Lewis & Clark Library Blog

Today's blog features book recommendations by Director John and Public Services Manager Lisa and the theme is books which have been adapted to the silver screen. Read on to see if you've read any of the following titles, watched the movies, or both.

John recommends . . .

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
With unsettling beauty and intelligence, this Golden Man Booker Prize-winning novel traces the intersection of four damaged lives in an abandoned Italian villa at the end of World War II. The nurse Hana, exhausted by death, obsessively tends to her last surviving patient. Caravaggio, the thief, tries to reimagine who he is, now that his hands are hopelessly maimed. The Indian sapper Kip searches for hidden bombs in a landscape where nothing is safe but himself. And at the center of his labyrinth lies the English patient, nameless and hideously burned, a man who is both a riddle and a provocation to his companions--and whose memories of suffering, rescue, and betrayal illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightning.
Find The English Patient (book and movie) in the library catalog Here   
Montana Library2Go/Libby eBook and audiobook
Read more about the author Here
John says, "I think that the book The English Patient is beautifully written. Poetic. The film is also lovely to look at, and a story well told. However, they are very different. The movie focuses on the secondary story from the book. The film follows the love story between Catherine and Count de Almasy much more closely than the story of Kip and Hana. They are both magnificent but very different."

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

A Pulitzer prize-winning classic,  this book is considered one of the greatest novels written on the Civil War. Character-driven and told from the perspective of various historical figures from both the Confederacy and the Union, I loved the book and its movie counterpart Gettysburg. The book made me a fan of Colonel Josh Chamberlain. Jeff Bridges brought him to life in the film.
Find The Killer Angels in the library catalog Here
Gettysburg (DVD) is available via Interlibrary loan Here 
Montana Library2Go/Libby eBook and audiobook
Read more about the author Here

Lisa recommends . . .

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

When I was a young reader, I devoured this book.  I read it and its sequels so many times that I felt like a fifth March sister.  Who wouldn't want to belong to that loving, happy, boisterous family? Jo March in particular is one of the best characters in literature and one of my earliest literary heroes.  There have been many cinematic versions of Little Women but for me, the 2019 version directed by Greta Gerwig is a marvel.  Inventive and intelligent, it imbues an old classic with modern sensibility.
Find Little Women in the library catalog Here
Montana Library2Go/Libby  eBook and audiobook
Hoopla eBook and audiobook
Read more about the author  Here

 

Little Women is also available in Playaway Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

A classic romance- innocent young woman meets and falls in love with brooding, dangerous older man.  But Jane is stronger than she seems and won't be led away from what she knows is right for her.  Despite her feelings, she is determined to live life on her own terms.  There are many movie and television adaptations of Jane Eyre but my two favorites are the 2006 version with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens and the 2011 version with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.
Find Jane Eyre in the library catalog Here
Montana Library2Go/Libby  eBook and audiobook
Hoopla eBook and audiobook
Read more about the author  Here

Jane Eyre is also available in playaway Here

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

 

A charming book about music, love, loneliness and not settling for Mr. Right Here.  The 2018 movie starring Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O'Dowd is just as charming. But you really can't go wrong with any Nick Hornby book.  High Fidelity and About a Boy are both excellent books that were made into excellent movies.
Find Juliet, Naked in the library catalog Here
Juliet, Naked (DVD) is available through Interlibrary loan Here
Montana Library2Go/Libby  eBook 
Read more about the author  Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you John and Lisa for your excellent recommendations.  Stay tuned for more blog posts featuring books into films recommendations. Have you read any great books that have been made into movies?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

 

Today’s Staff Picks book recommendations were both published in the last century! With John Steinbeck’s American classic, The Grapes of Wrath being published in 1939, and Of Human Bondage by European author W. Somerset Maugham making its literary appearance even earlier in 1915, these books have demonstrated shelf life. In your reading selections, choosing the newest bestsellers can be exciting and relevant to the times we live in, but it's also worth returning to older books which, as the saying goes, “have stood the test of time.” 

Katy recommends . . .  

Of Human Bondage
by W. Somerset Maugham 

A coming-of-age story that sweeps you away in its analysis of everyday life with truly relatable characters. 

Find it in the library catalog Here
Also available in digital format:
Montana Library2Go eBook
Hoopla eBook and Audiobook
Read more about W. Somerset Maugham Here

Jill suggests . . .  

The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck 

Worth reading for the first time or revisiting. This classic tale of haves versus have nots is as relevant today as ever. 

Find it in the library catalog Here
Also available in digital format:
Montana Library2Go eBook and Audiobook
Hoopla Audiobook
Read more about John Steinbeck Here

Looking for more reading suggestions? Come to the library and browse! For more staff book recommendations, head upstairs to the second floor where you’ll find beautiful reading spaces, a large fiction section, the adult graphic novel collection, our reference books (currently being revamped with new materials!) and our Staff Picks book display. 

Also, we love to hear about what you're reading. Leave a comment below to suggest a book you've enjoyed.  See you at the library!