Lady D's Ramblings

It's time to do a books vs. movies entry. I was at Barnes & Noble yesterday, hoping to spend some of a gift card that a good friend got me for the holiday, and I happened to come across a rack called "In the Theater." Needless to say, it was a rack of books that have recently been made into movies and are now showing in theaters. So, since I have lately noticed that lots of books are getting made into movies, I want to know if any of you have seen any of the recent movies, or are planning to, and how they are? There are several I'd like to see for sure, and I've been known in the past to go see films that have been made into books. So, let's discuss: 1. Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy 2. Silver Linings Playbook- Matthew Quick 3. Warm Bodies- Issac Marion 4. Beautiful Creatures- Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 5. The Host- Stephenie Meyer 6. The Hobbit- J.R.R. Tolkein 7. Les Miserables- Victor Hugo 8. On the Road- Jack Kerouac 9. City of Bones-Cassandra ...

Seduced by a Pirate by Eloisa James My rating: 5 of 5 stars This novella is a companion novella to Eloisa James' The Ugly Duchess. It follows Sir Griffin Barry, the captain of the Flying Poppy, home to his wife whom he hasn't seen in seventeen years. On his wedding night, Sir Griffin Barry, a young lad of only seventeen, found himself de-manned by his wife's extraordinary beauty. She was a few years older, and he just couldn't seem to... complete the deed. So, in his shame, he jumped out the window, went to a pub, and got rip roaring drunk. The next morning, he awoke to find himself pres-ganged onto a ship, and already at sea. His leap to piracy came shortly after that. Phoebe, the wife he left behind, started a life of her own without her husband, and adopted three young children. She enjoys her babies, and living her solitary life in a country manor. But when Griffin abruptly shows back up in her life, she's not sure she wants to be married to this gruff pirate...

The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is another great Eloisa James gem. This is part of her fairy tale series, where she takes classic fairy tails, and retells them in Recency Romance. This one, as suggested by the title, was for the Ugly Duckling. Theodora, or Theo to most everyone, and Daisy, to her closest companion James, recently debuted in the ton. She is not the most beautiful of girls, though neither her mother nor James seems to notice. She is doing what every young debutante in the ton is supposed to be: looking for a husband. James Ryburn recently learned that his father not only overspent their entire fortune and estate, but also embezzled much of Theo's dowry. James' father's solution? James must marry Theo. When Theo and James get married, the ton is scandalized. When they separate, they're even more so. Will James and Theo realize what they had before it's too late? And will the ton ever realize that Theo is so much more th...

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James My rating: 5 of 5 stars Eloisa James has done it again in this retelling of the classic fairy tail of Beauty and the Beast. Piers is the Earl of Marchant, an angry, bitter man who has a leg injury and therefore uses a cane. He's also a doctor. He has three "under" doctors, and one friend, in this case his cousin, who also helps him. If you've ever watched a certain show on FOX, this is sounding familiar to you. Eloisa James totally based the character of Piers on Dr. Gregory House. I love it! Linnet is the classic beauty, men want her, women hate her or want to be her, because she's so beautiful and perfect. But when she gets thrown over by the Prince, and she wears a gown to a ball that makes her look like she's expecting, her reputation is ruined, and no man will have her... until her Aunt shows up with an idea. Since the Earl of Marchant is reputed to be incapable of fathering children, and lo and behold, here...

Phoenix Feather by Angela Wallace My rating: 3 of 5 stars Aidan Quinn is not your typical college student. She is a phoenix, who is living her life as a human. Every 100 years, she retreats to a remote location to die and be reborn, and she has lived almost 2000 years on this planet. Aidan meets firefighter Trent McCain at work one day, and they seem to hit it off. Along with her friends, Chris and Phoebe, this life for Aidan seems pretty good... until a serial killer starts targeting red-headed victims. Bryan, Trent's brother, is assigned to the case, and he hopes to solve it before the killer comes after the woman his brother is seeming to fall in love with. This book was very interesting for me. The main character Aidan seemed very distant and aloof at the start of the book, and then seemed to become more human as she interacted more with Chris, Phoebe, and Trent. The only reason I gave this book three stars instead of four is something that happens at the end of the book, an...

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy by G.A. Aiken My rating: 5 of 5 stars About time! I have been waiting for Izzy and Eibhear's book since Briec and Tailaith's, book, which was book two. This, as all the rest, was a great story. I love having watched Iseabail grow up from being a princess into a warrior. Who she is now totally fits her. But I was surprised in the direction Ms. Aiken took Eibhear. He too is now a total warrior, and part of the Mi-Runach, which is the Dragon Queen's... as Izzy put it, berserker elite. Eibhear has become quite rough and tough, although who he was is still there... kind of. Izzy and Eibhear are headed back to Garbhan Isle, after years of being at battle, and once they get there, they immediately set off for the Desert Lands to find help for Rhianwen, Izzy's younger sister, who is having trouble controlling her magicks. While in the Desert Lands, Rhydderch Hael makes an appearance, and tasks Izzy with saving Vateria, a dragon Queen she had fough...

The Bite Before Christmas by Lynsay Sands My rating: 5 of 5 stars Home For the Holidays- Jeaniene Frost To be honest, I bought this book just for the Night Huntress short story. I liked the short story, for sure, but at the same time, I have some minor critiques... mainly that there wasn't enough Cat/Bones time together in said story. Cat and Bones have decided to have a good old fashioned Christmas at home, with their closest family and friends. But, when a long-lost member of Bones' blood family from when he was alive shows up, things start to get a little... strange. Cat, Ian, and Denise are left to figure out what's going on, and how to fix the problems with the rest of the guests that had been invited to the party. But can they figure out what's going on before someone gets killed... permanently? This was great for a novella/short story. It was actually a lot longer than I thought it would be, which was awesome, and it featured almost all of my favorite Night Hu...