Book to Movie Adaptation Review - Bird Box

Bird Box released on Netflix on 21st December 2018

Film Synopsis

When a mysterious force decimates the population, only one thing is certain -- if you see it, you die. The survivors must now avoid coming face to face with an entity that takes the form of their worst fears. Searching for hope and a new beginning, a woman and her children embark on a dangerous journey through the woods and down a river to find the one place that may offer sanctuary. To make it, they'll have to cover their eyes from the evil that chases them -- and complete the trip blindfolded.

My Thoughts

Everyone was going crazy, and still are, for the film adaptation of Bird Box, originally a novel by Josh Malerman, and I needed to see what all the fuss was about. I read the book back in October and I really enjoyed it, you can see my review here, so I was excited to check this out. I know a lot of people generally have a love/hate relationship with adaptations but I usually don't mind them and this was no exception. I really enjoyed the movie too. 

Having only read the book a couple of months ago everything was still pretty fresh so I was quite familiar with what was going to happen but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the film. Plot wise it stuck quite close to the book, a few things were missing or a bit rushed but that was okay. These parts did not detract from the overall story. The story was just as creepy as the novel version but I wasn't scared as such. Like the book there was also a lot of unexplained plot points and aspects to the story but, like I said in my book review, this was okay as it added to the overall atmosphere of the story.

I think Sandra Bullock did a fantastic job at portraying our main character. Just like the writer brought the characters to life in the book she really brought her character to life in the film. She did a great job at portraying terror, desperation and all manor of other emotions that you would expect to feel in this post apocalyptic story. She really brought the story to life and you felt like you were making the journey right alongside her. 

Overall I really enjoyed the movie just as much as I enjoyed the book. I would always recommend reading the book first but, if you can't get your hands on it but are keen to watch the film then carry on. I think you'll enjoy it just as much. 

Overall rating for both the book and the film

Top 5 Wednesday - Hyped 2019 Releases You Don't Care About

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme where you discuss your 'top 5' in a variety of different topics on, guess what, a Wednesday. Full list of topics and more information can be found here on the Goodreads group.

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday post is 2019 releases you don't care about. This is quite a controversial topic I know and I want to preface this list by saying please don't take offence. Just because I'm not excited for these releases doesn't mean you can't be, it just means they're not for me. If these are books your looking forward to then great and by all means try and convince me to want to pick them up. 

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

expected publication date 19th November 2019

This is the first book in a new series (I think) by Cassandra Clare. I know there are a lot of people out there who are super excited for this but not me. I haven't read any of her other books and I don't really have any inclination to pick them up so this one is not on my list for this year. 

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

expected publication date 2nd April 2019

This is a contemporary romance story and this isn't a genre I usually read. The reason why this one doesn't appeal to me is as simple as that. 

There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon

expected publication date 14th May 2019 

Another contemporary romance story. I haven't read any of the other books by this author because they're not my genre so I won't be picking this one up either. 

Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard

expected publication date 7th February 2019 

Same story as above. A contemporary story, not a genre I really read. 

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
expected publication date 1st February 2019

The premise of this one intrigues me however, I read and didn't really enjoy this authors previous book so I'm not inclined to pick this up. Maybe I'll look at getting it from the library if the reviews are good but for now its a no from me. 

I'd love to hear about some popular upcoming releases that your not interested in. I quite enjoy reading other peoples opinions. 

Mailbox Monday - Weekly Book Post

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that was started by Marcia of To Be Continued. The aim is simple, for people to share what books they received in their mailbox that week. To check out everyone else's posts head over to the Mailbox Monday blog.

This week will be my post Christmas haul so a few more books than normal. 

These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch and The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

I bought both of these from Waterstones with my Christmas money. These Rebel Waves was one of my most anticipated releases from last year and The Wizards of Once was in the sale for £5. 

The Wicked King by Holly Black

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this one from Readers First. It's one of my most anticipated releases of this year so I will be reading this one next. 

Gemina and Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I had some money on my Waterstones loyalty card so I used it to pick up the rest of this series as I read Illuminae at the end of last year and loved it. 

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

I received this from a books for trade through Twitter. 

Have you read any of these? Which ones should I get to first? 

I'd love to hear about the books you received for Christmas. 

AtoZ Reading Challenge 2019

This year I'm planning on taking part in the AtoZ Reading Challenge hosted by Ginger Mom and Company. The aim of this challenge is to read a book to match each letter of the alphabet. You can find out more about the challenge and how to sign up here. 

This post is to keep track of my reading for this challenge. I will be updating it and sharing it regularly throughout the year and hopefully this will help me stay accountable for this challenge. 

A. A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney - Review

B.

C.

D.

E. Enchantee by Gite Trelease - Review

F.

G. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Review

H.

I. In Fallen Woods by R N Merle - Review

J. James Clyde and the Diamonds of Orchestra by Colm McElwain - Review

K.

L.

M.

N.

O. Origin by Dan Brown - Review 

P.

Q.

R. The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons - Review

S.

T. Tangleweed and Brine by Deidre Sullivan - Review

U.

V.

W. The Wicked King by Holly Black - Review

X.

Y.

Z.

2019 Reading Goals

Happy New Year everyone! Who can believe we are in 2019 already. 2018 was a great year for me, even though I didn't read as much as I normally do, and I've already talked about this in previous posts which you can check out if you'd like. I'm hoping that 2019 will be just as great if not better, with a whole host of great reading and blogging experiences to boot. 

In today's post I will be talking about my reading and blogging goals for 2019. Last year I discovered that I don't do well with restrictive goals. I can't stick to specific TBRs or challenges as I like to have freedom in what I read, so this year I'll only be setting myself a couple of loose goals that I hope I'll be able to stick to for the duration of the year. 

Goodreads Goal

Every year I set myself a Goodreads goal as I know most readers do. I usually set my challenge to 50 books and can often meet this or even exceed it. As discussed in previous posts last year I didn't quite make it but I'm still setting my goal to 50 books as I'm hoping I'll do better in 2019. 

AtoZ Reading Challenge 

This year I'm planning to take part in the AtoZ Reading Challenge hosted by Ginger Mom and Company, you can find out more about this challenge and how to sign up here. My aim for this is to read a book for each letter of the alphabet. I'm not setting myself a TBR I'm just going to fit my reads in where I can and then become a bit more specific as we near the end of the year to fill in the rest of the letters. I'll be listing my reads in a separate post and updating it throughout the year.

Blogging Goals

Finally for my blogging goal I'm just hoping to keep up with my current schedule as a minimum amount of posts. Any extra would be a bonus. I would really love to take part in a blogging challenge such as Blogtober or Blogmas but I'm not going to commit to that just yet as my maternity leave would of finished then and I'll be back at work. My current schedule that I'd like to keep up with is as follows...

• Monday - Mailbox Monday Meme
• Wednesday - Top 5 Wednesday
• Friday - review of some kind
• Saturday/Sunday - other post e.g. wrap up, tag etc. 

So there we have my reading and blogging goals for 2019. Nothing to ambitious or restrictive but something to aim towards. 

What are your reading or blogging goals for 2019? I'd love to hear about them. 

Review - The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

Published 10th January 2019 by Hot Key Books

Star Rating - *****

Goodreads Challenge - 41/50

I received an ARC copy from the publishers, Hot Key Books, in exchange for a honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Part ghost story, part Nordic thriller - this is a twisty, tense and spooky YA debut, perfect for fans of CORALINE and Michelle Paver.

Martha can tell things about a person just by touching their clothes, as if their emotions and memories have been absorbed into the material. It started the day she fell from the tree at her grandma's cabin and became blind in one eye.

Determined to understand her strange ability, Martha sets off to visit her grandmother, Mormor - only to discover Mormor is dead, a peculiar boy is in her cabin and a terrifying creature is on the loose.

Then the spinning wheel starts creaking, books move around and terror creeps in . . .

Set in the remote snows of contemporary Norway, THE TWISTED TREE is a ghost story that twists and turns - and never takes you quite where you'd expect.

My Thoughts

So it seems like I have a last minute contender for a place on my favourite books of 2018! I loved this book. Even though it was short it definitely packed a punch. It was creepy but compelling and it kept me turning the pages right until the very end. This book follows Martha and her journey as she discovers all about her family history and who she really is. The ideas are rooted in Norse mythology and I love anything mythological. I'm not as well versed in Norse mythology as I am in other areas so it was really refreshing to learn about O history. The writing was fantastic. As I said before it was a really compelling read and I kept thinking to myself just one more chapter so much that I finished it in a couple of days. It's quite a short book but there's a lot packed in here and the author does a fantastic job of evoking feelings of unease as you read. The story was creepy but not so much as to go as far as horror, to me it was the perfect balance. It was also highly atmospheric, both the setting and the story. The author was able to fully immerse the reading into the setting and this made the story even better. I really enjoyed the characters too. Martha was great. She was strong and independent but also wasn't afraid to want or ask for help when she needed it. Stig was also a very intriguing character. There was a lot more to him then first meets the eye and, although we have some of his background revealed to us as the story goes on, there is still enough unsaid to keep his character quite mysterious. The romance was okay too as it was quite a slow burn, no instalove insight. I also liked that this book focused a lot on the females in Norse mythology, such as the Goddess Hel and The Norns, instead of the male gods most media focuses on. Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was deliciously dark and creepy. I loved the atmospheric writing style and setting and the well developed characters. I would definitely recommend picking this one up. One of my favourite books of 2018. Overall Rating

Top 5 Wednesday - 2019 Reading Resolutions

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme where you discuss your 'top 5' in a variety of different topics on, guess what, a Wednesday. Full list of topics and more information can be found here on the Goodreads group. 

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday topic is your top 5 2019 reading resolutions. I'm already planning a more in depth post about my reading and blogging goals for 2019 so for now here's a quick list of my reading resolutions for 2019. 

1. To read 50 books - this is what I have my Goodreads goal set to and hopefully I can achieve this this year. 

2. To complete the AtoZ Reading Challenge - this is a challenge hosted by Ginger Mom and Company. You can find out more about this challenge in my 2019 reading goals post on Saturday. 

3. To stop buying so many books and read the ones I already own - this is probably going to be on many peoples lists I'm sure. I don't want to put myself on a book buying ban as I know I won't be able to stick to it but I would really like to get through some of my owned TBR. 

4. To use my library more - This links in with the above goal and my final one. I really want to use my library more. This way I can have access to lots of different books without making my owned TBR any bigger. 

5. To complete the series I have on my TBR - I'm really bad at this. I either don't start the series I have because I don't have all the books or, I wait to long to pick up the next books that I have forgotten what happens in the first one. I'm hoping that by trying to use my library more I'll be able to get through some of the series I have on my TBR. 

Extra Goal: Don't be afraid to DNF books - I never DNF books and that's something I want to change this year. If I'm not enjoying something I need to put it down and move onto something else. I have too many books to force myself to read something I'm not enjoying. 

So there are my top 5 (6) reading resolutions in a nutshell. Sorry its a bit rushed but as I said I do have a 2019 reading and blogging goals post coming out on Saturday so please check that out if you would like to know more. 

What are your 2019 goals? I'd love to hear about them.