Be my slaves today! Would my top 5 books of all time make good movies? Big Reward if you tell me who you would cast! Top 5 Tuesday

Hi dear friends,

Top 5 Tuesday’s topic (hosted by Shanah @bionicbookworm) was top 5 books to make movies. But I already wrote a post not so long ago with books that should be made into movies.
So I decided to tweak today’s theme!
No big surprise here and I even think that Shanah would be disappointed the day I will follow the rules to a T.

What can I say? I am a rebel!

So I decided to pick my top 5 books from all time and ask YOU if you’d think they would make great movies.

Of course I will give you pointers with my thoughts of the book or the synopsis! Yes yes I plan to make you my slaves today and do the dirty work!

I am not managing two teams every day for nothing!
I know all about delegating (smart word for bossing around).

And I also know all about rewarding a job well done!
That’s why if you choose a cast for the two main characters of two of these books you’ll be entered in a giveaway to get the ebook of one of my today’s choice!

Play fair please!

One of the reasons why I am asking for a cast to be honest is that I am awful at remembering actor’s names!!! But shhhh you haven’t read this!

Ready? Let’s play!

Number one of all:
Making Faces by Amy Harmon.
Genre contemporary romance with a hint of drama.

The plot (from my review): Fern and Bailey are cousins and best friends. As a child Fern is, well, not pretty but she has a golden heart. Bailey is disabled. He suffers from Dushenne muscular dystrophy and his muscles weaken every day. He knows from a tender age he’ll die early.
Fern has always loved Ambrose, often compared to Hercules. Outwardly Ambrose is Bailey’s opposite. He is tall, strong and beautiful, worshipped by the whole town. Fern knows she can’t be loved by such a beautiful boy but she is never bitter. She will even help her friend Rita to seduce Ambrose, writing love letters in her stead, undressing each other’s soul and heart in the process.
9/11 has been a turning point for Ambrose. He’ll leave to fight in Iraq with his four best friends: Grant, Paulie, Jesse and Beans. All on the wrestling team, forming a tight brotherhood. All for one and one for all. They’ll all die in Iraq, except Ambrose who has been gravely hurt and disfigured. Ambrose comes back to Hannah Lake crushed by the loss of his friends. He is plagued by guilt and feels responsible for their deaths. He has lost faith and does not understand why his life has been spared. He’ll hide in his father’s bakkery, living at night and refusing to acknowledge anyone. Will Fern, still in love with him, help him to overcome his grief? I won’t tell much about the story and let you discover it.

Main characters pointers:
Fern. Ugly duck as a kid much more prettier as an adult. Loves hot romances with half naked dudes on the covers. Fern is selfless, caring, enthousiast for simple things and has no pretense. She is deeply loyal in friendship as in love. As Ambrose said, she writes “smutty romance novels and quote scripture”. Generous, loyal, smart, industrious.

Ambrose. The golden boy of the town. Excel at wrestling, smart, kind and strong. Ambrose is intense, courageous, beautiful inside out. He is introspctive, strong and loyal.

Bailey … he is my Super Hero! He is so alive, self mocking, determined to fight and beat the odds. Never self centered, never complaining despite his sickness. He is a force to be reckoned with.
Bonus for Bailey.

Number two:
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Genre: dramatic love. Main ingredient: taboo.
I never recovered from that book! I am still changing the ending.

Synopsis

She is pretty and talented – sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But… they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

Main characters pointers:
Lochan: Beautiful and tragic hero. Speech impediment as he has been traumatized by his father leaving them. Can speak with his siblings, at home, on his turff. Intense and desperate. Shoulders too big of a burden.

Maya: Teenage girl. Cute, generous. Has a deep sense of duty and raises her siblings with Lochan. Tries to live as a teenage girl and date.

Number three:

The Silver Cage by Anonymous
Genre: drama. Topics: influence of religion on sexuality. Being at odds with his family tradition and beliefs.

Topic: recluse writer of best sellers hasn’t read any books for years. He lives alone in Colorado. A young gamer/youtuber/ journalist will be sent to interview him and find why he hasn’t written anything. Caleb is powerful and will soon enthrall Michael. What secret does Caleb hide?

Official synopsis: A bitter, mysterious author. A young and naive journalist. A tragic past, a dark secret, and an unforgettable tale of passion and love.  WARNING: The Silver Cage is intended for mature readers; it contains graphic sensuality and strong themes including suicide, sexual identity, and self-harm.

Main characters pointers:
Caleb: handsome, charismatic, intense, overpowering. Like a strong wine or absynthe overpowering your senses. Deeply religious and tortured.
Michael: has no real care. Lives in the present and is like a grown kid. Determined to know the truth. Submissive in some way.

Number Four:

From Sand and Ash
Genre: historical romance/drama. WWII

Synopsis:

Italy, 1943—Germany occupies much of the country, placing the Jewish population in grave danger during World War II.

As children, Eva Rosselli and Angelo Bianco were raised like family but divided by circumstance and religion. As the years go by, the two find themselves falling in love. But the church calls to Angelo and, despite his deep feelings for Eva, he chooses the priesthood.

Now, more than a decade later, Angelo is a Catholic priest and Eva is a woman with nowhere to turn. With the Gestapo closing in, Angelo hides Eva within the walls of a convent, where Eva discovers she is just one of many Jews being sheltered by the Catholic Church.

But Eva can’t quietly hide, waiting for deliverance, while Angelo risks everything to keep her safe. With the world at war and so many in need, Angelo and Eva face trial after trial, choice after agonizing choice, until fate and fortune finally collide, leaving them with the most difficult decision of all.

Main characters pointers
Eva: passionate, artistic, Jew. Courageous, loyal and selfless. Eva had a tranquil strength with a fire under the ashes. She’ll endanger herself countless times to save her people.
Angelo: priest. Deep love for God and for Eva. Limping. Angelo was determined to do his duty the best he could and was tirelessly smuggling hunted people, hiding them with the help of the church. Torn between his love for God and his love for Eva.

Number Five:

A Charm of Finches
Genre: contemporary drama with sexual slavery/crime.

Synopsis:

“I swear. Give me one more chance and I will make the most of it.”

Ex-hustler Javier Landes is asking for his third chance at love. The third time proves to be the charm when he meets a Manhattan art therapist named Steffen Finch. What starts as casual and curious deepens into a passionate, soulful relationship—everything Jav has ever wanted, and everything he fears losing.

Stef’s business card reads Curator & Sailor. His creativity and insightful nature have made him into a talented therapist, the one to call for tough cases. His professional success can’t conceal a deep need to connect with someone, but Javier Landes is the last person Stef expected.

Geronimo “Geno” Caan is Stef’s most challenging case. To cope with his ordeal, he’s allowed an alter-ego called Mos to make decisions, and now lives a double life within a web of lies. Under Stef’s navigation, Geno uses art to express what Mos forbids to be spoken aloud. But as Geno’s attachment to Stef gradually extends to Jav, the boundaries between professional and personal begin to blur.

Over the course of a year, Jav, Stef and Geno form an unexpected and unconventional triangle, revealing how men make love in times of war and how love is a great wisdom made up of small understandings. The long-awaited second book of the Venery series, A Charm of Finches is an epic tale of survival and secrets guaranteed to make you think and feel and remember.

Highlights: destroy one of the main characters in an awful way before beginning the long reconstruction process.

Main characters pointers
Geno: young, handsome and traumatized by an unbelievably dramatic event. Has lost his twin. Feels rage and betrayal. Does not trust anyone anymore. Is lost and adrift. Was loving but does not know how to do it anymore.I love Geno. He is young. He is kind and so brave. I can predict that he will steal your heart too. Refund guaranteed if it does not happen 😉 He’s been to Hell and now tries to come back from it.
My heart just broke so many times for Geno that I wondered if it would be back to normal one day.

Stef: Dedicated to help others. Stef is a Curator & Sailor. He is the therapist helping Geno to start anew and he is truly brilliant. Even at the risk of losing himself as being a therapist is like walking a tightrope. Gives and gives and gives. Bisexual.  Smart and sensitive. He is solid, confident, caring, patient,
Jav: very handsome. In his forties like Steph probably. Former escort. Refined, educated. Yearn to be loved. Writer. Courageous. Protective and loyal. Like a magnificent cat. Ready to explore his homosexuality.

THE WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN!

I will pick a winner in one week on Tuesday 29th around 2 PM EST. He or she will just have to tell me his or her pick among the books here above!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie