Taking It Off the Shelf: The Devil Wears Prada

For this month's Taking It Off...the Shelf review, I decided to go with an iconic chick lit novel: The Devil Wears Prada. I've read author Lauren Weisberger's novels before, and enjoyed them, but I had not yet read her debut novel - even though I had seen, and loved, the movie adaptation starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. I picked this book for the feature because: 1. It's been around for awhile (ten years!) 2. I want to read the sequel. 3. It has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years (two or three, perhaps.) Last week I finally read it! Warning: this post may be a little more spoilery than usual because I figure anyone reading this post has at least watched the movie. Also, I'm not providing the synopsis (though you can read it here).

I don't often read a book after watching the movie. In fact, I can only think of two instances where this has happened over the past several years. Once with The Nanny Diaries (I thought the movie was cute after randomly finding it on TV one day and decided to read the book since there was a sequel coming out...I enjoyed all three) and now, with The Devil Wears Prada. I'm a book lover (duh) and I like being able to have my own images in my head before seeing what Hollywood thought of the story. I also like having all the information since adaptations (have to) cut out a lot of details.

The Devil Wears Prada was originally published in 2003 and I missed the boat on it as I was still in high school - not quite the target demographic, not yet anyway. Fast forward three years and the movie is released - starring one of my favourite actresses. I watched it, loved it, bought it. The years passed and I still didn't read the novel. My mom even gave me a copy of it. Then news broke of the sequel, Revenge Wears Prada, and I knew I would have to finally read the first book. I was worried because I liked the movie so much and I hadn't really heard amazing things abut the novel. I was only sort of liking the book for about three quarters of the way through but then it picked up and I ended up really enjoying it.

I think my problem has nothing to do with the story itself and almost everything to do with the fact that I already basically knew what would happen because of the movie. There were a few differences between the book and the movie in the beginning but not many. It was slow going as I was reading about Andy getting used to Runway, the Clackers, and her evil boss, Miranda. But once things started moving (just before Andy has to go to Paris, I think), I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This was really only the last quarter of the book but it was enough to bump up my overall opinion of the novel.

I want to highlight some differences between the book and movie, for those who may have only seen the film. Some are minor, some are not:

• Name changes: Andy's boyfriend is Nate in the movie but Alex in the book. Sexy author Christian (played by Simon Baker in the movie) has the last name Collinsworth in the book but Thompson in the movie.
• Character Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci, is way different in the book (louder and more flamboyant) and also has a much smaller role than in the movie.
• Speaking of Christian, things are much different with him in the movie. I prefer the book version. And, while Simon Baker is attractive, he seems too old to play the character.
• In the book, Andy's friend Lily has a huge story arc that is one of the reasons Andy leaves Paris. I couldn't even remember who played Lily in the movie. The arc is a good one and is, I think, one reason why some may say the book is a bit darker than the movie.
• Replacing Lily's story in the movie is the changes Miranda orchestrates and reveals in Paris (the one that screws over Nigel). This story doesn't exist in the book.
• It seems like they bumped up the ages of Andy and her friends, as well as altered the jobs they had. In the book they're straight out of college, 23, and all in entry level jobs. Alex is a teacher but Nate is a chef. Lily in the book is a masters student, in the movie she's a gallery owner. And they seem to be in their mid-twenties instead of early twenties.

I'm glad I finally gave the book a chance. The Devil Wears Prada was enjoyable and had a good story. I tried really hard not to let the movie alter what I thought but I know it affected my judgement, especially at the beginning. One thing this did teach me is that I'm definitely a read-the-book-before-the-movie kind of girl. I can't wait to read Revenge Wears Prada!

So what's up next for Off the Shelf? I think I'll probably read Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs. I think it's fitting since October is Thanksgiving in Canada and that means lots of comfort food!

Top Ten Tuesday: Book to Screen

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's been awhile since I've taken part in TTT! This week was just too good not to pass up: Top Ten Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show (set in a perfect world...in which movies don't butcher the books we love.) I'm a fan of adaptations and understand that they're two different things but, as a booklover, I'm of course going to be upset with some of the choices made by filmmakers. (See my TTT for my best and worst list of adaptations.) Read on to find out which books I'd like to see made into a movie or TV show! (Links lead to reviews)

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating this week!

Any Sarah Dessen novel.
I'm not picky. That Summer and Someone Like You were already combined into a movie ten years ago (How to Deal) and I really enjoyed it. If I had to choose, though, I think I'd go with either Along for the Ride or The Moon and More. I'm partial to those, especially AftR, because they take place in the beach town of Colby.

Blogger Girl - Meredith Schorr
Once Meredith writes a sequel (she doesn't have a plan for that but I will convince her, haha), this would make for a great TV show, I think. It has a fun and flirty tone that I think would lend itself well to the small screen.

Finding Lucas - Samantha Stroh Bailey
This would make for a hilarious rom-com. And it would allow for some actors to really play up the wacky - I'm thinking of those who would play Jamie's moms and roommates. So much fun!

The Space Between Us - Jessica Martinez
This Canadian YA novel would be so great as a movie. The main characters are forced to move from Florida to Banff, Alberta because of some bad choices. It's a great book, which is part of why it'd make a good movie, but it could also highlight Banff - one of the most beautiful parts of Canada (so photos tell me, I've never been myself, alas!)

The Runaway Princess - Hester Brown
It's like a grown up The Princess Diaries. This needs to happen.

A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
History, magical creatures (including the ever popular vampires), and a great story. I think that'd be a win, don't you?

Where We Belong - Emily Giffin
There's already been success with a Giffin adaptation (let's get Something Blue on the go, shall we Hollywood?) and I think Giffin's latest would make a great movie. There's a lot of drama and is a great mother/daughter story. It could allow for a young actress to make a splash.

The Single Girl's To-Do List - Lindsey Kelk
I picked this one because it'd be a fun rom-com and also because it would allow for some more Canadian exposure. The characters spend time in Toronto and Niagara Falls and I'd love to see that on the big screen.

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
OK, this is a bit of a cheat because it is going to be made into a movie. But it hasn't been made yet (it's still in the very early days) so I'm counting it! There are so many lavish details that will translate well and I cannot wait to see it.

Arranged - Catherine McKenzie
This is another sort of cheat one because it is going to be made into a short film. The story is good and it has the added bonus of beachy awesomeness because part of it takes place in Mexico.

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

Ah, book adaptations. This is something book lovers can debate for hours, I think. I know books and movies are two separate things. I understand when things need to be changed, adjusted, or altered. What works in a book doesn't necessarily work in a movie. I get it. What I don't like is when the strangest things are changed or the overall feel of the story is changed. I've done a combo list this week and have included some of my favourite and least favourite adaptations. A note on the least favourite: I did enjoy the movies but I just felt like they were lacking in some way, which I've tried to explain. What are some of favourites or least favourites when it comes to book to film adaptations?

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating this week!

Least Favourite (in no particular order):

The Last Song/Dear John
I didn't like that some important (in my eyes) details were left out of The Last Song and I really didn't understand why they felt the need to change the ending of Dear John.

The Time Traveler's Wife
Amazing book, not very good movie (sorry Rachel McAdams).

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
I like the movie, I really do. But. Trying to combine three books into one movie? How do you decide what's left out and what's included?

Angels and Demons
To this day, this is the only movie that I've come out of saying "WTF?" in terms of what was changed. It was just odd.

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Why oh why did they have to put her in the US? The movie still could have worked with her in London. See: Bridget Jones's Diary.

Favourite (again, in no particular order):

The Notebook/A Walk to Remember
I like these two way more than the books. The eye candy doesn't hurt either.

The Princess Diaries
Ditto. Besides: Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews? Amazing.

The Hunger Games
I thought this was a really well done adaptation. Here's hoping Catching Fire will be just as good!

Under the Tuscan Sun
This was another one that I liked more than the book. It's also very different. But I will willingly watch the film over and over again but it took me ages to read the book. That says a lot, I think.

The Help
Another adaptation that I thought was really well done.

Final Fun Fact: I own all of the above movies except for Angels and Demons!

Just Finished: What's Your Number?

I'm baaaack! Finally, here's a real post for you all. Being busy, going on a mini vacation, and being sick can really throw a wrench in things. I hope to have a few more blog posts coming up over the weekend. Then I'm away at a conference for the beginning of next week! Sometime soon I'll get back to a more regular schedule...promise! :)

I was sent What's Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak by Random House UK (thanks!). For those who only know the book from the movie adaptation (like myself) this book was actually published about five years ago under the title 20 Times a Lady.

Let's get right into it with the synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:

How many men does it take to find true love?

Delilah Darling's magic number was supposed to be twenty. She always thought she'd find the perfect guy by the time she'd slept with twenty of them. But when she wakes up naked in her disgusting boss's bed after a drunken night out, she's filled with regret — and realizes she's hit her self-imposed limit. Unwilling to up her number but unable to imagine a life of celibacy, Delilah does what any girl in her situation would do: she tracks down every man she's ever slept with in a last-ditch effort to make it work with one of them.

A hilarious romp through Delilah's past loves, 20 Times a Lady proves that in the end, numbers don't matter. True love will come when you're open and ready to accept it.

I have to admit, I didn't love this book. I really wanted to but there was something about Delilah that just didn't sit well with me. She was much too flighty and...well, honestly, annoying. I kept having this feeling that I knew we would never be able to be friends...you know, if she was real and we ever met. That being said, I know lots of people would find her hilarious and I don't want my opinion of her to sway any one else's decision. I do love that she really went on a journey, both literally and figuratively, in the novel. She starts off as a fairly immature woman who is obsessed with this idea that she's slept with too many men but she grows into a much more rounded person who is finally happy with herself. If that hadn't happened I don't think I would have enjoyed the book at all so I'm happy Bosnak took Delilah on such a great journey.

I haven't seen the movie adaptation of this movie yet but I can already say I'm annoyed because of Delilah's neighbour Colin, played by Chris Pine. Why am I annoyed? Because in the book Colin is Irish! I find Chris Pine attractive, don't get me wrong, but I would be much happier with an Irish guy. Swoon. I do think they were bang on by casting Anna Faris, even if Delilah is described as being a brunette. I think she will do an excellent job in the movie. I'm looking forward to watching the adaptation to see if I'm right. Has anyone watched the movie already?
Overall, I enjoyed the time spent reading What's Your Number? but I'm sure others would love it more than I did. I would still recommend it, especially to those who like Confessions of a Shopaholic. Like the synopsis says, Delilah's story is hilarious and it did have me laughing out loud at some points. I'd love to hear what others have to say about this book or the movie.

Happy reading! :)

Author Guest Post: Laurel Osterkamp

This past week I had the pleasure of reviewing Laurel Osterkamp's novel Starring in the Movie of My Life (you can read my review here). Laurel was kind enough to write a guest post for Books Etc. I hope you all love it as much as I do. I totally agree with what Laurel has to say - what do you guys think? Bonus points if you've seen Citizen Kane too!

Cauliflower, Citizen Kane, and Chick Lit

When I was a kid I refused to eat vegetables. Honestly, the only vegetables I wanted to eat were raw carrots and salad. This drove my mother crazy, but eventually she decided a vegetable is a vegetable, and she started serving me raw carrots for dinner every night. At least I got my Vitamin A, even if I didn’t get variety.

I’m still not a huge vegetable fan, but I have expanded my horizons. I love certain spinach dishes, asparagus, leeks, and anything with onions, tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms. Recently I’ve learned to love roasted cauliflower with a little hot-pepper sauce sprinkled over it. Yummy.

So what does this have to do with books and film? Recently there has been some controversy on the blogosphere over two NYTs film critics’ statement that certain films are “vegetables” – valuable not so much as entertainment but as something to appreciate. What’s controversial about that? Well, certain people took offense, saying that these artistic, high brow films are entertaining and enriching. The two, they say, don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

I teach film studies, so I’m not unfamiliar with this concept. Every year when we start our unit on Citizen Kane, my students are aghast at the idea that it is considered to be the best movie ever made. “Do you think it’s the best movie ever made?” they’ll ask me.

I tell them, “I think it’s hard to label one film as being the best ever made. Do I go home on Friday nights and watch it while eating ice cream? No. Do I think it has influenced film-making in hugely substantial ways? Yes. All I hope is that by watching it, you can appreciate what it has to offer.”

There’s that word again…appreciate. I’ve learned more from watching Citizen Kane then say, Mystic Pizza, but I’m always pleased to happen upon Mystic Pizza when I’m channel flipping. I guess for me the vegetable metaphor holds true. Vegetables are nutritious yet hard to enjoy at first. But once you acquire a taste for them, you love them. Sort of like me with roasted cauliflower.

So while I don’t think enjoyment and appreciation have to be mutually exclusive, I do think they’re often separate experiences. But not always…it’s all about variety. For instance, if you’ve been on the road and have ingested a lot of fast food, don’t you start craving salad? Similarly, if you all you’ve watched in the last month are romances, don’t you feel more ready to try an art house flick? Sometimes what you appreciate can be entertaining, what you crave can be nutritious, and what desire can be exactly what you need.

This leads me to another thought. There are lots of real quality romances out there, and there are also some very poorly done art house flicks. There are also salads covered with dressing and bacon that are unhealthy and lean cuts of beef that are both delicious and good for you. But people seem to have trouble with this concept. For instance, when I’ve gotten good reviews for my books (which I always appreciate, no matter what), people are likely to say “It’s not your typical chick lit”, or “I don’t usually read chick lit, but this was really good.”

The implication of course is that chick lit is inherently bad. As a writer of chick lit I don’t agree with that. I think you can find things to both appreciate and enjoy about pretty much any well written book, well made movie, or well prepared meal, no matter what its genre, subject, or ingredients.

So there you go. Prepare yourself some cauliflower and steak, turn on the TV or open a book, and enjoy your day.

And after you’ve eaten all your vegetables, don’t forget dessert.

My Love Affair with Ron Weasley

Ok, so it's more of an imaginary love affair. Particularly as Ron Weasley is a fictional character, but, there it is. I love Ron Weasley.

Technically, this is Rupert Grint, but I love him too!


Don't worry, I'm not (totally) crazy. I just think the red haired best friend of Harry Potter doesn't get enough loving. So, to start off my post about the latest Harry Potter movie, I would declare my love for one Ronald Weasley.

Now that that's out of the way...onto discussing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. My sister and I went to watch the movie a few weeks ago now (on one of my many snow days) and I've been meaning to write about it for awhile but between snow days and working two jobs and it being, you know, Christmas, I've been busy!

I thought Deathly Hallows Part 1 was really well done and perfectly captured the dark atmosphere of the seventh story. The kids are growing up and facing things that no seventeen year old (magical or otherwise) should ever deal with. Anyone who has grown up with the story or is totally and completely obsessed with it will know what it was like to watch the intense scenes and get goosebumps. I remember tons of people (myself included) actually getting shivers from just the trailer! Rowling is a genius storyteller and I think the actors were able to perfectly capture what she was trying to describe in the novels. 


Emma Watson = amazing

 
One of my favourite scenes actually came at the very beginning of the movie. In the book, Hermione erases the memory of her parents to make sure they are not in any danger if they are ever interrogated by the dark wizards. This is just explained to Harry and Ron after the fact, but in the movie, they actually show her taking the memories from her mom and dad. I thought it was just so much more powerful to see this happening instead of just hearing about it later. My sister, on the other hand, didn't like it. But, this blog is about my thoughts, not hers! :)

Another scene that perfectly illustrates the fact that the characters (and actors) are growing up, is when Ron has to destroy the necklace. It is such an evil object that it manifests itself into everything that Ron is dreading, is jealous of, or is scared of. It was just an incredible amount of dark feelings (which we knew from the book) but Grint was able to really make us feel for him and then have us feeling happy/proud/impressed when he is able to finally destroy the Horcrux. It is a shining moment for Ron Weasley and I'm pleased with the way it was done in the movie. Is it any wonder I totally love this character?

It was sort of surprising (but it shouldn't have been) that some characters were barely in the movie. For example, Neville had a grand total of one scene and one line, and we only see Draco, Snape and Luna a couple of times. Part of that feeling probably came from the fact that I didn't know exactly where they were going to split the movie. My sister made a good point and said that they should have ended it as soon as they got to the Malfoy manor. I think that would have made a pretty powerful ending. The snatchers get Harry, Ron, and Hermione and then show up to the house with the grand gate in front of them, and then it ends. Intense, no?

Doesn't this give you chills?

I'm already looking forward to the next installment. I have a feeling I may lose it a few times and start crying when some very important characters die. I think that the final two films really gave the actors the chance to grow and tackle some very tough story lines. They have always been great, don't get me wrong, but since they've all spent so much time with these characters and have grown as actors, the performances were just that much more powerful.

I hope this post wasn't too rambling or off topic. Once I get started on Harry Potter, it's hard to stop! I also didn't want to give too much of the movie away. Besides, I'm not all about the typical "reviews." Hopefully I've convinced some of you non-Harry Potter people to at least watch the movies (how have you stayed away from something this amazing for so long?)

Enjoy the last few shopping days before Christmas, and good luck to my fellow retail salespeople. We'll get through the madness. I hope to write another Christmassy post before the actual holiday creeps up on me (by the way, anyone else totally surprised that Christmas is NEXT WEEKEND? Eek!). Have a great week everyone! :)