the fault in our stars — There's a Blog in my Soup — Kate Pawson Studer

Well, I've been sick, but I'm on the mend, which is GOOD because I'm also about to head into a 10 day stretch of glorious, glorious vacation. Knowing me, this will probably result in me immediately getting sick again on day 2 (especially with this crappy, pregnant immune system), but hey, it's still downtime and that is more than welcome as my belly grows and my feet just want to be up and lounging.

It's also Easter this weekend, which should mean spring is truly here, but mother nature seems on the fence about that. I hope she figures it out soon because I plan on wearing flats/sandals from here on out, regardless. (You hear, that, MN? Socks are officially not happening anymore so knock it off with the snow!) With a lot of Easter plans on the horizon, I wanted to get in a quick post today in lieu of what would have otherwise been a Friday5 tomorrow. So this is a little off-format, but here are five wonderful book-related things you need you on radar:

1. Any concerns I had about the If I Stay film adaptation have essentially been dashed by this beautiful, heart-wrenching first trailer. I think I'm even now completely on-board with the guy playing Adam. He still seems a bit goofy, but in an indie, lovable way, so I'll allow it:

2. A clip from the film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars has been released. It's not one of my favourite moments from the book, but it gives us a good feel for how Hazel and Gus are going to be portrayed. I like Shailene Woodley well enough. I do. But I am starting to feel like she's a bit one note. I'm not married to that opinion yet. The full film may change my mind, but based on this clip, I'm starting to wonder... Meanwhile, I'm really feeling this portrayal of Gus!

3. Allegiant is going to be split into two films. Is anyone surprised by this news? No? Okay. Is anyone happy about this news? Also no? Yeah, me neither. I think it totally worked for some book-to-film series finales (primarily Harry Potter because Deathly Hallows was a loooong, content-filled book, unlike some long books that are just long...), but Allegiant? Not necessary. I shudder to think of where they might split it. Any theories?

4. MTV has officially revealed the magnificent cover for TALON, the first book in Julie Kagawa's new dragon-centric series (and movie rights have already been optioned!). Okay, seriously, this cover stands out like whoa, and I can't wait to see it finished as a treated dust-jacket. <3

5. And finally, this news is making the rounds right now (I'm counting it as book-related because I consider comic books to be books). First of all: No, C. Tates. No. You're fine and all, but you are not Gambit. My beloved Taylor Kitsch is Gambit. As far as I'm concerned, he was Gambit before he was even cast as Gambit so don't even go there. If Taylor is unable to play Gambit because he happens to be so busy filming other projects (I'm talking enough that we get Taylor year-round on our screens) then so be it, but I am not okay with a switcheroo for switcheroo's sake.

Taylor > C. Tates x infinity. That's some math you can count on.


Nobody messes with TK. Photo credit: Eva Rinald

And that's it for this week. Have a very Happy Easter everyone! Enjoy the time with friends and family. I hope the bunny leaves you something delightful!

1. THE VERONICA MARS MOVIE IS HAPPENING! I never thought this day would come, but huzzah! Rejoice! The dream is a reality! Thanks to a groundbreaking, record-setting kickstarter campaign, show-runner Rob Thomas and series star, Ms. Mars herself, Kristen Bell, have put a plan to bring Veronica to the bring screen into full-on, movie-making action. Not only did they hit their goal in record breaking time, making the Veronica Mars movie a thing--a real thing that we'll one day get to see with our real eyeballs and there will be much weeping over the epic love story of Veronica and Logan--but the prizes they're offering are fantastic and well-priced and just everything about this is SO EXCITING, YOU GUYS! If you haven't checked out the hilarious video they made to launch the campaign, get to clickin! Uuuuhhh, I mean, no! Wait! Read the rest of this post first then get to clickin!)

2. Shailene Woodley is on fire. Not literally. That I know of. I don't really have any way of checking on her, but I'm going to assume she's not literally on fire. But her career is definitely blowing-up. She's Mary Jane in the new Spiderman, and as we've discussed, she's Tris in Divergent (which is getting a lot of buzz and will very probably be a very big deal when it comes out), and now, as though those roles weren't already putting her name everywhere, she's now been cast as Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars. I feel really torn about this news to be honest. As I've said before, I think Shailene is quite talented and I fully support her as Tris, but now here we have her in another big YA book to film adaptation and it feels... weird. Now, to be fair, Divergent is a big franchise while The Fault in Our Stars is a one-off, but still. I shall reserve my judgement until I see how this pans out for myself! They are very different stories so we shall see!
2.2 Bonus Item! There is so much Divergent casting news that I seriously can't recap it all, but Four has been cast and Kate Winslet's role has been revealed! If you're as excited about this film as I am, be sure to check out the updated IMDB page! I will likely weigh in with my thoughts after I've had some time to digest some of these casting choices!

3. Emma Watson is basically amazing. For some reason (where some means, but seriously WTF?), people have been speculating that Watson might play the female lead in the Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation. My reaction to this news has always been along the lines of, "That's some serious fanboy wishful thinking. Emma would never bother with a role like that!" Well, it looks like Emma herself has been thinking along the same lines. You rock, Emma.

4. Two things you must watch on the interwebs if you haven't already: School of Thrones and A Very Potter Senior Year (make sure you've seen first two productions beforehand--it's a lot of viewing time, but it's soooooooo worth it!)

5. It's not newly out this week, but since I was on hiatus I need to play a bit of catch-up! This week's YA Book Rec is Requiem by Lauren Oliver. Oliver has been rockin it since Before I Fall and Requiem is the finale to her Delirium trilogy--dystopian romance done right.

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

Okay, so, confession time, I don't love the cover. I don't know what it is about it that irks me, but it's something. It might be her eyebrows, even if that makes me a horrible person. And that said, I don't hate it. It's just meh for me. But that's okay because it's the contents of Oliver's books that are the reason I'm rec'ing this series. In a market flooded with dystopian romances, the Delirium trilogy stands apart because of Oliver's skilled prose and likable characters. If you're looking to satisfy your dystopian YA appetite, this series is deffo worth checking out!