Happy Monday!

Hey guys,
   I hope everyone is having a great Monday and staying cool in this stifling weather. I'm sure you're wondering when my next post will be up so I'm letting everyone know that tomorrow I will post the first in a three-part series about books being adapted into movies or television shows. I know I've done something similar before but I'm going in a different direction with this. If you have a book you want added to the list let me know. Well, look for a new post tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy your evenings everyone.
   -Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

I'm Back!

Hey guys!
    After a very long hiatus I've decided to continue with my blog. I won't be posting every day but when inspiration strikes I'll be sure to share my thoughts. These last few months have been really therapeutic for me. I've read more books than I can count and I've had time to just work on making myself happy. I finally feel ready to start writing again, so be prepared for all sorts of random posts. I have a few short story ideas floating around in my head at the moment so as I get them down on paper I'll be sharing drafts with you. I'd appreciate any constructive criticism you guys have.
   I have to say it feels good to be back. I hope you all look forward to reading my posts as much as I look forward to writing them. As always, if you have an idea for a blog post please share it with me. I'll also welcome guest bloggers if anyone is interested. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

-Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

Just a Few Thoughts

Hey guys,
 I don't really have much to say today but I'll leave you with a few thoughts from me and Pintrest. I've been working on my ideas for a book but I'm not sure how to start it and I don't know if people will actually read what I write. If I were to post a chapter on here each time one was completed, would you guys read it and give me feedback?

And some random stuff from Pintrest I thought I'd share:

Well, I hope I at least made you think about books for a moment. I'll be back tomorrow with another fun weekend post. Happy Friday!

                          Erin a.k.a. Bookworm 

Guilty Pleasure Reads

Hey guys,
 So I've been reading a lot of my guilty pleasure books lately. Mainly because I've been feeling kind of down during the winter and I needed some happy books to cheer me up. I don't normally read very many happy books, I'm not sure why but I guess I prefer sad books. I'm not the kind of person who reads uplifting, inspirational books to cheer me up so I turn to girly teen books and "typical" female books. Most of the time I'm reading historical fiction or fantasy, books with complicated, unpredictable plots. The reason I indulge in my guilty pleasure books is because sometimes I just want a predictable plot with a guaranteed happy ending; books I don't have to think about. I call it "light reading." Here are some of my guilty pleasure books, and no, I'm not ashamed by my reading choices.

Teen Books
-Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz: I tend to stay away from teen books about vampires but this series combines vampires with history. The vampires aren't just blood-sucking creatures but the upper class of Manhattan and fallen angels. They're books filled with romance and action but with easy plot lines.

-Witches of East End series by Melissa de la Cruz: This series is technically an adult series but since it's by the same author as Blue Bloods I put them together. These are about a family of witches that first showed up in a few of the Blue Bloods books. They also combine romance with action but instead of fallen angels, the witches are fallen Valkyrie.

-Pretty Little Liars series and The Lying Game series by Sara Shepard: Since I've mentioned these in a past post I won't go into too much detail. While the TV shows may be more complicated these books are all about an easy read for teens. There's romance, murder and lots of drama.

-Sarah Dessen books: Her books have been around since 1996 but I didn't start reading them until the end of middle school. I own all of them and I'm waiting for her next book, which is coming out in June. Two of her books were actually combined as one story for the movie How To Deal in 2003 (with Mandy Moore). These are typical teen girl books.

Adult Books
-He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo-This is pretty much a self-help book but it's so entertaining I had to buy it. It's based on the episode "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little" of Sex and the City and it was adapted into a movie in 2009. I'm not sure all of the advice is helpful but it's a fun read.

-Candace Bushnell books: Bushnell is the author of Sex and the City, the book that inspired the TV show. She's written many other books for women including Lipstick Jungle and One Fifth Avenue. She also writes the teen series The Carrie Diaries. I'm a fan of Sex and the City so I think that sums up why I like her books.

-Chelsea Handler books: Chelsea Handler is my favorite female comedian and I've read and own all her books. I even watch her show, Chelsea Lately, on the Entertainment Network. Her books are nothing more than an entertaining, comedic read.

-Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James: What, you didn't think I would leave these out, did you? The popular trilogy is probably a guilty pleasure for many women and I'm among them. I don't think I need to say anything else about these books since they are so well-known.

I'm not sure my guilty pleasure books are the same as everyone else's but I sure enjoy them. Let me know what your guilty pleasure books are. Hope you enjoyed reading today's post.
Thanks for reading,
                  Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

My "Special" Books

Hey guys,
 For today's post I'm going to share some of my favorite/special books I own. Lately I've been looking through all of my books, and seeing how many I still haven't read. Some of my books aren't just books to me, they're relics from a different time. I've always had a love for old books; the musty smell, the yellowed pages and the history just make me happy. I also have some books that are just special to me because of who they're from. Whether you love books or not I hope you can appreciate my love of books both old and new.

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: This is an extremely special book to me. Not only because it's from my grandma (another book lover), but because it's a first edition. For those of you who don't know the first edition of a book is the first time it is printed and published. First editions don't mean as much with modern books but many classic novels are worth much more than a normal book. This first edition is from 1901. It's not in the best condition but I'm not looking to make money by selling it. To me, it's a link to the past.

2. Irving's Tales of a Traveller by Washington Irving: This collection of essays isn't as well known as Irving's other works, which include The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. I enjoy both of those stories but I have yet to read Tales of a Traveller. My copy of the book was printed in 1865. It's not a first edition but I love how old it is and the notes left be a previous owner inside it. My grandma gave me the book but I don't know the history of it.

3. Shakespeare's Collected Works by William Shakespeare: I found this book in the basement of my Great-Grandma Mary's house. I stumbled across it when my family went through her things after her death. It includes all of Shakespeare's plays and his poems. It's from 1911 and it's just a gorgeous book.

4. The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer: This isn't an old book but a beautiful leather-bound edition of Homer's epic poem about the hero Odysseus. My mom bought me this one year for my birthday knowing I would love it. I'm a little bit obsessed with Greek mythology, or really any type of  mythology. I read The Iliad and the Odyssey in high school but I think I'll re-read them for fun.

5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson: My grandparents originally gave this book to my brother but he's not a fan of books (he can't remember the last book he read). He happily gave me the book and I've been meaning to read it ever since. It was published in 1915 and has a map of Treasure Island in it as well as a beautiful illustration on the front.

Honorable Mentions:
-Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare: 1926, it's Shakespeare, enough said
-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: 1940, one of my favorite books and from my grandma
-A Guest at the Ludlow by Bill Nye: 1896, from my grandma but I've never heard of this book
-Greek Self-Taught: 1936, used by my grandma and grandpa to learn Greek
-The Chief American Poets: 1933, from my great-grandma

These are my favorite books but what are yours? Do you have any books that are special to you? Feel free to share, and if anyone would like to do a guest post let me know. Hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite books.
Thanks for reading,
                     Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

From Books to the Big Screen

Hey guys,
 In keeping to the same theme as yesterday I've decided to write about books that have recently been made into movies, have movies coming to theaters soon, or books that will become movies. As much as like movies, when they're based on a book I love I can be very critical. Some of favorite books turned movies are the Harry Potter movies, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit and The Notebook. Other movie adaptations I haven't liked very well. That's why with all these new movie adaptations coming out I'm worried about being disappointed or seeing major plot changes. I already become annoyed when the actors cast for the movie look nothing like the character is described in the book. Here's some of the movie adaptations I'm interested in.

-Beautiful Creatures: This movie is in theaters now but I haven't been to see it, and honestly after finding out the ending has been altered doesn't make me any more inclined to see it. As for the cast I thought they did pretty well with sticking to how the character is described.
Books: 4 books, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (2009-2012) (in order: Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos, and Beautiful Redemption
1 e-book short story (Dream Dark)
Movie: In theaters now.

-The Host: I have to say I'm not to excited to see this made into a movie but it's coming to theaters at the  end of the month so I'll just have deal with it. After reading the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer I'll admit that I was extremely hesitant to read The Host. When I finally read the book I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, in fact, I'm still not sure. I suppose I'll rent this movie but I won't be paying to see it in theaters.
Book: By Stephanie Meyer, 1 book (2008), it's science fiction so a big change from the Twilight series.
Movie: In theaters March 29, 2013

-The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: I've seen these books at bookstores and the library but never thought to pick them up and read them. I'd heard about the movie but it wasn't until my friend told me she'd read them and was hooked. At my next trip to the library I picked up the first one. When I was only a couple of chapters in I realized I was enjoying the book, a lot. So I read the other four books in the series and preceded to read the two books in the prequel series. Now I'm just as excited as all the other fans for the movie be in theaters in August.
Books: By Cassandra Clare, Mortal Instruments Series: 5 books, 6th book 3/19/14 (2007-present)
Infernal Devices Series (Prequel): 2 books, 3rd book 3/19/13 (2010-present)
There are also e-books and a graphic novel that go along with these. And look forward to a sequel series, Dark Artifices, in 2015.
Movie: August 23, 2013

-The Historian: The movie rights for this book were recently bought by Sony and a screenplay is in the works. I absolutely love this book, and there are even vampires in it. Well, it's actually a historical fiction novel about Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. The author, Elizabeth Kostova, writes with a fluidity I envy. Her thorough research creates a vivid, exciting story. If you have any interest in Dracula I suggest checking it out. As long as the movie sticks to the plot and picks the right cast I'll be seeing it in theaters.
Book: 1 book (2005) Also by Elizabeth Kostova: The Swan Thieves (2010)
Movie: More info to come.

-A Discovery of Witches: Warner Brothers Pictures just bought the movie rights to this book and a screenplay is being written. I stumbled across this book while at Barnes & Noble one day and added it to my book list. I read it and immediately loved it, so much that I read the sequel right after and proceeded to buy my own copies of both. The story combines vampires, daemons and witches with history. If there's any genre of books I can't get enough of, it's historical fiction and these books fit perfectly in that category. I'm hoping I won't be disappointed by the movie. It would be a hard letdown.
Books: By Deborah Harkness, 2 books (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night), 3rd book being written, all are part of the All Souls Trilogy (2011-present)
Movie: More info to come.

And one more, just because the books have caused quite a stir.
-Fifty Shades of Grey: I'm sure most of you have either heard of these books or read them yourself. I'm not going to be embarrassed by saying I own all three. All I know about the movie is that the screenplay is being written and thoughts are being put out there about the cast. All I ask for is an attractive guy to play Christian Grey, I don't want to have another Robert Pattinson (yuck). I'll be looking forward to this movie and keeping up with its progress.
Books: By E.L. James, 3 books (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed, 2011-2012) even though many people would like a fourth book James has said she will be writing other books using a pen name.
Movie: More info to come.

Hope you enjoyed another long post of mine. Look forward to an interesting post tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
          -Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

From Books to Television

Hey guys,
  Sorry for not posting. I took a week off to do some other things and to try and beat the winter blues. I'm feeling better this week so look forward to a post every day. To start off the week I decided to write about some popular books that have been made into TV shows. Some of the shows I actually watch but others I added because they've created a huge fan base. I've separated them into different groups by interests.

Shows for Teens (mostly female)
-The Carrie Diaries: This series focuses on none other than the famous Carrie Bradshaw. Known to Sex and the City fans, this delves into Carrie's teen life and how she got her start in Manhattan. Based on the books by Candace Bushnell and airing on the CW network, the series is geared towards teen girls with an interest in fashion and the 80's. Since there are only two books its hard to compare the show to them but after only a few episodes it seems to contain the same major plot points but with its own story each episode.
 Books: The Carrie Diaries (2010) and Summer and the City (2011)
 Show: Premiered in January 2013 (CW Network)

-Gossip Girl: Even though this show is off air I decided to add it because I'm a huge fan of it. It's based on the well-known books by Cecily von Ziegesar and focuses on a group of people living in the upper east side of Manhattan. Filled with fashion, drama, and romance, it's every teenage girl's dream show. It lasted for six seasons and turned the young actors into stars. The show veered off from the books drastically after a few episodes but remained entertaining until the last episode.
 Books: 13 books (including a prequel)
 Show: 6 seasons (2007-2012) (CW Network)

-Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game: I put these shows together because they are on the same network and both are based on books from author Sara Shepard. Pretty Little Liars is about a group of girls who lost their friend Ally and are dealing with aftermath. They struggle through terrible situations as an anonymous bully simply called "A" terrorizes them. The Lying Game is about a set of twins who meet, swap places and have to keep their existence a secret. Both shows are about the same as the books in as much as having the same characters. Personally, I enjoy the changes in the show.
 Books: Pretty Little Liars-13 books and 2 companion novels (2006-present) The Lying Game-6 books and 2 novellas (2010-present)
 Show: Pretty Little Liars-3 seasons (2010-present, currently airing third season The Lying Game-2 seasons (2011-present, currently airing second season) Both on ABC Family

 

Shows for Vampire Fanatics
-The Vampire Diaries: While I don't actually watch this show I've seen the books at the store and seen multiple advertisements for it. My cousin Lexi watches the show and seems to be hooked, but I'm skeptical to jump on the bandwagon because of the vampires. After the Twilight books and movies I've been wary to read or watch anything vampire related. The show is based off the books by L.J. Smith and is on its fifth season. Maybe I'll eventually read the books and check out the show but for now I'll leave it to the vampire lovers.
 Books: 1st Trilogy (1991-1992) Spin-Off Trilogy (2009-2011) Third Trilogy (2011-2012)
 Show: 5 seasons (2009-present, currently airing fifth season) CW Network

-True Blood: Since I don't know much about this show I'll just give you the basics. I've never actually seen this show but I've definitely heard people talking about it. I've heard the show described as "soft-core porn," which is why its aired on the HBO Network. It's based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries series, otherwise known as the Sookie Stackhouse books, by Charlaine Harris.
 Books: 12 books, 13th book: 5/7/13 (2001-present)
 Show: 5 seasons (there will be a 6th season)

Shows for Fantasy Lovers
-Game of Thrones: I started watching the show after hearing it compared to the Lord of the Rings series. I originally wanted to read the books first but I watched the first season, then I read the first and second books. I haven't read the third book yet but I'm already hooked, both on the books and show. The show is based off the book series written, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. The shows sticks pretty closely to the books and I can see the comparison to Lord of the Rings.
 Books: 5 books, 6th being written (1996-present)
 Show: 2011-present, 3rd season will air at the end of this month (HBO Network)

-Once Upon Time: Inspired by many different fairy tales. Airing its second season on the ABC Network.

-Grimm: loosely based on Grimm's fairy tales and other fables and legends. The second season starts this Friday on the NBC Network.

I hope my long post doesn't bore you. (Lol) Enjoy reading!
Thanks for reading,
            Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

When I Was A Kid: My Favorite Kid's Books

Hey guys,
  Sorry for not posting for the past few days. I've actually been busy going through old pictures with my mom. We have more photo albums than you can imagine. While going through them I kept noticing all the pictures of me reading as a kid (I just have to say, I was a weird kid) and remembered some of my favorite children's books. So today I'm going to do a brief post about those.
  As some of you may know, I've had a stuffed blue bunny since the day I was born. It's been with me every day of my life and I developed a strong love of bunnies; because of this a lot of my favorite children's books have to do with bunnies.

Here's a few of my favorite bunny books:

-The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

-If You Were My Bunny by Kate McMullan

-Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

-Fuzzy Rabbit by Rosemary Billam

I'm also a big fan of the Cordury books. For those of you who haven't read these, they're about a teddy bear owned by a girl named Lisa and the adventures he has.

-Cordury and A Pocket for Cordury by Don Freeman

   And of course I love fairy tales. There were a few specific fairy tale books I loved most and I still own two of them. These weren't the Disney version, but the originals by the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. If you haven't read the original              versions then you probably don't know that they aren't all happy stories. 

 These are only some of my favorite children's books but they're the ones that stick out the most in my memories. What are some of your favorite children's books? Are any of them the same as my favorites?
  Thanks for reading,
           Erin a.k.a. Bookworm