Here is a new series I am introducing to my blog : Books and Fun!!! In this series, I plan to try out fun stuff relating to books! For the first installment, I teamed up with my fellow bookworm friends- Caitlin, Edrina, Felicia & Manasi to share the books we think would make great TV series/movie adaptations! Everything will be in first person POV to preserve the authenticity of their suggestions <3
*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*
*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟMe*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*
① Wilder girls– Rory power Type: Movie
I have recently reviewed this wonderful book in my April Wrap Up so I won’t be elaborating too much on the synopsis.
Synopsis: Horor thriller about a deadly disease known as the ‘Tox’ set on an island with a f/f relationship
Why this book: One of my favourite horror thriller settings is an island. I feel that island stories tend to work really well as a screen adaptation! I would love to see the characters fighting for survival, the visceral descriptions of the scenery and gore on screen. (I promise I am not morbid) Furthermore, this story is unique when compared to other island stories. (Quarantined on an island!) I believe it would put a fresh twist to the horror thriller island genre if adapted.
② Search Sweet country- Kojo Laing Type: TV series
I have a review of this lovely book too in my February Wrap Up!
Synopsis: Set in post-colonial Ghana, this book explores the state between colonialism and freedom. We get the perspective of memorable characters from diverse backgrounds- a beautiful young witch, a wide-eyed student, a corrupt politician, a healer, a priest and a man intent on founding his own village, just to name a few.
Why this book: I loved reading more about these characters and how it was like living in Ghana in the early days. The beautiful descriptions transported me to Ghana and it felt like I was witnessing the characters living their lives. I think this book would make an interesting TV series. In this way, more people would get a glimpse into an under-explored time of history. I wish that more people would experience this magical world.
③ The widows of Malabar Hill– Sujata Massey Type: TV series
This book is a recent favourite of mine!
Synopsis: A legal thriller/mystery set in Bombay, India in the 1920s. The MC is India’s first solicitor (inspired by India’s first female solicitor) and she has to solve a mysterious case involving 3 Muslim Purdahshin/Pardanashin women.
Why this book: I feel that we do not see very many strong independent female lawyers on screen adaptations. This book would make for a perfect TV series about being a female lawyer amidst the backdrop of 1920s Bombay. I am forever fascinated by historical settings! The various scenes of Perveen solving the mystery surrounding the women felt like they were written specifically for a TV series. We also follow characters from a variety of ethnicities and religions which is often not depicted when it comes to Indian literature. I think this book would help to subvert the Western mindset of India being a monolingual country.
*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟCaitlin*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*
④ The nightworld series– L. J. Smith Type: TV series
Synopsis: Welcome to the Night World. A secret supernatural society of vampires, witches, werewolves and more, that enforces two fundamental laws to prevent discovery:
1) Never allow humans to gain knowledge of the Night World’s existence and,
2) Never fall in love with a human.
Why this series: Each volume of the series follows a different protagonist (always a teenage girl), who encounters her “soulmate” – usually a Nightworld resident (a.k.a forbidden love *swoons*). Cheesy as it may sound, this particular series handles the romance with just the right amount of sappiness and genuinely touching exchanges, which is a rarity in the teen romance genre. It’s infinitely more “butterflies-in-the-tummy” romantic than the Vampire Diaries and even features an impending apocalyptic event of the spoopy-fantasy variety (cough, dragons, cough). Plus, the series fabulously exchanges the typical weak female protagonist for intelligent young women who kick-butt, wield swords, shapeshift and more.
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE SHIPS THO…*SQUEALS*
So many OTPs, my kokoro can’t even-
⑤ Goddess Girls- Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams Type: Animated TV series
Synopsis: The books are based on Greek mythology and depict the younger generation of the Olympian pantheon as privileged tween students attending Mount Olympus Academy (MOA) to develop their divine skills. The series focuses on four primary characters – Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis — as a diverse group of loyal friends. Athena is noted for her intelligence, Persephone is mysterious and kind, Artemis is bold and strong, and Aphrodite is “effortlessly beautiful”. Zeus is represented as the principal of the academy, and many other gods, including Hades, Poseidon, and Ares, appear in the series. Pandora, Medusa and Heracles appear as mortal characters.
Why this series: It’s the next Winx Club but through greek mythology. 10/10. This HAS to be an animated series. Live-action won’t work as well because of the pure nature of this show. And it’ll be hard to make the magical elements seem real and believable without the use of animation.
*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟEdrina*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*
⑥ Eragon Series– Christopher Paolini Type: TV series/movie
Synopsis: Eragon is a series that is close to my heart and I have long wished to see it adapted in the visual medium. I would describe it as a Fantasy for teens, slotted in between Harry Potter(children) and Lord of the Rings(adults). Bonus points for having DRAGONSSS. Over four books, we see a bond between a dragon and her boy mature as they figure out how to stop the oppressive regime of Galbatorix and his empire of Ballroga. It is a saga that extends over several races and epic action sets that has enraptured me. So… we have to speak about you-know-what. You can imagine the horror I felt when I saw the cash-grab movie that shared a name with one of my favourite fantasy series. It is infamously bad and many Eragon fans disregard it as canon. I really think Eragon deserves a second chance to be on screen, particularly as a TV show.
Why this series: But why? Why does Eragon deserve six seasons and a movie?
- The Physical World
We start the book from the perspective of Eragon, a village hick. We travel alongside him as he discovers a world beyond his imagination (cliche but true) whenever he enters a new kingdom. You can feel the mist on your face when you fly with Eragon and Saphire amongst the Bare mountains or the shortness of breath when they fly too high in an attempt to reach its peak. I felt like I was in an ancient and large world and I felt minuscule in the best possible way. If done right, I think we will get a beautiful yet distant world with lush greenery, arid deserts and secret forests. A good digital arts team can do Palloni’s imagination justice on the silver screen.
- Characters
When you read Eragon, you are immersed into an empire ripe for an uprising. The tension is palpable. And the characters sell this tension. Each character you meet has been affected negatively by Galbatorix’s rule, from his right hand man to a commoner. Everyone has lost someone or something to this maniac; a parent, a child, sanity or freedom. Despite this, I feel like certain characters come off as stereotypical. There are also complex characters I wish I could see more of. I think certain characters can be expanded on and there is no better place than a TV show where off-shoot episodes could follow a side character.
I believe that Eragon is a story worth telling to a main-stream audience. It has some pitfalls such as monolithic characters and villains who are evil for the sake of being evil. It’s because of these pitfalls that I want a good TV show adaptation to address and solve them.
*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟFelicia*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*
⑦ Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe– Benjamin Alire Sáenz Type: TV series/movie
Felicia only has 2 sentences: A beautiful, yet simple LGBT novel with POC characters that just leaves you feeling warm by the end. << I would love to see an adaptation of this novel too! >>
*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟManasi*✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*
⑧ Fearless Series– Francine Pascal Type: TV series
Synopsis: The story follows an ordinary girl, Gaia Moore except (surprise surprise) she’s not ordinary at all. See, Gaia was born a freak, she was born without the fear gene. Now one might think: how does this affects things? You see, fear is that raw, primal, bone-chilling emotion that holds us back, keeps us from stretching our limits beyond that of the average individual. Gaia has no such inhibition, nothing stops her from exerting her body beyond her own judgement. She in short, is a real badass. She’s well versed in a multitude of languages, has an IQ off the charts, and knows practically every martial art there is to know. But as we expect, this living weapon has a weakness and that of course, is her constant struggle to simply be a normal teenager. Gaia is plagued by unrequited love, murders, crushes and a secret group of people are after her, popular mean girls, etc. etc.
Why this series: The book was a little hard to follow, rather tedious. While it’s well written, the narrative and the nature of the story just seems to be ideal for a TV show. The concept is also rather simple and straightforward, which leaves a lot of space for a complex story. I also rather enjoy Gaia’s tomboy devil-may-care attitude. Though I do find it annoying that she constantly seems to whine about how ugly she is (especially when she is far from it). I just think for a TV show, it would make for a rather engaging narrative that is both entertaining, satisfying yet keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
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Thank you sooo much for reading this week’s post!!! I absolutely enjoyed writing out this post and find out more about what my friends want to see adapted onto the big screen. I hope you did too 😀 I cannot wait to plan more posts for this series. Till next time, take care!