The theme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl is about books you’d like to see adapted to movies or Netflix series. Join in – it’s fun to see what others are reading and watching.
Individual books I’ve read and would love to see as stand alone movies would include the following……….
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett:
The narrator and perspective are told from Danny Conway’s point of view over a 50 year period. I was engaged with the dialogue from the beginning. This would need to be more than one movie so you could see character development as they age.
“Do you think it’s possible to ever see the past as it actually was?” I asked my sister Maeve as she stared at the Dutch house. “But we overlay the present onto the past. We look back through the lens of what we know now, so we’re not seeing it as the people we were, we’re seeing as the people we are, and that means the past has been radically altered.”
I’d preorder this movie if it was available, it isn’t actually a movie...yet! The tensions, the realistic dialogue and the characters are very appealing. There is mystery, crime and it’s happening in Australia with a touch of damp England tossed in. I look forward to more her books – please write another, Ms. Allott!
The Lost Man by Jane Harper: Right away Jane Harper’s descriptive prose grabs your attention. You are plunged into the hot desolate landscape and have a clear image of the unforgiving Australian desert. We begin with one brother standing guard near his older brother’s dead body. Bub had to spend the night to keep dingos from Cameron’s body. In the morning Nathan Bright, the eldest in the family, arrives and asks Bub what he knows. What would bring Cameron Bright to the isolated area near the Stockman’s grave?
The House we Grew up In by Lisa Jewell
The house in question here is a lovely place in the Cotswolds, home of the Bird family. Colin and Lorelei Bird have four children. Megan, Bethann, Rory and Rhys. We journey through their lives and the drama unfolds over the years. We meet the children when they are small and by the end of the book they are middle aged.
This book addresses the mental illness of a hoarder and what it does to a family. It was distressing to watch Lorelei at times; I felt such empathy for Megan and Bethann and developed a dislike of Megan’s partner Bill after a bit. Rory was a product of his environment and Rhys….I won’t spoil that part because it’s integral to the way everyone’s lives play out.
I could see how a 4 month hostage situation with “kindly” kidnappers could evolve into some unlikely relationships. These people weren’t killers, completely unorganized as well, so as the time stretched on privileges for the hostages were allowed.
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For a series, well I am usually behind in discovering a book series and when I do, it’s likely been broadcast already. I am thinking of Outlander (which I wasn’t crazy about on DVD but loved the books) and DI Vera Stanhope by Anne Cleeves – that one is already on DVD. I have not seen it yet.
The Australian series of books I read, twelve in the entire series, would be epic for a Netflix show. We could watch the characters and families over generations.
That’s all I have for now. Not ten but seven, unless you coulnt all tweleve of the Australian series. Looking forward to seeing what other participants’ of TT come up with. I am always getting new ideas from bookish friends.
Novel Meals 