5 star books in 5 words - Halloween edition

 Happy Halloween, Lovelies!

I've seen the 5 star books in 5 words tag on Jean Bookishthoughts booktube channel first and I thought it'd be fun to do it, especially with a Halloween twist.

The tag was originally created by Matthew Sciarappa.

As the tag's name suggests, I'll have to choose 5 books I gave the best possible rating and come up with 5 words for each that somehow describe why I liked the books as much as I did.

In the post itself no further explanations will be given why I chose the words I did and some of them might only make sense if you read the books. (Of course if you're curious, I'm happy to answer any questions in the comment section :)

 I'll go for novels and a play that fit the Halloween theme, this way I can also recommend you books that are worth to read on the spookiest night of the year.

My choices are the following:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

STRANGERS | SCRAPING | ATMOSPHERE | MOTHER | MADNESS

Read my review of The Haunting of Hill House here.

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

VAMPIRES | ABANDONED | TEAM | BABY | INVINCIBLE?

Dracula by Bram Stoker

PRISONER | TRANSFUSION | DIRT | EROTICISM | SETTINGS

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

INTRODUCTION | DECEIT | PERSISTENCE | MANIA | PANIC

Read my review of The Crucible here.

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

GHOST | POWERS | STORM | DEATH | ROMANCE

Read my review of The Witch of Willow Hall here.

I tag:

Angela @ Musings of a literary wanderer 

Amy @ A magical world of words

Breana @ Our Thoughts Precisely

Lauren @ Always Me

Lauren @ Shooting Stars Mag

And everyone, who'd like to participate...

Reading Habits Tag

It's been a while since I've done a tag. This one seems fun so here we go.

This tag was created by The Book Jazz on youtube, unfortunately the original video is not available anymore. I found the questions on DreamLand Book Blog.

All I have to do is answer questions. I'm good at that. Let's roll.

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I do! I've actually written a post a few months ago about my reading nooks, in which you can find pictures too. If you'd like to see where I read the most, click here.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

 

Sometimes this, sometimes that. If I start a book while I'm home, it's definitely a bookmark. If not, I can end up with a piece of paper or a clean tissue as a marker.

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/a certain amount of pages?

I can stop anywhere anytime. I have an awfully short attention span so I very often stop reading at odd places, haha.

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

 

I love drinking coffee while reading. Sometimes I read during breakfast too.

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

The telly is often on when I read but obviously the book is priority when it's reading time.

6. One book at a time or several at once?

One or two at a time, rarely more. I like to focus on one or two stories, I don't like hopping much.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

At home. I don't like reading around people because they often break my concentration; they ask questions either about the book I'm tying to get lost in or totally unrelated ones. I rather enjoy a book when there's peace and quiet around me.

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

I do read out loud when I'm completely alone. It feels good to give a voice to the story. However, if anyone is around I read silently, obviously (except when we read together with my lil' brother).

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

 

I never skip pages. If I feel a terrible need to do so, I simply don't read on, I abandon the book. If there are whole pages/parts that are not worth my time, most likely the whole book is not worth it.

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

If you really love a book, there is no way you can keep it in a 'like new' condition. Books that show signs of love like broken spine, dog-eared pages etc. are the best because you know they are/were valued. Books exist to be read over and over again, a physical book's destiny is to look worn out eventually.

11. Do you write in your books?

I don't like writing in my own books but I like reading annotations that are written by others.

Please consider yourself tagged if you're reading this and write a similar post if you feel like to. Don't forget to leave me a link if you do!

For The Love of Fish! - Oscars 2018 + Book Adaptation tag

 Happy Tuesday, Friends!

Yesterday I was walking around like a zombie thanks to lack of sleep but hey, Oscars night is Oscars night... It's once a year and it's an event that cannot be missed by film lovers like me.

Before I write anything else congratulations are due to all the winners. We had amazing productions competing with each other this year too, bless all the people who work on such wonderful movies each year.

My award highlights (I have two):

• Gary Oldman got his well-deserved Oscar at last! No one can doubt that the man has talent. Well done, Sir!

• The Shape of Water won best picture. I didn't see that coming to tell you guys the truth but I was glad when they announced the winner. It is a unique tale told in a very elegant  and charming manner.

About the gala:

 

If I want to be honest it wasn't worth it to stay up all night for the show. I felt they didn't go the extra mile to make the 90th Academy Awards special, it was quite boring actually. They should have had extra performances planned or at least something out of the ordinary that would have made the 90th year stand out.

  Something that put a smile on my face despite everything:
It was sooo good to see Christopher Plummer at the gala (it's good to see him every year). He is precious to my heart.

Since it was Oscars week I thought to honour the occasion I'd include a tag in this post, one that has to do with movies (and, naturally, with books). I found the original on The Book Nut.

The Book Adaptation Tag: 

1. What is the last book adaptation movie you saw?

Murder on the Orient Express (2017). I guess it is an unpopular opinion but I liked it. Although I'm a bit biased considering Sir Ken Branagh was involved in this production and I'm convinced that everything he does is golden...

2. What movie are you most excited for?

Ophelia (2018). I'm a sucker for Shakespeare adaptations and I loved the book.

3. Which upcoming movie will you definitely NOT see?

Does the third Fifty Shades of Grey count as upcoming? It's still in the cinemas so I'll pretend it does. That one is a definite miss for me.

4. Which book movie would you NEVER watch again?

Matilda. I know it sounds stupid but the cake-eating scene shocked me as a child and I've been avoiding the film ever since. I know many bookworms love it, I'm an exception...

5. Is there a movie you saw that made you want to read the book if you hadn't/haven't yet?

 

There were several. Jane Eyre (2011) with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender is a good example. I'd wanted to read Jane Eyre before watching the film but the movie made me actually pick it up.

6. Conversely, is there a movie that made you never want to read the book?

I can't think of one right now.

7. Name an adaptation that has almost nothing to do with the book it is supposedly based on.

Less Than Zero (1987). It has something to do with the book (it portrays the life of young people in LA in the 80s, the excessive drug and alcohol consuming etc.), however they made up a plot for the movie that didn't exist in the book.

8. Have you ever left the theatre during a movie adaptation because it was so bad?

9. Do you prefer to watch the movie or read the book first?

The book always comes first (or at least I wish I always had time to read the book first...)

10. How do you feel about movie adaptations that age characters up? (ex. characters that are in middle-school, but in the movies they are 18)

I'm okay with that as long as it doesn't result in fundamental changes in the original story.

11. Do you get angry when the actors don't look like you thought the characters looked?

It's a bit annoying when the characters' appearance is very unlike how they were described in the book, yes. What makes me angry is if they change the character's skin colour in the film.

 

12. Is there a movie you liked better than its book?

The English Patient (1996). I enjoyed the book too, but the film made a bigger impression on me.

 

13. Name a book that you'd like to see as a movie.

Fluency (Confluence #1) by Jennifer Foehner Wells! A group of people go on an expedition to explore an abandoned alien ship in space. It would make an excellent movie.

Tag you are it! I tag each and every one of you this time. Let me know if you do the tag so I can go and comment on your post!

What were your favourite moments from this year's Academy Award Ceremony? Let me know in a comment below!