. I was excited to read it, but more excited to get to the movie. It probably veered the most from the text of any adaptation we watched this year, but that's typical of a film made from a children's book. We purposefully picked a shorter book for December; it's tough enough to get through the holidays without the added pressure of wading through a brick of a novel. I really enjoyed the movie, in part because the main character is voiced by George Clooney. Yum. He really does make everything sound better.
Merry Christmas from the Mook Club!
Since we've reached the end of another successful book club year, I thought I'd run down the list of everything we read this year, in case you are looking for something to put on your Christmas wish list or wanting a new book to get you through the holidays. And for those of you who don't remember, my book club (the Movie + Book = Mook Club) only chooses books that have been adapted into movies. We read a new book each month, then get together to watch the film.January
We started a new year by going back to an old favorite, Pride And Prejudice
. We always try to keep January's book short, although the language of the Regency Period made this a story that took its time. All of us had read the book before, so the only real debate was which movie version to watch, the BBC epic Colin Firth (rrrrowl!) edition, or the more recent Keira Knightly adaptation. We opted for the newer (and just as excellent in its own right) version.
Some pictures of Violet from our December book club get-together, randomly scattered throughout this post to reward you for reading such a wordy blog.
February
We timed this pick, Alice in Wonderland
, to coincide with the theatrical release of its movie counterpart. Alas, Violet was all of two weeks old and not theater ready, so this is actually the only book club movie I have yet to see. I had read this classic in my youth, but on the reread, I was surprised at how...bratty...Alice is.March
We read The Class. Not my favorite, and if I polled the group, I have a feeling this book would end up at the bottom of the stack. It is written by a teacher in the French school system about... oh who cares, you guys are bored already. What interested me initially in this book was that the movie adaptation was actually a documentary-style film and nominated for a best foreign language film Oscar. The author played himself as teacher and real students played his class, ad libbing their way through the movie. Perhaps it would have been more interesting if we spoke French...
We spend the first 30 minutes on the very official book club business of getting Violet to crawl on command. Charmingly, she obliged.
April
We needed a pick-me-up for April, so we went with Out of Sight: A Novel
. We all enjoyed our last Elmore Leonard book, Get Shorty, and we all looked forward to watching George Clooney in this one. Yum!May
April showers bring May flowers, so we decided to go with a springtime theme and read The Secret Garden
. This book is another perfect example of a book for children finding new life through the eyes of an adult reader. When I checked it out of the library, I stumbled on The Secret Garden Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's THE SECRET GARDEN
and came thisclose to whipping up some crumpets or porridge for our afternoon movie. I didn't, but it's the thought that counts, right?June
June is the month of weddings, so we had to pick something to correspond to the theme. Behold, Wedding Date
. It was a nice, light chick read, perfect for the beach or a summer trip to England (where the story is set). Apparently British people (or at least our main character) are obsessed with a gummy candy known as Wine Gums, so my friend Joyce tracked some down and brought them to our movie so we could really get in the spirit. They were yum! (And can be found at your local Publix, we belatedly discovered.)
Violet had a lot of fun meeting Philly, Joyce's dog. Philly had less fun meeting Violet. My child learned a very hard lesson that day - not everyone is going to automatically like her. The pup eventually warmed up.
July
We wanted something patriotic for the 4th of July, but weren't really up to reading any war stories, so I suggested the next best thing - Forrest Gump
! In this instance, however, the movie far outweighs the book (in my humble opinion). As outlandish as the movie seems, the book is an even taller tale. But it was fun to read it hearing Tom Hank's voice in my head.August
Finally, football season cometh, and we celebrated by reading The Blind Side
. This book was fascinating, not just because of the Michael Oher story, but because it included some pretty amazing football facts about how the game has evolved over time and really created the position that Oher was born to play.
I was worried that Violet would be too much to handle at book club. After all, it's not fun watching a movie when you're chasing a baby everywhere. But Matt gave her a talking-to before we headed out and explained that if she couldn't behave, she couldn't be part of book club anymore. And there is a very long initiation process to get readmitted: She'll have to learn to read. But Violet was a doll and will definitely be invited back again. (More accurately, I'll probably be kicked out if I show up without her!)
September
September was a downer, I'm not going to lie. The Boy In the Striped Pajamas
is about the Holocaust, after all. But the book told the story from a child's point of view, letting us see the events of the time through a child's innocent, uncertain eyes. It was actually quite a beautiful story, and an excellent movie adaptation.October
To put us in the mood for Halloween (see how we tend to theme our picks? gotta keep it fresh!) we read Coraline
. Looking back, I'm realizing just how many books for kids we've picked. But for the record, Coraline is straight up spooky and I would think twice about letting you little one read it. The movie was pretty creeptastic too. Very Nightmare Before Christmas-esque.November
Ah, Crazy Heart: A Novel
. The book was great, but I preferred the movie ending. Sure, they went a little Hollywood with it, but in this case, I'll take it. I prefer my books/movies ending on a hopeful note. Both book and movie were excellent, although the movie has the added benefit of a great soundtrack.
Me and my girl. (Heaps of thanks to Emily B. for taking all these pics with her fancy new camera!)
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