Read It Before You See It!

There are a lot of books being made into movies or TV shows these days. Here are some of the ones getting a lot of buzz:

 

Shogun by James Clavell: This story of an Englishman making his way in Japanese feudal society was a surprise bestseller in 1975.  The 1980 mini-series starred Richard Chamberlain and was a blockbuster success. Main does own a copy of it on DVD.  The new F/X version is also a ratings winner and is receiving much praise for its careful recreation of a place and time.

Another 1975 book getting a second mini-series treatment is Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot.  This tale of vampires invading a town was first filmed in 1979; the second version should air later this year on MAX.

This year’s Academy Award went to Oppenheimer, the story of the scientist who helped create the atomic bomb. It was based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. It also netted acting Oscars for Cillian Murphey and Robert Downey, Jr.  The library owns a DVD copy of the movie.

Fool Me Once is the latest Harlan Coben book to be turned into a film. Maya’s nanny cam captures an image of her husband, Joe, playing with their daughter. The catch is that Joe was murdered two weeks earlier. . . . The filmed version is on Netflix.

Dune 2 is still in theatres, but if you want to know what happens next you may want to read Dune by Frank Herbert. This is the first in the series which continues with Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune. The series (and prequels to the series) have been continued by Herbert’s son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson.

A Russian count is placed under arrest in a hotel during the Revolution.  Ewan McGregor stars in  A Gentleman in Moscow based on the book by Amor Towles. It will air on Paramount+ and Showtime.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris has been a very popular book at the library. Based on a true story of the man who was tasked with tattooing numbers on Jewish prisoners and who falls in love with one of them, the mini-series is scheduled to air on Peacock.