Books to Movies

Recently the hubby and I had a movie night at home. We watched three films that evening, two of which were based on books.   Imagine that! A movie based on a book.  It only seems like most films these days are based on a novel, especially teen ones.

The movies we watched were The Host: A Novel (link to the book, by Stephenie Meyer) and Warm Bodies: A Novel (link to the book, by Isaac Marion).  I have read the first book, but not the second.  The hubby hasn’t read either.

I was looking forward to watching The Host (link to  movie).  While I’m not a huge fan of the Twilight series, I thought The Host was a better written novel.  I was a little worried, though, on how it would translate to the big screen.  I was not impressed with the film.  While some parts were neat, it just wasn’t as engaging as the novel.

Warm Bodies (link to movie), however, was a great movie.  I don’t know how it correlates with the book, but the film version was entertaining.  I might even buy it.  I was a little perplexed on how a zombie romance would not be, well, disgusting.  The storyline works this issue out, making for a delightful zombie romantic comedy.

There are a lot of films coming to theaters that are based on books.  Here is a short list of some that have been recently released or set to hit the theaters:

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) (Rick Riordan)

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, Book 1) (Cassandra Claire)

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet) (Orson Scott Card)

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (Max Brooks)

Austenland (Shannon Hale)

The Spectacular Now (Tim Tharp)

Horns: A Novel (Joe Hill)

Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)

Carrie (Stephen King)

Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Braaaaaiiiiinnnssss nom nom nom

I still haven’t read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Perhaps one day I will pick it up to read. I have, however, read the zombiefied version and, recently, watched the BBC production of the book. The movie – while long – was fantastic; however, I kept expecting zombies to shuffle on the screen and the Bennet sisters to prove their warrior status by kicking some undead ass (Or head. Whichever the case may be).

With the increasing popularity of zombies in the various entertainment venues, is it too much to hope for a movie adaptation of this series? I’d love to see the Bennet sisters practice the deadly arts against hordes of undead being projected onto the big screen. Someone make it happen for me, umkay?

Books to movies - with reader participation!

At work we are finishing up preliminary program planning for the spring. It’s also getting closer to February, so I am looking at which films I want to show during my two scheduled movie programs. This all has me thinking about books that have been adapted into movies. The list of them is extensive. Some have been very well done. Others…well, not so much.

When I see that a book I enjoyed is being turned into a movie, I go through a myriad of emotions, mostly a heavy mixture of two: Joy (another way to enjoy this book!) and Worry (will the writers/directors/actors/editors/etc. screw it up?).

An example: Where the Wild Things Are. This is one of my absolute favorite children’s books. The trailers for the movie looked fantastic. I couldn’t wait to see it. But I was worried, as well. What would they do to this beloved tale in order to make it long enough for a full feature length film? I was very upset with the film version of the story.

Then there is the 1992 version of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise. I had to read the novel for school around the same time that the movie was released on video, so of course I watched the film after reading the book. Not only did it star two wonderful actors, but the film version is spot on.

There are countless examples of film adaptations of books. What are some of your favorites? Which ones were you most disappointed about after watching?

Two movies and a book...all on the same topic!

As I mentioned in my recent pseudo-post, this past weekend I finished reading the 1923 Newbery Honor book, The Golden Fleece, and the heroes who lived before Achilles by Padraic Colum.

As the title suggests, the book contains the stories of Jason and the Argonauts during and after their quest for the Golden Fleece. It also tells the tales of such well known Greek mythological people as Heracles, Perseus, Medea, Orpheus and others.

I’ll admit. I had a hard time with the writing at first. The flow and styles that I’ve become accustomed to reading differs greatly than what is found in this prose. Additionally, the book is dense. There’s a lot of text packed into those pages, making the book seem somewhat unwieldy at first glance. I have a hard time imagining today’s children – even teenagers – plowing through this book. But, as I continued through the book, I found that I wanted to keep reading to find out what great challenge would be attempted. In the end, I found that I really enjoyed the book, though perhaps not nearly as much as the much read and rather tattered copy of Mythology by Edith Hamilton that I owned as a child.

This weekend the hubby and I went to see a movie. The flick he chose was the updated version of Clash of the Titans.

Now…had I not so recently finished reading the story of Perseus (or even the Percy Jackson series, which has some information about many of the Greek gods, goddesses and other characters), I may have enjoyed this movie more. Why? Because I wouldn’t have realized just how much of the story was changed by Hollywood. (An example – Perseus’ mother in this version was the wife of the king of Argos. In every other version I’ve read or seen, she was the daughter)

The special effects were great – which is to be expected anymore. There were several big named actors in the film, and, also as expected, they did a decent job at their parts.


When we came home, the hubby wanted to watch the original Clash of the Titans. This movie came out in 1981. Oy! It is noticeable! I think it must have had a very low budget as well. Maybe the writers were also on strike? Who knows. There were some great actors in this film as well, but they were not giving their bests. I’m not sure, but I think the Kraken was really the Swamp Thing. Really. It was that bad.

But…at least it stuck more closely to the original story. In that regard, I almost like the 1981 version better.

The post you are viewing is not a real post.

I need to write a real post. You know...more than what this one is.

Why? Because I finished reading The Golden Fleece, and the heroes who lived before Achilles by Padraic Colum (a Newbery honor from I think the 1920s). I think that was on Friday. Then, on Sunday, the hubby and I went to the movies. We saw Clash of the Titans. Then we came home and watched the original Clash of the Titans (thanks to Netflix and the ability to stream video through the Wii). I need to gather my thoughts and post about all of that.

But not right now.

Why?

Because it's 1:50 a.m. and I should be asleep. Not attempting to write coherent blog posts reviewing books and movies.

So, goodnight. I'll pretend to be more coherent during daylight hours.

bah. humbug.

le sigh

I'm hearing more and more of the same thing about the Percy Jackson movie. Why must Hollywood mess up movie adaptations of such excellent books?

Going to the movies...or maybe not

*grumble*

I read the other day that the book Beezus and Ramona is being made into a movie. In the books Beezus is around 10 and Ramona is around 4. So, why are the actresses for the movie, renamed Ramona and Beezus, each at least six years older than their character from the book?

Adding to that, I was very excited about the upcoming release of The Lightning Thief, the first book of the Percy Jackson series. That was, I was very excited until I looked up info on the movie today and saw that Percy Jackson is in HIGH SCHOOL for the movie. WTH? In the first book he is almost12. This is important for the series, since there are five books and Percy is possibly part of a prophecy about a half blood saving or destroying Olympus when he turns sixteen. Now I’m more worried than before that they are going to shove several of the books into one movie.

Le sigh.

The End

One more book review for you:

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.

The time has come. Percy, just days from being sixteen, and his fellow demigods must battle to save the world from Kronos and his army. As the gods and goddesses fight Typhon, it is up to the demigods to save Olympus. Can they do it?

Wow. Just wow. The fifth and final installment of this series was artfully packed full of action. Riordan has achieved what few other series authors seem to be able to do. He has written a series where each book is on par with the rest in their excellence. I am only sad that there aren’t more, though he did hint that their might be a companion series in the future. One can only hope.

This series is firmly on my list of All Time Favorite Book Series. That is a short list.

The Lightning Thief hits the theaters later this month. I'm anxiously waiting. I really hope that Hollywood doesn't screw up the film adaptation of the books.

Adventures, Ahoy!

Rapture of the deep: being an account of the further adventures of Jacky Faber, soldier, sailor, mermaid, spy by L.A. Meyer

Jacky is back, and another amazing adventure awaits. On what is to be the day she finally marries her one true love, Jacky is kidnapped by British Intelligence and force to serve another mission. This time she is off to the Caribbean to search for missing Spanish treasure. As usual, Jacky finds all sorts of trouble in those waters.

The latest installment in the Bloody Jack series is as wonderful as the previous tales.





The lightning thief by Rick Riordan ; read by Jesse Bernstein

Percy Jackson is not your regular twelve-year-old boy. For one thing, he has been expelled from every school he has attended. He’s not a bad kid. It’s just that odd things seem to happen when he is around. Percy is also has dyslexia and ADHD – two disorders that do not make a stellar student.

There is a reason that Percy’s life is so strange, and he is about to find it out. Percy is not an ordinary human; he is the son of a Greek god and, therefore, half human and half mortal.

Shortly after barely making it alive to Camp Halfblood, Percy is sent on a quest to keep World War III from starting. Percy, along with his friend Annabeth (another halfblood) and Grover (a satyr), travel from New York to Los Angeles, fighting mythical monsters along the way.

As I mentioned previously, I started listening to this book after trying three other audiobooks. I don’t like the narrator of this tale, but his style (or lack there of) didn’t keep me from being sucked in to the wonderful story. I’m already listening to the next book – Sea of Monsters.

This fantastic story is being made into a full feature film.

Where the Wild Things...are disturbing.

As I’m sure everyone knows, the feature length, live action film of Where the Wild Things Are is now in theaters. I was cautiously excited about this film. The book is one of my all time favorite children’s picture books. I knew that there had to be stuff added to the story in order to make it long enough, but was more than a bit anxious about what the additions would be.

I was right to be anxious.

The husband and I went to a late night showing of the movie over opening weekend. Hubby was excited – not because he particularly wanted to see the movie, but because he knows how much I love the book. He was excited for me. I was excited, but worried. I had seen a status or two on Facebook from people who had seen the movie and were less than impressed.

The beginning was decent. You fall in love with Max, and feel sorrow for his troubled young soul. But, when he dons his wolf suit, the story begins to get too dark. Biting his mother, he runs away when she sends him to his room.

Let the disturbing part really begin!

The Wild Things have a myriad of psychological and behavioral issues. Extremely aggressive and angry. Manipulative. Paranoid. Depressed. They either need a mass quantity of happy pills or to be locked in padded rooms. Max – who craves much needed attention – finds it with the Wild Things, but quickly becomes confused and anxious as they pit him against one another.

The ending really wasn’t much of an ending. Like the book, Max returns home and there is his dinner waiting for him, nice and hot. While this is a great ending for a children’s picture book, it is a weak one for a movie that proves to be not for a young audience.

My final words on the movie:

Honestly, I was so upset with this rendition of a classic children’s book that I almost cried when I left the theater.

Don’t take your young kids to see it. I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking my 9 and 10 year old cousins, let alone a child at the appropriate age range for the picture book. If you want to see an age appropriate movie based on a children’s book, go see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (and read the book with your kids as well!).

And, if you want to see the movie, borrow it from the library when it comes out on DVD. Don’t waste the money at the theater.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Curiouser and Curiouser

That would be the perfect way to describe what my experience was with the audiobook of Alice's Adventures in Wonder Land by Lewis Carroll, narrated by Davina Porter.

The reason?

There are three discs to the book. This afternoon, while picking up lunch, I changed from disc two to disc three…which promptly began to play the same exact thing as disc one.

Can we say annoying?

So, that is going to (hopefully) be fixed. Until then, time for another audiobook.

In other annoying ventures, the hubby and I went to the theater Saturday night and saw the latest Harry Potter movie. I was less than impressed. While I can understand cutting parts of the book out in order to make the movie less than 4 hours long…the whole “Who is the Half Blood Prince?” plot was practically non-existent. I think the phrase Half Blood Prince was mentioned maybe three times in the movie. Bah. Humbug.

Waiting on Wednesday

Wow…it’s Wednesday again already. How did that happen?

This week’s Waiting on Wednesday is not necessarily book related. It is partially, but not in the more traditional sense. Why is that, you ask? Because this Wednesday I am waiting (impatiently) for the big screen adaptation of my favorite children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, which is coming to theaters on October 16, 2009.

Watch the trailer here.

A few plot summaries from imdb.com:

Young, mischievous Max is sent to bed without his supper, but when his bedroom turns in to a magical jungle landscape filled with strange creatures, he embarks on a wild imaginary adventure.

***

An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

The movie is directed by Spike Jonze.

Is it October yet?

I'm on fire!

I finished it! Yay! All 47 discs of The Firey Cross by Diana Gabaldon have been listened to, and the set has been returned to the library.

While I enjoyed this continuation of Jamie and Clare’s story, there were times that I found it a bit tedious. Don’t get me wrong. I still love the characters and the plot. It just felt that some scenes were drawn out, and the flow wasn’t as flawless as the previous books.

That being said, I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. I put it on hold, and hope it will arrive early next week. Until then, I am listening to another audiobook narrated by the very talented Davina Porter - Alice's Adventures In Wonder Land by Lewis Carroll.

In other fun news, in about 30 minutes my husband and me are going to see the latest Harry Potter movie. I can’t wait!

Books for a variety of ages...

Heartsinger by Karlign Stoffels - Perhaps something was lost in translation. This book was originally published in Dutch. It is the tale of two teenagers who have a magical gift of song. One is the singer of sorrows. The other is the singer of joy. This is also the tale of several of the people who they sing for – including a princess who does nothing but sit and look at herself in the mirror all day.

*yawn* Why did I think this sounded like a good book? I did finish it…but it was only 134 pages long.

For last month’s book group, I read Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve. The premise of the tale is an interesting one – the story of King Arthur as seen through the eyes of a child raised by Merlin (or Myrddin as he is called in the book). The story falls short, though, leaving the reading wanting more….something. Too often the text seems so flat.

I also finished the book 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass. Now, this is a story that I really enjoyed. Written for that tween group, it is the story of Amanda and Leo. Both were born on the same day. After overhearing Leo say something unkind, Amanda leaves their 10th birthday party – and doesn’t speak to Leo again. A year goes by, and the two are going to celebrate their birthdays separately for the first time in their lives. After a lackluster day, Amanda wakes up the next morning – not to the day after her 11th birthday, but to relive the unhappy birthday all over again! Can Amanda figure out why she keeps reliving the same day over and over again, or will she be cursed to relive her eleventh birthday for the rest of her life?

The story’s basic plot reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day. That’s not a bad thing…I like that movie! Well written and an overall fun book, this story is about forgiveness and friendship. It is one of my favorite books so far this year!

I’m still listening to Drums of Autumn, and am nearly halfway through! I am reading Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith (a book club pick – and an excellent story) and Wintergirls (also a book club pick – which I just started). I think I am going to return The Shadow in the North. I’m just not getting into the story at all.

The Candyman can...

Alas, the winter weather has worked against me the past couple of weeks. I’ve had 7 scheduled programs in the past two weeks. Of them, only three have had people attend. One program I canceled due to the extreme (for our area) cold – and the phone call from a mom saying that they – and other regulars – wouldn’t be there.

One of the programs with pretty much no attendees has been the latest Bookmarkers program. The movie showing is today, so I’m hopeful that – with the temps supposedly to climb to the upper teens – people will attend!

Although I didn’t actually have the program, here is the info for it. As usual, pizza and drinks were provided for the regular programs, and pizza, drinks, candy and popcorn were provided for the movie. Additionally, I found Wonka brand candy canes at 75% off after Christmas, so they were also available for the kids.

Bookmarkers Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
(Use 40th anniversary edition of the book)

Projects:

Week 1 - Make your own candy wrapper!
Supplies: Hershey bars, markers/crayons/colored pencils, stickers, glue sticks, new wrappers (paper cut 5 ¼ inches by 6 ¼ inches.)

Week 2 - Make your own candy!
Supplies: chocolate candy melts, crockpot, candy stir-ins, candy molds, plastic spoons, paper cups, candy wrappers

Prizes:
Wonka Boxes

• Box 1: paperback copies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Glass Elevator; assorted Wonka brand candies (nerds, laffy taffy, etc.).
• Box 2: hardback copy of D is for Dahl: a gloriumptious A-Z guide to the world of Roald Dahl illustrations by Quentin Blake; compiled by Wendy Cooling; assorted Wonka brand candies (nerds, laffy taffy, etc.).

Movie
I showed Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder - since it is my favorite.


ETA: We had 11 people attend the movie! Yay!

A few other things...

While I was visiting for Thanksgiving, my mom and I went to see Twilight and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Both movies are based on books, as is the movie we saw just after Christmas - The Tale of Despereaux. Since all three movies are based on books, I thought I'd write about them.

Twilight=boring. Seriously thought it was a snoozefest. My mom - who loves the books (Why, Mom? Why?) - agreed. The scads of tweens seemed to enjoy the movie, but I just couldn't get into it. Heck...I could at least listen to the audiobook without falling asleep. The movie was a struggle.

For the most part, I think the actors just didn't fit the descriptions from the book. For instance, Rosalie - whom I imagined as a beautiful natural blonde, looked like an ordinary chick with a bad dye job. *shrug*

The second movie that Mom and I saw, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, was a much better film. I'll never watch it again, and, once I returned to work, I took my hold off of the book. The film was excellent. As I haven't read the book, I can't say how closely it followed. The end was shocking, even though I knew what was going to happen, I had a bit of hope. Mom and I were both too shocked to cry. This is not a movie for young children.

We are going to show the movie at one of our branches for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

I was excited to see The Tale of Despereaux. I even bought the book for my mom for Christmas! She started reading it, and was at least halfway through the book when we went to see the movie.

I was disappointed. While the characters were the same as the book, the story was changed quite a bit. Why? There was no reason to change the story! My mom was really into the book, and was equally disappointed in the movie. *sigh* I'd skip the flick and read and/or listen to the book instead!

In other fun, I don't think I've shared this yet.

Snarky Twilight Recaps This site will have you LOLing for sure. I suggest you don't read it at work...you might get in trouble for laughing too loud.

Happy Book Day!

Several books came in for me on my day off. Yay! So, my latest reads are:

The Duggars : 20 and counting! : raising one of America's largest families--how they do it by Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar
Why am I reading this book? Because I’m slightly obsessed with this family. Ma and Pa Duggar and their brood live in Arkansas. Ma has birthed 18 children – only two sets of twins – and would love to have more. Oh…and all the kids have names that begin with a J.

Umkay…

The family has had several TLC/Discovery specials over the past several years, and now even has their won television show. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have cable/satellite, so I can rarely watch the madness on TV.

Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton. This is book 3 of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. I am excited to read it, and have already placed the next few books on hold. Yay!


The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. This is a book club pick for February. I started reading it yesterday, and haven’t read enough yet to write about it.

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (audiobook) – still listening to this series. I’m nearly finished with disc 18 of 30+. It’s getting really good. Clare is back from the future and has just found out that Jamie married the bitch who tried to get Clare burned as a witch!

Speaking of the Outlander series…

A friend and I were discussing the books last night. I’ve decided that Kevin McKidd should play Jamie in the Outlander movie, rumored to be released in 2011. If you watch Grey’s Anatomy, you would know him as Major Hottie. Not only is he a cutie with reddish hair, but he’s also Scottish.

In other news…

I’m hoping to get quite a bit of Voyager completed over the next two weeks. I’ve a drive to – and from – Michigan, and a flight to – and from – Denver. Plus the time hanging around airports, hotels, etc. So, I am going to borrow the husband’s MP3 player and download some books on CD to it and my laptop. Additionally, as I am going to a library conference, I’m sure I’ll pick up a book – or 20 – while in Denver.

Bookmarkers - Spiderwick Chronicles edition

For the past few Mondays, I’ve held the Bookmarkers program. The books for this session have been the Spiderwick Chronicles series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. The first week I read most of book one: The Field Guide. The second week, I finished book one and started book two: The Seeing Stone. Last week I finished The Seeing Stone and started the third book: Lucinda’s Secret. I will finish that book tonight. Then, on Saturday afternoon, I’ll show the movie The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Pizza (donated by a local pizza place) and drinks are provided at every program. Popcorn and candy will also be provided at the movie showing. Additionally, each child is given a journal to write or draw in while I am reading aloud. Journals are purchased from Oriental Trading.

I was lucky enough to pick up a few items to raffle at the movie showing. Each time a child attends a Bookmarkers- Spiderwick program, he or she will earn another chance to win! The prizes this time are a Spiderwick Chronicles trivia game, a Spiderwick Chronicles jigsaw puzzle, and a Spiderwick Chronicles poster. These items are on display, as well as the crafts, in the lobby of the branch. The poster above the display is the same as the one being raffled.

Week 1 craft: Flower Fairy Dolls – similar to the ones found here.

This was a fun craft! One child even made shoes and a basket for one of her flower fairies.

Supplies – wooden beads, pipe cleaner, artificial flowers, yarn, tacky glue, pony beads

Week 2 craft: Seeing Stone

In book 2, Mallory and Jared find a complex “eyeglass” that enables them to see fairies. This simple craft will allow everyone to search for fairies in the everyday world.

Supplies – round “stone” with hole in middle (found at craft store in the bead section), hemp string (or similar type of string), scissors, pony beads

Loop the string around the “stone” a few times, put on a few pony beads, tie a few knots to keep the beads in place, then tie the ends to make a necklace.

Week 3 craft: Pencil Trolls

In book 2, the kids encounter a bridge troll. These trolls are a bit cuter…and a lot nicer!

Supplies – pencils, yarn (I used Lion Brand Homespun), eye stickers or googley eyes, tacky glue.

Put glue on the eraser of the pencil. Wrap yarn around the glue. Affix eyes. When dry, separate the ends of the yarn to make the “hair” stick out everywhere.

Week 4 craft: Wood Elf mask

This craft was taken from the Spiderwick website. Look under Downloads.

Supplies: cardstock (to photocopy the mask), crayons, colored pencils, markers, yarn or string, glue

Shakespeare revised and a whole lot more!

A few days ago, I finished the short novel, Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors. It was quite enjoyable. Enough that I will be passing it on to a few friends.

In this tale of Shakespeare rewritten, seventeen year old Mimi Wallingford is being forced to play Juliet in her family theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. In hopes of pulling the theater out of the red, her mother has cast teen heartthrob Troy Summer as Romeo. Mimi wants nothing more than to go to college and become a doctor like her aunt. When a charm breaks, blowing ashes (supposedly from Shakespeare’s quill) on to Mimi and Troy, the duo find themselves transported to Shakespeare’s Verona. Once there, they are immersed into the story…but their existence means some plot changes to the story, as Benevelo falls for Mimi (mush to Troy’s dismay), Romeo continues to pine for Rosaline, and Juliet’s marriage to Paris seems sure to happen (much to Juliet’s great unhappiness). Can Mimi and Troy find their way back to Manhattan and save Romeo and Juliet from their dire fates?

I thought this book was well written, and suited for upper middle school/lower high school audiences (basically, the teens who are probably reading Romeo and Juliet in school). I enjoyed the plot and thought the characters were decently developed. I loved Juliet’s spunk! It was a quick and fairly light read.

I’m now reading two books, and listening to another. Tithe by Holly Black (co author of the Spiderwick Chronicles) and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. As noted on my sidebar lists, this is the 21 chapter version, also known as the British or European version of the novel.

Originally, Burgess wrote the book with 21 chapters. For some odd reason, the American publishers decided to publish it without that last chapter. The movie is based upon the American version of the book. Such a shame, as that last chapter completely changes the book.
I read A Clockwork Orange (and saw the movie) about 10 years ago. They are both excellent, but most definitely for an older audience (high school senior or older).

As for Tithe, I like what little I’ve read so far of this modern day tale of fairy. I’ll write more about it later.

I’m listening to one of the book group picks for next month: Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. I’m only about 1 disc in, but like what I’ve heard. I’m not overly keen on the narration (done by the author). It’s rather monotone. But, I like the narration better than the previous two books I’ve tried to listen to.

update

Not much to update on right now. I went to my book group last week, even though I didn’t finish any of the books. Left, as usual, with a long list of books to look for. We have three to read for next month:

• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
• Sweethearts by Sarah Zarr
• Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

I started listening to Waiting for Normal, but wasn’t keen on the narrator. So, sent that back. I’ll try the print version instead.

Someone recommended The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trent Lee Stewart. I got the book on CD….and, again, am not keen on the narrator. So, I’ll get the print version of that book as well.


I’m reading Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors. I’m not far into the book, but like the story so far.

Fall programming begins next week, so I’ll post more programming info soon. Not much to post about this weeks program. I’m showing The Great Muppet Caper on Wednesday night, so it’s a usual movie program.