Novels made to Movies Archives - Page 2 of 3

Dangerous Little Lies We Tell Ourselves Just to Survive…”Big Little Lies”, by Liane Moriarty

It seems like any other school fundraiser, but P&C Trivia Night at the local public school in Pirriwee ends with disaster. Author Moriarty is known for her knack for creating main characters who are so believable that any one of us could know them as a next door neighbor, or a friend at PTO.

Big Little Lies is a complicated, yet also simple, story of ordinary people who end up in an extraordinary situation. The reader knows that one character will not be living at the book’s end, but they have no clue as to which character, until the very end of the book. Will it be gregarious, passionate Madeline, who does not use her “filter” if confronting a foe, especially her ex-husband or his new, younger wife. Will it be Celeste, the town beauty who can stop small town traffic with her looks, and the sight of her two energetic twin boys. Or, will it be the young newcomer, Jane, who is a very young single mom, who the others have decided to mentor. The reader finds out after reading through the “brilliant take on ex-husbands, second wives, mothers and daughters, school booard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive”.

Moriarty writes books that keep the reader page turning into the wee hours of the morning, just too good to put down. The film adaptation, by David E. Kelley, tells the tale of three mothers of first graders, whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to show the truth…… even to the point of murder. The film stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

Acting as Computers….”Hidden Figures”, by Margot Lee Shetterly

Only when she was grown and married, did author Margot Lee Shetterly discover the amazing people with whom she shared a neighborhood as she was growing up. Margot grew up in the Hampton, Virginia area, with Langley Air Force Base just miles away. Langley was the headquarters of the Aeronautical Research and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). NACA had the mission to transform flying gadgets into war machines. They were dissolved as an agency in 1958, and was replaced by the agency we all know today, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). At that point the race for space superiority gained speed. In this fertile environment is where author Shetterly found a most miraculous story.

On the cusp of the beginning of World War II, with no computers or technology to speak of, the government needed help with their aeronautical advancement and number crunching. The solution was to hire women to shoulder the burden ……… they acted as computers, freeing the engineers to focus on their trained profession. The women were extremely successful and sharp, carrying out the task with excellence.

The author described the chosen women as both ordinary and extraordinary, as she shines a light on the women’s lives and accomplishments. The African-American women were called the West Computers, after the area to which they were assigned. Author Shetterly decided that books have been written about the astronauts, the engineers, and now it was the women’s turn to have their story told. They were at the heart of all achievements accomplished by the Center. They crunched numbers for every function of a plane, contributing to the constantly changing designs, making the flying machines of war, faster, safer, and more aerodynamic. Katherine Johnson worked on computations for Mercury and Apollo missions, and Christine Darden’s work advanced supersonic flight. In the 1970’s new technology advances made the job of the Western Computers obsolete. It is not known exactly how many women participated in the Western Computers project, since social customs of the era dictated that women could only work until they were married and had children. After that occurred, their careers were over, and they became full time homemakers and mothers.

The book has been adapted for screen, starring Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson, and is now in theaters. “Langley was not just a laboratory of science and engineering…….in many ways it was a racial relations laboratory, and a gender relations laboratory, says author Shetterly.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

Searching for the Meaning of Existence…”A Dog’s Purpose”, by W. Bruce Cameron

The delightful novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Purpose, is a must read for anyone who enjoys animals, especially dogs. It is an interesting concept to think that one dog (Bailey) has a much shorter than expected life, but gets several more chances to answer the question many of us ask ourselves……..why am I here at this moment in time? The reader travels the journey with Bailey, as you see his world through his eyes, as he serves as a motivator and teacher for a wide spectrum of owners.

A Dog’s Purpose is currently due to premier as a soulful family film. Bailey, in his search for the meaning of his own existence, finds himself dying then coming back as a different breed of canine puppy. One of his owners is eight year old Ethan, where he has a loving relationship with the little boy, as they have countless adventures together. The story gives a dog’s eye view of the importance of human-animal bonding, which is a very popular subject in human mental and physical health. Bailey, in his various lives, teaches his human owners the importance of believing that love never dies, that our most important friends never leave us, and that “every creature on earth has a purpose”.

The screen adaptation of A Dog’s Purpose is directed by Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Dear John, etc), and produced by Gavin Polone (TV’s Gilmore Girls). Josh Gad is the voice of Bailey with actors Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, John Ortiz, Peggy Lipton, and Dennis Quaid. The film will be distributed by Universal Pictures.

Get your digital audio copy today!!!

The Moral Dilemma of Right and Wrong…”The Light Between Oceans”, by M.L. Stedman

In an exquisite novel, author M. L. Stedman presented the moral dilemma of right and wrong in a very complicated situation. Tom Sherbourne, a World War I veteran has accepted a position as an Australian lighthouse keeper to move away from civilization as much as possible. However, in the small town where he must get supplies, Tom meets a beautiful girl who becomes smitten with him. One reviewer suggested that maybe he was so appealing to her because he was one of only a few who returned from the war with both legs.

Isabel joins Tom on the isolated island, where supplies are only delivered once per year, and leave is only granted every other year. In great desire to have a child, Isabel suffers two miscarriages and a heartbreaking stillbirth. While being inundated with overwhelming grief, Isabel hears a baby’s cries through the sound of the wind. As it turned out, a man washed up on shore in a small boat, but was found dead. However, much to Isabel’s wonder, a living baby was found in the boat. And so began the moral dilemma for Tom. He wanted to report the dead man and the baby, but Isabel convinced him to go along with her plan to present the baby as their own. What seemed like justice for the agony the couple had suffered, turned out to be a tragic loss for someone else.

Derek Cianfrance directed the film adaptation of Stedman’s book in the melodrama of the same name. Tom is played by Michael Fassbender, and Isabel is played by Alicia Vikander. The dialogue is sparse, and the imagery is very beautiful with the lighthouse scenes and the dramatic, crashing waves. The beauty is intensified by the music which is from a score by Alexandre Desplat.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

After 30 Years….”The Force Awaken” (Star Wars), by Alan Dean Foster

Approximately 30 years after Return of the Jedi, comes The Force Awakens. It traces Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron and their battle with the Resistance. Led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance, they fight members who are decedents of the Galactic Empire.

“Thirty years after the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, disappeared. The First Order has risen from the remains of the Fallen Galactic Empire, and seeks to eliminate Luke and the Republic.”
The Force Awakens was filmed in Abu Dhabi and Iceland, and other photography took place in Ireland and England. It premiered on December 18, 2015, which was more than 10 years after the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sixth. The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, and others.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

Inside His Brain….”Grey”, by E.L. James

To celebrate fictional character, Christian Grey’s birthday, author E. L. James, announced a new book which tells the erotic story of 50 Shades of Grey, from Christian’s viewpoint, entitled “Grey: Fifty Shades“. James said she had so many fans request a version of her best-selling novel which shows the billionaire playboy as seen through his own eyes.

The book was shrouded in strict secrecy, with one rumor being that a copy of the new version had been stolen. However, no proof was ever found, so the police investigation was suspended. Now, copies are circulating and reviews have started being printed. One such review said, “James’ characteristic internal monologs provide a direct line into Christian’s mind, revealing his deepest, darkest desires…..and they don’t disappoint”. (Francesca Cookery….Vietnam)

The book is said to continue in the same “harder, coarser, and more direct attitude……..destroying the criticism of some that the books are “light” erotica or “mummy porn”.

Get your digital audio copy today!!!

“Fifty Shades of Grey”…by E.L. James

British author, E. L. James, published a highly controversial novel about erotic romance. Fifty Shades of Grey is the first in the Fifty Shades trilogy, published in 2011, with the second and third volumes, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, published in 2012. The trilogy follows a maturing relationship between characters, Anastasia Steele, a college graduate, and Christian Grey, a young, billionaire businessman. The novel is noted for it’s explicit mental visual of sexual practices involving “bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM)”.

The series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. It set a record in James’s own country, the United Kingdom, as the fastest selling paperback of all time. Critics have given mixed reviews of the novel with the sexual content and less than perfect prose. However, the film adaptation is due out on Valentine’s Day 2015.

Fifty Shades of Grey, the movie, is directed by Sam-Taylor Johnson. The novel, which became a global phenomenon, .stars Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele. The other two novels in the trilogy have been confirmed to be upcoming sequels to the current movie. The rumor is that Dorman and Johnson (daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, and in her first major role) did not get along very well, so there is a question of whether they will star in the sequels.

Get your digital audio copy today!!!

The Legend….”American Sniper”, by Chris Kyle and Scott McEwen

“American Sniper” by authors Scott McEwen, Jim DeFelice, and Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, is an account of SEAL Kyle’s career from 1999 to 2009 as having the most career sniper kills in U. S. military history. The insurgents in Iraq feared him more than anyone, and called him al-Shaitan (the devil). He had a $20,000 bounty placed on his head by the insurgents.

Through four combat deployments, Kyle fought alongside fellow SEALS, Marines, and Army soldiers earning legendary respect from all. He protected them from rooftops and from positions that were totally undetected. He earned seven medals for bravery with the inclusion of two Silver Stars. He was also awarded the Grateful Nation Award from the Jewish Institute for National Security. After his deployments were completed, he became a chief instructor for the training of Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter Sniper teams.

Chris Kyle’s account of his extraordinary battle experiences will rank as one of the greatest war memoirs of all time. Clint Eastwood has directed a by the book interpretation of “American Sniper”. The movie has been Academy Award nominated for best movie, actor, actress, supporting actor, and supporting actress. The end of this remarkable life will bring even the most jaded of readers to tears.

Get your digital audio copy today!!!

Perfect Teenage Story with Refined Rage Against What Is Perceived To Be the Cruel And Powerful Adult World…”Mockingjay”, by Suzanne Collins

As the last installment of The Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins published Mockingjay in August of 2010. The book carries forth the story of Katniss Everdeen. She and her sister and friends are working at unifying the district of Panem, as there is rebellion against the tyrannical Capitol. They live in the highly structured District 13, where the attempt at unification is being spearheaded. Katniss grudgingly agrees to act as the poster child for the rebellion….. the Mockingjay.

The ins and outs of battles, missions, and attempted assassinations, fill the fictional novel with excitement, mystery, deception, loyalty, and betrayal. The series tackles issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war. The main theme can be boiled down to being a seemingly perfect teenage story with refined rage against what is perceived to be the cruel and powerful adult world.

The film adaptation of Mockingjay, Part 1 is set to be released on November 21, 2014, and Part 2 on November 20, 2015. Francis Lawrence, director of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, returns to direct the two final movies. Cast members are! Jennifer Lawrence, Katniss Everdeen; Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, and others.

Get your digital audio copy today!!!

Strength and Healing….”Wild”, by Cheryl Strayed

The non-fiction novel by Cheryl Strayed, “Wild”, was voted best non-fiction book of 2012 by several review outlets. The personal story she relates is from her experience in making an impulsive decision to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. The route originated in the Mojave Desert and continued through California, Oregon, and ended in Washington State. The most harrowing part of the impulsive decision…she did it alone.

When just twenty-two years of age, Cheryl felt that she had lost everything in her young life. Her mother passed away, which prompted the family to scatter to other places leaving her alone. And, if that weren’t enough trauma, her own marriage fell apart. It was then that she made the commitment to begin her journey.

Wild is a powerful narrative of a young woman who feels desperation and the need to connect with nature on her own terms. The novel captures all the terror and triumphs of one young woman who forged ahead on her journey against all odds. The experience was maddening, but also resulted in giving her strength and healing.

The film adaptation of “Wild” is due to be released on December 5, 2014. The movie will give justification to the motto of the book…”From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.” The movie will star Reese Witherspoon as Strayed, with cast members Laura Dern (as Strayed’s mother), Toby Hoffman, Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman, and Kevin Rankin. Director for the project is Jean-Marc Vallee’, distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Get your digital audio copy today!!!