I have to admit as much of a fan of the Oscars that I am, my cinematic enthusiasm is decidedly less than zero here.
Given all of the real world anxiety both last year and sadly still with us in this new calendar season, the movie scene wasn’t vibing that much with me.
Don’t get wrong; I did see a few good films in theaters and a couple on streaming(one of which I will be highlighting later in this post) . Nonetheless, my Oscar game is a little disconnected this time around yet I still plan to watch the show and hopefully, find some inspiration for what’s to come.
Okay, enough of the negativity-let’s talk about a few Oscar nominees whose films are book based, starting with The Nickel Boys, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead. The movie stars Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson as two young men sent off to a “reform school “ in Florida during the 1960s.
The movie is up for Best Adapted Screenplay(RaMell Ross co-wrote the script with Joslyn Barnes) and Best Picture yet you don’t hear much about this film, which is a true shame. Granted, it may not be the most cheerful of subjects but that’s never stopped the Academy from promoting such a story before.
Given that it’s based on the work of one of our best living authors today, it certainly deserves better attention than this brief notice to be sure:
Next up is a movie that received quite a bit of attention, Conclave, based on the thriller by Robert Harris.
Ralph Finnes plays Cardinal Lawrence, who is leading the title event to select the next papal appointment, which happens to be a setting off point for some major revelations amongst the clergy.
Finnes has one of the eight nominations for this movie as Best Actor while Isabella Rossellini gets her first Best Supporting Actress nom as a rather secretive nun. Its other categories include Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score, Best Costume Design and Best Picture yet. It did pretty well at the box office and I expect it to take home a few awards on Oscar night.
Frankly, Conclave seems like a rather old fashioned movie with its well known cast(Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow round out the big names) and conspiracy plot points to me. Then again, I have heard good word of mouth about the film and having read one of Harris’ earlier novels (Fatherland), it might be a sleeper surprise indeed:
To top this off, we have the animated movie The Wild Robot based on the first of three children’s books by Peter Brown.
The title mechanical being is accidentally left in a wilderness, where it uses their skills to adapt within the environment and form bonds with the world land residents (voiced by actors such as Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara and Mark Hamil, with Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, the robot). It is not only nominated for Best Animated Feature, it’s up for Best Original Score and Best Sound as well.
This does seem like a charming film that blends the whole nature vs. technology themes quite nicely there. A sequel is being planned as we speak and it is refreshing to see a movie meant for kids and their adults that is more than just cynical marketing these days:
“Hey, you didn’t talk about Wicked or Dune part two!” Yes, because those bookish connections are rather well known at this point and I wanted to highlight a few other book based films this award season.
One of those movies I watched on Hulu a few weeks ago, Nightbitch
based on the novel by Rachel Yoder that stars Amy Adams as a frustrated stay at home mother who mourns her budding art career and grows more and more annoyed with her husband, who clearly takes her for granted.
Her emotional turmoil leads her to believe that she might be turning into a literal creature of the night with some of her mommy group joining in on the canine carousing. I don’t want to spoil the plot but as a caveat, if you are a cat person (like me), there are a couple of scenes you might not like(you have been warned).
While it’s not up for the Oscars, Nightbitch is a nominee at the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards for Best Lead Performance and Best Editing. I’m not surprised at that since it’s a tad offbeat for the Academy yet I find myself thinking about it weeks later.
Adams gives quite the performance as a woman who feels trapped in a situation that she partially feels responsible for yet her resentments run deep and are very much justified.
Some folks complained that the book took more chances than the film, which I don’t know about yet(just borrowed a copy from the library this week) but something tells me that writer/director Marielle Heller made the choice to not get bogged down in body horror and wanted to focus more on the inner struggles of her lead character instead.
There is some body horror here to be sure but perhaps not as much as the novel’s readers expected (I will know soon enough). However, what strikes me is that despite all of the social changes for women over the years, some things still remain the same as this story shows us. Women having to choose between home and career, conflicting advice on child rearing and feeling guilty about every decision you do or don’t make is still sadly relevant now as it was twenty or thirty years ago.
I think it would make a good double feature with the original Stepford Wives in some regards and it’s a shame that Nightbitch is not a part of the current pop culture conversation right now.
Then again, the movie did get me to seek out the book and hopefully, others will do so as well. Books and movies do go along good together but sometimes, like a favorite yet all too familiar recipe, you need to add a new ingredient or two to shake things up:
It’s been a very rough start to the new year in more ways than one(especially yesterday!) but fortunately there are some good things to look forward to, such as the first readathon upon the Seasons of Reading’s calendar. The whole month of February is known as Winter’s Respite (with our excellent host Michelle Miller holding a 24 hour reading event on one of the Saturdays) and for the most part, there are no set genre requirements.
With that in mind, my TBR here is mostly short and sweet; my first pick being book one of a Nora Roberts trilogy, The Next Always.
This beginning of the Inn Boonesboro series introduces us to the Montgomery brothers, who are restoring the title inn back to its former working glory.
The main story focuses on Beckett, the architect of the family who is also keeping an eye on his lifelong crush,Clare, now a widow raising three young sons while running an independent bookstore.
Can this long time friendship develop into a lasting love or are the two of them just caught in a right place, wrong time situation?
I have heard great word of mouth about these books yet only want to tackle the first one for this event and save the other two for a possible spring/summer read. Besides, this particular book might drive me into a Gilmore Girls binge watch(did you know Hulu now has GG on tap?) with all of this small town country inn charms:
Speaking of Gilmore, my next selection is the second book in Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store.
When the book shop owner of the tasty sounding title establishment Hazel stumbles across a mystery among her own literary stock, she’s eager to liven things up with a bit of Nancy Drew action.
However, it does help to have a partner in such cases and as it turns out, good buddy and local fisherman Noah is more than happy to do some sleuthing with Hazel. Will this partnership lead to romance as well as a solution to the strange puzzle before them?
I did enjoy the earlier book in this series, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, and yes, this definitely has Stars Hollow vibes, particularly when Rory was with Jess(as a high school romance, he was a train wreck but the older, maturer Jess of the later seasons is preferable to Logan, in my humble opinion!). Gilmore Girls rant aside, this should quite the relaxing read I need:
Finally, for some cozy fantasy flavor, I added The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields.
Unsure of her path in life, Marigold is willing to take up
the mantle of Honey Witch on the island of Innisfree, despite the curse of never having romantic love that comes with the job.
Even while blossoming under the magical energies of the island’s flora and fauna, Marigold does start growing a bit lonely but with regular visits from local skeptic Lottie, the urge to break the curse becomes more important but just as dangerous to attempt. Yet, isn’t the chance at real love worth it?
I do love the rise of the cozy fantasy genre and this particular tale seems as engaging as any bee charmer out there:
There is still plenty of time to sign up for the Winter’s Respite readathon and I hope you join in for some page turning fun this freezing season. Much thanks to Michelle Miller for getting us all to start a new year of reading off right!
Oh and if you’re looking for some relaxing TV time this winter, I happen to notice that my local PBS station has been airing episodes of Lark Rise to Candleford on the weekends (it’s also available on Tubi).
If you are in the mood for a comfortable old school series with faces both old and new in British drama, this small town delight is definitely a warm cup of tea to savor on these upcoming winter nights:
While there are still plenty of new books upon my TBR, fresh from the holidays, it always helps to start a new year off right with a few new releases of the first month there.
To that end, I selected a trio of Book of the Month Club picks that have a royal flair. Deciding to be bold and try an author new to me, Babylonia by Cortanza Casati was my first choice.
The novel tells the tale of famed queen Semiramis, who rose from rather humble beginnings as the adopted daughter of a brutish shepherd to wife of the local governor which ultimately lead her to the throne of Assyria , the only woman to do so in those times.
Such a climb was not without its price yet Semiramis was willing to pay for that path to power at any cost or was she..?
I paired this title with Casati’s earlier book, Clytemnestra, to get a good back to back read of the writer’s style here. Plus, something tells me that warrior queens are going to very much in demand this year and this is certainly a good way to get a head start on that trend:
To round things out, Fiona Davis’ The Stolen Queen has come along at the right time indeed.
The story is told between two women connected by a missing Egyptian artifact taken during the Met Gala in 1978.
Charlotte, a curator determined to redeem the reputation of legendary Queen Hathorkare, and Annie, a hopeful designer given a golden opportunity by Diana Vreeland, find themselves working together to retrieve this historic piece not only to reclaim it for the museum but to perhaps redeem their own reputations as well.
This pursuit leads them to Egypt, where Charlotte was hoping to never return, due to an incident from the 1930s that haunts her still to this day. Nevertheless, she’s not alone this time but that also means the danger is also double fold.
I do enjoy Davis’ takes on women and history within the New York landscape , plus this action adventure vibe of the plot puts me in mind of those Mummy movies with Rachel Weisz as the smart and savvy leading lady, a popcorn bonus to be sure:
Meanwhile, before New Year’s Eve arrived, I did make my last library haul of the year(I will be making more this year, most definitely!) and while I did pick up Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone On this Train is a Suspect (which I am reading now), I was able to add something even more thrilling than that.
If you’re unfamiliar with Chuck Tingle, many know him
best from his humorous ebooks chronicling the unusual romantic adventures of dinosaurs, space invaders and popular drinking cups, I kid you not on that last one!
Most recently, he’s been writing horror fiction with the first traditionally published one being Camp Damascus. The title refers to a conversion camp near the small religious town of Neverton where 20 year old Rose is sure that she’s never been. However, the bizarre visions that she has been having lately seem to be connected to that place and might be where she has to find the answers to her questions.
I have heard great word of mouth about this book and very eager to give it a try as humor and horror tend to walk hand in hand on the pop culture road there in rather scary harmony:
Also in the spirit of checking out new to me authors, I picked up my first Jodi Picoult novel.
By Any Other Name introduces us to Emilia Bassano, a vibrant writer during the Elizabethan era who may be the true author of Shakespeare’s best plays.
Her modern day descendant, Melina, is most certain of that and trying to produce a play about her predecessor’s life and times but not without some unsuitable obstacles in her way. How these ladies lived and loved in their day is the true heart of the story, it seems and as good a place as any to check out Picoult.
I do like a modern spin on preconceived notions, plus Picoult tends to have her literary finger on the pop culture pulse when it comes to storytelling and this book sounds quite timely to say the least:
Well, I certainly have plenty on my plate when it comes to books at the moment and given the upcoming events of next week, I will definitely need to send my imagination on a stress free vacation there.
Many folks are calling for taking some TV /social media time off on day and my two cents is if you need to, either the whole day or several hours, do so by all means. It doesn’t mean that you’re avoiding reality in this instance; just that your mental and emotional energy shouldn’t be given to those unworthy of such attentions.
If you’re able to binge watch something positive, I humbly suggest All Creatures Great and Small, the newer PBS version. Season Fuve has already begun and it’s a loving look at times gone by and what they still could be in terms of honoring our better natures. Plus, it’s based on books to boot! Winner, winner , reader’s dinner, if you ask me:
One thing I noticed around the holidays was bookish folk choosing their “ one to finish” during the festive season (or in some cases ten!) and while I don’t usually follow trends, this time out took me along that page turning path.
My Christmas Eve read was the latest comic book history by Tim Hanley, Never A Sidekick , which chronicles the journey of Batgirl as a heroine in her own right.
She originally began as Bette Kane, niece of Batwoman Kate Kane, back in the 1960s. The two female characters were introduced as a way to offset accusations of an “unwholesome “ relationship between Batman and Robin from the censorship crowd.
While Bette was a breath of fresh air, although briefly seen in the comics,it was the live action Batman TV series that really brought Batgirl to pop culture audiences
As played by the lively Yvonne Craig ,by day she was Barbara Gordon, daughter of Gotham’s police commissioner and local librarian; at night she became the Dynamic Duo’s secretive ally with her own theme song!
While her stint on the show was not as long as many of the fans would’ve liked, Craig did reprise the character for a public service announcement that promoted the Equity in Pay Act for women:
While Barbara Gordon managed to maintain her own identity within the comics, even becoming a political activist at one point, another live action appearance came in 1997’s Batman & Robin, a departure from the previous films in more ways than one.
Here, as played by Alicia Silverstone,she was Barbara Wilson, the niece of butler Alfred Pennyworth with her big fight scene being against villainess Poison Ivy(Uma Thurman).
While this wasn’t a well received film, it did give Batgirl a nice revival and if you think about it, the campy nature of this movie does reflect that earlier TV series that launched the character into the pop culture spotlight:
Speaking of the small screen, a newer incarnation of the Barbara Gordon version of the character was depicted in the sadly short lived CW series, Birds of Prey, in 2002.
Upon being assaulted by the Joker in the infamous comic book story The Killing Joke(which even its creators regret ), Barbara was paralyzed but far from out of the crime fighting game.
Developing stealthy computer skills, she became The Oracle, a guide and mentor to various superhero teams including the original Birds of Prey. This phoenix like turn to her character inspired many in the disabled community , who were pleased to be getting some proper representation.
Oracle/Batgirl was portrayed by Dina Meyers on the show and was a solid lead on the series, only putting on the Batgirl suit once to confront a former foe(with the aid of a cybernetic spinal implant for mobility). The series had potential but much like the all too recent dismissal of the lost Batgirl movie, didn’t get the chance it deserved to shine:
Much like his prior books about superhero themed ladies such as Wonder Woman, Lois Lane and Catwoman, Hanley gives us a thoughtful and engaging look into Batgirl in her various versions, including other women who donned the cowl like Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown.
He also talks about the ill fated Batgirl movie, the comic book revival of the character and her animated appearances on the likes of Batman:The Animated Series and Harley Quinn.
His sincere enthusiasm combined with excellent research and compelling writing makes him a go-to for comic book lore and I can’t recommend him highly enough!
I was very happy to have Never A Sidekick as my holiday weekend read but it’s a wonderful book to enjoy all year long. Hopefully, we will get the Batgirl film that does her justice someday but in the meanwhile, Tim Hanley gives her the applause that she truly deserves:
So let us begin with a Happy New Year of Reading to all as I wrap up my last book challenge of 2024, the Yuletide Spirit Readathon hosted by Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading.
I was planning to read one new book and reread two from my personal library but as it turned out, I read two new titles and partly reread one(just didn’t have time to finish before year’s end). Hey, there’s always next time and the pair that I did complete gave me a fine good feeling for the season indeed:
Christmas with the Queen
Co-written by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, this charming historical fiction spans several years from the first official holiday address given by Queen Elizabeth I in 1952 to her first televised address in 1957.
Connected by this annual event are Jack and Olive, old friends who parted no long after the end of WWII; he is now a widower working as one of chefs at Sandringham, where the Royal Family stays during the holidays, she is an ambitious BBC reporter and single mother who gets a golden opportunity to cover the Queen’s Christmas celebrations.
Over the years, Jack and Olive rekindle their friendship and perhaps more yet there is a certain secret that could put a stop to any romantic future before it even starts. Can these yearly meetings lead to a lasting relationship or has that moment gone for good?
Gaynor and Webb tell a lovely story that has you rooting for these characters despite the odds as well as paints a vivid portrait of post-war England for readers to fully enjoy. It’s also great that Queen Elizabeth occasionally enters the narrative without overwhelming the main plot and leaves her gently human touch upon the proceedings:
The other new book was one of my Book of the Month Club selections(yes, I swapped out one Christmas themed mystery for another) and it helped that Ally Carter’s The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year had a Christmas in England setting like I originally wanted this TBR to have.
Cozy mystery writer Maggie Chase is not having a great year so when she gets a surprise invitation to attend a Christmas house party in England with renowned author Eleanor Ashby, aka the Duchess of Death, it’s a sign of better things to come.
However, that pleasure is somewhat dimmed by the presence of Ethan Wyatt, popular spy thriller writer who vexes Maggie both personally and professionally-for one thing, his latest book was chosen over hers for a celebrity book club endorsement and for another, he keeps getting her name wrong!
When the two of them reach Eleanor’s estate and meet the other guests, including another writer and Eleanor’s contentious relatives, things start to become clearly not what they seem.
In fact, the hostess herself goes missing and several other potential fatalities occur that force Maggie and Ethan to reluctantly team up to see if this mystery is a staged event or leading to a truly last Christmas for one and all.
I have to say that this was quite the lively holiday adventure, well wrapped in romantic tension and engaging moments of suspense. Carter certainly has a way with pairing up a smartly bickering couple with fun flair there; it was sort of like Agatha Christie meets Castle and hopefully,we get a sequel in our stocking next year:
My thanks to Michelle Miller for setting up these reading romps and I look forward to the upcoming Winter’s Respite readathon (still working on the TBR for that one!).
In the meanwhile, I am ready for new reads and new pop culture delights, in particular the return of many great TV shows such as Abbott Elementary(doing an amazing crossover with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia!) to warm up the chilly nights ahead of us.
Hopefully, we all can find things like that in common to keep us going through out the rest of this unpredictable year:
