I realize I haven't blogged about the Young Adult Book and Movie Club as much lately. I shared a bunch of Harry Potter related stuff in the first half of the year, but I still haven't gotten around to writing about our Scorpio Races Races or Anne of Green Gables party! One of these days....
But, even if it hasn't shown up too much on the blog here, we've had a lot of fun in the YABMC Facebook group! So I'm going to continue it for 2015 - although it'll be a little more book and a little less movie next year, since I'm picking more books that don't have movies.
This is where I need your help though: I'm having a really hard time picking a trilogy for the spring. I'm going to share the books I've settled on so far, briefly sum up the three remaining contenders, and then I would love it if you would help me decide. There's a survey embedded at the bottom of the post - cast your vote, pretty please!
- January - Beauty by Robin McKinley : a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, a mix of fiction and fantasy. It doesn't have a specific movie, but I love Disney's Beauty & the Beast.
- February -
- March -
- April -
- May - Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster : I really wanted to put Rilla of Ingleside here, since it's my favorite of the Anne series, but it doesn't have a movie, and I wasn't sure if it was weird to choose book 8 in a series. So I picked Daddy-Long-Legs, as another good coming-of-age historical fiction option. Plus, there's a movie with Fred Astaire!
- June - If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman : These are contemporary fiction about a girl who survives the car crash that kills her family. They're super-duper short, so it should be easy to read both in one month. And I've heard the If I Stay movie is really good.
- July - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell : Although this one doesn't have a specific movie, I think that the 1980s setting is just asking for an 80s party! I debated choosing Fangirl since Eleanor & Park is a little heavier, theme-wise, but I thought that E&P will make for good discussion.
- August - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater : contemporary magical fiction about a quest for Owen Glendower. This doesn't have a movie, but the Aglionby boys make me think of Dead Poet's Society, so I think that will be a nice combo.
- September - The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater : Because the series must go on! Still debating a movie or party-theme to pair with it.
- October - Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater : I'm thinking of pairing this with Over Sea, Under Stone. I know that Maggie was partly inspired by the Dark is Rising sequence, and since OS, US is such a fast read, I think it would go nicely with BL, LB.
- November - book 4 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater : Can't wait for this one! And don't know what to match it with, since it's not out yet... maybe more Susan Cooper.
- December - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott : I figure a nice historical read to round out the year is perfect. And the Little Women book and movie both have some good Christmasy scenes.
Ok, and now for the February-March-April contenders!
The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo - Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising.
- Points in favor: they're genius! And although they're set in the fictional realm of Ravka; it was clearly inspired by Czarist Russia. So they could be matched with the Anna Karenina movie or a Russian tea party or something.
- Points against: they're really dark. Even darker than the Raven Cycle. Not sure if I want that much angst and gloom in one year.
The Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier - Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green.
- Points in favor: fun and light reads. They're time-travel romances, set in London. There's also a German-language movie of the first book.
- Points against: not everyone likes teenage romance. And I already have a lot of contemporary books picked.
The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu - Legend, Prodigy, Champion.
- Points in favor: these are really good. They're dystopic books, set in a future Los Angeles where huge class discrepancies pit the population against each other.
- Points against: no movies. I guess we could watch the Hunger Games? Actually, these would probably be my first pick, because I liked them so much, but I just read them, so I was trying to think of books I'd read longer ago.
