Your guide to people, places, and happenings in NMB

BOOK-to-movie adaptations can be a bit of a hit-or-miss situation. Sometimes the on-screen portrayal adds to your love of the story and other times you wish you could unwatch it all together.

Here are some instances where I suggest you get to reading before watching:

HUNGER Games by Suzanne Collins

With the latest instalment in the Hunger Games franchise being released later this year, there’s no better time than the present to read (or re-read) the books including the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ( the forthcoming movie ) 

Told from the point of view of Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games world is a post-apocalyptic dystopia set in Panem, a North American country consisting of the wealthy Capitol and 13 districts. Every year, a male and female under the age of 18 are selected from 12 of the districts via a lottery system to participate in a compulsory televised brutal death-match battle called The Hunger Games.

Why only 12 districts? The story of the mysterious 13^th district comes up later in the series. There’s a touch of romance, plenty of action, (and some violence) colourful characters and just enough bizarre instances to keep you hooked.

I think that this book series is my favorite book to screen adaptation and I cannot wait for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to hit the screens in November! But first a re-read is desperately required.

The order to read the books: Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. And then The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to gain history and insight into the books.

One of us is lying by Karen Mcmanus

This is a 3 book young adult series and it’s a Netflix series that has fans hooked. It starts off with five teens in detention (how very Breakfast Club) There’s the usual mix of characters ranging from the popular girl, sports-obsessed male to a slightly nerdy (quirky or not like everyone else) character.

When the one person who has the inside scoop on everyone else drops down dead after a severe allergic reaction it’s suspected that it may not have been accidental. I recently started the first in the series and I’m excited to see where it goes… before watching the show on Netflix of course!

 Reading order: One of us is lying, One of us is next and One of us is back (expected in August 2023) 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Now these are hefty books with a minimum of 900 odd pages and a serious time commitment. And there’s even a side-line book series not made into a TV series but adds a whole different side to the supporting characters. 

These books are whoppers, but even if you don’t consider yourself a historical fiction fan they draw you in, Time travel with some romance and even though it’s the dreaded love triangle trope I deem this one acceptable seeing as they’re in two different timelines. 

I found the dates and main historical facts to be accurate. (The reason it takes the author so many years to write these books, imagine that research!) The two timelines interweave and changing details in the past can alter the future.

With nine books released in the main series and a tenth in the works, these will keep you busy for a long time! Read this and fall in love with Jamie Fraser while wishing you could be Claire Randall Fraser. 

Reading order of the main books:

Outlander, Dragonfly in Ember, Voyager. Drums of Autumn. The Fiery Cross. A Breath of Snow and Ashes. An Echo in the Bone. Written in my Own Hearts Blood, Go tell the Bees that I am gone.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This is the one series where I have to say I actually preferred the movie to the books. This series is also post-apocalyptic, and people are divided into factions depending on their strengths and weaknesses.  Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity and Candor. They may only marry within their factions.

 However, at age 18 they can take a test to see what their true strengths are. They may choose to move to a new faction if the test reveals they have other strengths. Each person should only have one major strength and anyone exhibiting more is considered a threat to the government and is to be killed. 

The main character Beatrice (Tris) discovers she has more than one! She chooses Dauntless as her faction and tries to conceal her true self.

Insurgent and Allegiant follow the story of the factionless, the group of people who do not fit into any of the factions and are also a threat to the leaders.

I think this was a bit too science fiction for me but if you’re a Sci-fi fan then this may be a winner for you.

 Reading order of the books: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant and Four. (although Four hasn’t been made into a movie and is a bit more difficult to get your hands on pre-loved.)

A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This book is my top read for the year, yes I know it’s only April but it’s going to be difficult to knock this one out of first place, One thing I love about Bookstagram is that 90% of the time no matter how popular the book is somehow no spoilers are given and all the twists, turns and elements in the book actually surprise us.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book.
This book exceeded my expectations, I know most people think Ove was prickly, grumpy and downright otherwise, but I liked him from the beginning. Yes, he’s set in his ways, tends to only see things as black and white, and has rituals and habits that are constantly repeated, but that’s his constant, it keeps him going and gives him purpose.

I do love how his purpose changes, and how slowly he becomes more colourful ( his language included) I adored the cat and I’m still convinced the cat was sent to him by a loved one. This book found family at its best and everyone just slotted into each other’s lives perfectly.

The ending to me was the perfect full circle, like a memory, reminiscing to a distant past.

I haven’t seen this movie yet (A man called Otto) but it’s definitely on my to-watch list.

Reading avidly from the age of 9 I am now a homeschooling and homesteading mom who incorporates reading and books into just about every aspect of my life. We live on a small holding on the outskirts of GQ with a menagerie of pets - more often than not there is at least one farm animal inside. I do bits of freelance writing and am currently writing my first novel. Last year I decided to share my love of reading by reviewing books and promoting the books and their authors. 
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