zenobia-birth-of-legend)

9. Wizards First Rule series by Terry Goodkind

10.Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (book-review-hunger-games) (Catching fire book review)(Mockingjay review)

Challenge #6 
Set a writing goal for yourself to complete by the end of the year. Make sure it is easily measurable. Also, make sure it is something that is possible to accomplish, but also push yourself!

My challenge: 

By the end of this month I will have "The road to my love" completed and enter Writer’s Digest short story contest. 

End of the year goals:

I will have "Far From Normal" edited 

I will have query letter, synopsis, and 1 minute pitch perfected

I will send a query to agent Gary Goldblatt 

I will write first full draft of "Far Far Away" book two

My thoughts: This week has been a great motivation for me. I really dropped the ball on my writing and now I'm back on track. Can't wait to accomplish my goals and be a published writer. 

Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines - Brian Tracey

Book Review of City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

     We start right into the story after City of Fallen Angels left off and Jace went missing from the rooftop and Sebastian/ Jonathan the-demon-blood-dead-guy was now missing with Jace. Everybody is looking for Jace. Alec senses he is still alive but something is not right. After two weeks of missing the Clave changes their focus and stops looking for Jace. Clary and her friends go see the faire Queen to see if she can help them find Jace. She agrees to help them if they bring her two Shadowhunter rings that allow those who obtain the rings to speak telepathically. At the institute, Clary was about to steal the rings when Jace and Sebastian show up to retrieve some books on dark magic. Clary hides and is shocked to see Jace going along with Sebastian like they are best friends. 

     Jace shows up in Clary’s bedroom and tells her that Sebastian has a good plan and she needs to go with him. He also tells her that he is linked to Sebastian and they can’t kill one without killing the other. Clary decided to join Jace, this way she can find out what they are planning. If she wears the ring and Simon wears the other ring they can speak to each other. She has to play along with Sebastian and pretend she is starting to trust him as a brother. After getting drugged at a night club her ring goes missing and she has no way to warn the others about Sebastian’s plan to let free the worst demons on the world.  

     I thought this was the final book of The Mortal Instruments but since it left a lot undone I’m hoping it’s not. I liked the different story-lines that were going on throughout the book. Jordan and Mia who are werewolves are helping the shadowhunters find Jace. Jordan hopes he can rekindle his relationship with Mia and that she will be able to forgive him for turning her into a werewolf. Magnus and Alec are having relationship problems as Magnus is immortal and Alec is not. Alec runs into an old lover of Magnus’s and is trying to find a way to become immortal or make Magnus mortal. Isabelle can’t stop thinking about Simon, Clary’s vampire BFF, and Isabelle is struggling with finding a way to let him know she’s interested. Clary has to find a way to save Jace before the shadowhunters kill him because he’s connected to Sebastian and his evil plan. There is a lot happening all at once and “Team Good” as Clary calls her group of friends has to stop “Team Bad” before it’s too late.

     It was an exciting and nail-biting read. If you like vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, fairies, warlocks, (did i forget anybody?) and whole secret society saving the world from the unknown, then you'll like this series. Cassandra Clare has a great imagination and makes her characters go through all kinds of hard times. Good news! They are turning the first book City of Bones into a movie. 

For more information about The Mortal Instruments series go to : http://www.shadowhunters.com/mortalinstruments/

To purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/City-Lost-Souls-Mortal-Instruments/dp/1442416866

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/city-of-lost-souls-cassandra-clare/1104511184