Lets Talk Book to Movie! with Guest Blogger Spencer Blohm

Books have always been inspirations for film. It’s no wonder, since novels have lots of plot and character depth, which means scriptwriters and filmmakers have plenty to work with when creating a movie. Below, you’ll find a recent Movie Adaptation, and the news surrounding it:

The Giver By Lois Lowry - Movie COMING August 2014

Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. 
The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

This was one of my absolute favorite books during adolescence. There is a reason why The Giver is now required school reading, and to this day I think very fondly of this book. If I could describe it in one word, that word would be magical. But not the waving your wand frantically type of magic. 
It is the, wakes up your mind and touches your heart kind of magic you can only find in a book. 

I would like to welcome back media blogger, Spencer Blohm, who will now be appearing regularly for my Book to Movie Feature! Spencer is here to give us all the deets on the upcoming movie adaptation of The Giver. Both of us are extremely excited for this movie, and hope you are too!

THE GIVER MOVIE ADAPTATION:

The beloved young adult book published in 1993 by Lois Lowry tells the story of the “Community”, a surreal, Utopia-like place where even common human emotions like physical attraction are suppressed through medication, and social occurrences for everything from jobs to spouses are assigned. Compliance with the strict set of laws and rules are in place in order to ensure that the citizens never again have to deal with things like illness, pain, or unhappiness. 

The film version of this book is slated to be released in August, after 20 years of pre-production issues. It was, of all people, Bill Cosby who originally bought the rights to the film in 1994. During the years that followed the rights and screenwriting switched from one place to another before finally being picked up by The Weinstein Company. Since the beginning of the 20 year journey, Jeff Bridges expressed interest in being a part of the film, and his wish came true when he was cast as the titular character. 

Adding another punch of star power is the legendary Meryl Streep, who was cast in the role of Chief Elder. As for the main character of the story, Jonas, that role goes to the relatively unknown Australian actor Brenton Thwaites. His parents are to be played by Alexander Skarsgard and Katie Holmes. The role of Rosemary will be played by Taylor Swift, in her fourth ever acting role. 

As is expected when a well-known book is adapted to film, the reaction to the casting has been polarizing. Some readers who are of a younger generation, and pre-existing fans of Taylor Swift, are excited about her casting. Older readers, who enjoyed the book when they were younger are coming up short in their excitement regarding the country star’s role. It seems everyone can agree, however, that Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep promise to be perfection in their roles. 

As with everything these days, fans took to social media to air their excitement, disappointment, and thoughts on the casting news. Since filming just wrapped at the end of last year, we have yet to even see a trailer, but that isn’t stopping people from talking! Fans have taken to Twitter to air their excitement about the movie and its casting. According to social media monitoring company Viral Heat, 89% of the tweets about the movie in the past week have been positive, and it seems this movie is definitely going to be on everyone’s lips come summertime.

BIG THANKS to Spencer for being with us today! See you guys next Friday, for another edition of Book 2 Movie! 

Indie Book Review: Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins

Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins: The Careful Writer's Guide to the Taboos, Bugbears, and Outmoded Rules of English Usage

by Theodore M. Berstein

The old adage, rules are made to be broken has never been as well defended as in MISS THISTLEBOTTOM'S HOBGOBLINS. Throughout the book, Bernstein asserts that we have been indoctrinated with English usage rules that lack flexibility and evoke fear, confusion and frustration in writers. There are times when splitting an infinitive or ending a sentence with a preposition makes sense. Through a series of one-sided correspondences with Bertha Thistlebottom, an archetypal grade school English teacher, Bernstein addresses the community of rule mongering sticklers who have tried to squeeze the English language into a set of inflexible rules and outmoded definitions that only serve to stifle its growth and paralyze writers. In addition to his letters to Miss Thistlebottom, there are scores of entries where Bernstein debunks the rules of yesteryear with wit and intelligence and illustrates how to write effectively without the worry of hobgoblins.

~ MY REVIEW ~

If your a literary professional, writer or just a plain old grammar nerd, you'll enjoy this book of hobgoblins! It's full of interesting facts regarding the English language, laid out in a quirky and informational way. I enjoyed the author's way of speech and his ability to keep a reference guide entertaining. I definitely took away some great tools for my editing and writing in the future! That's the thing about the English language, there are always more tricks of the trade to tuck away into your arsenal! And most importantly, this book concentrates on getting back to the written word, instead of being stuck debating oppressive grammar rules.