The Raven, starring John Cusack, Brendan Gleeson and Luke Evans, opened Friday, April 27. Cusack plays Edgar Allan Poe, whose stories have inspired a deranged serial killer. (Find the Raven and other works by Poe in our catalog)
The Pirates! Band of Misfits, based on two books by Gideon Defoe, also opened April 27. Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek lend their voices to this animated tale. (Find the books in our catalog)
Editor
Universal released its first trailer for Oliver Stone’s Savages which is adapted from the novel by Don Winslow and stars Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Benecio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch and Demian Bichir. Deadline.com reported that “Universal was impressed enough to move the film from fall into the July 6 slot.”
Summary of the novel in our catalog: “A breakthrough novel that pits young kingpins against a Mexican drug cartel, Savages is a provocative, sexy, and sharply funny thrill ride through the dark side of the war on drugs and beyond. Part-time environmentalist and philanthropist Ben and his ex-mercenary buddy Chon run a Laguna Beach-based marijuana operation, reaping significant profits from their loyal clientele. In the past when their turf was challenged, Chon took care of eliminating the threat. But now they may have come up against something that they can’t handle–the Mexican Baja Cartel wants in, and sends them the message that a “no” is unacceptable. When they refuse to back down, the cartel escalates its threat, kidnapping Ophelia, the boys’ playmate and confidante. O’s abduction sets off a dizzying array of ingenious negotiations and gripping plot twists that will captivate readers eager to learn the costs of freedom and the price of one amazing high. Following “the best summertime crime novel ever” ( San Francisco Chronicle on The Dawn Patrol ), bestselling author Winslow offers up a smash hit in the making. Savages is an ingenious combination of adrenaline-fueled suspense and true-crime reportage by a master thriller writer at the very top of his game.” (We also have the Audio Book on CDs and an MP3 CD)
Editor
The first trailer has been released for The Raven starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe during the final days of his life as he pursues a serial killer whose crimes mirror those in his stories. See also this blog post on “Word & Film” .
For a different pace, try the graphic novel version of The Raven and other poems and stories by Poe:
Graphic Classics (Find in our catalog). “A completely revised and expanded second edition of the first volume in the Graphic Classics series. It retains seven illustrated presentations from the first edition, including ” The Raven,” “The Bells,” and “The Tell Tale Heart.” These are joined by over 60 pages of new comics adaptations including “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “Never Bet the Devil Your Head.”
Alternatively, read some of Poe’s best tales in a volume to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth:
Mystery Writers of America Presents In the Shadow of the Master: classic tales (Find in our catalog)
“Few have crafted stories as haunting as those by Edgar Allan Poe. Collected here to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Poe’s birth are sixteen of his best tales accompanied by twenty essays from beloved authors, including T. Jefferson Parker, Lawrence Block, Sara Paretsky, and Joseph Wambaugh, among others, on how Poe has changed their life and work. Michael Connelly recounts the inspiration he drew from Poe’s poetry while researching one of his books. Stephen King reflects on Poe’s insight into humanity’s dark side in “The Genius of ‘The Tell-Tale Heart.’” Jan Burke recalls her childhood terror during late-night reading sessions. Tess Gerritsen, Nelson DeMille, and others remember the classic B-movie adaptations of Poe’s tales. And in “The Thief,” Laurie R. King complains about how Poe stole all the good ideas . . . or maybe he just thought of them first. Powerful and timeless, In the Shadow of the Master is a celebration of one of the greatest literary minds of all time. The Mystery Writers of America, founded in 1945, is the foremost organization for mystery writers and other professionals dedicated to the field of crime writing.”
Or listen to this audiobook on CDs by Louis Bayard about a fictional Poe as a student at West Point tracking down a murderer:
The Pale Blue Eye (Find in our catalog) (We also have a downloadable ebook available and a regular book)
“When the body of a suicide victim disappears at West Point Military Academy in 1831, only to be discovered hours later missing its heart, the Academy calls on retired detective Gus Landor to investigate. Landor is something of a legend among his peers, noted for an uncanny, Sherlock Holmes-like ability to read people. When Edgar Allan Poe, a new cadet, comes forth with his own cryptic conclusion-that the man Landor is looking for is a poet-Landor is intrigued and enlists Poe as his assistant. Working together, Landor and Poe narrow down the suspects, all the while dealing with their own personal demons.”
Editor
Sunday, January 22, the BBC premiered Birdsong, a two-part adaptation of the novel by Sebastian Faulks (Find in our Catalog). The show is scheduled to hit American TV screens as part of the PBS Masterpiece series in April. This trailer will give you a brief preview. My Dad called me up from Wales to tell me I definitely should not miss this! This book is a good suggestion for readers and TV viewers suffering from Downton Abbey withdrawal.
Publishers Weekly review of the book in our catalog: “In 1910, England’s Stephen Wraysford, a junior executive in a textile firm, is sent by his company to northern France. There he falls for Isabelle Azaire, a young and beautiful matron who abandons her abusive husband and sticks by Stephen long enough to conceive a child. Six years later, Stephen is back in France, as a British officer fighting in the trenches. Facing death, embittered by isolation, he steels himself against thoughts of love. But despite rampant disease, harrowing tunnel explosions and desperate attacks on highly fortified German positions, he manages to survive, and to meet with Isabelle again. The emotions roiled up by this meeting, however, threaten to ruin him as a soldier. Everything about this novel, which was a bestseller in England, is outsized, from its epic, if occasionally ramshackle, narrative to its gruesome and utterly convincing descriptions of battlefield horrors. Faulks (A Fool’s Alphabet) proves himself a grand storyteller here. Enlivened with considerable historical detail related through accomplished prose, his narrative flows with a pleasingly appropriate recklessness that brings his characters to dynamic life.” (Feb.) (c) Copyright PW, LLC. All rights reserved
Editor
Click here for the first trailer for The Bourne Legacy from Universal. The movie is based on Eric Van Lustbader’s first Bourne novel after the trilogy originally written by the late Robert Ludlum. Directed by Tony Gilroy, the spinoff of the studio’s blockbuster Bourne Identity series features Jeremy Renner in the title role.
Harford County Public Library has the book, the large print book and the audiobook on CDs. Here is the summary from our catalog of the book, The Bourne Legacy by Eric Van Lustbader (find this book in our catalog).
“Once, Jason Bourne was notorious in the clandestine world of covert-ops as one of the CIA’s most expert international killers for hire. Out of the ashes of his violent past he’s emerged today as a Georgetown professor, living a quiet life, retired from danger-until he narrowly escapes the bullet of a faceless assassin. And when two of Bourne’s closest associates are murdered, Bourne knows that his legacy has followed him-and set him up as prime suspect for the brutal crimes. The quicksand of lies and betrayals is deeper than Bourne ever imagined. Hunted by the CIA as a dangerous rogue agent, he has only one option to stay alive-and one last chance to stay one step ahead of an unseen assailant whose vengeance is personal. Pursued across the globe, Bourne’s on the run, and on the edge of discovering the truth-that he’s become the expendable pawn in an international terrorist plot…”
Editor
At the Golden Globe awards this past Sunday, January 15, the influence of books was much in evidence. The Descendants, based on the book by Kaui Hart Hemmings (find the book in our catalog), won best drama motion picture and best actor (George Clooney).
The summary of the book in our catalog: “Narrated in a bold, fearless, hilarious voice and set against the lush, panoramic backdrop of Hawaii, The Descendants is a stunning debut novel about an unconventional family forced to come together and re-create its own legacy. Matthew King was once considered one of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors were financially and culturally progressive-one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a royal descendant and one of the state’s largest landowners. Now his luck has changed. His two daughters are out of control: Ten-year-old Scottie is a smart-ass with a desperate need for attention, and seventeen-year-old Alex, a former model, is a recovering drug addict. Matt’s charismatic, thrill-seeking, high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident and will soon be taken off life support. The Kings can hardly picture life without her, but as they come to terms with this tragedy, their sadness is mixed with a sense of freedom that shames them-and spurs them into surprising actions. Before honoring Joanie’s living will, Matt must gather her friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation made worse by the sudden discovery that there is one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair, quite possibly the one man she ever truly loved. Forced to examine what he owes not only to the living but to the dead, Matt takes to the road with his daughters to find his wife’s lover, a memorable journey that leads to both painful revelations and unforeseen humor and growth.” From the Hardcover edition.
Other winners involving films and series that began with books were: Best director: Martin Scorsese for Hugo, based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
Best animated feature film: The Adventures of Tintin, based on the graphic novels by Herge
Best actress in a comedy or musical: Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn, based on the book by Colin Clark.
Best actor in a series made for TV: Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones, based on the book by George R.R. Martin.
Best actress in a motion picture made for TV: Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce, based on the novel by James M. Cain.
Best supporting actress: Octavia Spencer for The Help, based on the book by Kathryn Stockett.
Editor
The movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, loosely based on Arthur Conan Doyle classic detective tales, opens this Friday, December 16 starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Jared Harris.
Many book authors have also taken the character of Sherlock Holmes and elaborated and extended the adventures of this mythic and iconic Great Detective. Sample these from Harford County Public Library:
The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr (Find in our catalog)
Summary: “Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are summoned to the aid of Queen Victoria in Scotland by a telegram from Holmes’ brother, Mycroft, a royal advisor. Rushed northward on a royal train-and nearly murdered themselves en route-the pair are soon joined by Mycroft, and learn of the brutal killings of two of the Queen’s servants, a renowned architect and his foreman, both of whom had been working on the renovation of the famous and forbidding Royal Palace of Holyrood, in Edinburgh. Mycroft has enlisted his brother to help solve the murders that may be key elements of a much more elaborate and pernicious plot on the Queen’s life. But the circumstances of the two victims’ deaths also call to Holmes’ mind the terrible murder-in Holyrood-of “The Italian Secretary,” David Rizzio. Only Rizzio, a music teacher and confidante of Mary, Queen of Scots, was murdered three centuries ago. Holmes proceeds to alarm Watson with the announcement that the Italian Secretary’s vengeful spirit may have taken the lives of the two men as punishment for disturbing the scene of his assassination. Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Caleb Carr’s brilliant new offering takes the Conan Doyle tradition to remarkable new heights with this spellbinding tale.”
The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King (Find in our catalog)
Summary: “In a case that will push their relationship to the breaking point, Mary Russell must help reverse the greatest failure of her legendary husband’s storied past–a painful and personal defeat that still has the power to sting…this time fatally. For Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, returning to the Sussex coast after seven months abroad was especially sweet. There was even a mystery to solve–the unexplained disappearance of an entire colony of bees from one of Holmes’s beloved hives. But the anticipated sweetness of their homecoming is quickly tempered by a galling memory from her husband’s past. Mary had met Damian Adler only once before, when the promising surrealist painter had been charged with–and exonerated from–murder. Now the talented and troubled young man was enlisting their help again, this time in a desperate search for his missing wife and child. When it comes to communal behavior, Russell has often observed that there are many kinds of madness. And before this case yields its shattering solution, she’ll come into dangerous contact with a fair number of them. From suicides at Stonehenge to a bizarre religious cult, from the demimonde of the Café Royal at the heart of Bohemian London to the dark secrets of a young woman’s past on the streets of Shanghai, Russell will find herself on the trail of a killer more dangerous than any she’s ever faced–a killer Sherlock Holmes himself may be protecting for reasons near and dear to his heart.” The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is the first in King’s series about Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell, though all the books may be read alone.
Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance by Gyles Brandreth (Find in our catalog)
Summary: “One of Britain’s premier royal biographers pens the first in a series of fiendishly clever and stylish historical murder mysteries Lovers of historical mystery will relish this chilling Victorian tale based on real events and cloaked in authenticity. Best of all, it casts British literature’s most fascinating and controversial figure as the lead sleuth. A young artist’s model has been murdered, and legendary wit Oscar Wilde enlists his friends Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Sherard to help him investigate. But when they arrive at the scene of the crime they find no sign of the gruesome killing — save one small spatter of blood, high on the wall. Set in London, Paris, Oxford, and Edinburgh at the height of Queen Victoria’s reign, here is a gripping eyewitness account of Wilde’s secret involvement in the curious case of Billy Wood, a young man whose brutal murder served as the inspiration for The Picture of Dorian Gray . Told by Wilde’s contemporary — poet Robert Sherard — this novel provides a fascinating and evocative portrait of the great playwright and his own “consulting detective,” Sherlock Holmes creator, Arthur Conan Doyle.”
The Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson (Find in our catalog)
Summary: “First in a spectacular new series about two brother lawyers who lease offices on London’s Baker Street and begin receiving mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes In Los Angeles, a geological surveyor maps out a proposed subway route – and then goes missing. His eight-year-old daughter, in her desperation, turns to the one person she thinks might help – she writes a letter to Sherlock Holmes. That letter creates an uproar at 221b Baker Street, which now houses the law offices of attorney and man about town Reggie Heath and his hapless brother, Nigel. Instead of filing the letter like he’s supposed to, Nigel decides to investigate. Soon he’s flying off to Los Angeles, inconsiderately leaving a very dead body on the floor in his office. Big brother Reggie follows Nigel to California, as does Reggie’s sometime lover, Laura – a quick-witted stage actress who’s captured the hearts of both brothers. When Nigel is arrested, Reggie must use all his wits to solve a case that Sherlock Holmes would have savored and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fans will adore.”
Editor
The Movie starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock and based on the book by Jonathan Safran Foer opens soon. Find this book in our catalog
Click here for a movie trailer.
Summary from our catalog: “Jonathan Safran Foer emerged as one of the most original writers of his generation with his best-selling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated. Now, with humor, tenderness, and awe, he confronts the traumas of our recent history. Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.”
Editor
The film adaptation of John le Carre’s novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy makes its highly anticipated U.S. debut December 9. (Find the book in our catalog)
Summary in our catalog: “John le Carré’s classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge and have earned him — and his hero, British Secret Service agent George Smiley — unprecedented worldwide acclaim.A modern masterpiece in which le Carré expertly creates a total vision of a secret world,Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spybegins George Smiley’s chess match of wills and wits with Karla, his Soviet counterpart.It is now beyond doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by Moscow Centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of British Intelligence. His treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. It is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. But which one? George Smiley is assigned to identify him. And once identified, the traitor must be destroyed.”
We also have copies of the 1979 DVD starring Sir Alec Guinness.
Editor
Cameron Crowe’s We Bought A Zoo will get ” a special early preview” on Thanksgiving weekend, ahead of its official December 23 release date. Read more from Deadline.com “Once in a while, we’re lucky enough to have a picture to which audiences of all kinds and all ages respond so strongly, that it demands a big and unexpected event,” said the studio’s marketing department in a statement. We Bought A Zoo stars Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and Thomas Haden Church and is based on the true story by Benjamin Mee. Copies of the book are available in Harford County Public Library.
Summary in our catalog: “Following the death of his father, Mee took on the challenge of helping his 76-year-old mother find a new home. This relatively simple task resulted in life-altering, unexpected outcomes, not the least of which was taking on the responsibility of owning and renovating a dilapidated zoo in rural England. Mee has a strong interest in animal behavior and was trained as a science journalist, which influenced his decision to move his family to a run down 30-acre zoo complete with animals. Readers will delight in his anecdotes, most notably about escapees Sovereign the jaguar and Parker the wolf, who attracted a fair share of media attention and antizoo feeling from the public. While the Mee family dream was coming to fruition, Mee’s wife, Katherine, suffered from the return of a brain tumor and died before the zoo was restored and reopened. The author’s touching description of this tragedy stands in contrast to his otherwise conversational tone and the humorous events depicted in the book.”
Editor
In an online reader:
