Movie news :)

I do not have much time right now, but I just wanted to tell you some great news:

Alyson Noel just announced that Summit Entertainment has optioned the dramatic rights for The Immortals & The Riley Bloom series!! *juhu*

But we all have to remember, that if we think the movie will be like the book we are just going to be disappointed. Because if you tell a story in a movie you tell it a different way then you do in books. So they sometimes have to change somethings to make it work.
AND the filming hasn't started yet, so maybe destiny is going to come between us and the movies.

BUT I do not want to destroy the bad mood. Let's just celebrate, that there will be another puzzle piece for the great universe of books and movies ;)

Here comes my cast choice for Ever, the protagonist in the Immortal Series:

Britt Robertson
She was wonderful as Lux in Live Unexpected. And she surely would be a wonderful Ever to, she got the looks and the skills to play, the young teenager facing strange powers after she nearly died...

I'll see you as soon as I got more time ;)
Greetings KJ

Vampire Academy Graphic Novel...

Richelle Mead just announced on her blog that their might be some sneek-peak examples online in the middle of april . I'm really excited about that, so I thought I just tell you :)
And Emma Viceli the artist of the novel auctions a custom VA drawing to help the people in Japan. That is not just a good thing to do, but a pretty awesome one, too.
For all Infos just visit Richelle Meads blog.
And don't forget to vote for VA in the KCAs

Keep your eyes on the stars... Best wishes
KJ

News you may use...

The publisher Flux released a new trailer for Then I met my sister by Christine Hurley Deriso. At first the plot reminded me a little bit of Saving Zoe by Alison Noel, but some major points are quite different.
I have to admit I don't like the trailer but I'm curious about the book :)

You can watch the trailer here.
Click on the pictures for more info about the books.

 I wish you a nice weekend
KJ

I'm excited about... Part II

There are some other books releasing in 2011 which I'm excited about.
One would be The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter. The synopsis like it is described on Goodreads:

"Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails..."

The expected publication is in April and it is published by Harlequin Teen. AND I'm so going to buy it, because it just sounds amazing. It is Aimee Carters debut and I'm hopefully not going to be disappointed.

In other news I have a recommendation to make:
It's not a book... Well, not really. Ever heard of Manga? Those are Japanese comics, but there more like a art. People in Japan and all over the world are totally in love with this sometimes cute sometimes scary drawings. If been reading Mangas since... lets say 5 years and a good friend of mine recommended the Royal Doll Orchestra by Kaori Yuki to me. Sine I loved her other works (the 20 volumes of Angel Sanctuary or Fairycube for example) I expected nothing less than a masterpiece. I just love the way Kaori Yuki draws emotions and how she creates those screwed up characters with really sad background stories. And her mangas are funny, too.

This time the story takes place in a world that is best describe as the middle ages ore something post apocalyptic or maybe just France.
In this world a deadly virus infected many people turning them into something best described as zombies. They loose their mind and their body gets inflexible and frozen making them look like porcelain Dolls. People are living in fear of the Dolls and the Royal Orchestra, consisting of three freaks, travel around playing pieces from the black opus. A forbidden musical peace that is said to have the power to give the Dolls their minds back for a short time so they can die as humans in peace...

It is definitely one of the best mangas I read in the past two years and worth the money my friend paid for it :) The way you read it (starting at the back of the book and going from the upper right corner to the lowest left) may needs getting used to but it is one of the few stories that are breathtaking and it stands up in a world, where we get a new story everytime we turn on the TV or take a walk in the mall.

That's it for today
I wish you all a nice week :)
KJ

The Dust of 100 Dogs

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A mesmerizing adventure that brings pirate tales onto a whole new level. The Story of Saffron Adams who lives knowing everything about her former lives, as 100 Dogs and as famous Pirate Emer Morisey is emotional and realistic though it is based on a myth.

It is really good researched and takes the reader into a new world full of great dangers, where you can't tell right from wrong.
You empathize with poor Emer while she struggles to find a way in life and her beloved Seanie. It is a tale about love that is strong enough to survive everything and about fear overtaking your brain. It shows how hope and self esteem can get you through everything.
I personally liked Emers part of the Story more than Saffrons, though Heather Brewer, author of "The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod", was right when she sad "...I'd follow Saffron into the briny deep"

I would follow Saffron everywhere, too, just to find out wich adventure comes next. And to help her find the treasures she deserves.
The book gets you thinking. Questioning your life and if your happy in it or just bored. I really enjoyed the Dog Facts, because they show you a uncomplicated way of seeing life. Maybe that is the better way :)
A wonderful story for everyone, not just for pirate lovers. A book that makes you want to sail the seven oceans.
And I definitely adore the cover.

I wish you all a great week full with wonderful adventures, on paper and off paper :)
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Slam or a Skater grows up

Slam by Nick Hornby

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved every bit of this wonderful tale about growing up, making mistakes and getting things right.

This book has everything a modern teenage story needs.
We all know the story about a teenage girl getting pregnant. We had that before and we still see it in most tv shows. But this time it is not about the girl, it's about the boy who got her pregnant and sixteen-year-old Sam is so not ready for something like this.
The story is narrated from his point of view and sometimes he has visions of his future life as a father. Sam tries to deals with the new situation in a way, that made me love until my belly hurt just to drive tears in my eyes a few pages further.
I really enjoyed watching him through a process of great change and growing up.
The author Nick Hornby did a great work, showing the readers all the emotions that trouble the main characters.
Definitely a must-read.

Best wishes KJ

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The Thief Lord...

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a really nice story I enjoyed much when I was a little younger.
It is a story, that tells children something about life, a fact that everyone has to learn someday:

When you are a child, you want to grow up. You don`t want to be so little anymore. But when you are all grown up you realize, the days back when were precious and you would do just everything to go back to your old carefree life.

I enjoyed the characters though they sometimes accept strange things a little easy.When I have children, someday I will read this book to them, or let them read it on their own. But being a little more grown up than I was when I first read "The thief lord" I won't re-read it. Maybe someday...
It is a really good story, when you are under 16 that abducts you into a mysterious world full of adventures for young kids and wonderful places to visit. A world where danger can't harm you, because you have your friends and you stick together.
It shows how little people can survive in a world created by the big. Just having one another and their fantasy.

I remember watching the movie together with my whole class... we went to the theater and on the way back all girls were gossiping about how cute Rollo Weeks was playing the lead. He was our number one topic for a long time and not just the guys in our class even our teacher was really pissed after that. The next movie we watched as a class was "Die Wolke". No good looking lead but a nuclear catastrophe and a dying little brother. All girls cried and our teacher didn't know how to calm us down. We never went to the movies together again. But I'm thinking about that movie a lot these days...

But now I really have to go, do something for school... or not ;)
best wishes KJ
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A Great and Terrible Beauty...

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I first saw this book on a shelf in my bookstore-of-trust I thought something like "yeah, this sounds cool" and looking back from now this was a very stupid thing to think.

Because this book is definitely not just "cool" it's awesome. Though I sometimes had to fight my way through some passages I enjoyed reading it. The beginning leaves you so desperate for the end that you can't do anything else than continue.
The plot itself is new and refreshing:

The story takes place in England at the end of the nineteenth century. Gemma and her friends live in a boarding school. To escape the strict rules they meet secretly in a cave. Gemma finds an old diary and they discover the story of a magic land. A land they can enter, a land where they can do anything they want... Unfortunately this land isn't as safe as it seems.
But what has Gemmas dead mother to do with it?
A dangerous enemy appears and the girls have to find out what story really underlies the diary. A dangerous, mysterious and breathtaking adventure begins. Filled with hope, fear, danger, love and most of all friendship.

The Author Libba Bray has a nice writing style and creates wonderful characters you empathize and sympathize with the moment they speak their first line.
All in all the book is a piece of great fantasy for all who are sick of the vampires and wizards hanging around in bookstores these days.

Did you read it? What are your thoughts on this book?

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I can't wait for... Part I

Well, I thought I just show you some of the books I can't wait to get. Unfortunately I have to wait until they come out :( But hey anticipation is the best of all pleasures as they say in my home country.

So here are the first books:

"Bloodlines" and "Schicksalsbande" by Richelle Mead

This is the first installment in Richelle Meads' new series. It is a spin off to the Vampire Academy books and centers around Sydney, the alchemist. I'm really excited that we are going to hear more from this character because I really liked her during the original series.
But I have to be really careful and can't read much about this book, because to be honest (please don't tell anyone) I haven't finished the Vampire Academy series yet. I know, that's bad and I'm not a real fan, but I read the German version of the books and "Last Sacrifice" isn't out in Germany yet *sob*
So right now I'm counting down the days, until I can finally find out how the whole story ends. And trust me, it is really hard to not just browse over to Amazon and get the English copy. After my last visit to the bookstore of my trust the book budget sank down rapidly, so I can't buy the book in two different versions... *more sobbing*
This is the German cover:

I think it's really beautiful, but I liked the other ones more... But you can't judge a book by it's cover, right? You can find the other German covers here. Just scroll down and you see them on the right side.

The world of another one of my favorite series is going to get larger this year:
Kelley Armstrong is going to publish the first book of her Darkness Rising series. It is set in the same world as her Darkest Powers series and centers again around a teenage supernatural. She is called Maia and lives in a small medical research town. Just like the others did before Maia has yet to find out, that she has supernatural powers and that those were changed through some genetical experiments. Here is the Cover:

For more information on the books go to the authors sites: Richelle Mead and Kelley Armstrong
In Part II you are going to read something about two other books :)
But first I would like to hear your opinion. Which books are you waiting for?

Nice dreams of words to everyone
KJ

Some Sunshine to spook you ;)

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I read a book I'm normally really exited when there are only a few pages left before I get to the end. I love finding out how a story ends and the good feeling that I finally finished something that was worth my time. But when I read Sunshine by Robin McKinley I got sad, when there were only a few pages left to read. And I prayed, that there would be a sequel. Because the story is so exciting, dark and mysterious that I wanted more of it.

Sunshine is a young baker living in a world that is different from ours. There are spots you don't visit because of the dark magic that is there. You don`t go out at night, you may run into a vampire or something worse.
One of those dark spots is near the lake Sunshine and her grandmother visited, when she was little. Because of that Spot she hasn't been there in ages, but now she wants to visit it again. Just to calm herself down and just for a few moments. The sun is still shining, so what could possible happen?
Well you never know.
A few yards back Constantin, a powerful vampire is held hostage by his enemies, weak because he didn't drink in a long time. So to keep him alive his enemies set out to find some food. And, of course, they run into Sunshine. So she is thrown into a room as breakfast for a monster, but the monster doesn't want to give his enemies the glory of seeing his weakness.

Sunshine has to escape, but her only hope is the vampire chained to the wall opposite of her and the little tricks her grandmother used to show her years ago. How you can transform thing. Just tricks, not magic,right?
Are Sunshine and Constantin able to escape? And is she able to safe him from the deadly sun shining outside, that she needs so much?

What I loved most about this books are the dark parts that send chills up and down your spine. I wouldn't consider it a YA book, it's way to creepy for that. And the best part? The heroine knows, how creepy all this is and she is freaked out as well. You can understand her feelings and reasons fully, something you can't do with every protagonist.
And it is a Vampire story. But not one of the new ones. Those Vampires do not twinkle in the sun, they don't detest human blood and they really like hurting other beings. They are creepy, dangerous and inhuman. They are Vampires.
Just like Dracula was back in the old days.
This book pulls you into its gloomy story and you can't get out until you finished it. And then you just want more. Definitely a must have for all lovers of obscure and good stories. For those who like being scared. Perfect for dark days.

Love, hope and words for everyone...
Lg KJ
Song of the day: Destabilise by Enter Shikari
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The Blood Coven by Mari Mancusi

Girls That Growl by Mari Mancusi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Blood Coven- Series is one I enjoyed right from the beginning. The idea of Goth-girl Rayne and how she wants to become a vampire was really interesting but nothing that really stood out of the crowd of vampire-books. And that crowd is big these days.

The Protagonists of this books, Rayne and Sunny McDonald are of course lovely. I mean, the names? Just cute.
When Rayne finally has the chance to become a vampire, things start to go down. The Bloodmate she shall have, the hot Vampireleader Magnus, mistakes Sunny for her and bites the twin instead. But Sunny doesn’t want to be a vampire. So she and Magnus set out to find the only cure to that curse: The holy grail.
Then, in book two Raynes Teacher tells her, that he is part of a secret agency and it is his job to kill evil vampires. Enough reason for trouble? Well, it actually gets better: In every generation there is one girl, which is destined to be the Slayer. (Kinda reminds me of Buffy :) ) And ironically this time it’s Raynes turn. So she sets out to defeat evil Vampires, Magnus General, the (of course) hot Jareth on her side.
So things down in the blood coven world got really amazing and it was really hard for me to imagine how Mari Mancusi would make it even more amazing in book three. I mean, how is she going to bring something new into the vamp-crowd?
Too many sequels often kill a series, because it starts to get boring, the air is out or the reader just thinks: “Well, we had that before”
But Mari Mancusi proofed that there is another way.

“Girls that Growl” is the third instalment and it is definitely worth reading. It didn’t kill the series, it made it better.
This time Slayer Inc. sets Rayne on a new job: The Cheerleading Squad. Someone overheard the Pom-Pom swinging girls growling. So as tryouts approach Rayne is faced with something harder than defeating evil Vampires: turning from Goth into Girlie.
But trouble continues and evidence the Squad is more likely a pack, a werewolf-pack, aren’t making things better.
In their third adventure the McDonald twins are faced with new foes as well as new friends. But is everything really as it seems?
I wouldn’t say “Girls that Growl” is the best book of the series, but it is definitely as good as the others. The whole Blood Coven Series is something no Vampire-friend should miss, but if you are already pissed of all the vampires running around here it is not going to make you into a vamp-lover.
So all in all “Girls that Growl” is worth the money and definitely proved that the Blood Coven Series should continue. So now I’m waiting for the next one, and again it is “how is she going to top this?” :)


While it is for me back to learning history (I hate exams :( ) I hope you all have enough time to enjoy your life.
And last but not least: My hope is at the other end of the world right now, and I wish all the best for the people that lost everything they had in the earthquakes. And for all the people that might loose everything because of the damage in the nuclear power plants. Over all the discussion pro and against nuclear power we should not forget about the one thing that really counts here: The People suffering.

Best wishes, hope and words to everyone
KJ


Song of the Day: Dr Huxtable by Mercy Mercedes

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Vacations from Hell

Vacations from Hell by Libba Bray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This collection is really a must have.

It's perfect for a summer vacation, no matter if you are really going abroad or just staying in balconia.

The five authors are all really talented and I honestly can't say which of them has the best writing skills. There is a story for everyone, so I'm sure If you don't like most of the stories one is definetly shining out for you.

I personally liked them all but loved "Nowhere Is Safe" by Libba Bray. The whole book deserves a re-read this summer and is going to be one of my "all-time-favorites" or at least one I'm always taking with me on Vacation. You don't know what might happen, right? And a little advice on how to handle a ship with vampires, teen witches or evil neighbours is nothing I wouldn't need. I just hope the next vacation is going to be as amazing as the stories in this book. Well, if it rains, I totaly know what I'm going to read...



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Some news and cast choices XD

Since no one told me to blog in English, or stop blogging in English I will just continue, until someone tells me to stop :)

I finished the third instalment in the breathtaking “Darkest Powers” Series by Kelley Armstrong and I started watching “Degrassi”. Already knowing where this is heading? No? Be patient ;)

You know how much I like choosing actors to play roles from books ore other stories. Of course “The Darkest Powers” is not going to be made into a movie yet (I don’t wanna spread rumours…) but I think I found a good match for Tori.

Tori or Victoria Enright as some might call her is… how do you say that? The “bad bitch” trying to get between protagonist Chloe and her maybe-boyfriend Simone. Later on she joins the group for good and here stops my description, because, as always, I don’t wanna spoil anything.

I think Annie Clark playing Fiona on Degrassi would play a perfect Tori. Not because she already proved that she can play “the bad bitch” but because I think she just got the looks:

I know some people suggest Selena Gomes as Tori, and she would be good, too, but I (after some thinking) definitely prefer Annie

What do you think? Tell me about it…

Here you find Info about Tori, Degrassi or the Darkest Powers.

Read the books! As I posted before (the question is just where? Follow the tags^^) they are definitely worth reading and I’m so waiting for the new Darkest Rising series by Kelley Armstrong :)

And finally if got something, that is worth being called "news on the VA movie". There was a interview with the owners of the movie rights. All Infos can be found here. 

So for me its back to being creative, just wanted to ask you guys about my “casting decision”

Wish you all a nice weekend full of words and fun, lots of fun ^^

Kj

I, as always, don't own the picture, but it is fair use only

Song of the day: Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin

in english please ;)

Da die Statistik der Blogzugriffe sagt, viele Leser kommen gar nicht aus Deutschland dacht ich mir, ich mach mal ein kleines Experiment und blogge in Englisch. Die deutsche Version des Textes gibt es hier.

Because my statistic says some readers are not from Germany I decided to do a little experiment and do a blog in english. The german version of the text is here.
At first, as normally, I want to ask for a little Feedback. What do you think about the blogging in english? Should I do that on a regular basis?

And now the blog itself:
We decided do to a little Spotlight-thing. Where we talk every month about a topic that we like. This month it's a author I recommend to everyone: The fabulous Richelle Mead.

Richelle mead is an american author, here in germany mostly known for her Vampire Academy series (for short: VA).
But she wrote other good series, too:
1. At first: The Dark Swan series.
It's about Eugenie a young shaman, who has to fight against creatures from the Otherworld
2. Second in line is: The Georgina Kincaid Series.
It is , of course, about Georgina. She is a Sucubus fighting with the side effects of being a Demon.

Though this books deserve a Spotlight and definetly get not enough attention this month it's all about VA. Besides the fact, that I did a bookreview for the first one on my homepage (maybe it's coming to this blog in english, too :) )  I also wanted to introduce to you my favorite Character from the big VA universe:

Adrian Ivashkov.  (Of course XD)

For those of you, that didn't read VA a little warning: you may consider to stop reading. Because Adrian appears first in the second book and I don't wanna give away any spoilers.

Adrian is a Moroi, and the Queens' nephew. He is 21 years old and a spirit user. He tries to cover the side effects connected to this element with drinking and smoking. He has the reputation of beeing bad and a ladies' man. But after he meets Rose he has an eye on her and does not hide that.  So after a while she promises to give him a shot.
Adrian teaches Lissa everything he knows about the element Spirit and learns from her in return. Sometimes he shows how caring he can be, e.g. when he rescues the younger student Jill.

“I’m like a fine wine. I get better with age. The best is yet to come.”
- Adrian Ivashkov (Blood Promise)
 But how would I cast Adrian?
Thats an easy one XD Hayden Christensen:

 Why? Because he is perfect for the role and a really good actor (both things are of course a matter of opinion ^^)
Of course he is too old for that role, but with the new techniques in movie-making that shouldn't be a problem.
My second choice would be  Chace Crawford. But how do you see that? Who is your favorite Adrian Ivashkov? Tell me about it. :)

What you should know about VA:
1. The movierights are sold, but there is no official statement that plans about actually making a movie exist.
2. The sixth and final VA book "Last Sacrifice" is already published in the english-speaking part of the world, so the series is finished. But there is no reason to be sad: A Spin Off is scheduled to start in august this year. A Sequel where Sidecharacters become Protagonists.

What do you think about the Spin-Off "Bloodlines"? Is it just money-making or are you glad, because you just can't get enough of VA?

PS: To everyone who likes VA: You may consider voting for it at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award all infos are here.
As said before this is just a test, and I'm not sure if I should start blogging in english.

I wish you all a wonderful week full with words and fantasy.
best wishes kj

The images belong to their rightful owners.

Song of the Day: So beautiful by Superchick