Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret book and movie

I can't count how many times I've read this book. I honestly have some lines and scenes memorized to the point where it feels like they're mine, not something I read. I read it hundreds of times as a kid and a few times as an adult. This time, I wanted to read it after watching the movie. I felt like the movie stayed true to the book, but wanted to check that theory.

Read as a kid over and over: Clearly I loved it or I wouldn't have re-read it so often, because I always brought home a stack of books from the library and could have picked anything. I had my own copy too (pretty sure it fell apart years ago), with what I think is still the best cover for the book:

Re-read September 2016: Another book I read a lot as a kid and wanted to re-read for Banned Books Week. This one also seemed a little flat, but I still loved it and think kids these days would still love it, even though it’s pretty dated. 

Re-read December 2019: I’m re-reading my Judy Blume books because I’m taking her Masterclass and she references them sometimes. She was one of my favorite authors as a child so I vividly remember most of her books and storylines, but it’s always fun to revisit old favorites. I apparently lost my childhood copy of Margaret, so the one I own now is an updated one. I remember the pads with hooks and a belt, so it was nice to read this newer version where she simply peeled off the paper and stuck the pad to her underpants. It’s the small things! I loved reading about how things “used to be”, but I do think that updating the books will make them more appealing to young readers and will give this type of book staying power.

Re-read 9/23/2025: I read this countless times as a kid and several times as an adult and always love it. Blume effortlessly captures the tween voice. I re-read it this time because I’d just watched the movie and thought it stayed pretty true to the book, but wanted to check myself. It really did! I think it’s one of the best book-to-movie I’ve seen. 

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Basically every scene from the book is in the movie, which makes me love it. I understand sometimes you need to take liberties to make a book work as a movie, but I love that this one didn't. Margaret's "speaking" to God felt a bit over-acted in places though; I preferred it when it was a voiceover of her conversation instead of watching her say it in real-time. All the actors were perfectly cast. 

I wonder if the mom being more of a character searching for fulfillment was a nod to the realization that most people watching this movie were probably the mother's age, remembering how this book changed their lives when they were preteens, so they wanted it to be interesting on that level, too? The mother's painting is mentioned in the book, and the father definitely has a background role in both, so I feel like it wasn't much of a change to bring the mother a bit more to the forefront. And it was Rachel McAdams so who could complain?

All the Bright Places: Book and Movie

It's no secret I love comparing books to their movie or TV versions, so when I saw there was a movie of All the Bright Places on Netflix, I wanted to re-read the book and watch the movie to compare them. I read the book when it came out, but didn't remember much of it, so I knew I would need to refresh my memory. 

Originally read May 2015 (and originally rated 5 stars): This writing in this book is so matter-of-fact that you don’t think you’ll get emotionally involved, but you will. It’s not fluffy and beautiful; it’s real. Niven brings attention to mental disorders, abuse, depression, the lack of need of labels and the vast need for compassion — all without hitting you over the head with the message. Finch and Violet seem like real high school seniors, meaning you don’t love them all the time and you don’t understand them most of the time. But it works. This is an amazing book, highly recommended. It will inspire you to get out and wander your state to learn more about it — and yourself.

Re-read September 2025: This was a re-read for me because I want to watch the movie on Netflix but didn’t remember enough. I remembered loving it in 2015 - 5 stars, rave review, the works. But re-reading it now, after the ways the country has changed since then, raising a son and seeing how Finch acts with Violet, being so pushy… It didn’t sit right with me. I know it’s not the point of the book but the way he kept going after her, making comments about wanting to kiss her and all that, really rubbed me the wrong way. Is it supposed to be ok because of his mental illness? Or because she eventually gave in and fell in love with him? I don’t think so. I see him as manipulative and pulling her into his orbit just to leave and fuck her up even more. Sure, he’s depressed and trying to feel things, but I just can’t stomach it in the current climate.

That said, the writing is beautiful, and knowing why Niven wrote it is really interesting and explains a lot about how Finch is portrayed, in my opinion.

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The movie... Wow. It cut so many details, so much story. I'm not sure I could have followed it if I hadn't read the book first. I don't think it stands on its own. Finch's suicide seemed completely random in the movie, in my opinion. And I do still think that, even in a visual form, they could have conveyed some of the interiority from the book. 

They cut Finch's mom and dad to just mentions instead of showing the characters. I think this is fine overall, and the mom definitely could have been cut from the book as well, but the dad's scenes seemed really important. The movie completely cuts out the little sister. Like with the mom - I think this works. I don't think she added anything to the book except another person Finch left behind, so the movie doesn't suffer for that.

As I mentioned, I think you need to have read the book to get anything from this movie. So many scenes were cut or rushed, but there were two waaaaaay too long scenes of people dancing in a field. It didn't convey anything to me when it was Finch and Violet or when it was Violet with Finch's friends later. It was just trying too hard to make you feel the moment when those precious seconds could have been used for literally any other scene that was cut from the book.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Going in, this one felt too familiar, like maybe I had read it and DNF before? But I couldn’t find proof of that, so I figured it just seemed similar to other YA true crime/cold case/podcast type books. I stuck with it and got completely obsessed. I thought one of the murderers was incredibly obvious and was surprised they weren’t a suspect all along, but the other took me by surprise. The ending was perfect and definitely made me eager to read the rest of the series.

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. Second books usually feel like a placeholder between the first and third of a trilogy but this one held its own. I thought it was a really good mystery and I love how it pulled in some details from the first book that hadn’t even registered for me. For a teenager solving crimes the police can’t (or won’t), I feel like this is realistically written, especially considering emotions Pip feels after all she’s been through.

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson. I thought this was a really satisfying end. The first third or even half maybe was VERY repetitive with what Pip was thinking and feeling regarding her trauma. I get that what happened is major and will change a person but for the sake of fiction, I think it could have been cut and handled better. It felt like Jackson was trying to meet word count with those sections. However, how Pip evolved feels really natural and I think the ending was just right.

The show was a slog for me to get through. I'll be honest and say movies are really hard for me to focus on. I usually wander away, either physically or mentally, about 30 minutes in. But shows, somehow, are easier for me to focus on. That wasn't the case here, though. Maybe because I'd already read the book and really enjoyed it, so I knew the story and the suspense didn't work on me?

Also, while I thought all the actors were just-right picks for the characters, Pip seemed a bit young in her actions on the show. In many scenes, it seemed like she was just bumbling along, stumbling upon things rather than following clues and leads like she did in the book.

The Wild Robot book series + movie

Well, I did it! After trying to read this book series years ago, then letting it linger on my nightstand for months, I finally finished all three books before seeing the movie! 

The Wild Robot review

The Wild Robot Escapes review

The Wild Robot Protects review

Turns out, the movie really just covers the first book, and not that closely in many ways, but I'm glad to have read them all just because.

The movie was amazing! It was gorgeously animated and really funny in so many parts. The way Roz and Pinktail talked about motherhood and their children cracked me up. But it was also a really emotional movie... to me. Or maybe it was just my current mood and state of mind? Or the fact that I'm a single mom just like Roz? The mother-son stuff was very touching for sure. And the way the animals came together to help each other was just something I needed to see right now for that hope or sense of good in the world.

I would definitely watch this movie again (when it's streaming so I can sob in peace). I really hope they make movies for books two and three as well. Book two is still my favorite, and while the ending of the movie kind of touched on book two in a different way, I think it actually leads to a natural progression to Roz working on a family farm, so I hope they do it!

Matilda the Musical

Last weekend I saw Matilda the Musical at Playhouse on the Square. I originally saw it at the Orpheum in January 2016, and fell in love!

About that performance, I said:

I was only halfway through [re-reading] the book when we went to see the play, but I liked it that way - I couldn't remember the original ending, so the play was still somewhat suspenseful. 
          [The play is] hard to review because... it's amazing. I would have gone to see it again the next night if I could have! The stage looks fantastic with all the letters and colors and blocks, and it pulls you right into Matilda's world. The actors are perfect in their roles. We saw a native Memphian play Matilda on opening night, so that was a nice perk!
          The musical differs quite a bit in that Matilda's mother has a different hobby, which doesn't add much to the story, in my opinion. Matilda also tells an ongoing story she's made up, which is overly sentimental and also doesn't add much to the story, especially since Miss Honey's backstory is explained so concisely in the book. But I am a huge Tim Minchin fan, so I appreciate how these divergent storylines help develop the musical side of the story. Tim Minchin's songs are very clever and add jokes and wit to the story.

Besides being excited to go with a group and show off my photography exhibit in the cafe lobby, I was excited to see how it was interpreted for the smaller stage at Playhouse. The set was pared down, of course, and the letters were projected with lighting instead of being hung all over the stage. One thing I love about smaller theater performances is how much they do with limited sets and space. Using the doors and blocks for multiple purposes was really creative. The actors themselves were all fantastic, and there's nothing that makes me tear up faster than young locals blowing an audience away, and having that audience cheer like crazy. (I think there were lots of family and friends in the crowd that night, but still.)

Everyone I was with really loved the musical, and as someone who saw it years ago and has listened to the soundtrack countless times since, hearing the songs performed onstage was almost like seeing a band in concert. I loved hearing the music live again!

As far as I could tell, the show was sold out, and so many local businesses and families had wanted to sponsor the show that I hope it's performed here again before too long. I think it's great that it's based on a book, of course, but it seems like several plays each season are book-based at Playhouse. I think I mostly love how there were people of all ages there, and everyone seemed totally into the story and songs. I think Dahl is a timeless author, obviously (see: Author Study), and I've enjoyed some of the movies I've seen based on his work, but I do love that he's being updated and exposed to more people by having his stories transformed into plays and musicals.

You: Books to Shows

You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

I've wanted to talk to everyone about You after I binge-watched it on Netflix, but it's hard to find people who have watched it, read it, or both. A friend loaned me the book in October with the disclaimer that she, a fan of psychological thrillers, bought it based on the back cover blurb alone. I'm always excited to have books recommended to me, and I don't judge reading tastes, so I was looking forward to it... and read it in about a day.

As soon as I started reading, I realized the language is pretty brutal and it’s VERY creepy. Overall I couldn't put it down and sought out the follow-up, so what does that say about me?

It was very twisted but I think a lot of the language was over-the-top, and while it didn’t seem out of character for Joe, it could have been taken out and he would come off just as creepy and horrible. Some of the situations in the book seemed like they were there for shock value - or at least the language used to describe them was for shock value. It made me like the story a little less.

But the show polished up the story and took out a lot of the language and scenarios that seemed to be too much. They added some characters, like the little boy, and added some scenes that weren't necessary, but I won't pretend to understand what makes good TV. I'm sure they had reasons for adding in the kid and the abused neighbor and all the drama that brought in.

I think this has been one of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations, because even though I didn't like the book much, I thought the story was interesting, and that was really given room to shine on screen. The writing was what brought down the book, in my opinion, so having a chance to revise the story really made it better.

As I mentioned, I read the sequel and have heard that it will be "season two" of the show, so I'll definitely be tuning in for that!

Did you watch You? Did you read the book before, or after, or not at all? What did you think of the book compared to the show? I love dissecting things like this, so leave your thoughts in the comments!

Bird Box: Books to Movies

Everyone has something to say about Bird Box, the book, the movie, or both. So I'm going to assume that if you're reading this, you've read the book and seen the movie. If not, stop here because SPOILERS. I am going to be comparing the two, so be warned: no holds barred.