From Book to Screen

As much as I loved doing a quarterly update for you guys last month, I don't know if I can wait until next quarter to do another update! I've been blazing through books and I'm afraid I'll forget everything until I hit the next mark. So let's do this, shall we?

First of all, I want to share a quick story that has nothing to do with anything but absolutely everything to do with books. Toward the end of this last semester, one of my Occupational Therapy students asked me for a book recommendation. Now, I know our OT program is tough. It hardly allows for any non-OT classes outside of GenEds (and even then, they are looked at as a hindrance to getting all their classes in.) and you can just forget about study abroad. I did the whole, "Promise me you won't read instead of studying for finals" thing and then we got down to business. I gave her "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" because Neil Gaiman, and also, because it was short. I figured if she liked it, she could finish it quickly and if she didn't, well, it wasn't too long.
Anyway, she loved it. I knew she would. Neil Gaiman is always a winner. Thankful (as it usually is) the Gaiman was a gateway drug. Last week, we spent probably 20 minutes going through the books I've read and she took home a stack of at least 15 books on my recommendations. She is tearing through the stack and comes to the counter to give me her review. It is the best part of my summer.

Anyway, on to the show.

As promised, I've been reading the Miss Fisher's Murder Mystery books to see if they are anything like the show. How do I saw this? They are and they aren't; both have merits. Okay I like that the books are no more than 160-200 pages a pop. That doesn't seem like much at all, but compared to the TOMES I've been reading, it is rather refreshing. (Also, it isn't so heavy on my shoulder for transporting it between home and work.) 
Book Phryne is just about as glamorous and Show Phryne. Of course, in the show, we get to see all the fabulous outfits she wears instead of just reading about them. I give that point to the show. I do like watching Book Phryne's thought process, especially about her many lovers. She speaks about each with such poetry that you can almost forget there is a new one in each book. (Don't take that as a judgement. I appreciate her openness and her ability to know what she wants and what she doesn't want AND that she doesn't hide it from anyone. Ahem. Okay. Moving on.) I've read the first four books in the series and while I enjoy them, might hold off on the others. There are twenty odd books in the series and, well, I don't need to remind you all about how I feel about series. 

I read most of Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death on a flight home from California. That's neither here nor there, but it did make excellent plane reading. This is another one that reeled me in with the TV show before realizing it was based on a book. The book was well written, each chapter was a single story that showed you the troubles of the town of Grantchester and the trials of one, Cannon Sidney Chambers. There are a lot of differences between the show and the book, but I enjoyed both. I started the second book this week. It could be me or it could be the fact that I'm only reading a little in the morning or evening and not in one six hour stretch, but I'm not thrilled with it. The stories have been used in the second season of Grantchester so I'm familiar with the characters, but the stories in the book--well, something is missing. In the first book, each chapter was an entire story arc. Sidney helps local police detective inspector Geordie Keating solve crimes. In the second, Sidney did most of the crime solving all on his own. The story lines didn't seem as clear; this could have been done intentionally, to mirror Sidney's struggle with his chosen profession and solving crime. 

I have the third Sidney Chamber's book on order from the library, just to see if things get better. I've already given myself permission not to finish it if things don't improve. I am putting a hold on the Phryne Fisher books at the moment. They aren't bad, but you all know my aversion to series so that one should speak for itself. 

What has your experiences been with TV shows based on books? Do you usually prefer one over the other? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 

First Quarter Check In!

I got this email today and realized that it has been a little while since Ive updated the blog:

Wow! Such a nice surprise, especially since the last time I checked I was too busy singing In the Heights music to get any real reading done!

I got three more Ken Bruen books read. I usually hate series (as we all know) but there is something about the Jack Taylor novels that I can't quite put down. I think some of it might be to see just how much crap Jack can go through and still come out on the other side. He keeps winning, even at great personal cost. I love that he doesn't give up completely, even though he stumbles and loses his way. They keep getting darker, though, and I'm reaching a limit to my threshold for darkness. 

The Nightingale has been on my list for awhile and I finally got my hands on a copy. It was wonderfully written and deeply engrossing. I found myself gross sobbing at the end of it though and have since decided that World War II fiction is not something I can read any more. (Though it did talk about the Vel' d'Hiv round up, which is what Sara's Key was all about, and that small knowledge helped with my understanding of a part of the novel.) I still recommend this book with a whole heart, but I wanted to give you fair warning that you might need a box of tissues. 

I have gotten into some comic books this year, prompted mostly by Nimona. A fabulous tale written and illustrated by Noelle Stevenson, it tells the story of Nimona, a shape shifting wanna-be-side-kick to the villain Lord Ballister Blackheart. Yes I read it in about one evening, but I totally fell in love with the characters and the story. I hope to see more from her! She (with some other lovely people) also wrote Lumberjanes, about an all girl summer camp. I honestly enjoyed Nimona much more, but there are some pretty fabulous characters in Lumberjanes, too. 

I went from light and hilarious to dark and twisty on the comic front. I finally picked up Sandman. Wow. Oh wow. I love it and am terrified of it all at the same time. It isn't so frightening that I can't read it before bed, but all the same I take it in small doses. I've picked up the Absolute edition so it is a giant hulking volume, but then I have about 20 issues on hand so I don't have to constantly be ordering the next issue and numbering and all that. It does however weigh a  solid 6 pounds so it isn't exactly a purse book. That would be the only downfall of the volume. Otherwise, A+ would recommend. Especially if you like being scared out of your mind into the possibility of never being able to sleep again. Good times. 

I've been letting myself watch some TV, even in all of this reading, and have found two shows that I absolutely love. I happened on the ITV Marple and instantly fell in love. It was a show that was both entertaining and engrossing and allowed me to knit if I wanted to. Ideal, I tell you. Of course after watching 3 seasons worth of it, I was itching for the real thing. Luckily, I have a few "collected works" volumes and started with Body in the Library. Agatha Christie was clearly a writer of her time and is evidenced by the phrases and mindsets of her characters. Though maybe not politically correct, her characters are colorful and don't seem to take the fact that they are embroiled in a murder investigation too seriously. And that, I believe, is the golden thread that holds every Agatha Christie murder together. 

And while I'm on TV, guys. GUYS. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. GO WATCH IT.
This delightful series is about Miss Phryne Fisher, lady detective, who solves crime in 1920s Austrailia. She keeps a mother of pearl lock pick in her garter (or tucked in her bra) and a small gold revolver in her handbag. I'm not sure I can convey to you just how much I love this show, but I really do. It was an excellent way to spend part of my birthday week and I highly recommend it. (As a side note, I'm reading the books that the TV show is based on. So far so good. I'll keep you posted.) 

Whew. I'm making a lot of progress on some of my personal reading goals, but I still seem to have so many at home that I don't have time to get to! And, of course, the more I try to read the ones I already have, the more books I see at the library and NEED to check out. The never ending cycle continues. 

How goes your year? Reading, watching, or listening to anything awesome? Let me know!