I’ve always heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.” In many ways, this is true. But, when it comes to books, I don’t always keep this in mind. Sometimes, I see a book cover that I think is beautiful and I immediately want to buy it without even knowing what it’s about. I don’t always like to admit it, but sometimes I do judge a book by its cover.

Here are a few of my favorite book covers:

 

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Not only do I love the wintry landscape of the cover, but I love the story as well! Inspired by Russian folklore/fairy tales, The Bear and the Nightingale follows a young girl as she grows up discovering she has special abilities that will help her protect her village from a looming evil presence.

The reason I wanted to read this book was because of its cover. I love the fairy tale-esque painting on the front. It made me want to cozy up next to the fireplace with a blanket and cup of hot chocolate.

 

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight is part of a long, on-going series that follows the world of Shadowhunters: super-humans who fight demons and protect the human world.

Pictures online don’t do the cover justice; the deep blues and greens really stand out and I love the movement of the hair and fabric in the water. The light breaking through the water shines on the cover in person.

 

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The cover and illustrations throughout this story are beautiful and haunting. The images make it seem like this will be a really scary book, but it’s not. It warms and breaks your heart at the same time as it follows a young boy experiencing the effects of grief.

 

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi 

Ignite Me is the third installment of the Shatter Me series, which follows Juliette; she is an orphan who has the power to kill anyone she touches. She is first used as a weapon by the government, and eventually learns to accept who she is and embrace her powers to use for good.

The warm colors and intense focus of the eye stand out to me and make me love this cover. The blooming flowers convey themes of hope and new beginnings, which are big motifs in this book. I love that the cover is meant to symbolize the themes of the story so strongly.

 

It by Stephen King

Specifically, this new cover that was released with the film. I love the simplicity of it; it’s really striking and a little creepy with the clown smile. The story of a group of kids trying to defeat an evil clown is intriguing enough, and this cover makes me want to read it even more.

 

The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill

The beautiful artwork as well as the title immediately caught my eye and made me want to read this book. The story is just as charming as its cover; a magical girl is raised in the forest by an old witch, a tiny dragon, and a friendly swamp monster.

 

What are some of your favorite book covers?

 

Happy reading!

 

 

 

I’ve always had a love for reading. In grade school, I would often carry around a stack of books with me so that a variety of stories to choose from. I had a tiny bookshelf that was overflowing with books; the one shelf curved so much from all the weight I’m surprised it never split it half! I wanted to collect as many books as I could so I could always have something to read.

Here are some of my favorite books from my childhood:

 

Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

The series of books follows siblings Jack and Annie as they are transported to different time periods by a magical tree house.

I loved to read about Jack and Annie’s adventures and used to collect these books. There are now over 50 books in the series, so there are plenty of adventures to choose from. Some of my favorites of the series were Dinosaurs Before Dark, Twister on Tuesday, Night of the Ninjas, and Christmas in Camelot. 

 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This was required reading in my 6th grade English class, but that didn’t stop me from loving it. Reading about 12-year-old Jonas’s journey growing up in a dystopian world intrigued me.

I was also drawn to the book because the man on the cover, The Giver himself, reminded me of Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series, which I loved!

 

 

Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park

I loved the character of Junie B. Jones and her quirky attitude. My favorite book was Junie B. Jones: First Grader (at last!). I read it when I was in first grade and thought she was so cool. I proudly carried around my copy that had the special orange tassel attached to it.

 

 

Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish

Amelia Bedelia’s outrageous and silly behavior always made me laugh. The illustrations went along with the stories so well. These books were always available on the book shelf in the classroom and would be a quick, fun read during recess.

 

 

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

I first encountered this series in 5th grade when my teacher made time to read it aloud to us. After she read the first chapter to us in class, I went to the library right after, checked it out, and finished it at home that same night.

The series follows siblings Simon, Jared, and Mallory as they move into the Spiderwick Estate and discover a world of magic and different creatures.

 

 

These books make me all nostalgic and remind me how much I’ve always loved to read. What were some of your favorite books from when you were a kid?

 

Happy reading!

I love to read, of course, but I love TV and movies just as much. Adaptations grab my attention and I’m always curious to see how the writers and producers will work to bring the story to life on the screen.

Here are some of my favorite Book-to-Movie/TV adaptations:

 

Harry Potter

I’m not special in saying I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter and grew up waiting for the next movie to come out each year. I didn’t start reading the series until after I saw The Half-Blood Prince in the theater with my family, and I just had to know what was going to happen. I love both the books and movies so much, I had to include them on the list!

My favorite of the series is The Prisoner of Azkaban and I think the film did a great job of transitioning the series into a darker, more mature story. I also thought The Half-Blood Prince was a great adaptation and enjoyed it more than the book. That book in particular was a really slow read for me and the movie does a great job of bringing an element of humor to it to balance out the darker themes and keep things entertaining.

 

 

The Shawshank Redemption

Not only is this one of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations of all time, it’s just one of my favorite movies of all time in general. The movie is based off of a short story written by Stephen King called “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.” It follows Andy Dufresne, who is convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to life at Shawshank Prison.

I think this is a situation where the movie adaptation is even better than the book. The movie fleshes out a lot of the characters and goes much deeper than the short story. There are several wardens of the prison who come and go in the story, and they act as the antagonists. In the film, there is one warden and he is the big villain and we get to see more interaction between him and Andy. There is also an additional story line with an old prisoner named Brooks that wasn’t included in the book. He is let out of prison and struggles with being on the outside again. It’s a really heart-breaking moment of the film but adds a lot of depth and symbolism that the story didn’t have.

 

 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Seeing Katniss Everdeen’s journey on screen was an exciting experience for me at the time, and these adaptations still impress me. The second book/movie, Catching Fire, is one of the best book to movie adaptations I have ever seen. The movie captures almost perfectly what I had envisioned while reading the book.

One of the many scenes that the movie did so well was when Katniss finds out she has to go back into the Hunger Games for a the second time in a row. She runs out of her house when she hears the news and completely breaks down in the woods. Jennifer Lawrence did such a great job of portraying that emotion and devastation of the character in that moment.

I love the whole series, but Catching Fire remains my favorite.

 

 

Outlander

Adapted into a TV show, the series Outlander follows WWII combat nurse Claire Randall as she is transported back in time to 1743 Scotland. The book series is still ongoing and, so far, the show has followed one book per season. This is another adaptation that follows so closely to the books, you can watch/read one or the other and still grasp the intended story very well. The show is made on Starz and has a really high quality production. The sets, costumes, and acting are all fantastic.

Claire ends up marrying a Scotsman, Jamie Fraser, in order for her to have protection as a British woman traveling alone in 18th century Scotland. The two end up developing real feelings for each other. One of my favorite episodes from the first season is when Claire is accused of being a witch and is put on trial. She is saved from certain death at the last minute by Jamie, and tells him the truth about her being from the future. It was an intense part of the novel, and I thought they did a great job of bringing it to life on screen.

 

 

It (2017)

The newest adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about an evil clown terrorizing a group of kids is my favorite. The movie does a great job of not getting lost in the scares and staying focused on the heart of the story: a group of kids forming tight bonds and learning how to grow up together when the world seems like it’s against them.

Bill Skarsgard is perfect in the role of the Pennywise the clown and the group of actors that play the kids in the movie are great together.

 

 

Beautiful Creatures

This is an adaptation that doesn’t follow the book exactly, but I still enjoyed it. The story follows Ethan as he meets the mysterious new girl at school, Lena Duchannes, who happens to have magical powers. Together, they uncover secrets about their families and the small Southern town that they live in.

I love this adaptation for its beautiful setting of a small, Gothic Southern town. It also has a very impressive cast for an adaptation of a Young Adult fantasy novel: Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, and Emmy Rossum all have critical roles in the film and play the parts beautifully.

 

 

Game of Thrones

I have to admit, I haven’t actually read the books, but the show is one of my favorites so I felt the need to include it anyway.

Drama, violence, complicated characters, and dragons–what more could you want? The show is epic in its story and its production and deserves all of the praise it gets. From what I’ve heard, it might not follow the books exactly, but it has become one of the biggest shows on television, regardless.

I love the show’s ability to follow so many characters and story lines in a way that gives them all time for depth and development.

 

 

 

These are just a handful of some of my favorite book adaptations. What are some of yours?

 

Happy reading (and watching)!