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Page to Screen

It is a busy holiday season for film and TV with several long-awaited adaptations arriving.

Dec. 20:

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, not based on a book but there are associated titles including The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition (Star Wars) by Rae Carson (Del Rey: Random House). Reviews | Trailer

The Witcher, based on The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski (Orbit: Hachette). No reviews | Trailer

Cats, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot (HMH). Reviews | Trailer

Invisible Life, based on The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão by Martha Batalha (OneWorld). Reviews | Trailer

Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee. Not an adaptation, but focused on the comics created by Lee. No reviews | Trailer

Dec.21:

Christmas on My Mind, based on The Goodbye Bride by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson: Harper). No reviews | Trailer

Dec. 24:

Lost in Space, season two, inspired by The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss (Penguin) and the comic Space Family Robinson created by Del Connell and artist Dan Spiegle. No reviews | Trailer

Dec. 25:

Little Women, based on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Signet: Penguin). Reviews | Trailer Also of note, Greta Gerwig’s screenplay is now online.

Just Mercy, opens in limited release, based on Just Mercy (Movie Tie-In Edition): A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (Spiegel & Grau: Random House). Reviews | Trailer

The Song of Names, based on The Song of Names (Movie Tie-in Edition) by Norman Lebrecht (Anchor: Random House). Reviews | Trailer

Murdoch Mysteries, based on the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings. No reviews | No trailer

When Calls the Heart Christmas, (re-broadcast) based on When Calls the Heart: Hallmark Channel Special Movie Edition (Media tie-in) by Janette Oke (Bethany House). No reviews | Trailer

Dec. 26:

You, season two, based on Hidden Bodies: (A You Novel) (Media tie-in) by Caroline Kepnes (Atria/Emily Bestler Books: S. & S.). Reviews | Trailer

Reviews

The NYT reviews The Heart Is a Full-Wild Beast: New and Selected Stories by John L'Heureux (A Public Space Books): “Even in his weaker stories, he lands, with gleeful precision, on death, sex, regret and then death again. But God’s wry grace always comes through at the last.” Also, the Crime column is out.

The Washington Post reviews The Dolphin Letters, 1970-1979: Elizabeth Hardwick, Robert Lowell, and Their Circle by Elizabeth Hardwick, Robert Lowell, edited by Saskia Hamilton (FSG: Macmillan): “The events and emotions it documents will be familiar to those who have endured a painful divorce.”

Briefly Noted

Bustle has “The Best Books Of The 2010s, According To 30 Of The Decade's Debut Authors.”

Paste picks the best novels of 2019.

#LibFaves19 concludes. Here is the spreadsheet listing the titles and number of votes. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine: Random House; LJ starred review) and Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (Griffin: St. Martin’s) get top billing.

Popsugar names its picks for "the 10 Best Romance Novels of 2019.” There is also “These 15 Medical Thrillers Will Have Your Head Spinning.”

CrimeReads names “The Best Books of 2019: Historical Fiction.”

LitHub has “Some of Our Favorite Writers on the Best Books They Read in 2019.” Also, The Millions has new posts in its "Year of Reading" series.

Book Marks reports on “The Most Scathing Reviews of 2019.”

Marie Claire highlights “The Best Fiction by Women in 2020.”

The NYT has ten recommended books for the week.

Vogue picks “9 New Fashion Books to Gift the Most Stylish Person on Your List.”

The English PEN Translates awards are out, winners range across eighteen countries.

O: The Oprah Magazine features Danielle Steel.

The Guardian showcases Felice Picano, The Lure (Muswell Press).

The Atlantic spotlights Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters (LJ, starred review) by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding (Oxford).

Adam Kay, This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor (Pan Macmillan) answers The Guardian’s “Books that made me” questions.

Vox writes “J.K. Rowling’s latest tweet seems like transphobic BS. Her fans are heartbroken.” The story is breaking widely, on a range of media formats.

Remezcla.com reports that Shea Serrano is working with the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists “to launch a scholarship for Latinx folks interest in publishing or journalism. Serrano donated $20,000, which will be awarded as $5,000 scholarships over the next four years.”

The Guardian has a piece on how donations saved Galley Beggar Press. More on the story here.

Authors on Air

The NYPL re-posts its absolutely wonderful recording of Neil Gaiman reading “A Christmas Carol.” NPR typically re-runs David Sedaris’s “Santaland Diaries” too.

Nylon wonders “How Does The New Little Women Compare To The Previous 4 Versions?”

Deadline reports that Hulu is not moving forward with Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles.

The Today show features Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks: A Cookbook by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter: Random House) and Goodnight Bubbala by Sheryl Haft, illustrated by Jill Weber (Dial Books: Penguin).

CBS Sunday Morning excerpts Irving Berlin: New York Genius by James Kaplan (Yale; LJ starred review).

The Woman in the Window gets a trailer. It premieres May 15, 2020.

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You gets a trailer. It premieres Feb. 12, 2020.

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