What should my book club read next... or possibly watch instead?
July 7, 2020 4:20 PM Subscribe
What's a fun, recent book that my book club can read, that's also been made into a movie?
I'm in a (zoom) book club that reads quirky, magic realism type books. Recent books we've read were The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared and The House in the Cerulean Sea. We also (separately) enjoyed The Night Circus. What book should we read next?
Caveat - we've decided from now on to read books that have also been made into movies, so anyone who just cant deal with reading right now can watch the movie instead and still participate in the discussion.
So.... whats a fun little book that's been written in the past 5 years or so, that's also a movie?
I'm in a (zoom) book club that reads quirky, magic realism type books. Recent books we've read were The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared and The House in the Cerulean Sea. We also (separately) enjoyed The Night Circus. What book should we read next?
Caveat - we've decided from now on to read books that have also been made into movies, so anyone who just cant deal with reading right now can watch the movie instead and still participate in the discussion.
So.... whats a fun little book that's been written in the past 5 years or so, that's also a movie?
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple is a little bit older than you specified but is funny, light and engaging. There was a movie made of it last year (that I haven’t seen yet, but the book would go over well in my book club).
posted by charmedimsure at 5:04 PM on July 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by charmedimsure at 5:04 PM on July 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (Movie: Silver Linings Playbook with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper).
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer (Movie stars Glenn Close)
posted by loveandhappiness at 5:09 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer (Movie stars Glenn Close)
posted by loveandhappiness at 5:09 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
One suggestion I have would be to read some graphic novels, which might help with issue of the people who can't deal with a lot of reading right now. There are some excellent ones out there.
I'm thinking this might work whether the graphic novel has been made into a movie or not, though one book that is both a great graphic novel and also an animated movie you might consider is Persepolis. Both book and movie are a bit older than your target date of course, but not that old.
posted by gudrun at 5:21 PM on July 7, 2020
I'm thinking this might work whether the graphic novel has been made into a movie or not, though one book that is both a great graphic novel and also an animated movie you might consider is Persepolis. Both book and movie are a bit older than your target date of course, but not that old.
posted by gudrun at 5:21 PM on July 7, 2020
One suggestion I have would be to read some graphic novels, which might help with issue of the people who can't deal with a lot of reading right now.
Heck, if you want a "quirky, magical-realist" graphic novel/movie you could do a lot worse than reading/watching Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. It's well outside of the 5-year window, though; and the whole thing is pretty steeped in "fan culture", so if that's not your group's thing then caveat lector.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:29 PM on July 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
Heck, if you want a "quirky, magical-realist" graphic novel/movie you could do a lot worse than reading/watching Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. It's well outside of the 5-year window, though; and the whole thing is pretty steeped in "fan culture", so if that's not your group's thing then caveat lector.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:29 PM on July 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
1st suggestion is one I got from here "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith, waaaay out of your time frame, written in 1948, but absolutely delightful and made into a movie available on Amazon Prime (with a young Henry Cavill in a small role)
2nd suggestion also out of your time frame, but much more recent and has magical realism, "Big Fish" by Daniel Wallace, also a movie on Amazon Prime.
3rd suggestion still a little older than 5 years ago, but has animals! "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen, the movie is available on the HBO services.
posted by Jenny'sCricket at 5:35 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
2nd suggestion also out of your time frame, but much more recent and has magical realism, "Big Fish" by Daniel Wallace, also a movie on Amazon Prime.
3rd suggestion still a little older than 5 years ago, but has animals! "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen, the movie is available on the HBO services.
posted by Jenny'sCricket at 5:35 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Martian. Easy read, movie's also good, though there are differences. It's not a complicated plot, which might be preferred in these difficult times.
posted by kjs4 at 6:46 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by kjs4 at 6:46 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: The 5 years rule is not set in stone - I just didnt want to get suggestions for, like, Charles Dickens :)
Let's say more like.... past 20 years. Where'd you go, Bernadette would've been perfect, but I know half of us have already read it. I dont think this group would go for graphic novels, unfortunately.
posted by silverstatue at 9:06 PM on July 7, 2020
Let's say more like.... past 20 years. Where'd you go, Bernadette would've been perfect, but I know half of us have already read it. I dont think this group would go for graphic novels, unfortunately.
posted by silverstatue at 9:06 PM on July 7, 2020
If they will go for YA, The Darkest Minds is a pretty good twisty dystopia-ish thing.
posted by Night_owl at 9:43 PM on July 7, 2020
posted by Night_owl at 9:43 PM on July 7, 2020
These are typically read as SF/F but might qualify as magical realism in a pinch:
- Slaughterhouse-Five has a faithful, Hugo Award winning adaptation, though it makes obvious how women have only supporting roles
- Freaky Friday has multiple adaptations to choose from, and the book is so short people could both read and watch
- Coraline is pretty good in both mediums, and the book is short enough to make reading and watching viable
- The Time Traveler's Wife is more divisive
- The Ghost Bride has a recent adaptation on Netflix--subtitled and 5 hours long, but I think you can select an audio track in English
posted by Wobbuffet at 10:08 PM on July 7, 2020
- Slaughterhouse-Five has a faithful, Hugo Award winning adaptation, though it makes obvious how women have only supporting roles
- Freaky Friday has multiple adaptations to choose from, and the book is so short people could both read and watch
- Coraline is pretty good in both mediums, and the book is short enough to make reading and watching viable
- The Time Traveler's Wife is more divisive
- The Ghost Bride has a recent adaptation on Netflix--subtitled and 5 hours long, but I think you can select an audio track in English
posted by Wobbuffet at 10:08 PM on July 7, 2020
Oh! I think Big Fish would be perfect! I thought it was delightful-both book and movie.
posted by purenitrous at 10:15 PM on July 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by purenitrous at 10:15 PM on July 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
I loved the book. The movie didn't get great reviews but I liked it.
posted by night_train at 11:28 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
I loved the book. The movie didn't get great reviews but I liked it.
posted by night_train at 11:28 PM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Ok, since you can’t do Bernadette- I really loved The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey- more SF/thriller than anything else but super-readable and engaging. There is a movie (that I have not seen).
posted by charmedimsure at 12:36 AM on July 8, 2020
posted by charmedimsure at 12:36 AM on July 8, 2020
Life of Pi maybe?
posted by crocomancer at 2:22 AM on July 8, 2020
posted by crocomancer at 2:22 AM on July 8, 2020
Good Omens? It was made into a mini-series instead of a movie, but it's a pretty faithful adaptation and is great fun.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:52 AM on July 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:52 AM on July 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is great.
Enchanted April is from 1922 but I found it very light and readable, it's one of my go-to recommendations for people looking for something engaging that's not too genre-ish.
posted by dotparker at 9:05 AM on July 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Enchanted April is from 1922 but I found it very light and readable, it's one of my go-to recommendations for people looking for something engaging that's not too genre-ish.
posted by dotparker at 9:05 AM on July 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Short story, but 'Harrison Bergeron' has been adapted twice as shorts - one in 'Harrison Bergeron' (1995) with Sean Astin and '2081' (2009) with James Cosmo, Julie Hagerty, and Armie Hammer.
posted by porpoise at 9:15 AM on July 8, 2020
posted by porpoise at 9:15 AM on July 8, 2020
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posted by Johnny Assay at 4:54 PM on July 7, 2020