Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Authors I'd Love to Have at My Thanksgiving Feast:

1. Michelle Hodkin - Why, you ask? Clearly you haven't met her! Michelle is one of the nicest, sweetest and most genuine people out there, and it just so happens that she is an incredibly talented author. Picking her brain for an hour and chatting about animals wasn't nearly enough time...what better place than a Thanksgiving feast?!

2. J.K. Rowling - A girl can dream, right? If I had an hour to ask her questions or sit and eat dinner with her, one of two things could happen. 1) I drive her insane with idiotic questions for hours, or 2) I sit bug-eyed and silent...internally fangirling.

3. Rick Riordan - I don't know about you, but I want to know how in the heck he makes Greek mythology look so dang good and be so dang legible! His characters are fun, so obviously, he has to be fun, too.

4. Kirsty Eagar - Well, obviously I'd be fangirling over her books, then I'd fangirl over her accent, and then I'd tell her to get her publishers to get her books in the US, stat. Either way, I think she could teach me how to surf, so why not spend a fun Thanksgiving learning, eh?

5. Kendare Blake - She has one of the most genius and inventive minds, and I can't imagine how much fun it would be to chat horror and paranormal with her. Truly. I mean that with utter sincerity!

6. Brian Jacques - I know he recently passed, but I would still love to spend Thanksgiving with him! He always wrote about these epic feasts in his books, and my mouth would be watering for days...not that I knew what any of the food was, or anything.

7. Sara Shepard - I might not love the shows based on her books (though The Lying Game is leagues better), but I am so enthralled by her books. They're easy, fast and they are so entertained. I want more!

8. James Dashner - I think his dystopian series is one of the most underrated and underreviewed series ever. I adore it. I really need to review it and share my love for his series because it is THAT good. Plus, I'd pick his brain on the prequel. Jussayin'.

9. Richelle Mead - I've sworn up and down, time and again that I loathe vampires. I'll never like them. BUT I was convinced to read the Vampire Academy series, and I was sold. I want to know how she did that.

10. Marissa Meyer - She's a debut author, but holy hell does she have one original plot with Cinder! I'm obsessed. I want her at my Thanksgiving so I can grill her and find out more!

As many of you know, I'm just your average reader with an insane and slightly maniacal obsession with the wonderful world of Harry Potter. Yes, I grew up with Harry. I attended midnight book launches in full costume (Luna, party of one), I cried at the midnight premieres like a colicky little baby and I watched as the books delved into the hearts of even the most adamantly un-readers. So, when I heard J.K. Rowling's unbelievable announcement of an online, interactive venue in which the Harry Potter series will come alive at our fingertips, I was stunned, awed and completely amazed. Here's what she had to say:

J.K. Rowling says that this new online adventure, Pottermore, is the series itself come to life with the opportunity for a few major additions to the story - ourselves. We, the readers will be able to have wands selected for us at Diagon Alley. We'll play Quidditch and be sorted into Houses. We'll be able to experience the world of magic we've all read about in the books. My first thought was probably something like this: "UHAIUHKJBASKJFHIJH111111!!!", but once I managed to regain my composure, my excitement was more intelligible.

Pottermore gives fans the unique ability to continue on our journey with Harry Potter and the world of magic so many have grown to know and love so well. Opening in October with a few select people testing it in July, Pottermore might just be the next huge wave in the evolution of literature. I, for one, am so excited to try it, and I'll be crossing my fingers that I get to visit Pottermore early.

With the literary world constantly changing with the introduction of audio books, then e-books and now interactive reading experiences, it seems like there's always something new. For book lovers like ourselves, this is heaven on Earth, but what happens if you weren't a book lover to begin with?

Question: Do you think Pottermore will create a new wave of interactive literature, and do you think this will enhance or detract from the desire to read the books?

P.S. I'm still squeeing with delight over Pottermore!

Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: What is your take on book to film adaptations...do you have a favourite or least favourite?

It's no secret. I love books, but I also really love movies. So, when I find out a book I love is becoming a film, naturally my first reaction is to be ecstatic, but then I remember the nature of Hollywood and the "creative liberties" that are often taken in films. Sometimes they work for me. Other times they make me leave the theatre fuming...or laughing hysterically at just how ridiculous the changes were. Overall though, book-to-film adaptations are bit of a hit or miss with me. I either love them, or I just love to hate them.

I think that the Harry Potter film series is a perfect example of adaptations done right. While I thought the first film was blashphemy and the second film was just a smidge better, they definitely raised the bar with the next films in the franchise. Honestly, yes, I've read the books so many times that when I see something omitted I want to pull my hair out, but the creative liberties they take have been done rather well. They balance the story with the overall theme and actually develop the characters. And, hey, if J.K herself gave them her stamp of approval, that's good enough for me. In the realm of contemps, I think my favourite book to film adaptation would have to be either A Walk to Remember or Atonement. Both were incredibly well done and well acted, despite a few deviations the story in the book. Other runners-up for me would have to be The Notebook (yes, Nicholas Sparks, you win), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, and Legend of the Seeker (even if it WAS just a TV show...I'm pissed it was canceled.)

Then, however, we have the absolute opposite end of the spectrum where the films decide it's necessary to take a beautiful book, butcher it and rip it shreds, stomp on it, then watch it crash and burn on a giant screen. The prime example of this for me would have to be Dear John. This is one heck of a beautiful book (like all his stories), and I was so excited to see it, but I left the theatre having laughed my way through it. The only moment I felt any emotion at all was for John's father. They brushed aside the whole aspect of the letters and the relationship between the characters to make it into some skeezy little Hollywood romance. And despite the fact that Channing's abs are pretty much box office gold (and drool-worthy eye candy), I hated the film. Other book-to-film adaptations that really didn't work for me were My Sister's Keeper (they just massacred the end), The Lovely Bones, The Lightning Thief, I Am Number Four and (go figure) The Last Song.

Here's what some of your fellow bloggers weighed in as their favourites & takes on book-to-film adaptations:

Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner said, "I think they are VERY hard to do with all the adapting that needs to be done. Sometimes if you stick too close to the book it can sometimes not translate well into a movie. And sometimes it seems like they take out all the things that MAKE the book."

Ashlie from Bookish Novelties said, "I think my fave adaptation is To Kill A Mockingbird."

Avery from Avery's Book Nook said, "Pride and Prejudice (the newer version)... I actually prefer the movie over the book..."

Want to weigh in and do your own Talk to Me Tuesday post for this week? Go ahead and link up!

Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: Do you prefer series or stand-alone novels and why?

It seems to me that there's a trend in the YA market today for authors to start series, rather than stand-alone novels, and I've been wondering a lot about this lately. Seriously, what is the last stand-alone fantasy or paranormal book that I've read? While I don't read too many contemps these days, even the ones I do read seem to be jumping on the bandwagon. Take, for example, Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles. I loved that book. The characterization, the plot, every little point led up to a tumultuous and climactic end. Granted, the end made me want to kill myself pull my hair out, but it made me think, and even more - it made me feel. Now, enter the sequel, Return to Paradise. Can I just say...disappointment much? No, the writing isn't bad, but we lost everything we gained from Maggie and Caleb in book one. Suddenly, we're on this new path that feels rushed and overbearing. I really wish I hadn't picked up the sequel.

Then there are series like Harry Potter, which we all know I'm clinically obsessed with. Seriously. I want to live in Hogwarts. But there is a reason to my madness, or insanity, if you will. In creating the first book, J.K. Rowling proposed a series and a chance for us to journey with her characters. She gave us the opportunity to grow up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, allowing us to know every detail of their lives so we could grow up in this imaginary world with them (I know, I wish it was real, too.) Each book had a clear purpose - show us Harry's progression, give us more of the background, and lead up to the final and ultimate battle of good vs. evil. That, in a nutshell, is pretty much the epitome of a series for me. Other series that worked for me were Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Mortal Instruments series. Obviously, there are more, but those are the ones that immediately spring to mind.

Some of your fellow book bloggers weighed in on the issue, too, saying what they thought of series and standalone novels.

Ginger from GReads says, "I like both, but I prefer series because I get more from the characters and the story. Everything isn't wrapped up so nicely."

Sarah from That Bookish Girl says, "I think it really depends on the book. Sometimes books work better with a clear, quick start and finish and sometimes they are better drawn out."

Misha from My Love Affair With Books says, "It depends on the book. If I loved the book, I like to see more of the characters and the story. But to be honest, I lack the patience to wait. Waiting for the next book in the HP series used to drive me insane!

Linds from Bibliophile Brouhaha says, "It honestly doesn't matter so long as the story is solid, whether it is a story throughout the series or a stand alone. I will say that I hate when a book originally is a stand alone, and it feels like the characters have come full circle, only to have a publishers/author later make it into a series. It messes with the story and distorts the message of the book."

And therein lies the main issue for me. I think there is such a pressure to create a series these days that we lose sight of the characters and plot that were originally created. Whether it's a series or a stand-alone novel, I don't want to feel like I'm being pulled unwillingly along. Shiver is a prime example for me. I think that book one could have been it. I feel no need to read past that. Basically, I want the same thing if it's a series or a stand-alone book. I want great characters, a fantastic adventure, and I want to feel like I went somewhere and came full circle. 

Want to weigh in and do your own Talk to Me Tuesday post for this week? Go ahead and link up!