Hey everyone! Today I am starting a new feature on my blog called Movie Monday. Basically, I’m going to discuss and compare the movie adaptations of various books that I’ve read. The goal, for now, is to do this at least twice a month, but I may do more! 🙂
Today’s book to movie adaptation I’m going to talk about is the 1996 movie Matilda, based off the book of the same name by Roald Dahl.
Also, please be aware that there will be some spoilers!
Matilda by Roald Dahl is one of my favorite books, and it is one of my absolute favorite movies as well. Like most of the people I know, I watched the movie before reading the book. I honestly don’t remember the first time I saw this movie, because, basically, it feels like I’ve always known and loved it. Because of that, my opinion on this movie adaptation might be a bit biased. 😉 My love for the movie is actually what led to me reading the book. The first time I read it, I was around 10 or 11, but I just recently reread and rewatched Matilda, which is why I chose this book to movie adaptation for my first Movie Monday!
Okay, so I’m still working on how I want this segment to be formatted, but for now, I’m going to organize this into three parts: Differences, Similarities, and Conclusion.
Differences
- One of the biggest differences between the book and movie is the setting. The book takes place in the UK, and is very distinctly British, whereas the movie takes place in the United States.
- Another huge difference is Matilda’s powers. In the movie, her powers play an extremely important role, and are discovered fairly early on in the movie. The book, however, doesn’t even have Matilda discover her powers until halfway through. She even ends up losing them in the end!
- I also found Matilda to be distinctly more naughty in this book than in the movie. She took the whole punishing the parents thing to the next level, which I found to be so funny.
- The book also goes further into Miss Honey’s life. She has it much harder off in the book than in the movie!
Similarities
- All of the characters are incredibly accurate. Miss Honey, while her character has a bit more depth in the book, is just as sweet and lovely, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood are absolutely awful and yet hilarious, and the Trunchbull is the worst.
- Books and Matilda’s love of reading and knowledge are still very prevalent in the movie.
- There may have been some differences between the two, but the movie absolutely carries the same essence as the book!
Conclusion
Overall, I think Matilda is a really good book to movie adaptation. This movie is witty, clever, and so much fun. There are differences, but the movie still manages to give the same message. This adaptation gets two thumbs up from me!
That’s it for this time! Thank you so much for reading. I’m still figuring out how I want this blog series to go, so if you have any suggestions or ideas for Movie Monday, please let me know! I would really appreciate it. 🙂
Well, we are one week into the read-a-thon already, and this week went okay, but I need to hustle a little bit if I want to get all my badges!
Badges Earned
This week, I earned my Earth Badge with The Program by Suzanne Young. I really enjoyed this one, and it only took me about 2 days to finish, which is really good for me. My review for it went live yesterday, and you can check it out by clicking here!
I’m currently working on my Marsh Badge with Dance of Fire by Yelena Black. I’m almost halfway through, and plan to have it finished in the next day or so!
CP Earned
The Program | +40CP
Earth Badge | +20CP
The Program Review | +20CP
Tweets | +6CP
My Pokemon is now up to 96 CP (if I did my math correctly 😉 )!
That about wraps up what I’ve read for the read-a-thon so far! My goal for next week is to have completed at least 2 or 3 more badges…let’s see if I can do it.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more day-to-day updates!
Title: The Program by Suzanne Young
Pages: 405
Genres: YA, Science Fiction/Dystopian, Romance
Published by: Simon Pulse (April 30th, 2013)
Summary
In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.
Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.
What I Thought
What a page turner! The Program was one of those books that had been sitting in my TBR pile for a very long time. I had always been super intrigued by it, but for one reason or another, I just never bothered to pick it up. I finally decided to read it for the #ReadThemAllThon, and I am so glad I did!
Part of my tentative TBR
Hey everyone! I wanted to let you all know that I will be participating in the #ReadThemAllThon – a read-a-thon inspired by Pokemon and Pokemon Go – hosted by Read At Midnight! The read-a-thon runs from August 14th to September 3rd. Click here to get all of the details! 🙂
Chosen Pokemon:
Read at Midnight made the most perfect trainer card, that I just had to make one for myself as well! Bulbasaur is usually my go-to starter Pokemon, so I just had to use him for this read-a-thon too. 🙂
I admit, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to keep track of all the CP, but I’m going to at least try!
TBR Pile
This TBR pile is still a bit incomplete, because I have a couple different options that I can’t decide between when it comes to some of these gyms, but here’s what I have so far:
This is one of the ones I’m not sure on. There’s a couple different series I’ve been meaning to start, so we’ll see!
I think I’m going to read My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, but I’ll be honest though, this book intimidates me!
423 pages, +42CP
I’m going to reread Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The last time I read it, Twilight was in its glory days. This book may not be quite as popular today, but it has had thunderous hype times 10! Plus, I’ve been looking for an excuse to reread Twilight, and here it is! 🙂
498 pages, +49CP
This is another one I’m still deciding on. I might read Pointe by Brandy Colbert, but I’m really not sure. We’ll have to see if it’s available at the library, or maybe I’ll pick up something else. I’ll include the pages for this one just in case, though.
352 pages, +35CP
Yet another category I can’t decide on! I have several love stories I’ve been meaning to read, so we are just going to have to see which one I pick up!
I’m going to read Dance of Fire by Yelena Black. I bought this book quite a while ago and I still have not read it yet. It’s time!
321 pages, +32CP
I plan on reading Reached, the third and final book in the Matched trilogy, by Ally Condie. I admit, my book’s cover is not completely red, but it’s the most red-ish book that I have been meaning to read. Plus, I know the paperback version is super red, so I’m going with it.
512 vpages, +51CP
The Program by Suzanne Young is a book I’ve always been intrigued with, but never got around to reading. Let’s see if I finally get it read!
405 pages, +40CP
If I finish all of these (including the completed book bonus), I’ll have 369CP!
Also, be prepared to see more book reviews from me during this read-a-thon. Each review that I post for these books during the #ReadThemAllThon, I get a bonus +20CP. 😉
I think this read-a-thon is going to be a lot of fun! I plan on posting progress updates on my blog at least once a week. I’ll also be posting day-to-day reading updates on Twitter, so be sure to follow me there as well!
Title: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Pages: 369
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Pamela Dorman/Viking (January 5th, 2012)
Summary
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.
What I Thought
This book was so much more than I thought it would be. I went into reading Me Before You rather cautiously. In fact, I must admit I was hesitant to read it, because I had basically figured out how it was going to end before I even started the book. So many people loved it though, that I just had to see what the hype was about. While I still had my issues with this book, I definitely get the hype now.
Title: Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell
Pages: 62
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Short Stories, Novella
Published by: Macmillans Kids UK (February 25, 2016)
Summary
‘Everybody likes everything these days. The whole world is a nerd.’
‘Are you mad because other people like Star Wars? Are you mad because people like me like Star Wars?’
‘Maybe.’If you broke Elena’s heart, Star Wars would spill out. So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she’s expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does. What she’s not expecting is to be last in a line of only three people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels. Kindred Spirits is an engaging short story by Rainbow Rowell, author of the bestselling Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On, and is part of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day.
What I Thought
This was so cute! Kindred Spirits is a short story/novella (I never know when one turns into the other? If you know what constitutes as a novella rather than a short story, please let me know!) was released for World Book Day in the UK, and I won a copy through an Instagram contest. Being that this book is so short, I really wasn’t expecting much. I figured that I would enjoy it, but being that I actually haven’t seen any of the Star Wars movies, I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I really did.
![Hedgeathon[white]](https://nataliehocker.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/hedgeathonwhite.jpg?w=300&h=124)
This summer I participated in Books and Quills’ Hedgeathon Summer Reading Challenge. I had so much fun, and just narrowly finished it (I didn’t think I was going to make it there for a while…I’m not even gonna lie, I finished my last book for this challenge at 11:55 PM on July 31st…*phew*)!
The challenge was to read a book related to at least 8 of these prompts (the ones I read are crossed off, and list which book it was below!):
1. A classic– This needs to be an older book, and one that is generally classified as a classic.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
2. Overly-hyped- You know what I’m talking about. Pick one of those books that no one can seem to stop gushing over and talking about. They aren’t bad books they are just hyped.
3. By an indie author– This could be a self-published book, one written by a less well known author, or even a novel you found on Wattpad, the possibilities are endless.
A Thousand Salt Kisses by Josie Demuth
4. Something you normally wouldn’t read–Try a new genre or format.
The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace
5. Actually a novella– Shorter than a novel and less popular but just as good.
Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
6. Over 400 pages– Finally time to tackle that long book you never pick up.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
7. A movie as well– either book that has a movie based off of it or one that is based off a movie.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
8. A true story– Time to bust out the non-fiction!
9. Recommended by a friend– Or me, or someone one else in the challenge.
Runaway by Dandi Daley Mackall
10. A retelling– These are super popular right now, and I have yet to read one.
Ash by Malinda Lo
11.One you bought only because of the cover– Don’t lie, we all do it at some point.
12. About a road trip- Because we can’t all actually go on one this summer.
Like I said, this was a lot of fun! Thank you so much to Natalie for creating such a fun readathon. This was the first real readathon that I got to participate in with my blog! I ended up reading some really great books that I might not have read yet if it hadn’t been for these challenges. 🙂
I didn’t blog nearly as much as I wanted to last month, but July was my best reading month of 2016 so far, so that’s something!
BOOKS READ
I read eight books this month! Seven were physical, and one was an ebook. That is quite good for me. I’ve been in a terrible reading slump on and off for the most of 2016, and I think it’s safe to say that my reading slump is officially over!(?)(You can’t be too confident, otherwise it might come back! lol)
– Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– All-American Girl by Meg Cabot \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
– Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– Runaway by Dandi Daley Mackall \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– Me Before You by Jojo Moyes \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– Ash by Malinda Lo \\ ⭐️⭐️
– Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BOOKS REVIEWED
Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All-American Girl by Meg Cabot \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CLASSIC READ
For the Pretty Books 2016 Classic Challenge, I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Check out my post about that here!
BOOK HAUL
I only bought one book in July, and that was A Christmas Passage by David Saperstein and George Samerjan. I actually wasn’t planning on buying any books in July, but I saw this at The Dollar Tree, and since it was only $1 and I’m a sucker for anything Christmas, I had to get it. 🙂
That’s it for July! Can you even believe that it is August now? Where has this year gone?! I hope you all had a great July, and will have an even better August. Bye! 🙂
Title: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Pages: 465
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Published by: Henry Holt and Company
Summary
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
What I Thought
The hype for Six of Crows is H-U-G-E! For about the past year, I had heard nothing but absolute rave reviews for this book. Naturally, I became intrigued. While I definitely enjoyed this book a lot, it didn’t exactly fill me with the same level of love that most people seem to have for this book.
Today is Top Ten Tuesday – A weekly bookish list created by The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s topic is:
Top Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want to Learn/Do After Reading Them
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- The Winnie the Horse Gentler series made me want to ride a horse. I loved this series, and I actually learned a lot about horses while reading it. This series made me wish I could own a horse and ride her through the fields.
2-4. Nancy Drew was the first series that made me really fall in love with mysteries. These books have made me want to learn and do a lot of different things. Ever since reading my first Nancy Drew book, I’ve wished I could a) find a hidden passageway, b) learn Morse code, and c) solve mysteries – all while always looking flawless.
5. You all have no idea how much I wish Avonlea was real, and that I was living there. Anne of Green Gables made me want to to time travel back to 1908, and live on a cozy farm like Green Gables.
6-7. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson is such a fun book! It made me want to go on a more personal adventure, and do something crazy that I would never do. This book also made me really want to eat ice cream. I love ice cream.
8. As someone who dances ballet, but is not a professional dancer, Bunheads really made me want to be in a ballet company.
9. The Christy Miller series really made me wish I lived in California on the beach! The sun, sand, and surfing…ahh! That would be so fun. 🙂
10. While I wouldn’t want to live in a time loop, how cool would it be to have a peculiarity like in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children?
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That’s it for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday! Let me know what about yours in the comments. 🙂
the calico books 