Novel Ideas
The Book Rack Newsletter
October, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 2
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Did you know?
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The first book in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series is easy - A is
for Alibi, and the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich start with
1 - One for the Money. But did you know the first book in Jeffery
Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series is The Bone Collector? And the first book
in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series is Black Echo? And that Lee Child's
first Jack Reacher book is Killing Floor? Everybody's got
to start somewhere!
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This movie is based on the book...
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You hear that one of your favorite books is going to be made into a
movie. Are you elated? ("Yay, I get to see some of my favorite
characters on the big screen") Anxious? ("Can they possibly get it
right? Will it be just as I imagined it?") Downright downtrodden?
("I've seen too many disappointing movie adaptations to even try this
one.") Typically I have a mixture of emotions, but I always hold out hope
that it will be an enjoyable movie and a faithful adaptation.
I
recently saw Julie and Julia in the movie theater, based on Julie
Powell's memoir of the same title. In the book, Powell describes a
particularly difficult year in her life; she was miserable at work,
living in a teeny Queens, New York apartment and was feeling
directionless. At her husband's urging, she decides to start a blog.
She recalls her adolescent obsession with the Julia Child cookbook
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and decides the blog will be about
cooking her way through all 524 recipes in the book in one year's time. Nora Ephron, of When Harry
Met Sally fame, wrote the screenplay and directed the movie, and since
Julia Child played such a big role in Powell's memoir, (Julie imagines
Julia's life in France while she's cooking and frequently quotes from the cookbook), Ephron chose to base it
on both Powell's memoir and on Child's own memoir, My Life in France.
Having
read and absolutely loved both memoirs, I wasn't quite sure what to
expect from the movie. I had high hopes since everyone involved is of such high caliber. Meryl
Streep plays Julia Child, Amy Adams plays Julie Powell and Nora
Ephron is at the helm of the whole project. In my opinion, these are some of the most talented folks in the
business. But I was still a bit nervous that they'd be able to capture
the books as I'd imagined them.
Overall, the movie was great,
actually. The two stories were told side by side, so the action moves back and
forth between France in the late 1940s and Queens in 2002. They absolutely nailed the Julia Child parts of the movie; it was
just as Julia told it, and Meryl and Stanley Tucci (as Julia's husband Paul) really
captured the indomitable spirits of Julia and Paul Child finding their
way to fulfillment in the challenging post-war years. But the movie did
not do nearly as well portraying Julie Powell. In her book, she comes
off as bright and witty, with a wry misanthropic streak, but in
the movie, she's a whiny, self-centered and immature person. Since Julie wasn't how I imagined she'd be, and since she seemed like such a miserable character, it was
challenging to watch some of those sections of the movie. As movie adaptations of books go though,
this was surely one of the better ones.
When Hollywood makes movies, they
frequently draw on books for inspiration so there are just tons of movie adaptations out there. Here are just a few of my picks for the best and worst:
Best:
The Godfather (book by Mario Puzo)
The Hours (book by Michael Cunningham)
The Secret Life of Bees (book by Sue Monk Kidd)
Worst:
The Handmaid's Tale (book by Margaret Atwood)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (books by Lemony Snicket)
Sahara (book by Clive Cussler)
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Reader's Choice
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Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (Mystery)
Dr. Temperance Brennan is a forensic
anthropologist based in Montreal; she's divorced, a recovering
alcoholic and appears to have a serial killer on her hands. The
problem, besides finding the killer of course, is convincing her police
colleagues that the murders that keep happening have been committed by
the same person. She cries wolf once too often, falls victim to a lot
of chauvinism, and ends up going out to stalk the alleged killer on her
own - never a good idea! But she knows her stuff - much of the action
takes place in her lab - and she's a complex, likable character. This
is the first novel in an ever-growing series about Temperance Brennan.
The Fox show "Bones" is based on Temperance, but bears virtually no
resemblance to the plots and characters in the book, so you can enjoy
both and not spoil anything!
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Reader's Choice
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The Cove by Catherine Coulter (Romantic Suspense)
Sally Brainerd may or not have
committed a murder and runs away to stay with her aunt who lives in a
town that's a little too perfect... Before you know it, the murder that
took place moves to the back burner and she's embroiled in a whole new
mystery that she and her handsome new friend have to solve. This was
Coulter's first non-historical after a long run of super successful
historical romances. She is deft with plot and character and the
mystery was super spooky, but in the best way. You're never quite sure
who to trust, but finding that out is half the fun. This is the initial
book in her FBI series and will have you back at the store looking for
the Maze, the following book in the series.
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Reader's Choice
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Fade Away by Harlan Coben (Mystery)
Myron Bolitar is a sports agent...or is he a detective? The owner of
the local basketball team dangles an opportunity that Myron can't
refuse, it's just not the opportunity he'd hoped for. Instead of
getting back on the court with the boys, he's hired to unravel a
missing person situation which gets real ugly, real fast. There's
murder, blackmail and a custody suit, not to mention Myron's own
personal issues that make the process that much more difficult. With
help from his long-time friend Win, he navigates through the twists and
turns with his wit, charm and FBI detective skills.
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Reader's Choice
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Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg (Contemporary Women's Fiction)
Betta Nolan has just been
widowed and she does something she and her husband had always planned
to do - drive across the country. She stops outside Chicago for a meal
and quickly buys a house she absolutely falls in love with, thinking
that even though it's spontaneous, it's just the kind of thing her
husband would have encouraged. I loved that instead of having Betta
find the company of a man right
away, the author instead takes her on a journey where she uncovers many
wonderful
friendships, some with rather unusual folks. As usual, Berg creates
wonderful, real characters that you wish were your neighbors and
friends. A very satisfying book that deals with Betta's grief in a
realistic manner, while still telling a positive story.
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But the book was better...
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On October 16, Where the Wild Things Are comes out. This is the
long awaited adaptation of the classic children's book by Maurice
Sendak. This is a live action movie, rather than the expected animated
feature, and we'll go on Max's journey with him as he experiences a
wild jungle adventure.
Also on October 16, Cormac McCarthy's The
Road will be released. It stars Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron and
is about a father and son's search for civilization in a
post-apocalyptic landscape.
On October 23, Cirque Du
Freak: The Vampire's Assistant opens. The Cirque Du Freak series by
Darren Shan focuses on the adventures of a traveling freak show. Sounds
a bit macabre, but this is a hugely popular series of books for young
adults and the first adaptation is hotly anticipated by its fans. It
stars Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly.
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