Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Like to See Turned Into Movies or TV Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.

This week's topic is Books I'd like to see turned into movies or TV shows

1. Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent: By far my favourite series and I think it would make a great TV show. There are too many books to make movies out of them, but there's more than enough content there to get through some seasons, and even add some new content, I won't mind.

2. The Curse Workers series by Holly Black: Another fantastic series that would make a great show. There could be so much back story created with both Cassel and Lila and we could explore some of the tricks and mischief that happened before the series began.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: I fell in love with this book, these characters, and Paris! This make a fantastic movie with so many amazing visuals and swoon worthy romance. 

4. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder: I read this book a while ago, but it's stuck with me since. This would make a great sci-fi movie for a younger audience with twists and turns and mysteries throughout it. 

5. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: The world Meyer has built in these books would look fabulous on screen. The characters are sharp and strong and visuals play an important part throughout these books. I'd die if I got to see Cinder and Scarlett light it up in a theatre!

6. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi: Dystopians have become a hit with The Hunger Games and I think this one would make a great follow up after Divergent. The atmosphere would look great on screen, especially the Aether. 

7. This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers: I need to have Summers on every list because she is such a great author. This zombie book is unlike anything I've read and it captures what teens would feel during an ordeal like this so perfectly. It would hit some people hard and it would be visually creepy and stunning.

8. Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella: By far my favourite stand alone from her and if they don't plan on making anymore Confessions of a Shopaholic movies, why not try another one of her books? They are all so funny and charming and would make the perfect rom-coms!

9. Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready: I think this could make a good series, but it would also work well as movies. A world where people under 17 can see ghosts would look awesome on screen and I think it would be nice to be able to expand some character while still focusing on Aura. Maybe even have some of the first season be pre Logan death? There's a lot to explore in this world and I'd love to see it done!

10. True Believer by Nicholas Sparks: I had to put Sparks on here because the movies made from his books are always so wonderful. There is always so much love and heartbreak that it can be overwhelming, but sometimes that's what you need. This one is one of my favourites because of the ending and I think it would transfer well onto film (just like all his other books!)

I'd love to see any one of these books beautified on screen, either large or small, and if I'm lucky enough to see just one of them, I'll be happy. Any one have any doubles? I'd love to hear what you think and what your lists look like!

Best Stand Alones of 2012

This year is quickly coming to an end. This means some great things: the holidays are upon us and life is filled with joy and family an we get to snuggle up together by the fire to keep warm. I'm sure we all can't wait to countdown to midnight on December 31st and ring in 2013.

This also means that our Pledges of almost over. Hopefully most of us have reached or will reach our goals before the year is through so that we can start all over again on January 1st!

Closer to the end of the year, I'm going to do the hardest thing ever: pick my top ten books of 2012. But for now, I'm going to list my favourite stand alones that I read this year. Stand alones seem like fish out of water these days. Most every book I pick up is the beginning of a series. Don't get me wrong, I love series. They give you a chance to really connect with the characters, but stand alones are a nice change. You don't have to wonder what will happen next, you get to make that up all on your own in your head. So here's my list for 2012:




This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

By far my favourite zombie book. Sloane is suicidal while zombies roam free and she must decide if she's ready to end her life or ready to fight for hers and others around her. Summers has rapidly become one of my favourite authors and I can't wait to see what else she has in store.

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

In a world where rumours rule, it's nice to see a book that captures it perfectly. After letting out a brutal secret, Chelsea decides to take a vow of silence so she won't hurt anyone again. She learns a lot more than planned. I plan on reading Saving June soon because Harrington really impressed me with this novel.





The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Do I really have to say anything about this book? It hit every mark. It made me laugh, cry and want to throw it across the room. Green is an incredible author and his characters are so real it hurts way too much when bad things happen to them. This book will live on forever, just like Hazel and Augustus.





The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

This book had one of the most interesting takes on death that I've seen. Each chapter was titled after a song and we watched as Brie tries to move on from her tragic death. Captured perfectly, it is definitely a book worth reading.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

This was the most hilarious book I read all year. Beauty queens stranded on a desert island - too funny. Each character had such a unique voice that I couldn't help falling in love with all of them. Especially Taylor though, because she was just too ridiculous words and everything she went through really showed her strength.




I know there are a lot of other stand alones that came out, but it seems I didn't read too many. any suggestions?

Top Ten Books to Get into the Halloween Spirit

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is all about getting into the Halloween spirit. I love Halloween. It's my all time favourite holiday and I plan my costumes starting November 1st and then work on them all year. Yes, I'm a tad obsessed, but who doesn't love a night where you can be anyone you want to be and get free candy while doing it? So here's my list of spooktacular books to get you into the Halloween spirit!

 1. Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice

What's Halloween without some good old fashioned vampires. Rice writes them so normal that it's frightening. You just never know what's living in the shadows.

2. Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready

Imagine living in a world where you can see and communicate with ghosts? There is no hiding from them unless you are in a black boxed room. Smith-Ready downplays the scariness of this as it's not the main plot point, but it still gives me the creeps.

3. Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake

Cas is a ghost hunter. The thought of that is scary enough. And Anna is a vicious ghost that shows just how powerful spirits can be. This book might have given me nightmares.

4. Carrie by Stephen King

I Honestly haven't read this, but I wanted to include King on the list because he is the king of suspense and terror. His books are those of nightmares and he writes them flawlessly.

5. The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

Poe creates a frightening scene just with his words. Even in his short stories, he captures your spirit and crushes it. Other tales worth noting are The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. Anything by Poe is perfect for a spooky night lit only by candles.

6. Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Griffin has taken Poe's dark tale and created a fantastic YA book of it. Living in a world where plague and disease has taken over, what is there to live for? Griffin transforms his world into her own with just enough of his terror to keep you thinking.

7. This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

An underrated zombie book of perfection. It's not really about the zombies, it's about surviving and it's perfect for teens and adults alike. The horror outside is downplayed but the thought of what's out there is enough to keep you reading to see if anyone will survive.

8. Dracula by Bram Stoker

This is one of the books that started it all. Along with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Stoker's Dracula captures the essence of the horror that lives on the streets with us. Dracula will steal your breath away and follow you even after the last page.

9. The Forest Of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan

A zombie series with a fresh take. It's reminiscent of The Village and I think that makes it scarier. Everything is old and run down and the zombies are just on the other side of the dying fence. This series will stay with you and haunt your dreams.

10. Fear Street by R.L. Stine (or Goosebumps if you prefer)

Simple, easy, horror. These were the books I read in high school and couldn't get enough off. Each tale had a gruesome twist and the sheer, average, terror of it was enough to keep me up at night. Stine has a way with plots. His books are simple, yes, but they still leave you breathless.

44. Cracked Up To Be

Book #44: Cracked Up To Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: December 23, 2008
214 Pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

Going into this book, I had no doubt that I would love it. Summers impressed me so much with This Is Not A Test that I knew I had to get my hands on her three novels that came before it. Cracking open the first page, I was hooked, and I couldn't put it down until I was finished.

Parker forces you to listen to her. The story begins after her life has changed drastically. Something happened at a party last spring but even Parker isn't too sure about the details. Something changed in her that night and she's let everyone know it. She started showing up to school drunk, quit cheerleading, making suicide threats, and dumped her popular boyfriend. She was the most popular girl in school and not for her stunning personality. But ever since that night, all she wants is to be left alone. If that's not enough, she has to make trips to the guidance counsellor every week and has a lot of homework to make up before she can graduate. Parker has given up on high school and can't wait to get out of there. But when the new kid, Jake, starts paying attention to her, and her ex starts dating her replacement cheer captain, she can't seem to escape the high school life and she's not sure she wants to. But does she deserve to be happy after what happened?

Summers leaves you waiting until the last page to find out all of Parker's secrets. She gives away the story of that night bit by bit as Parker struggles to get through the pain she's caused herself and others. My heart broke with every inch of information, wanting Parker to find the truth in her actions and find a way to forgive herself. 

Now Parker is not the easiest protagonist to like. In fact, she tries very hard to make you hate her along with the rest of the world. Her actions are rude and uncalled for and you'll wonder why she's putting everyone through it. She is mean to Jake from the get-go but he finds a way to see past her stares and snarky remarks, knowing that it's not who she really is. She has formed a protective shell around herself because she doesn't think she deserves to feel any happiness. Jake is the prefect counterpart to her. He is undeniably loyal and won't give up on her no matter how she treats him. He forces her to realize that the world does not revolve around her and that it's time to face the consequences. 

Parker's story might not touch everyone. Some people might not be able to stand her and her reckless attitude, others might think she deserves everything she's going through, but I for one loved her. I loved her guilt (okay that sounds bad, what I mean is that I understand why she acted the way she did) and I love how she evolves throughout the story. Yes, she makes mistakes and yes, she hurts people, but that's what being a teenager is all about. Like Sloane, the character from This Is Not A Test, she finds a way to make it through a hard time and to me, that is the most important quality in a person. Summers has a way of creating the most messed up characters and finding a way for us to love them. Parker and Sloane have joined the ranks of my favourite heroines and I'm sure the rest of Summers' girls will do that same. You will not regret reading this book. 

“The sooner you make a mistake and learn to live with it, the better. You're not responsible for everything. You can't control the way things end up.” 

“I didn't want to be popular because it was easier; I wanted to be popular because in high school that's the best thing you can be: perfect. Everything else is shit.” 

37. This Is Not A Test

Book #37: This Is Not A Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: June 19, 2012
323 Pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. 

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?


Sloane's world is bad. She lives in fear and hides the bruises and scars left on her skin. Her sister was her only hope at survival but she left months ago. Alone with her abusive dad, she is ready to end her life. There is nothing that will stop her from ending it all.


Then she hears the screams. Then the girl breaks through her living room window. Before she knows it, she is running or her life, surrounded by classmates and hiding in her high school. Something is keeping her there. She does not want bad things to happen to her friends so she stays alive, even though all she wants to do is join the dead outside. Trapped in the school with five others who have problems of their own, Sloane tries to find ways out but catches the eye of handsome Rhys in the process. 


The tension in the high school is truly believeable. Six people who don't have any reason to be together are suddenly struggling to keep each other alive. Twins Trace and Grace hold a grudge against Cary, while Harrison mentally breaks down around them. Rhys and Cary have taken to being the leaders, tying to keep the barricades strong and ration food supplies. As the days pass, so does their hope of survival, but no one gives up. Not even Sloane.


Summers captures the zombie apocalypse perfectly. She does not need gruesome details or constant death to show us how brutal it can be. When it comes to survival, the worst enemy is ourselves. Most of the book takes place in the high school, but you forget that the characters are not out there fighting for their lives. Because they are still fighting. They are always fighting. Barriers collapse when human instinct kicks in. 


In Sloane's world, the zombies have always been there. The constant fear of dying hangs over her every day. And in the midst of chaos, she finds a will to live. This book is not about zombies. It is about discovering what really matters, what is left when everything else is gone. It's about surviving whether there are zombies or not. This is a brutal, no holds barre picture of humanity and how we act when things go down. And I'm not even talking about the zombies outside the school. 


So, without further ado, I ask you to go to your local bookstore and find this book, then purchase it and crack it open as soon as you can. Trust me, you won't put it down until you've reached the last bloody page.


“The thing no one tells you about surviving, about the mere act of holding out, is how many hours are nothing because nothing happens. They also don’t tell you about how you can share your deepest secrets with someone, kiss them, and the next hour it’s like there’s nothing between you because not everything can mean something all the time or you’d be crushed under the weight of it.”  

This Is Not A Test Book Trailer

This Is Not A Test Book Trailer

Does it get any better than zombie books? I think not. I'm very excited to read this!