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June 2008
View this as a webpage |
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THIS MONTH
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In May, I talked about Passion for Books, and how that
carried over to another passion: music (jazz in particular). This
month, I continue the theme of overlapping passions by presenting
books that became great movies.
I adore movies. It's funny; if I spend two hours watching
television, it feels like time wasted, but watching a movie rarely
does (I will be polite and not mention the exceptions that come to
mind). Typically I find the book superior to the film, because
imagination is so powerful. Sometimes they get the villain's
moustache wrong, or cut out the tender bit with Aunt Irma, or the
director's vision just didn't match mine. Most importantly, even
longer films have a limited amount of time to tell the story, and
there are bound to be subtleties, nuances, and details lost in
translation.
This month's Avid Reader showcases books that have been made into
superior motion pictures, both modern and classic. And because no
experience is complete without a good nosh, I'll offer recommended
snack pairings, as well.
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Win a Selection of Hot Summer Books! |
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BOOKS IN REVIEW
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Find:
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Modern
The Princess Bride
by William Goldman
The Princess Bride has something for everyone (unless
you're a fuddy-duddy). Pirates, swordplay, murder, a princess,
death, kidnapping, true love, revenge (served ice-cold, of course),
a giant, and even a fire swamp. The film adaptation is brilliant
and amazing, and leaves me smiling and satisfied with every viewing
(and there have been many). Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya
("Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father! Prepare to
die."), Andre the Giant as Fezzik, Wallace Shawn, Cary Elwes, Robin
Wright-Penn, and more…the characters are cast perfectly, and
play off each other effortlessly.
This is also an example of how much a book and film can differ,
which is not necessarily a bad thing. The book, in my opinion,
meanders too far off course on several occasions, and is so rife
with footnotes, asides, and strange tangents that it somewhat
compromises the joy and simplicity of the main narrative. In that
regard, the film is more successful and fun. However, I don't know
if I'd enjoy the movie nearly as much as I do without having read
the book, which also delves far more deeply into the personal
histories of Fezzik, Inigo, Buttercup and more, and I wouldn't miss
that for the world. This is a story so wonderful it should be
enjoyed in every format available. If ever there is a puppet show
of The Princess Bride, I'll be first in line.
Recommended snacking: Chocolate (chocolate-coated miracle
pills, if on hand), or a nice MLT (mutton, lettuce and tomato
sandwich). |
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Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?
by Philip K. Dick
Dystopian, dark and disturbing, Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep? tells the story of Rick Deckard, who hunts replicants
masquerading as humans on Earth. The year is 2019, and the
replicants are intended only to do work on Earth's off-world
colonies, but some have returned illegally to Earth. The book and
film are quite different, and while Blade Runner (as the film
version was titled) is one of my favourite movies, the book is
superior in this case, with a lot of interesting political and
socio-economic subtext that's absent in the film.
Recommended snacking: take-out noodles (best from
a sketchy stand). |
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The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Stevens is a butler. He works for Lord Darlington, has done for
years, and takes his role extremely seriously, elevating it almost
to the status of art form, rather than job. The story is told from
his perspective, and he is so quietly understated that it would be
easy for the reader to miss the heartbreak behind his words.
Stevens becomes increasingly paralyzed by his duty and emotions, to
the detriment of his own happiness and love. The motion picture is
excellent, and Anthony Hopkins a superb choice, but the book is
perfection.
Recommended snacking: crustless cucumber
sandwiches and a good cuppa. |
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Shoeless Joe
by W.P. Kinsella
I am no fan of Kevin Costner, as a rule. The exception, however,
has to be his baseball movies, both Bull Durham and especially
Field of Dreams, adapted from W.P. Kinsella's Shoeless
Joe. This is an instance where the film upstaged the book.
James Earl Jones is genius as a reclusive writer, and there are
times the viewer does wonder if Ray (Costner) is indeed crazy for
plowing his corn field under because the voices told him to. But
it's easy to get caught up in the sense of magic and wonder, and to
believe.
Recommended snacking: What else? Corn (creamed,
if you like, but I suggest popped). |
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The Witches of Eastwick
by John Updike
The Witches of Eastwick is another example of a film
adaptation differing greatly from the original text. Both versions
concern three women with magical abilities and their relationship
to a new man in town. Both focus on themes of love, jealousy,
sexism and revenge. However, where the movie portrays the three
women as basically good and redeemable, the book is much darker,
and the trio is vindictive, dangerous and out for blood, and the
man in town is painted as less of a cheating bachelor and more of a
truly evil villain.
Recommended snacking: Cherries (careful of the
pits). |
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Classic
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
The Wizard of Oz is certainly remembered as a film - Judy
Garland's sweet singing voice, the fantastical story, the oddball
characters met along the yellow brick road and the brilliant
Technicolor all help to make it unforgettable (not to mention the
winged monkeys, of which I was terrified as a child). It's a
classic favorite for a reason, and enduring - having been released
almost 70 years ago, it is still consistently mentioned as one of
the top fantasy films ever made.
But have you also read the amazing children's novel by L. Frank
Baum from which the movie originated? Titled The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz, the book was first published in 1900. It was the
first of a series, and differed in many ways from the film released
in 1939. For one thing, Dorothy's time in Oz wasn't a dream in the
book version, but a real adventure. And she was given magic silver
shoes, which became - you guessed it - the ruby slippers in the
film adaptation. A wildly popular book for children, The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a must-read for fantasy-lovers of
any age.
Recommended snacking: (Somewhere Over the)
Rainbow Sherbet. |
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Breakfast at Tiffany's
by Truman Capote
Audiences everywhere have been charmed by Audrey Hepburn's
wide-eyed portrayal of the naïve and lovable Holly Golightly
since the film's release in 1961. Arguably Hepburn's most
well-known role, Holly Golightly feels lost and afraid of adulthood
- even as far as naming her cat. See where she originated - in
Truman Capote's 1958 novella of the same name.
Recommended snacking: Breakfast, of course (with
a cocktail). |
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest
by Ken Kesey
Gregarious and charismatic, it's tough not to like Randle
McMurphy, who brings life and humor to the mental hospital he is
remanded to after a prison work term. The film is a remarkable
masterpiece, but if you've never read the book, you're missing out;
if possible, Nurse Ratched is even scarier in print. The
frustration, intolerance and sorrow are palpable in its pages - but
so is the irrepressible joy we can bring to each other.
Recommended snacking: Whiskey (preferably
stolen). Definitely no vegetables. |
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Doctor Zhivago
by Boris Pasternak
A dramatic, compelling love story set smack-dab in the middle of
the Russian Revolution, Doctor Zhivago struggled to be
published - it was originally smuggled out of the Soviet Union.
Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Alec Guinness all contributed to
the film's successful rise to celebrated classic. Even at a
whopping 197 minutes, the film doesn't capture everything in the
book. Find out what you missed.
Recommended snacking: Nothing. Or, if you must,
some good dark bread and a bottle of Stolichnaya. |
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To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Despite serious themes of racism, injustice and rape, To Kill
a Mockingbird is about a single father trying to raise his
children with dignity, love and understanding. Very much an
understated hero, Atticus Finch astonishes his children when they
see him in the courtroom, and realize their boring father is
actually an extraordinary man. Gregory Peck played the role to
perfection, but there's so much more in the book. Don't miss
it.
Recommended snacking: Ham (watch out for chicken
wire). |
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Want more?
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Modern
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Classic
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Books with Free Shipping! |
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SHELF TALK
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Pooh-Poohing Pooh: Where Hollywood Gets it Wrong
by Richard Davies - PR Manager; Resident Brit.
Since we're talking about books turned into movies, I have to let
off some steam - there should not, I repeat not, be a gopher in
Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh movies. It was a cynical
ploy to Americanize the most British of children's stories, and it
gets my goat every time I see that whistling gopher, which I see
frequently because I have a five-year-old and a two-year-old. Why
didn't Disney just go the whole hog and have Pooh addicted to hot
dogs rather than honey? Do you reckon AA Milne, who went to Cambridge and smoked a pipe, was
inspired by gophers? I think not.
Hollywood frequently messes up books. They just can't help
themselves, it must be all that blazing sunshine in California. The
worst book-to-film adaptation has to be The Mosquito Coast
- Peter Weir's movie was a complete turkey and marked the only time
I've ever walked out of a movie theater mid-film. Sometimes you
just know after 10 minutes that the film isn't working. Paul
Theroux must have cringed when he saw Harrison Ford struggling to
make sense of it. Here are two more stinkers. The Bonfire Of The Vanities - great book,
terrible film. HG Wells' War of the Worlds - great book,
legendary radio adaptation, but a shocking Tom Cruise film.
It's just impossible to cram the entirety of a book into two hours
of action and dialogue. You can't put a pint into a quart pot.
The Bonfire of the Vanities took me about a month to
finish because it is 550 pages long and I read at tortoise pace. I
think Hollywood should step away from attempting to convert big
strapping novels into silver screen epics, and use short stories
and novellas for their inspiration.
Field of Dreams has become one of my favorite films - a
wonderful feel-good movie - and that comes from WP Kinsella's
novella, Shoeless Joe. Now, I liked the book but I think
the movie is actually better than the book - the characters emerge
more in the film than on the page. I saw a TV interview with
Kinsella once and he seemed to agree the film outshone his book.
Short stories can make good films. Ang Lee's Brokeback
Mountain movie comes from a short story in E Annie Proulx's Close Range: Wyoming Stories - a wonderful
collection of tales I heartily recommend. John Ford's
Stagecoach came from Ernest Haycox's short story Stage
to Lordsburg.
Sometimes it's best to discover the book after the movie. Get a
taster from Hollywood first; get the full story from the book
later. I've done that many times and knowing the ending has not
ruined the book.
However, the bottom line is movies, like books, touch us
emotionally. Alistair MacLeans' Where Eagles Dare will
never be critically acclaimed for its prose, but I love that 1968
movie with Richard Burton (going through the motions, I know) and
an exceptionally young (and wooden) Clint Eastwood and all those
English character actors who steal each scene from the big stars.
I'll never pick up MacLeans' book but I will always watch that film
- it's that damn soundtrack.
Tell us your thoughts about great books that
became terrible movies or even terrible books that became great
movies. |
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Just Released Books! |
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ON THE SITE
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Bestsellers for May
- The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch
- A New Earth
Eckhart Tolle
- The Audacity of Hope
Barack Obama
- Devil May Care
Sebastian Faulks
- Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson
See the whole list on our homepage
Sex and the City Love Letters
 In the age of cellphones,
email and instant messaging, you would think love letters would be
a thing of the past but a love text message (I luv u) hardly
compares to a letter from the heart. The producers of the Sex and
the City movie agree and they are currently helping to revive
interest in love letters.
Read the entire article.
Raising The Next Avid Readers
 The Story Laboratory is a fun
(and free!) event where kids can write their own stories and then
make their own books from them.
Read all about it, and see past creations!
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Most Expensive books sold in May
- Etudes à l'Eau-Forte
Francis Seymour Haden -
$17,216
- Grimm's Fairy Tales
Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm -
$11,388
- Atlas der Krystallformen
Victor Goldschmidt -
$8,500
- Treatise of Elementary Chemistry
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier -
$7,709
- The Library of Treasury of French Law
Laurent Bouchel -
$6,356
See the whole list
Found in Books
 Be careful
what you use as a bookmark. Thousands of dollars, a Christmas card
signed by Frank Baum, a Mickey Mantle rookie baseball card, a
marriage certificate from 1879, a baby's tooth, a diamond ring and
a handwritten poem by Irish writer Katharine Tynan Hickson are just
some of the stranger objects discovered inside books by
AbeBooks.com booksellers.
See What Else Has Been Found in Books. |
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Avid reader Book Club |
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INTERACT WITH ABEBOOKS
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Current AbeBooks Contests
Win a Bundle of Books
Our Bundle of Books Contest continues and as an Avid Reader
subscriber, you are already entered. This month's bundle features
some of the best titles that have become really excellent films.
It's up to you whether you read then watch, or vice versa!
See June's Bundle of Books.
Win a Selection of Hot Summer Books
Make room on your bookshelf for these three new books, When
You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, Beijing
Coma by Ma Jian and The Monster of Florence by
Douglas Preston.
Visit Our Summer Reading Room and Enter to Win.
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Current Promotions
June's featured best buy is James Patterson's mysterious and
strange Sundays at Tiffany's which details the
intriguing story of a little girl named Jane, who lets go of her
imaginary friend, Michael, as she grows up. But Michael returns to
her as an adult - in a very real way.
Brand new copies of the hardcover are available for
$14.99 - a 40% savings off
the list price! Visit our Best Buys page.
Talk to Us
Thoughts? Comments? Witty anecdotes? We'd love to hear them.
Let us know what's on your mind. |
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Notes from Avid Readers |
Thanks to everybody who wrote to weigh in on our last issue, and
who shared their stories of reading on public transportation. We
had some great submissions! Here are some of our favourites. And as
always, please keep writing, as we love to hear from you.
I live in LA and as such drive a bit. I have been addicted to
talk radio for decades...I do like to keep up. Had always looked
down my nose at "Books on Tape", but no more. I discovered them on
frequent seven-hour drives to Arizona. The first was Thomas Hardy's
Far From the Madding Crowd, unabridged (I haven't been over that
one with books on tape...yet...I'm a bit of a purest), I don't know
if I'd ever have picked it up in tome form, but oh was it exquisite
to listen to...a soap opera really but the prose was amazing. I
still listen to talk radio driving around LA...but I now switch on
the CD function during those long commercial breaks and repetitive
news broadcasts...amazing what I squeeze in. I met Will Lee about
30 years ago, bassist for The David Letterman Band (I'm afraid I
watch Craig Ferguson now-brilliant...oh, wait a minute he's
opposite Conan-I'll be able to watch him when he takes over for
Leno soon) -he showed me his over the shoulder bass case to which
he had had attached a large outside pocket for his subway
companion; I was impressed. I suppose he uses an IPod on the subway
now- but one can listen to music and read simultaneously though I
haven't seen anyone doing it as of yet.
-Karen
As one who seldom leaves home without a book to read just in
case I catch a few minutes waiting for whatever I am out and about
for, i.e., appointment, standing in a line, meeting a friend, stuck
in traffic, etc., I enjoyed your description of your life with
books, especially while traveling. Often, I'm disappointed when I
don't have to wait for the appointment or whatever I'm expecting as
a time to enjoy my book. (While I do like magazines, I don't find
them to be a satisfactory alternative to a book.)
-Paulette |
I was so glad to read Richard Davies comments about reading on
the Tube and missing his stop. I have been reading on the bus most
of my adult life. Heck, I've been reading anywhere and everywhere
ever since I learned how to read but since starting to work for a
living reading on the bus is a necessity to fill that void between
work and home. Usually I'm pretty aware of where on the route I am
and know just when to put the bookmark in and close the book.
However, about a year ago I was reading Kathy Reichs' book "Break
No Bones". I was so deeply engrossed in it that I was oblivious to
the fact that we had arrived at my bus stop. Fortunately, my
neighbour was on the same bus and tugged at my sleeve to ask me if
I was getting off. Goodness knows how long I would have stayed on
the bus before I took notice of my surroundings. Since it was an
express bus I could have travelled quite a distance.
-Wendy
One of the best experiences I have had reading on public
transportation was in England. As I took trains through the
countryside, I read Notes from a Small Country by Bill Bryson and
contemplated my own experiences as an American living in this
country so alike and yet so very different from the one I'd known.
I highly recommend reading pertinent travelogues when riding
trains, planes, and buses to, from, and around a new country or
region; it can enhance what you'll see out of the window with
deeper thoughts than a pleasant ride normally provokes.
-Colleen
At the age of 80 and long retired, I find that reading and
music ARE my public transport. The reading is mostly in historical
mysteries and takes me to Ancient and Medieval times to rub
shoulders with the people and experience the setting and life from
afar. Music, in many ways, does the same -- still some reminiscing
in the classics, but a lot of vicarious international travel to
enjoy the traditional and ethnic music of every continent.
-Larry |
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Fri Aug 29 13:42
Thu Aug 14 12:13
Fri Aug 08 09:57
Tue Aug 05 16:57
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