Books # 41

[Tangerine Dream]

one of my favourite books of all time. i love her writing, it’s one of the most devastating depictions of grief and almost apathetic depression that i have ever read. parts of it sing. i adore it.

it could only be attempted as a really prestige mini series: i don’t know why they even attempted a film. aneurin barnard was a great boris though, wasted 🥲

I could see AppleTV maaaybe doing something at least semi-decent with an adaptation.

It's such a shame the film is probably all we will get, the powers that be got it so wrong it's boggling.

I felt similar about The Lovely Bones adaptation, it just didn't understand the book at all. Though the book now is sadly tainted for me because of what happened with Alice Seabold and Anthony Broadwater. It's actually my favourite book, but because of Anthony Broadwater's wrongful imprisonment for all those years I have a hard time with the author's personal history and how much of that she put into her work.

 

[Rosie34567-2]

PSA: please read ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker before seeing any of the movie adaptations. It suffers from the same fate as ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley because none of the movie adaptations are relevant to the original texts (nor are they good). The books are way better, imo.

I just watched ‘Dracula (2026)’ and it was garbage. The recent Netflix version of ‘Frankenstein’ was also garbage.

Spoiler: ’Dracula (2026)’ Movie Rant (with spoilers)

Even the beginning sucked because it opened with an exhibitionistic sex scene. Like…seriously?

It was such lazy and bad writing. It was also a blatant money grab…who even asked for this movie? It’s been made too many times. The actors also had modern faces (*cough* had work done and had hair dye that didn’t match their eyebrows) so it was really distracting because it takes place hundreds of years ago. The dancing and clapping ballroom scenes were so idiotic and out of place that I could’ve mistaken it for an episode of ‘Bridgerton’ or a clip from ‘Hamilton.’

It’s such a shame because the original novel was great.

And don’t even get me started on the Netflix version of ‘Frankenstein’…it was ridiculous. It was also misogynistic and catered to the male audience, which is extra ironic because the book was written by a woman.

 

[Cheddar Chalpupa]

I think Netflix Frankenstein did a better job than any previous adaptation of making people who hadn't read the book want to read it, it made people realise that it's actually a really sad story.

It's one of my favourite books, so I do kind of agree with you (i didn't actually watch the full thing, I still have an hour left of it if I can ever be bothered) , I don't think any adaptation could be good enough for me!!

I haven't read Dracula for years and years, but my 14 year old daughter recently read it and couldn't put it down so it's on my list for a re-read soon!

 

[ClaraPlum]

Just started Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors and I'm struggling to get past the names Bonnie Blue and Lucky Blue. I just envision such totally different people than the ones being described based on those names

Same I giggle like a child every time I see her full name on the page.

It’s a really good book, but for some reason I’m really struggling to get through it. I keep getting distracted after about ten pages, which is quite unusual for me, especially as I am enjoying it. I’m wondering if it’s something to do with the long chapters.

 

[ClaraPlum]

PSA: please read ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker before seeing any of the movie adaptations. It suffers from the same fate as ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley because none of the movie adaptations are relevant to the original texts (nor are they good). The books are way better, imo.

I just watched ‘Dracula (2026)’ and it was garbage. The recent Netflix version of ‘Frankenstein’ was also garbage.

Spoiler: ’Dracula (2026)’ Movie Rant (with spoilers)

Even the beginning sucked because it opened with an exhibitionistic sex scene. Like…seriously?

It was such lazy and bad writing. It was also a blatant money grab…who even asked for this movie? It’s been made too many times. The actors also had modern faces (*cough* had work done and had hair dye that didn’t match their eyebrows) so it was really distracting because it takes place hundreds of years ago. The dancing and clapping ballroom scenes were so idiotic and out of place that I could’ve mistaken it for an episode of ‘Bridgerton’ or a clip from ‘Hamilton.’

It’s such a shame because the original novel was great.

And don’t even get me started on the Netflix version of ‘Frankenstein’…it was ridiculous. It was also misogynistic and catered to the male audience, which is extra ironic because the book was written by a woman.

I feel exactly the same about Wuthering Heights! No adaptation ever really gets the source material. It’s not some grand romance, it’s obsessive, brutal and emotionally abusive. And that’s exactly why it’s so compelling. Cathy and Heathcliff aren’t meant to be aspirational; they’re destructive, self sabotaging, and incapable of healthy love. Yet every adaptation sanitises it into some great love story.

 

[LaBlonde]

I feel exactly the same about Wuthering Heights! No adaptation ever really gets the source material. It’s not some grand romance, it’s obsessive, brutal and emotionally abusive. And that’s exactly why it’s so compelling. Cathy and Heathcliff aren’t meant to be aspirational; they’re destructive, self sabotaging, and incapable of healthy love. Yet every adaptation sanitises it into some great love story.

i wish someone would do a version of wuthering heights that fully taps into how messed up it is. this is a book where people are digging up graves and headbutting trees. the entire final third of it is heathcliff psychologically tormenting some kids. there’s an amazing gothic adaptation of it in there but no one ever does it right.

 

[anniemouse]

Same I giggle like a child every time I see her full name on the page.

It’s a really good book, but for some reason I’m really struggling to get through it. I keep getting distracted after about ten pages, which is quite unusual for me, especially as I am enjoying it. I’m wondering if it’s something to do with the long chapters.

I do struggle with long chapters. I can happily sit and read lots of short chapters no bother but for some reason I find long chapters a drag.
I read the book last year and enjoyed it.

 

[Brightlycolouredbowels]

After an intense week of reading I have finally read The Book of Life, the third in Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy. Finally I am done and none the wiser about anything really.
Start of trilogy: “What is this mystery book?”
End of trilogy: Still don’t know where the book came from or who made such a vile thing out of skin etc but now our Mary Sue witch IS the book

I feel like the trilogy was written in the twilight era when vampires were THE THING to write about and Deborah Harkness wanted to cash in but make her book “vampires but intellectual” hence all the Oxford library chat in the first book, history in the second book and the DNA chat in the third.

Having read the first 3 Wild books by Elsie Silver between the 2nd and 3rd book I’m going to read the fourth, Wild Card as a nice palette cleanser before starting the third in the gentlemen guys trilogy on Saturday which I am actually looking forward to.

 

[Kerrie86]

After an intense week of reading I have finally read The Book of Life, the third in Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy. Finally I am done and none the wiser about anything really.
Start of trilogy: “What is this mystery book?”
End of trilogy: Still don’t know where the book came from or who made such a vile thing out of skin etc but now our Mary Sue witch IS the book

I feel like the trilogy was written in the twilight era when vampires were THE THING to write about and Deborah Harkness wanted to cash in but make her book “vampires but intellectual” hence all the Oxford library chat in the first book, history in the second book and the DNA chat in the third.

Having read the first 3 Wild books by Elsie Silver between the 2nd and 3rd book I’m going to read the fourth, Wild Card as a nice palette cleanser before starting the third in the gentlemen guys trilogy on Saturday which I am actually looking forward to.

I’ve just started wild love! It’s been in my library for ages and I’ve just never fancied it. I’ve got the first and second, but my current opinion on Elsie silver means I can’t see myself paying more than 99p for any of the other ones.

 

[Brightlycolouredbowels]

I’ve just started wild love! It’s been in my library for ages and I’ve just never fancied it. I’ve got the first and second, but my current opinion on Elsie silver means I can’t see myself paying more than 99p for any of the other ones.

Elsie Silver is a complete sugar writer but that’s often what I need. I don’t want to think sometimes, I like a hot broody bloke and a nice girl, bit of angst, bit (or lot) of filth, happy days. Bought the first 2 for 99p and the next 2 through kindle unlimited. Fabulous easy reading that gives me a nice dopamine hit, just don’t ask me what any of the plots were in 6 months time.

 

[Kerrie86]

Sugar writer! I’ve never heard that term before but I like it. I want that sort of reading quite often but there’s ones that float my boat more than Elsie silver.

 

[OwlHen]

I’ve just read an Elsie Silver for my book club. My face reading it at the coffee shop 🫢

 

[Tangerine Dream]

PSA: please read ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker before seeing any of the movie adaptations. It suffers from the same fate as ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley because none of the movie adaptations are relevant to the original texts (nor are they good). The books are way better, imo.

I just watched ‘Dracula (2026)’ and it was garbage. The recent Netflix version of ‘Frankenstein’ was also garbage.

Spoiler: ’Dracula (2026)’ Movie Rant (with spoilers)

Even the beginning sucked because it opened with an exhibitionistic sex scene. Like…seriously?

It was such lazy and bad writing. It was also a blatant money grab…who even asked for this movie? It’s been made too many times. The actors also had modern faces (*cough* had work done and had hair dye that didn’t match their eyebrows) so it was really distracting because it takes place hundreds of years ago. The dancing and clapping ballroom scenes were so idiotic and out of place that I could’ve mistaken it for an episode of ‘Bridgerton’ or a clip from ‘Hamilton.’

It’s such a shame because the original novel was great.

And don’t even get me started on the Netflix version of ‘Frankenstein’…it was ridiculous. It was also misogynistic and catered to the male audience, which is extra ironic because the book was written by a woman.

My aunt read a serialised version of Dracula in Reader's Digest (how sad I was when the UK version ceased last year!) in the 1960s when she was a young teen and said it scared her silly to the point she swore off horror for life after that... makes me want to finally pick up the unabridged novel.

I do enjoy the 1931 version and the Christopher Lee series but have always been aware the book is very different, ditto with the 1931 Frankenstein.

I cannot help but be intrigued by Cynthia Erivo's one-woman play version coming soon, though!

 

[daisynoon]

I absolutely love reading a book that has been distorted in the cultural consciousness and finding it's completely different to what I expected. I studied Frankenstein at school, but I read Dracula via a substack which released entries on the corresponding days in the novel, and it was such a fun way to experience it. And the cowboy was a great surprise.

Also on another note, I made it to another kindle milestone! Trying to finish some of my older books this year (just got through Fingersmith)

 

[LaBlonde]

I absolutely love reading a book that has been distorted in the cultural consciousness and finding it's completely different to what I expected. I studied Frankenstein at school, but I read Dracula via a substack which released entries on the corresponding days in the novel, and it was such a fun way to experience it. And the cowboy was a great surprise.

Also on another note, I made it to another kindle milestone! Trying to finish some of my older books this year (just got through Fingersmith)

View attachment 3883174

well done on your streak!!

i felt the same about dracula too - it’s such an entertaining read and completely unlike what i thought it was going to be. i also found parts of it really funny because jonathan what do you mean you’re watching the count crawl up and down the outside wall like it’s nothing but you don’t find it overly suspicious

 

[daisynoon]

well done on your streak!!

i felt the same about dracula too - it’s such an entertaining read and completely unlike what i thought it was going to be. i also found parts of it really funny because jonathan what do you mean you’re watching the count crawl up and down the outside wall like it’s nothing but you don’t find it overly suspicious

I will never be over "lizard fashion" or the servants who all look mysteriously like dracula

 

[veronica71]

Is that not the length that chapters usually are??

 

[missbct]

I didn't mind Netflix's Frankenstein - I sort of subverted my expectations (I love the book) and sort of went with the whole vibe and cinematography. I think about it a lot

I've read quite a bit over the weekend as I've had a very quiet one:

Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler (was OK)
The Nine by Gwen Strauss (heartbreaking and informative, but huge trigger warnings for genocide)
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr (read this as a teen but wanted to read it again, integral reading)
Dark Days by James Baldwin (I LOVE James Baldwin and wonder all the time what he would make of todays world)

Despite having an ungodly amount of TBR on my bookcases (I now have four massive ones) I'm rereading 1984 because I'm in that mood.

 

[missbct]

Is that not the length that chapters usually are??

I notice that a lot of contemporary books are really short chapters these days. I don't really like it

 

[LaBlonde]

I didn't mind Netflix's Frankenstein - I sort of subverted my expectations (I love the book) and sort of went with the whole vibe and cinematography. I think about it a lot

I've read quite a bit over the weekend as I've had a very quiet one:

Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler (was OK)
The Nine by Gwen Strauss (heartbreaking and informative, but huge trigger warnings for genocide)
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr (read this as a teen but wanted to read it again, integral reading)
Dark Days by James Baldwin (I LOVE James Baldwin and wonder all the time what he would make of todays world)

Despite having an ungodly amount of TBR on my bookcases (I now have four massive ones) I'm rereading 1984 because I'm in that mood.

i enjoyed the netflix frankenstein too - it was absolutely gorgeous to look it and i’m very invested in it getting the oscar for best costume design!

i too love james baldwin - giovanni’s room is solidly in my top twenty favourite books. i think he would be pretty horrified by today’s world but extremely eloquent in expressing so.