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.

Nevermore: Becoming, Mrs. Lincoln, Dune, Reindeer Moon, IQ84

Reported by Ambrea 

This week, Nevermore checked out Becoming:  A Memoir by former First Lady Michelle Obama.  In her memoir, Obama chronicles her entire life—from her childhood in Chicago to her years as an executive to her life in the White House—with wit, humor, and honesty.  After being on hold for a while, our reader finally had the chance to read Becoming and she had very high praise for Michelle Obama’s memoir.  She said it was an interesting book, noting it was refreshing to read a memoir that didn’t focus on politics but on the experiences of the First Lady.  Intelligent, well written, and revelatory, Becoming received high marks from our reader and she highly recommended it to her fellow Nevermore members.

Next, Nevermore slipped back in time with another First Lady:  Mary Todd Lincoln.  In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini, Elizabeth Hobs Keckley was born as a slave.  A gifted seamstress, she earned her freedom with the skill of her needle and, eventually, won the friendship of Lincoln herself.  Our reader said Chiaverini’s novel was “such a good [book] to read.”  She found it a fascinating examination of the society of Washington D.C. and the White House, as told through the lens of a former slave.  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers, saying it was a fascinating true-to-life story about the dressmaker who was a witness to history.

Shifting gears, Nevermore ventured further back into time with Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.  Told from the perspective Yanan, a young hunter-gatherer who lived more than twenty thousand years ago, Reindeer Moon is an intriguing exploration of early human history on the Siberian plain.  Our reader enjoyed Thomas’ novel, noting it was “very neat” to read.  It was an insightful, imaginative, and very compelling.  She particularly liked that Yanan narrates her own story, crafting an intimate and memorable story.

Next, Nevermore explored a different planet with Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel, Dune.  Born on the desert planet of Arrakis, Paul Atreides is the heir apparent of House Atreides, one of the most powerful noble houses in the galactic empire, and set to become the ruler of the planet.  But beneath the sands of Arrakis, there lurks something sinister beneath the sands and in the House of Atreides.  Our reader considered Dune to be an “okay” book.  It had some interesting parts, but, “[as a sci-fi novel,] it’s what you expect it to be.”  She wasn’t particularly surprised by the plot and she wasn’t thrilled by the action-y bits, but she said it was a decent book with an interesting premise and characters.

Last, Nevermore checked out IQ84 by Haruki Murakami.  Set in Tokyo during the year 1984, this story follows a young woman named Aomame and an inspiring writer called Tengo, whose narratives begin to converge in the most astonishing way.  As the year progresses, their lives become tangled in profound and unexpected ways.  Our reader, who is a huge fan of Haruki Murakami, said IQ84 was the “neverending story.”  Although she enjoyed his novel, she noted it is very surreal and very strange.  She recommended it to fans of Murakami, but, be warned, “it’s very, very long.”