Lord of the Rings Tag| CarenzaOnBooks

Having recently rewatch the Lord of the Rings films for the first time in quite some time, it's gotten me in a very Lord of the Rings mood. I adored these films as a kid and I used to listen to the 1960s/70s BBC audio production on repeat. I have only read The Fellowship of the Ring, but am planning on getting to the series soon. I stumbled across this tag on Mary and the Words' blog, which you can read here, and knew I had to do it. 

Taken from Google Images

Middle Earth: The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings

I'm going to have to go with Lord of the Rings. As I've already said, I grew up watching these films, so they mean a lot to me. This was a very tough one as I prefer the story of Lord of the Rings, but I have the attachment to the Hobbit as I actually saw those films in the cinema. But Lord of the Rings is what started me on this journey.

Fellowship: Favourite Hobbit Movie

I love the Desolation of Smaug. We get introduced to Laketown and of course, we get to meet Smaug. The new cast members in this film are excellent. I always enjoy watching this film. 

The One Ring: Favourite LOTR Movie/Book

I'll go with the one I have both watched and read, which is the Fellowship of the Ring. It's what started this quest. It has one of my favourite pieces of music, Concerning Hobbits. It's much lighter in tone compared to the other two in this series and it's where you get to meet the Fellowship for the first time. It has a soft spot in my heart. 

Bilbo Baggins: Favourite Character

Without a shadow of a doubt, my favourite character is Pippin. I have always had a soft spot for Pippin. He's the baby of the group. Gandalf can be very mean to him at times. He has quite a subtle story arc compared to Frodo and Sam. He's cheeky and sweet. He's just the best. 

Dor Guldur: Least Favourite Character

Denethor. I have never liked that character. He was nothing but cruel to Faramir and was easily corrupted by Sauron. I do pity him a bit with some of his decisions in The Return of the King, but asides from that, I cannot stand that character.  

Gundabad: Favourite "Evil" Character

It has to go to Gollum. You can debate that he isn't an evil character, but I would say he is one of the primary antagonists of the series. He presents some interesting dilemmas for our main characters and you're unsure if you should pity or hate him. He also used to terrify me as a kid, so I have to give it to him.  

The Shire: Favourite Place

I'm going to steal the prompt from this question and go with the Shire. It just seems like a really nice place to live, with gorgeous Hobbit holes and those rolling fields. I would very much like to visit the set in New Zealand one day and see them in person, especially as two of my friends have been.  

Rivendell: Favourite Species

I really like the Elves, especially the Rivendell Elves. They are so eloquent, yet kind to others. They welcome in the Fellowship and seek to protect them. Plus that elf hearing and agility sounds quite nice. 

Misty Mountains: Do You Have a Favourite Quote from the Movies/Books?

It's probably a bit of a rouge answer, but I really like and frequently quote Pippin from The Fellowship of the Ring with this line- "Anways, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing". It is of course then followed up by Merry saying "Well, that rules you out, Pip". I love this scene a lot. It's one of my favourites. 

Mirkwood: Would you rather be an elf, hobbit, mankind, dwarf or wizard?

100% without a shadow of a doubt, I'd be a Hobbit. I want to live in a Hobbit hole and enjoy my days with nice food and pretty surroundings. In the evenings, there would be trips to the pub before curling up with a good book. Maybe a bit more like Frodo and Bilbo, and go on adventures before coming back. But a Hobbit nonetheless.  

Gondolin: Favourite Durin's son

I am going to choose Kili, and that's partly because he's played by Aidan Turner in the films. There seems to be a theme to my favourite characters in that they're cheeky and sweet. I'm excited to see what he's like in the book when I get around to reading them. 

The Nine: Favourite fellowship member

My most recent rewatch has convinced me that Aragorn is my favourite Fellowship member. Throughout the films, we see him being nothing but kind to those around him. He always takes the time to talk to others and make them feel welcomed. He's heroic and goes on an epic development journey. He stands out as the best member of the Fellowship of the Ring. 

Sindarin: favourite weapon

My favourite is Sting. It's small, it's practical and it's Hobbit sized. One day I'd love to own a replica from the Noble Collection as it just looks amazing. 

Minas Tirith: Do you own any LOTR/Hobbit merch?

I own two Pop Funkos, one of Frodo and one of Pippin. I have a small figurine of Gandalf from when the Hobbit movies where coming out and they started selling magazines with figurines. I have a poster that my best friend got me and a postcard from Hobbiton as she's been. I'm not sure if this counts but I collected a lot of the Lego sets as a child and had a lot of fun building them. I'd say it's quite a small collection. 

Gig-Galad: Would you have changed something from the movie?

Honestly, I wouldn't change anything. I know that a lot of people don't like the Hobbit movies, but I adore them. I am a big fan of the extended editions and believe they have everything in a person could want. 

Minas Morgul: Gandalf or Saruman? 

It has to be Gandalf! Not just because he's a great character, but because I met Ian McKellen in passing in 2019. He was doing a series of shows for his 80th birthday and I got to say thank you to him at the end. I did miss out on a selfie opportunity, but I'm just happy I got to see him in person. 

So that concludes my answers to the Lord of the Rings tag. If you are a LOTR fan, please do this tag and let me know! 

Books vs Movies Adaptations| Carenza Bramwell

This has been an idea that has been floating around in the back of my head for a few years now. As a big lover of both books and movies, it's always interesting when a new one comes out. Despite the old bookish mantra that the book is always better than the movie, there are a few cases where I personally believe it goes the other way.

Just a few quick disclaimers before we get into the bulk of this post. Firstly, when I say "movies", I am going to also include TV show adaptations. There are a couple of TV show adaptations that I've seen and have opinions on. Secondly, I am only going to be comparing on screen adaptations with books I've read. There are a few where I haven't read the books yet, which would make it unfair to compare the two. Thirdly, it is perfectly okay for you to disagree with me, but please remember these are my opinions. 

How Will I Be Rating Them?

The main way I judge if a book to on screen adaptation is something I like, is mostly how accurate it is. Accuracy is a key point in adaptation. You can't take an existing story and radically change it, unless it is loosely based on said story. Overall enjoyment is another key factor. It will also be taken into account whether or not I saw the film first or if I read the book first. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on some book to on screen adaptations. 

Books Over Movies

Let's start with a classic and that has the be the Harry Potter series. This is one of the first book vs movies I ever remember being involved with and caring about. In my household, we made it a rule that you couldn't see the movies until you had read the books. I only saw the last three movies in the cinema, even though at the time of seeing Half Blood Prince, I was reading Deathly Hallows for the first time. This is 100% a case where I prefer the books to the movies. It's not that the movie adaptations are bad, they're fairly solid. It's more a case that the movies will never beat the original text. I adore the books so much.

Another book that beats its movie adaptation is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Although I do owe a lot to the movie, and I'm fairly certain that I watched the film then read the books, the movie adaptation is widely viewed as bad. It is still a film I watch every now and then for nostalgia purposes, but the book will always hold a special place in my heart. The movie did it very little justice and I haven't heard the best thing about the recent TV show adaptation. 

The Divergent series was one of the first YA series I remember reading when I properly got into books in my early teens. I remember going to see the film with a friend before either of us had ever read the books. Although they are not the most high brow books and the ending of the series was somewhat disappointing, they are superior to their movie adaptation. I never even finished watching the movies. I think I got halfway through the second one and I just couldn't do it. 

The final one on this list has to the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. The fact that it was written and directed by Tim Burton, made it a pretty good movie in it's own rights. However, the fact that they changed some of the key elements about the books and it's been almost four years since it came out and there has been no hint of a sequel, it just ended up being a bit of a flop. As a movie on it's own, if it was not adapted from a book, it would have been an incredible movie, but knowing the back story, it has to go on the books over movies list. 

Movies Over Books

My first entry on this list is actually where my idea for this post came from and that is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. Here, I watched the Netflix TV show adaptation first and fell head over heals in love with this world and these characters. However, when I read the book, it was nothing like the show and I was hugely let down. Douglas Adams is a phenomenal writer, but it was a book from the 80s and he didn't stop talking about iMacs throughout the whole thing. The original text just felt very dated to me, whereas the TV show was modern and exciting. I'm still bitter that they never finished it properly.  

Another TV show adaptation is the Poldark TV show vs the books. This was one where I watched the on screen adaptation first. I then read the books. I've read six out of the seven I own and it is a twelve book series. I think I prefer the show as these books, like Dirk Gently, are very dated. They were written in the fifties and sixties, and feel very cheesy. I love the world and characters but this has to be a case where the TV show is just easier to follow. It cut a lot of the minor plots out and gets straight to the heart of the action. 

The next one where I prefer the movie is the Lord of the Rings, however I can only say that after having read just the first book. It seems to be a reoccurring theme in this post, but the novel felt dated, mainly due to the language choice and attitudes. I grew up watching the film adaptations, so they will always have a special place in my heart. I do intend to read all of the books in the LotR series, but for now the movies will always be it for me.

Finally, I have the Scott Pilgram graphic novel series vs the movie adaptation. Once again, the common theme is that I saw the movie adaptation first. I just reread the summary for the graphic novels and realised how impressive it is that they turned a six book series into one movie. I like how fast paced and fun the movie is. 

On-Screen Adaptations I'd Love to See

Here is just a little list of books I'd love to see adapted for the screen:

• Serpent and Dove
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
• My Dark Vanessa
• Strange the Dreamer

So that concludes my post on books vs movie adaptations. What are your thoughts on book vs movie adaptations?

Carenza :) x