Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books I’d Love to See Adapted for the Big or Small Screen
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is a Freebie so I decided to with books I’d love to see made in TV shows or movies. This has been on my mind a lot lately because of all recent announcements about new streaming services. Between the big screen, the small screen, and streaming giants like Netflix and Hulu, it seems like there is more and more opportunity out there for great books to be adapted. Several of my favorites like Daisy Jones & the Six and The Grisha Trilogy are already being adapted, but here are a few more I hope to see adapted as well. Now I’ll confess here that I didn’t research these very thoroughly so if you’re aware of upcoming adaptations for any of these that I haven’t heard of yet, please let me know! 🙂
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10 Books I’d Love to See Adapted for the Big or Small Screen
1, THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Evelyn Hugo is a character who is larger than life, and as a movie star, I think it’s only fitting that this book should be made into a film. I think it would be glorious!
2, LETTERS TO THE LOST by Brigid Kemmerer
I think any of Kemmerer’s YA contemporaries would be wonderful as films, but Declan and Juliet’s story has a special place in my heart and I think it would make for a very moving film.
3, WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens
I just finished reading this beautiful, heartbreaking story yesterday and all I could think about was how I wanted to see it on the big screen. This is the book that actually inspired this week’s topic.
4, LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager
I love a good, atmospheric film as well and I think this book set in a creepy Gothic NYC landmark hotel would be perfect.
5, CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber
How fabulous would this be as either a film or limited series?
6. THE ILLUMINAE FILES by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
This amazing science fiction series would also make for an exciting limited series on any of the steaming services. I’d totally binge watch it!
7. THE GIRL HE USED TO KNOW by Tracey Garvis Graves
I think Annika and Jonathan’s story would make for a beautiful movie about second chances.
8. THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL by Abbi Waxman
At first I was thinking film, but the more I think about it, I would definitely watch an entire series devoted to Nina and her bookish antics.
Heck, I’d watch just to see her have conversations with Phil the cat, lol.
9. ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane
This was another moving story about family and forgiveness that the entire time I was reading, I kept picturing it on the big screen.
Ready Player One is one of my favorite films and I keep thinking that the virtual reality world of Warcross would be equally epic on the big screen.
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What are some books you’d like to see adapted for TV or film?
Review: THE BOOK CHARMER by Karen Hawkins
The Book Charmer (Dove Pond, #1) by Karen Hawkins 
Published by Gallery Books on July 30, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
THE BOOK CHARMER Review
I have to admit that I requested Karen Hawkins’ latest novel The Book Charmer from Netgalley solely based on the beautiful cover and the fact that it was clearly a book about books. That combination was irresistible to me, even without having read the synopsis. Thankfully once I settled down and actually read the synopsis, I knew my instinct to select this book was a good one as it’s marketed as a book perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic and Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors.
I found The Book Charmer to be a truly magical read in every sense of the word, and although I feel like I could ramble about this book for days, I’m just going to share a few of the things I enjoyed most.
- Dove Pond. I adore books that are set in small towns and the town of Dove Pond stole my heart right away. It’s a quaint little southern town located in North Carolina. It’s one of those little towns where all the residents know each other and make it their business to know about everyone new who comes to their town. They may seem like busybodies on the surface, but the residents will have your back in a heartbeat if you find yourself in trouble. And yes, the town has its fair share of quirky characters which sometimes made me chuckle, but the sense of community in Dove Pond was overall just truly heartwarming. It’s like one big happy family.
- Grace Wheeler. The Book Charmer features fiercely independent women as its protagonists and Grace Wheeler is one of them. Grace has moved to Dove Pond and is just taking things day by day, trying to adjust to recent changes in her life that have left her as her niece Daisy’s primary caregiver and in a similar role for her foster mother, Mama G., who is suffering from dementia. The only reason Grace is in Dove Pond is because it’s where Mama G. grew up and doctors have told her that a familiar environment would help Mama G. cope with her deteriorating memories. I loved Grace right away because of her determination to put her family first at all costs and because of her sense of independence. She is determined to leave Dove Pond as soon as she possibly can and has no interest in putting down permanent roots there, including making friends. She just simply doesn’t have the time or energy to devote to that.
(As a side note, I also really appreciated how Hawkins handled writing about someone who is experiencing dementia – how it impacts them and how it impacts everyone around them. As someone who has a family member who is currently suffering from dementia, I found myself nodding my head at what was going on with Mama G. throughout the book. Hawkins handles this subject matter delicately and accurately).
- Sarah Dove. While Grace is doggedly determined to leave Dove Pond as soon as possible, equally stubborn Dove Pond resident, Sarah Dove, has other ideas. Sarah is the town librarian, which of course endeared her to me right away, because…books! But I also adored Sarah because she was just so adorably quirky. She also has a special gift when it comes to books – I don’t want to say too much about it, but if you’re in Dove Pond and Sarah gives you a book, it’s definitely in your best interest to take it, whether you think you want to read it or not! Sarah also has a gift when it comes to knowing what Dove Pond needs and as soon as she meets Grace, she decides Dove Pond needs Grace. Sarah therefore makes it her mission to make Grace fall in love with the town and its residents.
- Relationships. At its heart, The Book Charmer is a book about relationships. It has a strong focus on family, especially found families, and on the importance of friendships (whether you’re looking for them or not). And yes, for all of the romance fans out there, there is a hint of a romance in the book as well. I don’t want to say much about that either except to say that Trav, the male love interest, is described as looking like Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones Yes, please! (And you know I of course loved that this book had GoT references in it!)
- Magical Realism. Sometimes magical realism is hit or miss for me, but it really works in this charming, special little town. This is where the comparison to Alice Hoffman’s books were so apt because Hawkins’ use of magical realism is subtle like Hoffman’s is and really gives you that feeling that those little magical elements could actually be possible.
If you’re looking for a heartwarming read that features a small town setting, lovable characters, and a strong focus on family and friendships, I highly recommend adding Karen Hawkins’ The Book Charmer to your reading list.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins crafts an unforgettable story about a sleepy Southern town, two fiercely independent women, and a truly magical friendship.
Sarah Dove is no ordinary bookworm. To her, books have always been more than just objects: they live, they breathe, and sometimes they even speak. When Sarah grows up to become the librarian in her quaint Southern town of Dove Pond, her gift helps place every book in the hands of the perfect reader. Recently, however, the books have been whispering about something out of the ordinary: the arrival of a displaced city girl named Grace Wheeler.
If the books are right, Grace could be the savior that Dove Pond desperately needs. The problem is, Grace wants little to do with the town or its quirky residents—Sarah chief among them. It takes a bit of urging, and the help of an especially wise book, but Grace ultimately embraces the challenge to rescue her charmed new community. In her quest, she discovers the tantalizing promise of new love, the deep strength that comes from having a true friend, and the power of finding just the right book.
“A mesmerizing fusion of the mystical and the everyday” (Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author), The Book Charmer is a heartwarming story about the magic of books that feels more than a little magical itself. Prepare to fall under its spell.
About Karen Hawkins
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Karen Hawkins is known for her wonderfully humorous and emotion-tugging historical and contemporary romances. The author of over 30 novels, Karen writes for a living between shopping for shoes, playing around on Facebook and Pinterest, looking for fun items for Hawkins Manor, and napping, although usually not at the same time. Sometimes, for fun, she takes Instagram pictures of her two rescue dogs, Sadie and Teke, and posts them online.
Yeah, she’s a wild one.
Karen lives in snowy Massachusetts, with her husband, aka Hot Cop, and her two dogs. Her children are both out of college and have become productive, non-violent members of society. Karen writes six to eight hours a day when not obsessively reading research books on Regency-era Scotland, snacking on chocolate, or looking out the windows of her house and thinking about gardening. Her hobbies include sculpting, oil painting, playing badminton, and — ok, ok, she doesn’t have any hobbies, but if she did, she’s sure they’d be something refined and fascinating.
Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Book Settings I Need More of in My Reading Life
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Settings I’d Like to See More Of (Or At All). I’m giving the topic a tiny twist because I can’t speak to how many books with the settings I’m thinking about already exist in the world. There could be plenty of them out there that I just haven’t discovered yet. So I’m going with book settings that I just need more of in my reading life. That said, if you have any recommendations that fit any of the settings I’ve listed, I’d love to hear them.
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10 Book Settings I Need More of in My Reading Life
1, Books set in colleges and/or universities.
I don’t know what it is about the college setting – maybe it’s just nostalgia – but I can never get enough of books that are set there.
2, Books set in bookstores and/or libraries.
Of course I want more books to read that set in my favorite places in the world. Enough said.
3, Books set in quaint small towns.
As much as I love reading books that are set in big exciting cities, I’d actually love to read more books that are set in small towns. They just tend to have such charm.
4, Books set in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia.
I always enjoy reading books that are set outside the United States, but I have tended to migrate towards those set in familiar cities like London and Paris.
I’d love to branch out and read more from other regions around the world.
5, Books set in the 1920s.
I read a lot of historical fiction but most of what I read tends to be set around WWII and sometimes WWI.
I’d love to read more set in the 1920s because I find it to be such an interesting period in history.
6. Books set in pre-Civil War America and Colonial Times
I think my obsession with the musical Hamilton has me wanting to read more historical fiction that is set much earlier in my country’s history.
7. Sci-fi books set on other planets in our solar system besides Earth and Mars.
Maybe it’s a little far-fetched, but it seems to me that with sci-fi, anything is possible, even life on planets that in reality can’t sustain life.
8. Books set in restaurants, bakeries, cafes, etc.
Basically any place that features delicious food that the authors can then describe in mouth-watering detail.
I don’t know why I like reading about food so much, but I really do, lol.
9. Books set in big cities other than NYC, Paris, and London
These are my three favorite big city settings, but I’d love to branch out and find books set in other cities that I’m not as familiar with.
10. Books set in lesser known seaside/oceanside locales.
Of course books that are set on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard immediately come to mind,
but I’d love to see some that are more off the beaten path but equally as charming.
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What are some book settings that you would like to see more of?