Book Blogger Hop: Books into Movies

It's been ages since I've participated in the Book Blogger Hop, the blogosphere's biggest and brightest BOOK   PARTY!  The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event for bloggers and readers, an opportunity to connect with other book lovers, make new friends and followers, and share a genuine appreciation of books. Hosted by Jennifer from  Crazy-for-Books, this Hop runs from August 31 - Sept 6.  During the Hop, we're usually asked a question pertaining to books. This week's question is: What is the one book or series you are dying to see turned into a movie or TV series?

That's a tough question!  Some of the books I've read and reviewed within the past few years have been made into movies, such as Shanghai Girls by bestselling author Lisa See, and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (now in production or pre-production, I think).  As I read I often imagine the book turned into a movie or TV series. It's hard to choose just one, so I will bend the rules a tad and choose a few books I've read recently that I think would make great movies, and one book series that I believe would be quite entertaining as a TV series.

The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone, The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli, and Dancing with Gravity by Anene Tressler would make remarkable movies.  I read (and reviewed) them recently and they're still quite fresh in my mind; I can definitely picture them as movies.  Another book that comes to mind is Creating an Orange Utopia by Patricia Ortlieb and Peter Economy.  This would make a wonderful historical movie.  As I've mentioned before, I can see Meryl Streep playing the lead, pioneer Eliza Tibbets, and even directing the film.  As for a TV series, I would love to see the four-book series, The Adventures of John and Julia Evans by Linda Weaver Clarke, made into a mini-series for TV.  Her cozy mysteries are exciting, and would translate into an engaging TV series.

Thanks for visiting!  If you'd like to enter my giveaway for The Color of Tea,  please do so by September 3.  If you'd like me to "hop by" your blog,  please leave me a comment.

Really Random Tuesday #47: A Book Winner, Tuesday Titles, and Memes

Please help me to congratulate DarcyO, the randomly chosen winner of The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone, a novel about a young family who emigrates from Mexico to America equipped only with the dream of a more prosperous life.  If you didn't win this beautifully written novel, please don't despair, because I have other terrific book giveaways on the right side of my blog, so be sure to scroll down and take a look (if you're on a mobile device, you'll need to switch to the web version to see them).

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While many people seem to hate Monday, at least it's a day that's mentioned frequently, even if it's in a begrudging manner.  Wednesday, also called "Hump Day",  is mid-week,  so it's referred to with relief, while Thursday, because of its proximity to Friday, is associated with that favored day.  Friday and Saturday garner a lot of happy attention, and Sunday is seen as a day to relax.  But what about Tuesday?  Tuesday is not exactly the most popular day of the week.  Poor Tuesday!  I thought maybe I could "help" Tuesday by finding some books with Tuesday in the title.  The first one I thought of was Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom, my introduction to this author.  A quick Google search helped me to find other books with Tuesday in the title:

No Tildes on Tuesday by Dr. Cherrye S. Vasquez, a book for children

Tuesday by David Weisner, a picture book for children

Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Bret Witter

What other books have Tuesday in the title? 

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MEMES

 
Recently I updated my Memes page, which is a large collection of book-related memes. If you're interested in learning more about these memes, or even memes in general, please take a look.  Also, if you have a meme that is not included in my list, let me know.  I would be happy to add it to my page,  if it's suitable.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of.  Often, I announce the winners of my book giveaways in this Tuesday meme. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog.   Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.  Thanks for reading!

The Iguana Tree: Review and Giveaway

"The truck slowed, then stopped, but this time was different. The engine cut, and the silence now frightened Héctor as much as had the deafening roar.  Instinctively the men fell silent, their prayers ceased to be voiced though surely each prayed his hardest now, in silence."
~The Iguana Tree, Michel Stone


I live in a city that's about fifty percent Mexican, so I was drawn to The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone, a novel about a young family who emigrates from a seaside village in Mexico to America with the dream of a more prosperous life.  Published in 2012, this book features chapters which alternate between the points of view of Héctor and Lilia, a young married couple with an infant, Alejandra.  Héctor leaves Puerto Isadore first, with the help of coyotes, and although the journey is long and difficult, he arrives in the United States, and finds work and a home in Edisto Island, South Carolina.  It seems idyllic to him, although he ardently misses his wife and child. His plan is to work hard and save money for a year to bring them to the United States. But Lilia's world and tranquility implode soon after Héctor's departure, and she's impatient to join her husband in America. When she's offered a chance to leave sooner rather than later, Lilia decides to leave Mexico with her infant daughter, against the wishes of her husband. As Lilia's situation turns ugly and violent, she experiences extreme uncertainty and sacrifices too much in exchange for a chance at a better life in America.

Whatever your beliefs are about illegal immigration, The Iguana Tree will demand your full attention, and break your heart.  I don't want to say too much about the plot and spoil it for potential readers, because this book should be read, not merely read about.  It's incredibly gripping, gritty, frightening, emotional, and powerful. The characters in this book, especially Héctor, Lilia, Alejandra, Crucita, Miguel, Lucas, and Elizabeth, will remain in your mind, and in your heart.  It depicts illegal immigration as a very dangerous undertaking. (I knew it was difficult but I did not imagine that it could be so risky and horrific, a brutal battle for survival.)  As I read this short novel, the author made me care deeply about the plight of this family, who only wish for a better life in America, like countless immigrants coming here, armed only with hope.  It's a riveting book, which I cannot praise enough.  The writing is lucid and beautiful.  I've just finished reading The Iguana Tree, and I want to read it again, already.  This novel has the makings of a classic.  Michel Stone is a brilliant contemporary writer, and I truly look forward to reading her next book.

Wonderful news!  Hub City Press is generously offering a copy of The Iguana Tree as a giveaway (U.S./Canada only) to a lucky reader.

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment. 
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, May 14. One lucky winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, May 15. Good luck!


Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For additional reviews, please visit the other stops on TLC's The Iguana Tree book blog tour.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday, hosted this month by Anna from Diary of an Eccentric,  provides a socially acceptable way for us to boast about our new books.  Here's what arrived in my mailbox last week.  Actually, my mailman very kindly delivered these directly to my front door!

For an upcoming TLC tour I received a new novel, The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone.  A slim book, Ten Healthy Teas, arrived from the author, Valerie B. Lull.  I also received Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? by William Poundstone, which I won on Leslie's blog,  Under My Apple Tree.  I also recently won (but have not yet received) a thriller,  Blue Monday by Nicci French, on Naida's blog, the bookworm, and I just found out this morning that I won a novel about the antebellum South, The Rebel Wife by Taylor M. Polites, on Kathy's blog, BermudaOnion's Weblog.  I'm very excited about these new books!

What new books did you get in the mail, or from other sources, recently?  Your comments are welcomed.