But the book was better: 2017 preview

Hollywood loves to give audiences movies and television shows based on books, but if you're like me, you want to read those books first. Please understand--I don't do this for brownie-points or bragging rights. I do it because I want to get to know the characters and the story in my own imagination first, before the movie's imagery can influence me. There's always a scene or a character in a movie that sticks with you long after you're done watching, and I like the enjoyment of letting my brain do that first. In any case, whatever your reason, if you'd like a headstart on this year's book-to-screen titles, here are some coming soon to a theater near you.

Live by Night, by Dennis Lehane. Lehane's books make for some great movies, like Mystic River and Shutter Island. So this new film, set for release this month and starring Ben Affleck, is likely to be a must-see. If you're up for a story about organized crime during the Prohibition Era, I'd suggest reading the novel first.


The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman. Following the story of the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo during the Nazi invasion and their efforts to save hundreds of animals and people, both the novel and film are guaranteed to tug on your emotions. The film adaptation, due out in theaters this spring, stars Jessica Chastain.

Also due out this spring is the adaptation of bestselling YA novel Wonder, by R.J. Palacio.  A young boy with an extreme facial deformity struggles to adapt to being a private-school fifth-grader after years of being home-schooled. Starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.

If you're a non-fiction reader, don't worry, I haven't forgotten you and neither has Hollywood. The Lost City of Z, by David Grann, tells the tale of how British explorer Percy Fawcett got lost while searching for an ancient fabled city in the Amazon in 1925. Fans of Sienna Miller and Robert Pattinson will definitely want to see the movie this spring, too.

Dave Eggers is a particular staff favorite around here, so here at the library we're very excited to see a star-studded cast for the adaptation of The Circle. A young woman lands a job at a powerful Google-like tech company and soon becomes involved with a mysterious man. Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Karen Gillan and John Boyega are just a few of the big names attached.

If you prefer classics, Daphne Du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel is coming to screens this summer featuring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin.  This story of Philip and his mysterious cousin Rachel, who may or may not be guilty of murdering another family member.

If you're looking for something dark and fantastic, you'll need look no further than the adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower, featuring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey in some very unexpected roles. King's opus series begins with The Gunslinger, so you might want to start now.

Finally, another classic with a crazy all-star cast will be this coming autumn's adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Think I'm kidding about the cast of this classic murder mystery? Johnny Depp, Kenneth Branagh, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer AND Dame Judi Dench are all attached to the project, just to name a few. It should be ridiculously amazing. *fingers crossed*

PS: If you're interested, Neil Gaiman's American Gods is being turned into a series by Starz, and the casting looks amazing. It's a particular favorite title of mine, so I highly recommend you read it if you have any interest in the show coming out later this year.

Top 5 on Tuesday: But the book was better

There are a number of movies coming out this year which are, of course, based on books.  If you'd like to get a jump on things, I have some titles you might like to check out.  Word to the wise--if you read the book for free from the library, you can then decide one of three things: 1) You didn't love the book enough to spend $11 at the theaters, 2) You loved the book so much, you'd hate to see it potentially ruined onscreen or 3) You can't wait to see it in theaters.  What have you got to lose?  Nothing but yourself.  In a story.

(FYI, for the complete list of "books to read before they hit theaters, check out the link here.  What I've listed are my top 5 picks, based on...well, my opinion.)

Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed. 
 The very honest memoir of a woman who lost everything, and with nothing left to lose, goes on a 1,100 mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail.  Her outlook at the end is, to say the very least, much changed.  The film version will star Reese Witherspoon playing Strayed. 

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. 
By the author of Seabiscuit, Unbroken has been extremely popular with readers of all stripes.  Another true story, this follows Louis Zamperini, 1930's track star and participant in the Berlin Olympics who became an airman during WWII, after his plane went down in the Pacific in May 1943.  What follows is his harrowing account of survival after being captured by Japanese forces.  What clinches it for me is that not only was it scripted by the Coen brothers and directed by Angelina Jolie, but that Zamperini himself was consulted on the film.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry.  In a utopian society, 12-year-old Jonas has been given his life assignment--he will be the "Receiver of Memories", and only "The Giver" knows the truth about their society and its past, which he must now pass down to Jonas.  The film's cast includes Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep and Alexander Skarsgard, which all has my interest piqued.

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green.  This young-adult novel has been a huge favorite of teens and adults alike--my guess is that the movie, if done well, could be just as big.  The premise is not for the faint of heart: Hazel and Gus are two normal teenagers in love, witty and rebellious.  Except that they met in a cancer support group, with Hazel constantly accompanied by an oxygen tank and Gus making jokes about his prosthetic leg.  The book is beautiful and tender, and I am really hoping that the movie will retain that delicacy and grace.

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn.  Please note that another of Flynn's novels, the very popular Gone Girl, will also be made into a film released in 2014.  Why am I selecting the film for Dark Places instead of Gone Girl?  First, as much as I loved the twists and turns in Gone Girl, fact is, I just preferred Dark Places as a novel.  Second, I think Dark Places will translate better on film.  It's a gut feeling--I'm not sure I can explain it adequately.  Third, cast.  Ben Affleck is playing the male lead in Gone Girl, and I have to say that I would not have gone in that direction.  I'm just going with my gut on this one.



Have you read through the full list?  What are you looking forward to seeing or reading this year?  I'd love to know!

The Book Is Still Better

I know, I have a running theme when it comes to movie adaptations of books.  In most (not all, but definitely most, in my experience) cases, the book is significantly better than the movie.  I know the old Jim Gaffigan line, too.  "Know what I liked about the movie?  No reading!"  Well, if you're happier with movies than books, you already know that this is likely not the blog for you.  I mean, the title isn't "Trumbull is Watching...", after all.

Do I have a specific example in mind as I write this post?  You bet I do.  That example would be The Great Gatsby, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same name.  I will admit to having read Gatsby multiple times.  High school, college, book club, just because.  Why?  It's considered to be Fitzgerald's magnum opus and an American classic, sure.  But it's also, in this reader's humble opinion, a beautifully crafted novel.  In a mere 180 pages, Fitzgerald conveys good vs. evil, beauty, love, tragedy, greed, corruption, deceit, despair, and regret.  His characters are painstakingly crafted, and his prose is both spare and evocative.

What I'm saying is: A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes, a word is all that's needed to paint a picture. 

In the case of the film, I will agree that it is visually stunning.  The costumes and set design are positively jaw-dropping.  But the pacing is...off.  The thing about a book is you get to choose, to a certain degree, how fast the action moves.  You can skip ahead.  You can skim.  You can linger and savor.  You can reread your favorite parts.  With movies, the screenplay and the director determine how fast the story moves, and in this case, for me, it just didn't do the story justice.

What do you think?  Have you seen it and read it, and prefer one over the other?  Or do you have an example of a successful film adaptation?  Let me know in the comments!

Read it before you watch it

I know, I know.  I'm a librarian, and of course the book was better than the movie.  Now that we've gotten the expected response out of the way, I can say that it is often the case, but not always.  There are a slew of new movies coming out in the next couple of months based on great books, and on the off chance you'd like a head-start on them before you hit the theaters, here we go...

The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel.  A young man survives a terrible shipwreck, only to be stranded with another survivor...a Bengal tiger.  The book has been hugely popular among readers since its publication in 2001. 

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy.  I had to read this in high school.  And I actually liked it.  If you'd like to say you've read one of those weighty tomes of great literature, you could do much worse.  Passion, betrayal, fighting of social norms in order to find happiness.  This is one that I'm actually really excited to see in the theaters, and not just for Jude Law and Keira Knightly who are cast in the leads.  The screenplay was written by the amazing Tom Stoppard, knighted as a British playwright and a prolific writer for not just stage but also television, film and radio--you might also know him from his screenplay of Shakespeare in Love.

The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again, by J.R.R. Tolkien.  I admit it.  I'm a bit of a Tolkien geek.  And I loved The Lord of the Rings movies.  So I am a little giddy with anticipation of next month's release of The Hobbit's first installment.  If you've never considered reading this, I have to ask you to reconsider.  There is so much more to this than elves and little guys with fuzzy feet.  I promise.

One Shot, by Lee Child.  This one, I think I can safely say, is a no-brainer.  Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher?  I don't see it.  But if you want the story without the Cruise, try One Shot, which next month's movie is based on.  I promise, Lee Child doesn't disappoint. 

Speaking of odd choices in casting...  Tyler Perry as Alex Cross?  I'm sorry, but what in the actual hell?  I know, it's been out and is probably going to be on DVD in a minute and a half, but still.  What?  Look.  I'm not a huge fan of James Patterson's more recent work, but the early Cross novels were great.  I even really liked the film adaptations, I mean, Morgan Freeman.  What's not to like, right?  I can't even be serious about this latest reboot of the film franchise, Matthew Fox as Picasso aside.  Do yourselves a favor.  Go to the library and get Cross off the shelf instead.  Trust the librarian on this one.

I'm back next week with a few things to be thankful for.  In the meantime, happy reading (and watching!).

The Crimson Petal and the White

Way back in 2002, there was a debut novel written by Michael Faber called The Crimson Petal and the White.  Set in 1870's London, a prostitute finds wealth and power, if not happiness, after becoming the mistress of a powerful patriarch.  The novel received great critical acclaim.  It was beloved by many a reader, myself included, and a darling of book clubs everywhere.  There were some talks of film adaptation.  And then it slowly faded from the minds of readers as new titles came to the fore.

Imagine my shock and awe when I chanced upon a commercial over the weekend for an Encore miniseries in September based on The Crimson Petal and the White.  It was apparently made and released in the UK last year, and now Encore has picked it up.  Notable among the cast is Gillian Anderson, of X-Files fame.

Now, I'm not always a huge fan of film/television adaptations.  Some are popular despite huge departures (True Blood), some are really phenomenal (Game of Thrones, The Help).  I'm not sure where this particular miniseries will fall, but I'm really eager to find out!

Summer Reading Series, Part 3: “The Book Was Better…”

Don’t you hate it when people say that?  You’ve seen the movie, you loved it, and whoever has read it inevitably tells you that the movie got X, Y, and Z wrong, and how the book was so much better.  Annoying, right?  Sometimes, though, it’s worth going back and reading the book, just to see what all the fuss is about.  Trust me on this one.

This spring we saw Water for Elephants be released in theaters to rave reviews.  What some movie-goers might not realize, however, is that the book (by Sara Gruen) on which the movie was based has been a book discussion darling since its release in 2006.  And if you missed Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson on the big screen, you might consider grabbing the book this summer to tide you over until the DVD release later this year.  The premise?  In Depression-era America, a veterinary student abandons his schooling after the death of both his parents, and joins a second-rate traveling circus as their vet.  Poignant and beautifully written, this is a great addition to your stack of summer books.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding The Help, which is coming to theaters in August, and a lot of that stems from the huge love both readers and critics have had for this first novel from Kathryn Stockett since its debut in 2009.  Here at the library, it has been a favorite of patrons and staff alike, well-loved and highly recommended by all.  Stockett chose to make her characters intensely three-dimensional, resulting in readers cheering their favorites and hissing at their foes through to the very end.  The story covers the vast differences among household members in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962, the heart of the South and the middle of the American Civil Rights movement.  Rife with the ironies and hypocrisies that defined the era, the story follows a myriad of characters through struggle and triumph.  I also highly recommend listening to the audiobook, if it’s a format you like—the performance is absolutely riveting.  High praise?  You decide! 

Finally, while not a theatrical release, HBO’s Game of Thrones just closed its first season a few weeks ago, and fans are beyond excited that HBO has picked the show up for a second season, slated to run next spring.  Many fans are using the time between seasons to read ahead in this series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by author George R.R. Martin.  Season 1 stuck very closely to the first book in the series, titled A Game of Thrones, and fans can only hope that the series will continue to do so in seasons to come.  Book 5, A Dance with Dragons, comes out today (July 12), so there’s plenty of reading ahead to be had.  For those not familiar, Martin’s series is reminiscent of England during the War of the Roses, with the houses of Stark and Lannister standing in for the Yorks and Lancasters.  While the struggle between these two families for the Iron Throne is the main story, we also follow stories at the great wall in the north (beyond which lies magic and danger that grows stronger with the coming of a years-long winter) as well as a dragon princess across the sea who leads a tribe of nomads and dreams of reclaiming the Iron Throne for herself.  Engrossing and epic, this is a great series to lose yourself in for the summer!  (Also watch for season 1 on DVD, to be released this winter.)

Next in our Summer Reading Series:  But Megan, what about those of us who don’t read fiction??  Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!