Novels made to Movies Archives - AudiobooksNow Blog

Don’t Look at the “It”….”Birdbox”, by Josh Malerman

Like some amusement park rides, perhaps this book needs a warning for those with heart issues. Author, Josh Malerman, has written a very suspenseful tale of a beyond odd occurrence happening to ordinary people in a world gone berserk. For five years people have lived in fear of “whatever ‘it’ is”. The person who sees the evil, immediately becomes deadly violent. Nobody knows whether it is man, alien, beast, or monster……it is just always out there waiting for the next victim.

“It” has been out there for five years, and just a few scattered survivors remain, among them is Malorie and her two young children. They live in an abandoned house close to the river, and she constantly thinks of some way to escape to a better place. The children are four now, so she feels it is time to try to escape. But, it must be very carefully planned, or they will all three perish. The journey will be beyond terrifying with a twenty mile downriver rowboat trip. Oh, and did I mention….blindfolded!

People rarely leave their houses, but when they do they are wearing blindfolds. That gives them some small protection by keeping them from seeing “It”. Violence and danger is fear creating enough, but add no sense of sight to the equation, and it becomes terrifying.

This has been described as among the best books to provide so much suspense in the writing style that you feel immersed in the storyline…….right there along with Malorie and her children…… a truly spooky thriller novel…. people wandering around in an apocalyptic world with only their sense of smell, touch, and hearing.

Movie adaptation, staring Sandra Bullock, was release in December on Netflix.

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Life Changing Decisions…”Every Breath” by Nicholas Sparks

American romance novelist, Nicholas Sparks, has written many award winning novels, with several having been adapted to film. His work has been enjoyed by millions all over the world. In his newest offering, Every Breath, the age old dilemma of making choices from the heart or from reality hits home. Almost everyone has had to make a similar decision, and it is never an easy choice.
Hope Anderson has been with her orthopedic surgeon boyfriend for six years, and does not see any signs of a commitment being made. She is thirty-six years old, and had always thought she would be married by now. And to make matters even worse, her father has been diagnosed with the life ending disease, ALS. Hope must now go to their Sunset Beach, North Carolina cottage to refresh it to begin the sale process. She will use the time to think about possible decisions she must make about her future.

Tru Walls is on an adventure of his own. He received a message from a man claiming to be his father. He was invited to Sunset Beach to meet this man to find out if he was the father he had never met. He made the long trip there from Zimbabwe, to lear
n more about his mother’s early life. She passed away before he was able to find out details from his mother.
When Hope and Tru cross paths, it seemed to be love at first sight. Neither ever imagined that such a connection would ever happen, but here they both were at a most vulnerable time. Every Breath explores that mysterious time when each character has life changing decisions facing them, and now, how will their new found love influence those decisions?

In the same romantic tradition as previous Nicholas Sparks novels…….The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe…….a chance encounter becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals. Readers will wonder if this novel will follow the previous two mentioned, to become an extremely popular movie. Time will tell.

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Good Enough For The “Crazy Rich Asians”, by Kevin Kwan

For those, like me, who have never heard about the Asian rich, the novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians, will be a real eye opener. It is presented with a lot of humor and drama, so according to many readers, it is a true page turner. The whole story is based around one of the most prestigious heirs in a wealthy Chinese family who brings home his American-born Chinese girlfriend to attend the wedding of the season.

Rachel Chu, who is an ABC girl, agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend and his family. She is expecting a normal family atmosphere, of which she is familiar. What she finds upon her arrival in Singapore is not in any way normal. She finds that her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, is a member of one of Singapore’s wealthiest families. He is one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors. His family home looks like a palace, travels in planes more than cars, with more wealth than can be imagined. The problem for Rachel is that nobody, including Nick’s mother, thinks Rachel is good enough for Nick.

There are many characters in Kwan’s book to be remembered. His choice to cover this accurate phenomenon in Asia through humor, contributes to the enjoyable, quick read. This culture in Asia has been described as
” uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw dropping opulence”. “Crazy Rich Asians is an insider’s look at the Asian Jet-Set…….a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money……between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese. A humorous depiction of what it is like to be young, in love, and crazy rich!

Film adaptation, which is directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh was released on August 15th.

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From Where The Force Awakens Ended, to…”The Last Jedi” begins…by Jason Fry

Star Wars fans have been very surprised at their own delight in reading the official adaptation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi by author Jason Fry. With the input from director Rian Johnson, the author expands on the film by including scenes from unused portions of the script and other content. And so begins another threat to the Empire and the galaxy’s freedom by the evil First Order.

The novel has been described as reading like a real book, and much better than the book created from The Force Awakens. It gives the reader the sense of something new, even though you already know the source for most of the story.

The heroes in the story provide a good example by admitting their mistakes, and better yet, learning from them. A great theme for all readers, but especially young readers. All the characters……Snoke, Hux, Luke, Ben Solo, Leia, and Rey…..were captured beautifully and emotionally in the new, untouched scenes crafted by the consulting director.

“Where the action of Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended, Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins, as the battle between light and dark climbs to astonishing new heights”.

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A Fantastic Voyage in Believing That There is GOOD in the World…”A Wrinkle In Time”, by Madeleine L’Engle

What would you do if your scientist father was experimenting with a fifth dimension, then suddenly disappeared? You would, of course, try to find your father by whatever means possible. For Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin, the time had come to rescue Mr. Murry from whatever dimension had grabbed him. Author L’Engle is well into her 80’s, but those who have met her say she is spirited, engaging, challenging and very sharp for any age. She autographed one reader’s copy of A Wrinkle in Time by inscribing…….with love and a flourish, “ananda”! The ending word loosely means bliss or joy. What an amazing comment by such a spirited author.

Creativity is the central word to describe this book. From its wonderful names, such as Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Witch who were lively supernatural neighbors. Then, there is the lovely Aunt Beast. The three ladies, whose names begin with W, are escorts for the Murry children and their friend from Meg’s school into the universe and into the fifth dimension to try to rescue their father.

The story ramps up in excitement……so much so that most children might become a little frightened and anxious. This commonly happens when a story deals with the forces of good and evil. Fortunately, for the reader, the story does have a happy ending. One reviewer said what we can all wish……I love believing there is GOOD in the world…….but sometimes we still feel sad.

Major motion picture, starring Oprah Winfrey, Reece Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Storm Reid and Chris Pine was released to theaters on March 89, 2018.

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What is Legitimate and What is Not??…”Two Kinds of Truth”, by Michael Connelly

There are very few authors who could continue a series about the same main character for 22 episodes, but author Michael Connelly has done just that with his Harry Bosch series. His newest in the series, The Two Kinds of Truth, is another page Turner for Harry Bosch fans. For someone who retired from the very stressful LAPD job, he stays very busy with the San Fernando Police Department, comprised of just three detectives.

Harry’s new position has him tackling a stack of cold cases. However, as he was delving into the cold cases, a new case came up. A father and son, both pharmacists, have been murdered. Harry is immediately thrown into an undercover position and must enter into a very dark world of drug dealing by script. As if illegal drug dealing is not enough, now it is difficult to distinguish what is legitimate and what is not.

Harry also gets pulled back into an old LAPD case where an inmate on death row is claiming that Harry planted evidence on him. The reader will find both cases intertwining as Harry works on both.
“The two unrelated cases wind around each other like strands of barbed wire. Along the way Bosch discovers that there are two kinds of truth: the kind that sets you free, and the kind that leaves you buried in darkness.”

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Showing Compassion and a Sense of Humanity…”Wonder”, by R.L. Palacio

“It’s okay, I know I’m weird-looking, take a look, I don’t bite”…… and such is the story-line for author, R. L. Palacio’s newest book…Wonder. It has always been a mystery to me why anyone can be non-compassionate, when it comes to treating others who have challenges or frailties. If you are fortunate and blessed to be what we think of as “normal”, then that should make it compulsory to be kind and sympathetic to those who were not so fortunate. The story of August (Auggie) Pullman shows the kind side of kind people, and the cruel side of cruel people……with not all cruelty coming from his child peers……hard to believe that adults would ever be as cruel as they sometimes are.

Auggie is just 10 years old, and is starting in a private school for the first time. He has a very severe facial deformity that causes others to feel very sorry for him, or very cruel to him. He has a great attitude, as evidenced by the first sentence of this review, but even with the best attitude, his everyday life is full of very high moments as well as those dreaded low ones. Author Palacio captures the story of Auggie’s personal growth as well as others who surround him each day. It is a complicated web of emotions among family and friends as they cheer for him as he learns some of life’s hardest lessons.

Whether author Palacio had intended it or not, the book has spurred a new discussion of showing compassion and a sense of humanity when interacting with those who through no fault of their own, have physical or mental challenges. Hopefully, those who read the book, or see the movie, will either reinforce their current sensitivity toward those like Auggie, or will have a change of heart and develop the sensitivity they should have as a human being.

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The Great Motivator…”Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought England Back from the Brink”, by Anthony McCarten

It has been said of Winston Churchill, “He was speaking to the nation, the world, and indeed to history……..Author, Anthony McCarten, has written a very descriptive non-fiction novel, The Theory of Everything, about Winston Churchill, the man, the politician, and the Prime Minster of Great Britain. He faced many daunting and stressful moments during the Nazi terrorism in Europe. His main goal was to make sure that Great Britain retained its sovereignty, even secretly giving a passing thought that a peace treaty with the Nazis Regime might have to be a consideration.

Many of our oldest citizenry can remember as children, their families huddled around a radio which had a very weak signal, causing it to sound like a scratched record. They were waiting on the next speech from either our President or Winston Churchill as to what was happening in the war. Churchill was known for his inspiring speeches. Those speeches were not in any way impromptu, but instead were rehearsed and revised as needed before being given publicly. One reader said that one speech made them.want to sign up for a war that happened even before their parents were born. Churchill was most definitely a great motivator when it came to his speeches.

We tend to place such people as Churchill on a pedestal, thinking they do everything with perfection, but McCarten’s novel shows the human side of such a leader, the side that we all have of human vulnerability. The vulnerability of a man on whose shoulders rested the fate of the world during the spring weeks of 1940. He, like every other human being, wrestled with self-doubt, actual failures, and the baggage given to him from a distant and judgmental father.
The Theory of Everything is considered by most reviewers to be a very interesting and worthwhile read about Churchill, World War II and just in speech writing in general. The book is slated to become a movie starring Gary Oldman.

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People Aren’t Always What They Seem…”Tom Clancy Point of Contact”, by Mike Maden

In a thriller that could be taken from current headlines, Tom Clancy Point of Contact will keep its readers on their toes with suspense and a very active last hundred or so pages. Even though the beloved author, Tom Clancy, has passed, his essence is carried on by various authors writing in the same vane as Clancy. In Point of Contact, The Campus and Jack Ryan, Jr. continue their secret work as they have done in previous novels by Clancy. In this episode, Jack Ryan, Jr. is partnered with Paul Brown at the request of Senator Rhodes, a defense contractor, who needs a job in Singapore done very quickly. Jack Ryan knows nothing of Paul Brown’s secrets……not exactly just the mild-mannered forensic accountant he appears to be. And, Paul Brown has no idea that Jack Ryan, Jr. works for The Campus, a top-secret American intelligence agency. An interesting pairing for sure.

The Tom Clancy novels are known by their readers as taking place in the Jack Ryan universe. Together Ryan and Brown race to escape both the killer storm bearing down on Singapore, and the assassins who have been paid to see that both are exterminated. They do this for self-preservation and to try to prevent a global catastrophe.

Tom Clancy Point of Contact describes in detail how people who are essentially good, can do very bad things, can be manipulated, lied to, threatened and bullied. In this Clancy-eske thriller, there are fights, espionage, betrayal, politicians, gangsters, and special operators. To round out the Clancy character filled novel, also added are beautiful women and dangerous bad guys. We all know how things can go wrong in the blink of an eye, and people aren’t always what they seem.

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Master of Military Strategy and Lethal Warfare…”Thrawn”, by Timothy Zahn

Even though Thrawn seems to be one of the most iconic villains in the history of Star Wars, many avid readers find themselves rooting for him and The Empire in the book by Timothy Zahn. Of course, they are not the good guys, but his character development is the best of any of the main characters. Author Zahn chronicles the fateful events that gave the blue-skinned, red-eyed, master of military strategy and lethal warfare his rise into the highest levels of power……and infamy.

Reviewers generally seem to approve of Thrawn more in Zahn’s book much more than in the Legend series, and much better than he is portrayed in the Rebels film series. A definite plug has been given to the audio book format. Reviewers feel that the narrator, Marc Thompson is so good that he is by far the choice to narrate all Star Wars books. Lucasfilm does a great job in creating the perfect mood with the appropriate music and sound effects. One critic says it is more like listening to a radio drama, than an audio book.

As one reviewer adequately stated: “This is a perfect character study. It’s the Thrawn we always wanted but never got in Legends, and finally, he’s in all his glory, in the Star Wars canon”.

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