The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa BankRead Before: Mid-January 2008 (DVD)
The novel follows an everyday girl named Jane as she learns many of life's lessons. It's written in short story form, two of which ("My Old Man" and "The Worst Thing a Suburban Girl Could Imagine") are translated for the big screen by Marc Klein (A Good Year and Serendipity). In combining them, the story turns into a romantic dramedy about an aspiring book editor in the big city who reassesses her take on romance after falling for an older man. Instead of being released as Suburban Girl this fall, it's been released on DVD. Starring as the insightful Jane is Sarah Michelle Gellar and playing her love interest is the hilarious Alec Baldwin. Watch the trailer to see if they have any chemistry.
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizziRead Before: February 14, 2008
A family of four (twin boys, a teenage girl, and a mother) move from New York to a creepy house in the woods owned by their great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. Weird things start to occur: objects disappear, accidents happen, etc. Naturally, everyone blames Jared, the troublemaker of the family. Although he may not be the cause, he stumbles upon a book that when read opens the reader's eyes to an unseen world that explains all of the mysteries around them. When he tries to convince his siblings of the existence of this world, it isn't until they are attacked that they begin to believe. Unfortunately, even in a world this magical there is evil, and these siblings must fight together in order to stop it. Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) plays both twins, Sarah Bogler (Stormbreaker) plays the older sister, and Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds") plays their mother. To get a feel for this fantastical world, check out the trailer.
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa GregoryRead Before: February 29, 2008
This epic tale is about a girl whose parents are dead set on getting King Henry VIII to marry her. Eventually, she falls for him and the temptations of the throne. Unfortunately, his eyes wander to another girl, her own sister. Using his eagerness for an heir, she manipulates him and the lives of many others. Alas, when she fails to do as she promised, he seeks revenge and she seeks the help of the sister she once scorned. It's a scandalous romantic drama that should keep a reader enthralled through every chapter. Natalie Portman plays the wicked one, Scarlett Johansson plays her innocent sister, and Eric Bana reigns between them as the promiscuous king. Peter Morgan, writer of The Queen and The Last King of Scotland, translates this juicy tale. Get a glimpse of the betrayal and intrigue by watching the trailer.
Nim's Island by Wendy OrrRead Before: April 4, 2008
A little girl, who lives on her own private island with her scientist dad, spends every day having a new adventure and emailing her pen pal. When her father gets lost at sea during a research expedition and the island is being invaded, she sends an e-mail SOS to her pen pal. In the film, the little girl's e-mail buddy is the writer of her favorite adventure novels, Alex Rover. She expects him to save her and her dad like he does in his books. Unfortunately, Alex is actually a woman and obviously those stories are just fiction. And to make matters worse, Alex is a hermit who never EVER leaves her house, and that adventurous hero is an alter ego/imaginary friend who follows her around. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) plays the little girl, Jodie Foster tickles our funny bone with her hilarious turn as the socially inept Alex, and Gerard Butler plays her imaginary Indiana Jones-esque hero. Watch the trailer for a peak into her world.
Prince Caspian by C.S. LewisRead Before: May 16, 2008
You might recall the plot of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, where four kids travel through a magic armoire and discover a land with talking animals and an evil queen. They save Narnia and rule over the kingdom for many years, but once they return to their own time period, they revert back to the same age. In the second novel, we learn that hundreds of years have passed in Narnia and a new threat is looming. The children are summoned once more through a train station to help Prince Caspian protect the kingdom against his evil uncle. The original cast will be returning and newcomer Ben Barnes (Stardust) will be playing Caspian. Oddly enough, the adapters of the film are Shrek writer Andrew Adamson and Christopher Markus, the writer of the quirky Ben Kingsley comedy You Kill Me. The novel itself is a classic and easily enjoyable, especially if you memorize Barnes' cute face after watching the trailer and picture him saying all of Caspian's dialogue.
Wanted by Mark MillarRead Before: June 27, 2008
This comic starts off as an origin story about a guy named Wesley whose world falls apart when he loses his job, his girlfriend, and his best friend all at the same time. He hits rock bottom so hard that when he learns that the father he never got to know was actually an elite assassin, it's like the reboot button has been pressed on his life. Pretty much against his will, he's inducted into a secret society to take the place of his father as one of many super-villains that control the world. James McAvoy (Atonement) stars in the adaptation, and the villains who introduce him to this seductive organization are Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, and rapper Common. Granted, Russian director Timur Bekmambetov's (Day Watch) action scenes displayed in the trailer are killer, but the graphics designed by J.G. Jones are equally impressive.
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann BrasharesRead Before: August 8, 2008
This is the last book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, where the four best friends experience life changing events once again. Lena explores more of her artistic side, not to mention a summer fling, but she still has Kostos rumbling around in her mind. Carmen becomes smitten for a theater major who mocks the meaning of the Pants. Bridget falls for her archeology professor while on a dig in Turkey, and discovers that he's not quite available. And Tibby learns that the guy she leaves behind won't exactly wait for her forever. The film may skip ahead two novels, but it will still have the same four amazing actresses--two of which (Blake Lively in Gossip Girl and America Ferrara in Ugly Betty) have had skyrocketing television careers since last we saw them, while the others (Alexis Bledel in Gilmore Girls and Amber Tamblyn in Joan of Arcadia) have ended their TV shows. The books are best sellers, so perhaps you want to fill in the blanks by reading the second and third ones too.
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas SparksRead Before: September 12, 2008
The writer of The Notebook brings you another romantic drama. It focuses on a middle-aged woman whose husband leaves her for a younger woman and then asks to come back, and a middle-aged man who has just closed his medical practice and is battling a crisis of conscience. Both end up at an inn in North Carolina and by the powers of fate are trapped together by a major storm that forces them to turn to each other for comfort and face their dilemmas. The film will star Diane Lane and Richard Gere as the leads, with James Franco in the supporting cast.
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People: A Memoir by Toby YoungRead Before: October 3, 2008
It's a funny autobiography about a British journalist who decided to move to New York to work for Vanity Fair so he could one day be as successful as other British imports, like Anna Wintour. However, in a matter of 2 years he managed to lose his job, his reputation, and all of his friends/ acquaintances. The book chronicles five years of his life where he went from a glossy magazine editor to working as a crash-test dummy for interactive sex toys. Young makes fun of not only himself, but of pop culture, while simultaneously trying to fall in love. Translating the film is the British newcomer Peter Straughan, and starring as Young is the cult favorite Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz). Supporting cast consists of Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox (Transformers), Jeff Bridges, and Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files"). To see if it's worth the read, check out the trailer for a belly of laughs.
Inkheart by Cornelia FunkeRead Before: January 30, 2009
The book is about a girl named Meggie whose father seems like a boring old bookbinder. The truth, however, is that he has a magical power--that she happens to share--of being able to bring anything he reads to life, whether it be Toto from the Wizard of Oz or a cup of beer from a tavern scene. One day they read a book that should never be brought to life and unleash an evil they must banish once more (kind of similar to the Spiderwick Chronicles). In the film, Brendan Fraser plays the father and Eliza Bennett (Nanny McPhee) plays his daughter. Paul Bettany (A Knight's Tale), Helen Mirren, and Andy Serkis (Gollum from Lord of the Rings) are the supporting cast. Watch the trailer to see if it can get you hooked.
Very helpful, thank you!
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