Buzz Worthy News: Kate’s Birthday Edition December 6, 2014

5 December, 2014 Buzz Worthy News 9 comments

BWN-bee-graphic

Buzz Worthy News December 6th

Welcome to Buzz Worthy News where the stories are awesome and not at all well-written. Need your YA industry news? Never fear, Kat and Kate are here to give it all to you. Just, ya know, not in any kinda sophisticated sense or nothing.

In this week’s Buzz Worthy News, we have Goodreads Awards, Book Shimmy awards, JK Rowling writes about Draco Malfoy, Microsoft ditches Nook, Jennifer Lawrence hates singing and much more.

Buzz Worthy News is Cuddlebuggery’s weekly news post bringing you all the best information about the book and blogging world, particularly for the venn diagram of people who overlap between the two. For new releases and cover reveals of all the best Young Adult fiction, check out our Tuesday post: Hot New Titles.


Book News


Goodreads Awards

There has been a lot of controversy about the Goodreads awards this year, with some readers objecting to the fact that fantasy & scifi were separated in the adult categories and combined in the YA section.  There are also the people who inevitably hated pretty much every book that won.  But here are the winners for YA, in no particular order.

Debut Goodreads Author went to Pierce Brown, for his book Red Rising.

E. Lockhart took the YA Fiction category with the book We Were Liars.

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan won best MG.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare won best YA Fantasy.

And my 6yo was delighted to see that Mo Willems won Best Picture Book for The Pigeon Needs a Bath.

Source

 

Book Shimmy Awards

So Epic Reads had their annual Book Shimmy Awards Youtube Show this week, which is basically YA readers picking their favoritest books ever and voting online for them (116,000 votes were tallied for the final round).  Here are the results in no particular order for you to either squee or sulk over.  (also, the Youtube video is linked in the source for this)

The Pagemaster (Author of the Year):

Keira Cass

Hot Under the Covers (Steamiest Book of the Year):

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Teardrops on My Shelf (Made us Cry the Most):

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Silver Screen Award (Best Movie Adaptation):

Mockingjay (based on the book by Suzanne Collins)

Here & Now Award (Contemporary Fiction):

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Best Debut Novel:

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

We Need Diverse Books Award:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

A Whole New World Award (Fantasy):

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas tied with The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Best of Shelf Award (Best of the Best):

The One by Keira Cass

Source (Trophy Created By Epic Reads Fan Colleen)

 

Microsoft Says, “See ya!” to Nook

Poor Nook is like the nice guy that gets too clingy too fast and then gets dropped like a hot potato by the girl he is currently dating.  Seriously, they just can’t seem to find a company to form endless love and bookselling with.  And in the latest tale of woe in Nook’s hand-written journal of sadness and tears, Microsoft has sent that dreaded text, “It’s not you, it’s me.  Or maybe you.  I dunno.”

Just over two years into a rocky partnership, Microsoft and Barnes & Noble have decided to call it quits. The mega-bookseller announced Thursday that it plans to buy out Microsoft’s stake in its albatross of an e-reader, the Nook.

Microsoft bought into the Nook in 2012, investing $300 million to earn a share of about 17 percent in its ownership. In the time since, hopes for the deal’s prospects have faded. A low point came with news of last year’s holiday sales, which showed Barnes & Noble’s Nook division plummeting 60.5 percent from the year before, according to Publishers Weekly. In June of this year, the bookseller announced a plan to spin off its Nook unit into a separate company sometime next year — news that was greeted with cheers from investors.

Now, Microsoft will sell its stake in Nook Media back to Barnes & Noble for about $125 million.

“As the respective business strategies of each company evolved, we mutually agreed that it made sense to terminate the agreement,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement.

Don’t worry, Nook.  You’ll find the right company someday.  In the meantime, I’ll take you out for drinks and let you tell me all your troubles.

Source

 

JK Rowling Writes Some Stuff

In order to taunt us with the cold fact that she will never NEVER write another Harry Potter book, JK Rowling is going to release a THIRD piece from the magical world, featuring none other than everyone’s favorite bad boy, Draco Malfoy.

JK Rowling will be sharing her thoughts on Harry Potter’s enemy, Draco Malfoy, in a piece of new writing for Pottermore, the Harry Potter publishing website.

The bestselling author will be contributing new content as part of Pottermore’s festive celebrations. Starting on Friday, December 12, a new “surprise” will be released on the site every day at 1pm GMT.

So, first it was Rita Skeeter, then Dolores Umbridge, and now she’s written stuffs about Draco Malfoy?  Is Rowling trying to kill our love for the land witches and wizards by inundating us with stories from its most annoying citizens?  I mean, srsly, WTF, Rowling?  I’ve had it up to Professor Dumbledore’s pointy hat with all these lame characters getting content.  Erg.

Source


 

Book to Movie News


Jennifer Lawrence Hates Singing

So, you may not know this, but apparently the star of the insanely popular Hunger Games movies (based on the book series), Jennifer Lawrence is terrified to the point of shaking and sweating of having to sing in public.  In the newest released film, Mockingjay Part 1, she sings The Hanging Tree and here is what she had to say about it:

“I can’t stand singing. The idea of singing in front of people is my biggest fear in the entire world. I cried the day that I did that,” she told HitFix during press for the film in London this week. “I was shaking. I was like, ‘I want my mom.’ I’ve never listened to it. When that scene comes on, I plug my ears.”

I don’t think I’d want to sing anywhere but my shower, either, so I sympathize with her.

Source

New Trailer For The Rest Of Outlander Season 1

April 4th is a date that has been on my mind for weeks, because it marks the return of Outlander from its mid-season hiatus.  And rest assured, Starz wants to keep it in your minds.  They’ve just released a teaser trailer for the second half of the season and it looks GOOD.

 

Kody Keplinger On The Duff Movie Adaption

As I mentioned before, the trailer for the movie version of The Duff  seems to bear little resemblance to what I remembered from the book.  Apparently, I’m not the only reader to have drawn that conclusion, as many fans have reached out to the author to ask about the faithfulness of the adaption.  This is what Keplinger had to say:

So, with that said, yes. Based on the trailer, it does seem like a lot has changed, and I understand why some of you are concerned. When I first learned, a while back, about some of the changes made in adapting, I was upset, too. This was my first book, after all, and it means a lot to me.

Which is why I’ve taken on the attitude I’ve talked about on here before: I’m okay with changes as long as it’s a good movie that, in the end, stays true to the idea that EVERYONE, no matter what you look like, can be the DUFF. (Even someone as adorable as Mae Whitman – who, BTW, has the BEST facial expressions in this trailer. OMG, I love her!)

But WHY the changes? Well, I actually asked them that early on, and the answer is pretty simple. For those of you who’ve read THE DUFF, you know that there’s a bit of …umm… risqué material.  The book is a little on the sexy side, and frankly, a faithful adaptation would have likely resulted in an R rating, which would limit the audience. CBS wanted to make a film that had the same message as the book but that would also fit at PG-13 rating. Which, at least to me, makes a lot of sense.

I don’t want to be argumentative towards the author herself, but I did a re-read of her book over the weekend.  First of all, there is some sexytimes stuff in the book, but none of it detailed and with VERY FEW changes, it could have been kept almost verbatim and still kept its PG-13 rating.  You just don’t show all the stuff, duh.  There was a pretty drawn out and detailed sex scene in the movie version of If I Stay, but that is rated PG-13.

Secondly, and this is way more important to the readers, there was no makeover involved in The Duff (well, there was a small MENTAL makeover).  She never changed what she looked like or how she acted.  She didn’t worry about her “uni-boob”, she never ASKED for a makeover.  The guy in the story (guys, actually) liked her for who she was, no flashy prom dress necessary to grab anyone’s attention.

And thirdly, THERE WAS NO BITCH QUEEN REIGNING OVER THE SCHOOL.  I mean, honestly, guys, can we just drop that trope????  So over it.

No offense to Ms. Keplinger in any way, but as I see it, they took the meat out of the story and turned it into a twist on She’s All That, which is a crying shame, because the book deals with a lot of themes that are way more important than getting a makeover from the school hottie.

One more little detail, the writer for this mess Josh Cagan, has written for such other stellar projects as Undergrads, Bandslam 2009, and Bananapocalypse.  In other words, there is little hope for you.

Source


Interesting Links:


Artists Re-imagine Beloved Children’s Stories (The Harry Potter ones are so cool!)

Kate Copeseeley

Kate Copeseeley

Buzz Worthy News Correspondent
Kate Copeseeley is the Buzz Worthy News Correspondent, occasional reviewer, and a bonafide bookslut®. She can be found haunting Goodreads, writing The 100 fanfic, and neglecting everything else in favor of burying her nose in a book. Visit her on Goodreads.
Kate Copeseeley

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9 Responses to “Buzz Worthy News: Kate’s Birthday Edition December 6, 2014”

  1. Natalie Monroe
    Twitter:

    Yay, Rowling’s releasing more material! I actually appreciate her releasing info on little-known characters because it shows how much she had invested in the Wizarding World.

    I’m planning to read the DUFF soon. The trailer looks cute, if typical. Everyone keeps warning me that the book is drastically different.

  2. Ebony @ Daring Damsels
    Twitter:

    Thanks for the news, Kate! 😀 I must say, I was very surprised by some of the winners in both the Goodreads Choice Awards and the Book Shimmy Awards. I’m looking forward to seeing the new material that J. K. Rowling has wrriten and I feel so sorry for Jennifer re: her singing – that must be terrible! Completely understandable though. I’m with you on The DUFF trailer – the risque material in the book isn’t very detailed, and I’m sure it was possible to adapt it in a more faithful way – it does look like a fun film, however!
    Ebony @ Daring Damsels recently posted…Aussie YA Bloggers – Secret Santa Blog HopMy Profile

  3. ReadingWolf

    I think one of the reasons Nook is having difficulties is because they dropped the expandable storage on their newest eInk reader. They did great releasing the Simple Touch with glowlight. Then they tried to upgrade by making the same thing but better screen clarity and removing the micro SD expandable memory. That is like repainting a cruise ship but removing the luxuries. But it also doesn’t help that Kobo now has a waterproof/resistant ereader. And it still has expandable SD storage.

    I am so out of the loop on the latest books that I had no idea what half of the GR award winning books were, oh well my TBR list is too long anyways.

    I am actually excited that Rowling is putting out new material on the annoying HP characters because it helps them seem more realistic, well as realistic as magical folk can be…

    I fell in love with Outlander after the first two episodes, sadly we are back to antenna TV to save money so I will probably miss the second half of the first season. Looking forward to when the DVD set of the first season comes out.

    I’m going to withhold judgement on The DUFF until I see the movie.

  4. Mawa Mahima
    Twitter:

    Wow I did not know about Josh Cagan being a fail and a half when I watched the trailer. It seemed like your typical American high school movie (i.e. Mean Girls 2) and the blurb for The Duff (book) kind of falls through too. However so many people liked the book…and the trailer for it just doesn’t seem to add up. I know for a fact that I’ll like the book better (especially since you’ve cleared the fact that, no, she doesn’t ask for a whole makeover!) and I think that the author just can’t do anything about it. Flinging excuses at her fans isn’t the way to go, but eh, the rights have been sold, and CBS Films has an excuse for Mean Girls 2. Meh.
    Mawa Mahima recently posted…This Week of Wordiness: Nothing, Nothing, and ReviewsMy Profile

  5. Beth W

    Keplinger’s response is, at least, the most honest version of “I can’t say what I truly feel because of my contract with this major motion picture company” that I’ve read in a long time. It’s a shame crap adaptation screenwriters are allowed to dumb down popular books, though. It’s such a transparent way of CBS making money off Keplinger’s hard work, regardless of how it may disappoint fans. 🙁
    Beth W recently posted…December GoalsMy Profile

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