Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?
Wow. I have seen what Hollywood does to books and frankly it terrifies me. TrueBlood comes to mind. I do love both the books and the series. However I had to divorce one from the other because they are so radically different.
If it was not going to be butchered and changed into an entirely different entity I have several books I would like to see.
Series I think would be interesting:
Evolutions by Ami Blackwelder.
Midnight Breed by Lara Adrian
The Eternal Series by Jennifer Turner.
Fever by Karen Marie Moning
Jane Jameson or the Naked Werewolf - Molly Harper
Mercedes Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
Books that I think would be interesting:
Confessions of a Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim
Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite
Waiting for Karl Rove by Jenni Decker and Kat Nove
Mindbenders by Ted Krever
The Undead Situation by Eloise J Knapp
Loser's Town by Daniel Depp
There are a lot more I know. I may come back and edit to add them. Actors in them - really don't know at this point. Might have to edit for that one too.
This week's question:
In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned" or "frequently challenged" book?
I have read so many of them. I enjoyed the majority of them. Favorites? I have too many. There are just too many awesome ones to pick only one book. I am currently reading
The Facts Speak For Themselves by Brock Cole
I do not even know where to begin. With Are you there God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume or with The Giver by Lois Lowery? Or should I start with a classic like Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee? Maybe I should name a more recent book. How about Harry Potter by J K Rowling or TTYL; TTFN; L8R; G8R Series by Lauren Myracle? How about The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison? I could go on and on. I have two list on my blog of Banned Books, List 1 ; List 2. Take your pick of any I have highlighted. They all have enriched me. None harmed me. Losing the right to read any book is what would harm me.
Wow The last day of September! This month went fast. October of course means Halloween is here! YAY1 Yes, I am still a kid. haha. I am so excited about Halloween. I love it! Junior has his costume which he kind of modeled.
He wanted to be Curios George. The mask actually fits better than he has it but he likes the sensation of it on his mouth. Who am I to argue so long as it does no harm. We went online and bought this from http://www.dizguise.com/ for $25. He was very comfortable in it and wore it for a few hours trying it outside also. He said he was warm in it - the temperature was close to 50. So we are happy with it. I got his little brother a monkey costume too but since he is in Chicago I do not have a picture of him in it yet. Here is the one from the site:
Yes, it is that cute in person too. I can't wait for my daughter to send the baby's picture in it to me.
I received an GR message from author Todd Russell. I had featured his book, Fresh Flesh, on one of my Waiting for post. And it is now out and available on Amazon. Yay! Here is the cover, remember it? Click on Amazon and it will take you to the purchase page.
I received an email from Joni B Cole last night. She is the author of Another Bad Dog Book.
I had feature her book as one I was waiting on. Well it is due out officially October 4th but is available on Amazon already. Yay! I am excited about it. Guess what? She is generously giving away a SIGNED COPY of her book here on my blog!! So look for the giveaway next week.
Speaking of giveaways...I have some awesome books to give out in October. Ami Blackwelder author of the Evolution Series, (I did a review of The Shifters of 2040), sent me 6 books to be given away!!
Ami has a new book coming out soon and I will be reviewing it as well as the rest of the Evolution series. Here is a peek at the new book, ( yes it is a Mermaid tale):
The Mers by Ami Blackwelder
More awesome giveaway news. A.C. Hall and Phillip Hall have sent me their new book SCROLLS and included a copy to be given away! You may remember I did a review of The Bond Conqueror by them. I am super excited by this and will have a review of Scrolls coming up. Here is what the book looks like:
Synopsis:
Marty Schultz is a young man who just wants to be left alone. While his fellow students at Barker State University are living it up, Marty keeps his distance, spending most of his time alone. The used bookstore where he works specializes in the trade of ancient scrolls and Marty copies down their details for use in his web-comic. Little does he know that in the right hands these scrolls can be used to perform powerful magic and his use of them has drawn the attention of some very dangerous people. As Marty struggles to come to grips with the reality of the scrolls and his growing ability to harness their power he also has to face the past that he moved over 3,000 miles away to escape. Marty just wanted to be left alone, but that’s no longer an option. His life is suddenly very full and whether he likes it or not he has to find a way to deal with it. But if he’s going to reconcile with his angry ex-fiancée whom he left two years ago with no explanation, pacify his big sister who is trying to uncover a secret he’s worked hard to hide and get out from under the thumb of a scheming classmate he’s going to have to find a way to survive against a magic wielding madman who has decided that Marty Schultz must die.
Also happening on my blog , which I am so excited about too, is I have many awesome guest bloggers for the month. I invited authors to write something that would be good for Halloween. I have an amazing line up with post from: Bret Jordan, Kat Nove, Laurie Bowler, Ami Blackwelder, Tarrin P Lupo, Scott Nicholson, Sheri Browning Erwin, Maranda Russell, Stephany Simmons, Tracy Sharp, Natasha Larry, Pavarti K Tyler, A.C. Hall, Phillip Hall, Weston Kincade, Cameo Renae, Marlon Pierre- Antoine, S. Wayne Roberts, Suzan Battah, Kimberly LaRocca and possibly a few more awesome writers. I will have links to their websites so if you like what you read you can find out more. I hope you get some thrills, chills and smiles.
Of course I will also have book reviews going on. A few of the authors planned are Josi S Kilpack, Emily Sue Harvey, Gregory Allen, NeonSeon and from the Dark Side Book Tour - Stacey Kennedy and A Jacob Sweeny.
A lot is planned and there will be some unplanned stuff because life happens every time you make a plan. I hope you will join me and have some fun.
* I received this book for review by the author. No promise of a good review was given. No compensation was offered or received. The opinions expressed are my honest feelings about the book*
From Good Reads:
A fun chick lit that may appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella. Bridget Jones's Diary meets The Office. Madison Lee is a fresh college grad, ready to take on the world of print media. But she has zero luck landing a job. Unemployment is at ten percent and on the rise. Desperate and left with no other options, she accepts a position as a service rep at a call center in Pocatello, Idaho. At the Lightning Speed call center in Spudsville, Maddy plunges into the wild and dysfunctional world of customer service where Sales is prided over Service and an eight hour shift is equivalent to eight hours of callers bashing her over the phone. Oh sure, the calls are bad. But Maddy manages to find humor on the phone and off the phone. And with all the salacious drama behind the calls, there is never a dull moment at the Lightning Speed call center.
Lately . . . Maddy has been pining for her smolderingly gorgeous co-worker Mika Harket. Now things are heating up on the phone--and elsewhere. Don't hang up on this novel. Working at a call center has never been this garish . . . or this delightful.
***DISCLOSURES: If you find politically incorrect shows like The Office, South Park and Chelsea Lately detestable, childish and offensive, then this book is probably NOT for you
My Review:
When the author asked me to review her book she disclosed that it may be politically incorrect and possibly offensive in areas. My first thought was with enticement like that how can I pass up this opportunity? I'm a fun chick who is not always politically correct - heck I can't even keep up with what is and what isn't correct. I am always aware of others feelings and I am respectful so I no longer waste my time trying to keep everyone happy being politically correct or even trying to figure it out. I figured this would be a fun and interesting read. It was like being in the middle of a ....call center. I always wonder how things worked in a call center. Every time I get a call from them it sounds like a party in the background. I now know it sounds like that because it is that.
Maddy and her friend Karsynn get jobs in a call center. They did not set out to be one of those annoying people who you rarely understand and who aren't very helpful. They just needed a job. Maddy takes us from training to floor in a snarky fun way. Along the way we meet her coworkers , who are from different cultures, which provides more entertainment. We also get to peek inside Maddy and Kars private lives. We are privy to some of the calls which range from hilarious to heartbreaking. We learn about supervisor and Q&A who have no other goal than call turnover and selling of some product regardless of what is happening during the call. We learn about the stress that is placed on the call center employees and we hear the fun. I was entertained and was laughing out loud throughout the book.
Author Lisa Lim has managed to change my perception of call center employees somewhat. I believe I may be kinder to the next ones I deal with, unless they have that annoying automated system that they force me to go through first. Then all bets are off and I am cranky.
There is an excellent trailer made of the dream cast for Confessions of A Call Center Gal. It runs 2 minutes and is worth checking out if for nothing else than the song. Be sure to have your speakers on for this. It will make your day, especially if you work in a cubicle and are on the phones most of the time. Check it out.
And now I will give you two teasers from the book:
In a haste, I log off my phone, pop a Tylenol pill and saunter to Karsynn’s cubicle. Ingeborg skips over to join us, and then the three of us sashay to the Ladies room.
Together.
I don’t know what it is about us girls, but it’s like some sort of strange, unspoken ritual, necessitating us to tend to nature’s call together.
I walk into a stall and use my elbow to shut the door behind me. Being the germ freak that I am, I tear off some toilet paper and mummify my hand so my fingers don’t touch the handle or the lock. Next, I tear off more toilet paper and strategically place it on the toilet seat before carefully setting my bum down.
Karsynn, the self-proclaimed space craft, is already hovering over her toilet. I know this for a fact because she’s hovering so high that it sounds like rain drops hitting the pavement.
Since I barely know Ingeborg, I haven’t the slightest idea what her toilet technique is.
“So how did your calls go?” Karsynn talks over the sound of her raining pee.
“Mine started off real bad, but then it got better.” I raise my voice so as to be heard over the toilets flushing around me.
Kars cries huffily, “Well mine sucked big time!”
Suddenly, without warning or provocation, my toilet flushes. “Ugh!” I moan peevishly. “Don’t you just hate these motion-sensored toilets?”
I leap into the air like my bum’s caught on fire. “Hey! I wasn’t done yet!” I glare at my toilet reprovingly.
Oh! The nerve of it! Now I’m paranoid that some nasty toilet water has sprayed up my bum. Mental note to myself: bring baby wipes next time.
Lisa Lim. Confessions of a Call Center Gal: a novel (Kindle Locations 938-955).
“Thanks for calling Lightning Speed Communications. This is Maddy, how can I help?” I flip through my new tabloid magazine; it’s a much needed distraction from this scandal that Karsynn’s purportedly embroiled in.
The caller demands in a distinctly British accent, “Oiiii! AM I CALLING BLOODY INDIA?!?” “Yes sir, you’re calling India. And I’m a slumdog living in the slums of Mumbai,” I inform him blandly. “Happy now?”
“Ecstatic,” he says with contempt.
Sheesh! Right this minute, I wish I was actually Indian so I can rant ‘And you’re a bloody British Imperialist who colonized my country for centuries, exploiting my good people.’
“And I’ll bet you’re reading some daft tabloid magazine like People,” spits the hoity-toity, Earl Grey tea drinking bastard.
Bwarhahaha! I’m laughing inside. Yes, I happen to be reading a gossip mag. But it’s not People, it’s US Weekly.
Nevertheless, I refuse to dignify his asinine question with an answer. I mean, c’mon already. What does he expect me to say? That I’m reading Hemmingway? Nietzsche? Rushdie? Or Dostoyevsky? Shakespeare perhaps?
Duh! I can’t focus on heavy lit when I have a job to do.
Reading tabloids uses zero brain cells; hence it is very work appropriate.
“Go on. Tell me,” he taunts. “You’re reading People magazine, aren’t you?” he repeats snidely. Disdaining to answer him, I get straight down to business. “Sir, I’ll need to ask you a few questions to verify you.”
“WHAT?” he barks and goes ape shit on me. “BLOODY NORA! THIS IS BOLLOCKS! SHITE MAN, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME? YOU WANT MY FARKIN BLOOD TYPE??? MY DNA?”
Cor Blimey. Holy London Bridge Is Falling Down. This bloke swears like Gordon Ramsay. In training, I learned the term for what this dick is trying to do. He’s trying to ‘hook’ me by pushing all my red buttons, hoping to get some sort of a reaction out of me.
And, I’m supposed to stay calm by not taking his ‘bait.’
This jerk is such a class act that I simply refuse to give him the satisfaction of taking his bait. Over my dead body!
Taking a sharp intake of breath, I press on, “No sir, I do not need your blood type, nor do I need your DNA,” I say in a calm and collected manner. “But what I do need is your first and last name.” The fact that I do not take his ‘bait’ only serves to infuriate him further. He continues hurling obscenities at me.
“FARK MAN! YOU HAVE ALL MY INFORMATION YOU NINCOMPOOP! I PUNCHED IT ALL IN BEFORE I EVEN GOT TO YOU!”
“I apologize sir, but I never got it. So I will need to verify you again,” I say breezily.
“YOU FOCKIN IGNORANT MORONIC TWAT! YOU’RE RUBBISH! RUBBISH! THIS IS A FOCKIN CHARADE AND I’M NOT DEALING WITH THIS FOCKIN SHIT! SOD OFF AND GET ME YOUR SODDING SUPERVISOR!”
“One moment please,” I sing-song sweetly.
Lisa Lim. Confessions of a Call Center Gal: a novel (Kindle Locations 1771-1803).
I nabbed this list of more recent books on the Banned List from Lisa's World of Books. I will highlight in bluethe books that I have read and those I still want to read in red. The one book ingreen I am currently reading.
100. America by E. R. Frank
99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
98. I Saw Esau by Iona Opte
97. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
96. Grendel by John Gardner
95. Shade’s Children by Garth Nix 94. Goosebumps by R. L. Stine 93. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard 92. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar 91. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Graighead George 90. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle 89. Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissenger 88. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 87. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume 86. Cut by Patricia McCormick 85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher 84. So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Watkins 83. Detour for Emmy by Marilyn Reynolds 82. Deal With It! by Esther Drill 81. Black Boy by Richard Wright 80. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck 79. The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss 78. The Joy of Gay Sex by Dr. Charles Silverstein 77.Crazy by Benjamin Lebert 76. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving 75. Anastasia (series) by Lois Lowry 74. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 73. What’s Happening to My Body by Lynda Madaras 72. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison 71. Junie B. Jones (series) by Barbara Park 70. Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen 69. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 68. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez 67. A Time To Kill by John Grisham 66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor 65. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien 64. Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park 63. The Terrorist by Caroline B. Cooney 62. The Stupids (series) by Harry Allard 61. Draw Me A Star by Eric Carle 60. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 59. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes 58. Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going 57. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause 56. When Dad Killed Mom by Julius Lester 55. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green 54.The Facts Speak for Themselves by Brock Cole 53. You Hear Me? by Betsy Franco 52. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson 51. Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan 50. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 48. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez 47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by George Beard 46. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 45. Crazy Lady by Jane Leslie Conly 44. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher 43. Blubber by Judy Blume 42. The Fighting Ground by Avi 41. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher 40.Life is Funny by E. R. Frank 39. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane 38. Arming America by Michael Bellasiles 37. It’s So Amazing by Robie Harris 36. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 35. Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison 34.The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler 33. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson 32. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya 31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones 30. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier 29. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney 28. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 27. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier 26. Beloved by Toni Morrison 25. Killing Mr. Griffen by Lois Duncan 24. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak 23. The Giver by Lois Lowry 22. Gossip Girl (series) by Cecily von Ziegesar 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 20. King and King by Linda de Haan 19. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger 18. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous 17. The Color Purple by Alice Walker 16. Forever by Judy Blume 15. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 13. Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey 12. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris 11. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Meyers 10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 9. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series) by Lauren Myracle 8. His Dark Materials (series) by Philip Pullman 7. Scary Stories (series) by Alvin Schwart 6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 4. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson 3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier 2. Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 1. Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling
