My 2018 Reading Wrap-Up

Over the past couple of years, I have documented every film that I have watched and reviewed them all using Letterboxd. As a way to motivate myself to read more, I thought I would do the same for what books I have been reading, using Goodreads as a way to set myself a reading challenge every year.

After reading only 6 books last year, I kept my target low this year and set myself the goal of 10 books. However, I somehow managed to read 20 books this year, mostly due to reading a book a day on my honeymoon.

Here’s how my 2018 challenge went, with a short review and rating for each of the books that I read:

Weekly Sky Cinema Premieres (23rd – 29th July)

Since I don’t get to the cinema to see new releases that often anymore, this is my new weekly feature reviewing the latest releases on Sky Cinema Premiere (and in turn, Now TV). I will write a short review and rating for each of the films that I have watched and then give you the details for the ones that I didn’t get a chance to see.

This week’s feature sees the release of Daphne, Heartlock, Jupiter’s Moon, Road Hard, The Mountain Between Us, The Lego Ninjago Movie, and Ingrid Goes West.

Book v Film: The Mountain Between Us

“Maybe each of us was once a complete whole. A clear picture. A single piece. Then something happened to crack and shatter us. Leaving us disconnected, torn and splintered. Some of us lie in a hundred pieces. Some ten thousand. Some are edged with sharp contrast. Some dim shades of grey. Some find they are missing pieces. Some find they have too many. In any case, we are left shaking our heads. It can’t be done. Then someone comes along who mends a tattered edge or returns a lost piece. The process is tedious, painful, and there are no shortcuts.”

Based on the 2011 romance novel by Charles Martin and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, The Mountain Between Us follows Dr Ben Payne (Idris Elba) and writer Ashley Knox (Kate Winslet) – known in the film as Ben Bass and Alex Martin – who are stranded in the High Uintas Wilderness after their charter plane crashes when the pilot has a heart attack mid-flight. Knowing that nobody is coming to their rescue, the couple must trek through the snow-capped mountains against the harsh conditions to find safety. The ordeal leads them to rely on each other to stay alive and, ultimately, brings them closer together.

Film Review: The Mountain Between Us

Based on the 2011 romance novel by Charles Martin and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, The Mountain Between Us follows Dr Ben Bass (Idris Elba) and journalist Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) who are stranded in the High Uintas Wilderness after their charter plane crashes when the pilot has a heart attack mid-flight. Knowing that nobody is coming to their rescue, the couple must trek through the snow-capped mountains against the harsh conditions to find safety. The ordeal leads them to rely on each other to stay alive and, ultimately, brings them closer together.

Book Review: The Mountain Between Us

“Maybe each of us was once a complete whole. A clear picture. A single piece. Then something happened to crack and shatter us. Leaving us disconnected, torn and splintered. Some of us lie in a hundred pieces. Some ten thousand. Some are edged with sharp contrast. Some dim shades of grey. Some find they are missing pieces. Some find they have too many. In any case, we are left shaking our heads. It can’t be done. Then someone comes along who mends a tattered edge or returns a lost piece. The process is tedious, painful, and there are no shortcuts.”

The Mountain Between Us is a 2011 romance novel by American author Charles Martin. The story follows Dr Ben Payne and writer Ashley Knox who are stranded in the High Uintas Wilderness after their charter plane crashes when the pilot has a heart attack mid-flight. With Ashley unable to move, Ben must carry her 75 miles to safety in the harsh conditions of the snow-capped mountains. The ordeal leads them to rely on each other to stay alive and, ultimately, brings them closer together.

My 2014 Reading Wrap-Up

Over the past couple of years, I have documented every film I have watched and reviewed them all. As a way to motivate myself to read more, I thought I would do the same for what books I have been reading. So, this year I set myself a challenge of reading one book a month; a small challenge, maybe, but it was a start.

This year I set myself a challenge of 12 books. Here’s how my 2014 challenge went, with a short review and rating for each of the books that I read:

Michael Fassbender To Star In Romantic Drama ‘The Mountain Between Us’

(Written for BritScene)

We’ve already had news over the past few weeks that British actor Michael Fassbender is to star in Ronan Bennettas’ Irish Myths and Ridley Scott‘s upcoming drama The Counselor, reports this week confirm that the Shame actor is now in final talks to star in Gerardo Naranjo‘s adaptation of Charles Martin’s romantic drama novel, The Mountain Between Us.