Top Five Film Adaptations

So for my first Top Five list I’ve chosen to do my Top Five Film Adaptations. For a book&film to make my list they both have to blow me away, sometimes film adaptations are so far removed from the book it’s almost unrecognisable (I’m thinking of PS I Love You in particular) but I prefer them to stay more true to the book. With that in mind, my list is below and I must stress this is in no particular order.

5) A Time to Kill by John Grisham. I felt this film was very true to the book, so much so that whenever I read the book now I can hear Matthew McConaughey and Samuel L Jackson speaking the words, which is rare for me.

4) Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. I don’t think anyone easily forgets Anthony Hopkins’ sinister performance as Hannibal Lecter. Perfect casting all round.

3) Misery by Stephen King. Both the book and the film scare me still now. There are slight differences between the book and the film but not as many as some. The fear translates really well to the screen. Again, great casting in Kathy Bates, can’t imagine anyone suiting the role better.

2) Atonement by Ian McEwan. Film really does the story justice, great cast, although I’m not normally a fan of Keira Knightley, stays true to the story.

1) The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling. I know it’s cheating a little choosing an entire series but I really do think that the Harry Potter films are one of the best examples of how to take books to the big screen. They stay very close to the books, yes I know they’ve taken bits out in places but they do only have a limited amount of time, and I’ve never come away feeling like characters that I thought I knew from the books were acting in unusual ways.

So that was my list, what did I miss that you would have included? I must admit I found it hard to stick to 5, once I started thinking about it I found so many more I would have loved to have included. Share your thoughts on my list or add your own list in the comments section.

Currently Reading

I am currently reading Scarlett Thomas’ “Our Tragic Universe” if anyone wants to join me in reading this before I review it. Review should be coming over the next week or so depending on how much reading I get done. I’m about halfway through it.

Gok Wan – Through Thick and Thin

Gok Wan helps women love themselves – but it’s not until you read his own inspirational story that you find out where he got that gift from.

In this intimate memoir, Gok describes his loving childhood on a council estate, but also his teenage years when he weighed 21-stone and was cruelly bullied at school, and his darkest period where he lost ten stone in nine months, seriously damaging his health. The lessons Gok learnt during this time helped him bounce back to become a stylist to the stars and every woman’s best friend.

Whether he’s recounting the horrors of anorexia and childhood bullying, or riotous anecdotes about his loving family and TV shows, Through Thick and Thin contains all the honesty, wit and warmth we’ve come to know and love Gok for.

I should probably start by saying I love Gok Wan! I watch all his TV shows and I also own his 3 fashion books, so when I heard about his autobiography I knew it would be good and I wasn’t disappointed. When you’re reading the book you can hear Gok saying these things, it’s written just the same way as he speaks. That being said, it’s not all laughter and fashion. As it says above this book really is a no holds barred look at his entire life. There are moments of real sadness as he talks of his ordeals at the hands of bullies, his struggle with his weight and his later battle with anorexia. It would take a very hard hearted person not to be moved by his story. There are obviously lighter moments too, as you would expect from Gok, and at times I was laughing out loud at his stories. It’s inspiring to read about the struggles he has had in his life and see how he had bounced back into the person he is today. His success now really is the best way to beat the bullies.

I loved the style of writing, it’s very open and honest and you really get a sense of the person behind the TV personality, he really is a “what you see is what you get” kind of person, and I liked the way he included little notes to different people at relevant points in the book. He was also very mindful of other people’s feelings, changing names where appropriate to protect the anonymity of his friends and acquaintances.

Obviously I was already a fan when I read this book but I don’t think you necessarily have to be. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an insight into surviving an eating disorder or being bullied. I think Gok does an excellent job at showing that whilst you can never really be cured of an eating disorder you can get the power back and be in control of your life rather than having the eating disorder controlling you.

New Review Coming Soon!

The next book I’ll be reviewing will be Gok Wan’s autobiography “Through Thick and Thin”. Review should be coming over next couple of days.

Dorothy Koomson – The Woman He Loved Before

For my first book review I decided to read Dorothy Koomson’s most recent novel, The Woman He Loved Before.

Libby has a good life with a gorgeous husband and a home by the sea. But over time she is becoming more unsure if Jack has ever loved her – and if he is over the death of Eve, his first wife. When fate intervenes in their relationship, Libby decides to find out all she can about the man she hastily married and the seemingly perfect Eve. But in doing so she unearths some devastating secrets. Frightened by what she finds and the damage it could cause, Libby starts to worry that she too will end up like the first woman Jack loved…

First things first, I loved it! I love Koomson’s style of writing in this book with each part of the book told in first person narrative by a different character. It made me feel as if I was part of the story and experiencing everything right along with the characters. My only complaint is I found it hard to empathise with Jack, I thought he was a bit weak. That being said, it is extremely well written, as are all of Koomson’s books, and the plot had enough twists to hold my attention right to the end. I couldn’t put it down!

This is a slight departure from some of her earlier works, which I thought were much more romance based. This does have some romance, with the story of how Libby and Jack met told in flashback and also the story of how Jack and his first wife, Eve, met told through Eve’s diaries, but it is not purely a romance novel. There is a mystery element running through the story as you learn more about Eve’s past and what happened to her. I would say this is most similar to Koomson’s previous novel “The Ice Cream Girls”, so if you enjoyed that you will love this!

Welcome to The Book Wormery!

Hello and welcome to The Book Wormery. This is a new blog I’ve started as a place to review and discuss books from a wide range of genres. I can’t say I have a specific type of book that I read, I will try pretty much anything. I love autobiographies, especially if they’re about people who have led an interesting and varied life, and I love true crime books, especially ones that give you an insight into the criminal’s behaviour. Some of my favourite authors are Stephen King, Cecelia Ahern, Jodi Picoult, Kathy Reichs, James Patterson and Dean Koontz so no doubt there will be reviews for their books in upcoming posts.

I’m open to suggestions for future reviews so if anyone would like to recommend a book for me to read and review just let me know.

My first review will be coming over the weekend and will be a review of the latest Dorothy Koomson book, The Woman He Loved Before.