Read a book that’s been made into a movie.
My choice for this task was Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini. It was quite the surprise - much more brutal than I expected. But there was plenty of swashin’ and bucklin’ so I was a happy camper. In short, it was fun. Looking forward to watching the movie soon.
Do books made into mini series or HBO like productions count for this?
Thanks for the question, @Jennifer_V2. Yes, they do!
Ok, it’s The Outsider by Stephen King, then.
Loving this challenge! Just what I needed to make well considered reading selections!
3 posts were merged into an existing topic: BookBrowse Reading Challenge Info/Rules
I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It may be a middle grade book, but it is a delightful book. I spent a lot of time on the internet learning more about Georges Melies. Brian Selznick did a wonderful job of presenting historical information blended with an engaging story.
Nearly done with Calamity Club. I like it less as it moves away from exploring the rich characters and gets wrapped in the plot line of the Calamity Club venture…trying not to “spoil”. Will see how it resolves.
Contact (8/18/26)
As much as I loved the movie (and it is a favorite), I enjoyed the book even more. While the overall storyline was captured in the movie, there were some definite points of divergence likely to make the movie shorter and more entertaining for a viewing audience. The book included more science and discussed in more detail the possible implications of the first contact and the world’s response, including the military and theologians’ responses.
So glad I read the book! Sagan was brilliant I wish he had written more fiction.
I read Beloved for this challenge. The book is a tough read. I could not watch the movie, there is something about seeing it vs reading it. I don’t know if it is a good movie, I just couldn’t do it. But I am glad I read Toni Morrison!
I read In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri by Harry N. McLean.
I very rarely read mysteries or thrillers, but have to admit that true crime is my reading guilty pleasure. The small farming community of Skidmore, Missouri was thrust into the national spotlight in the late 1980s when the town bully, Ken Rex McElroy, was shot to death sitting in his pickup on a main street surrounded by a large crowd of 30-45 citizens. Despite the killing being witnessed by numerous people in broad daylight, not one member of the gathering to this day has broken silence on who committed the killing. McElroy terrorized the town and surrounding countryside for years engaging in numerous criminal activities including molesting of young teen girls, livestock rustling, threats and intimidation of witnesses and juries, destruction of property, and shooting and severely injuring two individuals. He was never found guilty of any wrongdoing until the last shooting for which he was convicted, but allowed to go free during the appeal process due to Missouri law. The town had finally had enough and knew they would get no support from law enforcement or the justice system so it took matters into its own hands. The incident was on the national news extensively, several books were written, television documentaries made, and a television movie starring Brian Dennehy was presented in the 1990s. I was also interested because one of my work friend’s ex-husband was Skidmore teenager when the shooting occurred. He wasn’t in town on the day it took place, but always said that it was an unspoken pact that the shooters would never ever be revealed.
It’s obvious the author did in depth research and spent a great deal of time in the town and surrounding area. He traces the origins of the town, the history of the McElroy family and the histories of the other main players in this chronology. The reader comes to know these people well. Coming from a rural background, I appreciated his descriptions of the landscape, farming practices, and the weather to show the change in seasons and move the account forward in time. There was some jumping back and forth in time due to the author working to give the reader a more developed understanding of a person when he or she was first introduced in the book, but it was easily compensated for. A large number of people were named and I finally had to resorted to writing down each new individual and his/her relationship to the most prominent persons involved. It might have been nice to have a list of all of the folks mentioned and their relationships. Despite this, I flew through the book in about 8 hours total and got my true crime fix met for awhile.
I chose to read THE JOY LUCK CLUB by Amy Tan for the book challenge topic: Read a book that was made into a movie.
The Joy Luck Club movie has a special meaning for me because when my daughter was in 7th grade we enjoyed watching the DVD format several times together. I was pleasantly the movie and the book are very similar. The movie is a successful adaptation that captures the emotions and themes of the book.
The book describes the friendship of 4 women who immigrated from China to San Francisco after the Japanese invasion during World War II. It examines the challenges the mothers’ face with the American born daughters.
Also THE JOY LUCK CLUB is one of the books listed in James Mustich’s book 1,000 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE.
Nice! You got a “two-fer” (Challenge & 1000 Books). ![]()
My favorite of her’s to-date is The Bonesetter’s Daughter, but The Joy Luck Club is a close second. Can you believe JLC was her first novel?!?
Problem is that The Long Walk book I thought I was reading for the 1000 book read is by a different author than the one for discussion.
Oh well I really enjoyed the book by Brian Castner.
I didn’t realize that ….. I am looking forward to November “s read