Review: The Gray Man

* First in a series *

The Gray Man is a legend, a whisper in the wind. But in reality, his last assassination made an enemy of the wrong man. Now that enemy is employing people who will do anything to capture him - dead or alive. 

He escapes one rescue attempt, which turns out to be an assignation attempt. Then he goes dark. He only contacts the one person he trusts.

Unfortunately for him, that one person has been compromised by Fitzroy's family being held captive. The Gray man was once on security detail for the family and made close connections to Fitzroy's twin granddaughters. Even though he knows it's a trap, there's no way he's not going to try his hardest to save them.

But to get to them, he's going to have to get through teams of trained men.

Fun Fact: I admit, I didn't know about these books until I heard about them in an email. Apparently this book will be made into a series or movie. There are so far 10 books in this series.

My Thoughts: I really liked this book - lots of action and danger. It does read like a movie, so I'm very interested in seeing the adaptation. He's the underdog, but not the underdog. You can't help but root for him. He's an assassin with morals.

Cover Thoughts: Fine, but not that exciting

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your library - people will be wanting it!

Movie Review: Enola Holmes

I really really enjoyed this movie adaptation.

First, it was VERY different from the book series. 

However, it captured the magic and charm of the series perfectly.

I loved the banter between Enola and Sherlock.

I wish there was a bit more about the disguises as in the book, they are genius disguises.

I loved the feminist perspective and how ladies do not need a husband. Both Enola and her mother are very clever and strong ladies.

The casting was amazing; the characters were played perfectly. I loved Enola's spunk and determination. 

I really hope they adapt the rest of the book series!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Should be Adapted

This week's topic is books that I would love to see adapted. And there are SO many great books that would make a series or a movie. Here are just a few favorites from books I've read recently. 

Also here are my picks from last year.

Movie:

Shows:

Book and Movie Review: You're Bacon Me Crazy

Last weekend, the Hallmark Channel showed this movie - which is an adaptation of this tween book.

Of course, they changed the storylines around a little bit, but the meat of the book is the same.

So the book features the main character of Tessa who helps out at her aunt's food truck. She loves coming up with new menu ideas. Her parents aren't crazy about all the time she spends there, especially when she forgets about school work other important things.

When a boy from her class starts working there too, things change. At first, Tessa can't stand him. But the more they talk, the more she understands him. Could there be a spark between them?

The movie is a little different. The romance switched to Tessa's Aunt Cleo and...the Bacon Guy. 

Both stories are sweet, charming, and of course full of bacon.

You might ask how a tween book became a Hallmark movie.

Well you're in luck, I was able to chat with Suzanne Nelson and here's what she had to say:

How did the book happen to be turned into a Hallmark Movie?

Scholastic Entertainment and the Hallmark Channel partnered to potentially adapt three Scholastic books into movies for the Hallmark Channel. I was so lucky that You're Bacon Me Crazy was one of the three books that was chosen. So much of that process happened "behind-the-scenes." I received updates from my Scholastic editors, but for a long time we didn't know with certainty whether a movie would definitively happen or not. You're Bacon Me Crazy was the second book I wrote in the foodie line for Scholastic. I wrote it back in 2014, which seems so long ago now, but this line of books continues to grow and reach new readers every year! It's a dream come true! What's great about the foodie line of books is that each book has different characters and different stories. They don't have to be read in any particular order, which is great for readers.

      Of course, I was absolutely thrilled when I received word that the "You're Bacon Me Crazy" movie was a-go! Having one of my books turned into a movies was a pipe dream, so it still seems so surreal. Movies can often take years to produce, so I was incredibly excited when I found out that "You're Bacon Me Crazy" would premiere this April! Once I received word that the movie was in production, everything happened with lightning speed. The filming in Vancouver took place over about a three-week period in February, and less than two months later the movie premiered on the Hallmark Channel! It's been a wild ride and so much fun to be a part of!

Wow that is very quick! And really cool.

Did you have any influence over the script? Make a cameo? Visit the set?

When a book is adapted into a movie, authors aren't usually directly involved in the movie's creative process. A movie is a chance for script writers, film producers and directors, and the film's cast to bring their own creative visions to the storyline. And thank goodness for that, because I have no experience with the movie industry at all! Ha ha. Script writing is SO different from novel writing, and I was glad to have another talented writer take on that task. Christopher Sey wrote the "You're Bacon Me Crazy" movie script and he did such a wonderful job of capturing the foodie fun and spirit of the book. I was lucky to be able to read the script before I saw the movie, and it made me so excited to watch it all come to life on the screen!

      Because the production and filming time for the movie was condensed into about a three-week period, I wasn't able to visit the set. It all happened much too fast for that. I would've loved to have had a cameo in the movie, though. I would've loved being a customer ordering a sandwich from Cleo's Kitchen or Gabe's Mo' Bacon food trucks! I would've ordered Cleo's meatball sub and Gabe's BLP sandwich!

      I had the chance to meet Natalie Hall, the actor who played Cleo in the movie, during an Instagram Live chat on the night of the movie premiere. That was so much fun! She's absolutely delightful--so kind and genuine. We chatted for a few minutes, which was great! She did a fabulous job of portraying Cleo in the movie. Cleo was one of my favorite characters from the You're Bacon Me Crazy book, along with Tessa. Olivia Steele Falconer played Tessa in the movie, and she was fantastic in her role, too. I loved the dynamic between Cleo and Tessa in the movie, and Tessa's wise teen words of wisdom in the movie made me grin. Tessa had one of my favorite lines from the movie, too: "Your food needs to be liberated from the narrow confines of bread." That was hilarious! It was also so great that Tessa was so in-tune with Cleo's crush on Gabe. At one point in the movie, she asked Cleo, "Are you crushing on Bacon Dude?" That had me laughing out loud. Leave it to the teen to have the stellar crush radar!

     Overall, the casting for the movie was perfect. Just thinking about it now makes me smile. I've watched the movie twice so far, and I know I'll be watching it many, many more times. It's just such a happy, feel-good movie, which is what I think we all need right now. 

For anyone who hasn't yet seem the movie, it's showing many more times on the Hallmark Channel during April and May. You can learn more about the movie and its showtimes here: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/youre-bacon-me-crazy. 

I would have ordered that meatball sub too. It sounded amazing.

Yes, if you haven't seen the movie, go watch it! It's super cute. And it might just make you hungry....

Would you have added anything to the movie?

Honestly, the movie was such a sweet treat, I don't think I would've added anything. Except maybe some chocolate! Ha ha. The scenes between Cleo and Gabe had a wonderful "Hall-spark"--that spot-on Hallmark Channel chemistry that make the channel's movies so charming. My favorite scene was when Cleo called Gabe using a fake New York accent and placed an enormous food order from his Mo' Bacon truck. She thought she was tricking him, but he knew it was her the whole time! That scene wasn't in the book, but I'm delighted it was in the movie! My book has a whole new life now in movie form! Of course, there are similarities and differences between the book and movie, but I love that we get Tessa's crush story in the book, and now we get Cleo's crush story in the movie. It's two sweet romances that intertwine. What could be any better than that?

I do like that we get to romance stories with the different forms!

And I loved that scene too, it was funny when he walked the order over to the truck.

What's your favorite bacon dish?

I love to eat bacon ON other food rather than just by itself. My favorite way to eat bacon is on a perfectly-grilled cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and onion rings on top. I also love it in salads and chicken sandwiches. My mom has this amazing family recipe for chopped broccoli salad that has bacon, dried cranberries, and pecans in it. I can't get enough of it! I invented some bacon recipes for my You're Bacon Me Crazy book, and also some before the movie's premiere. Out of all of those recipes, I have to say that the cheesy bacon BBQ crunch dip and the BLT special sauce were my top two favorites. Adding the sauce to a BLT gives it a fun little kick! All of those recipes are on my blog on my author website at: https://www.suzannenelson.com/category/recipes/.

Oh, great. I always love to read books about food, but it's even better if there are recipes!

What's your next book?

My next book in the foodie line for Scholastic is Pumpkin Spice Up Your Life, which will be out on September 1. Autumn is my favorite season, and that book is full of fall fun--hayrides, pumpkin-picking, leaf piles, and of course, pumpkin spice lattes! There's also a very sweet crush story in this book that I'm particularly fond of. I love the cozy dynamic between the characters Nadine and Daniel and hope readers will, too!

      There's also a tenth foodie book coming as well, but the title and storyline for that book are still top secret. I will say this: the mystery book centers on one of my favorite types of desserts, and I'm so excited to invent the recipes for it!

      In addition to the upcoming foodie books, my first picture book is coming out with ZonderKidz this fall as well. Over in a Stable will be out on October 6. It's a sweet Christmas counting book about the nativity, inspired by the classic song "Over in the Meadow." Since Christmas is my favorite holiday, I'm so excited about this book.

     I'm also very excited that there's a paperback edition of my middle-grade novel, A Tale Magnolious, coming out this July. It's available in hardcover already, but a paperback edition will be lovely. The book is about an orphan named Nitty Luce, an elephant named Magnolious, and some magical seeds. It's a book very dear to my heart--full of magic and hope. I hope readers will scoop it up for summer reading!

These all sound great! Thanks for chatting with me!

And don't forget to watch the movie and read the book!

About the Author:

Suzanne Nelson is the author of dozens of middle-grade books, including You're Bacon Me Crazy, Cake Pop Crush, and the rest of the books in the foodie line for Scholastic, as well as A Tale Magnolious for Knopf Books for Young Readers. Her books are available for purchase online from Indiebound (https://www.indiebound.org/), Barnes and Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/), Amazon (www.amazon.com), and in bookstores everywhere. Suzanne can be found on Twitter @snelsonbooks and on Facebook and Instagram @suzannenelsonbooks. Her website is www.suzannenelson.com.

Movie Review: PS I Still Love You

PS. I Still Love You

Based off the book by Jenny Han

Second installment of the To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy

My Thoughts:

I loved it.

I think these movies are pretty faithful adaptations to some amazing books.

I loved the opening credit and how they were inspired by Adventures in Babysitting (one of my favorite movies)

I loved the first date between Lara Jean and Peter

I loved the addition of Stormy

I loved Kitty - I wish we saw more of her

I loved the relationship building between her father and the neighbor

I loved the moment between her and her former BFF

I love Peter

I loved the chemistry between Peter and Lara Jean

I loved the cameo from Jenny Han - always fun to see the author in the movie.

Basically as you can see, there are TONS of reasons to love this movie.

I can't wait to see the third one!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Movie Wishes

This week's topic is our wishes for books to movies - and I have several of them. There are so many great books that would make amazing movies. Now that Hallmark and Netflix are making more and more books into movies, maybe they are listening! 

Here are my picks from books I've recently read.

My top choice!

Bonus:

Here's a post from 2 years ago about great suggestions for the Hallmark channel

Movie Review: Darkest Minds

I loved this book and was super excited to see it turned into a movie.

It's a been a long time since I've read the book, so I didn't notice all the differences. But I really liked this movie.

I'm sad that it didn't do well in the box office because I wanted to see more of the story.  I confess I loved the first two books but by the time the third one came out, I didn't get around to it. Then I forgot the plot. Seeing this move made me want to dive back into this world and read the final book. And so I will.

It followed the story as I remember.

It made me laugh and tear up, especially at the end.

And the villain was very good at being a jerk. 

I ADORED Zu.

Chubs was great too. 

Did I miss an author cameo?

Have you seen this movie yet?

Movie Review: Little Women

While technically not a movie, I was so happy to hear about the remaking of Little Women. I loved the book, enjoyed the 1994 movie, and have visited Orchard House with my parents when I was in high school.

My Thoughts:

I loved it - and it was so sad. I cried through the last 45 minutes of it. So much emotion.

I thought they did an excellent job with:

* The costumes

* The set design

* The sisterly bond

* The cast was excellent, I had a hard time choosing my favorite.

I wish they included the time in the garret with the four sisters - either with the Pickwick Papers or the plays they used to act out.

There were some differences between the book and the mini series.
It seems like Amy was older in the mini series. She's the worst sister, but the actress played her beautifully.

PBS had a wonderful site for additional information.

I enjoyed looking at the On Set Secrets

I didn't realize the actress who plays Jo March was Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's daughter. And that this is her first movie role. She was wonderful and I look forward to seeing her in more roles.

Did you watch the mini series? What did you think?
It said Season 1 on my DVR, could it be possible they will create Little Men and Jo's Boys too?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Movies

This week's topic is I'd Love To See As Movies/Tv Shows. We did this post a while back, so check out my past answers too.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

YA:

Adult:

Contest: Vampire Academy

With a week to go until the movie hits the big screen, we're celebrating by giving away a copy of the first book! I loved this book series and I'm super excited for the movie.

Check out the trailer:

Excited?

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Enter to win 1 copy of Vampire Academy

(sorry US only)

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