About Books & Literature: 'Gatsby' and Other Adaptations

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Books & Literature From Erik Wander, your About Books & Literature Editor Is the book always better than the movie? Soon, moviegoers will get a chance to see Hollywood's latest attempt to turn a great work of fiction into ... well, at least a good movie, if not a major blockbuster. It's not exactly a novel thing to endeavor, but the results have been hit and miss; just see the many book-to-film examples that follow and be the judge. Now, director Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet), along with Leo DiCaprio in the role of Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, is attempting a screen adaptation of what many consider the greatest American novel of all time, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Good luck! Classic Novels, Classic Movies: 7 Great Adaptations From classic literary works like To Kill a Mockingbird to bestsellers like The Godfather, these books had one thing in common: they were all destined for further (or first time) greatness when adapted for the big screen. Great Expectations Wuthering Heights Search Related Topics:  book adaptations  classic movie lists  maltese falcon Reasons to Love Les Miserables Adapted from a Broadway musical, which itself was adapted from a 19th century French novel by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables became in 2012 an Academy Award-nominated film starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, among others, all of whom sang (and only sang) their way to mixed but generally favorable reviews. Our Plays and Drama guide seems to love everything about the novel/musical/movie. Fantine 'Dreamed a Dream,' and the World Was a Song But Was the Movie as Good as the Musical? Search Related Topics:  les miserables  victor hugo  hugh jackman Anna Karenina on the Silver Screen You have to wonder what Leo Tolstoy would have made of Keira Knightley's Karenina when Joe Wright, who previously directed a film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, attempted to tackle this classic of Russian literature. An Audio Production of Anna Karenina Wright's Version of Ian McEwan's Atonement Search Related Topics:  anna karenina  keira knightley  jude law The Lord of the Rings Collections, Studies It was only inevitable that Tolkien's three-volume epic fantasy novel would become a 21st-century blockbuster film trilogy. But be honest: as impressive as it may have looked on screen, was Middle-earth as you envisioned it when you first picked up (and most likely couldn't put down) the books? But First There was 'The Hobbit, or There and Back Again' And Later There was 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' Related Searches Great Gatsby Audio Books Fitzgerald Gatsby Jay Gatsby Authors Literature Featured Articles The Hunger Games, Catching Fire The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Harry Potter: The Whole Franchise Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Eat, Pray, Love' 'Life of Pi' Book Club Questions, Discussion Kathryn Stockett's 'The Help'   More from About.com 10 Easy Ways to Look Thinner Don't wait until you've lost those first pounds to make these simple, slimming changes. Read more...> Create a Shared Photo Stream Sharing your photo stream with friends and family is a great way to keep in touch. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2012 About.com   Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Celebrating Shakespeare

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Books & Literature From Erik Wander, your About Books & Literature Editor Although William Shakespeare's birthday is not known, April 23, St. George's Day, is the date people traditionally commemorate the birth of the "Bard of Avon," born and raised, as he was, in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England in the late 16th century. It seems only fitting then that we take a look at how Shakespeare's work has touched and influenced generation after generation of writer, scholar, student and reader. What Are You Doing Shakespeare's Birthday? Performing a scene from your favorite play? Reading a sonnet (or several)? Watching something with Kenneth Branagh in it like Much Ado About Nothing (or perhaps something with Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow instead)? Paying a visit to his hometown if you happen to be in the area? Here are some suggestions for how to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday. How to Read Shakespeare Reading Shakespeare Out Loud Understanding the Language of the Bard Search Related Topics:  shakespeare's birthday  popular shakespeare  shakespeare activities Shakespeare's Best Plays Our poetry guide offers a top 10 list and the rationale for each play's inclusion--no easy task, when you think about what he had to choose from and what he had to leave out. What would make your list of Shakespeare's Greatest Hits? Justice, Nature, Madness, More in 'King Lear' VIDEO: Themes in 'Taming of the Shrew' Search Related Topics:  shakespeare  othello  taming of the shrew Contemporary Imagining of Othello's Iago "At the end, with Othello dead and his treachery revealed, Iago is to be imprisoned," writes our reviewer of Iago (2012) by David Snodin. "His last words are that he will speak no more." Find out Snodin's vision of what happens next. Three Monologues; Three Shakespeare Villains Race, Jealousy, Duplicity in 'Othello' Search Related Topics:  literary fiction  historical fiction  shakespeare Interred With Their Bones What if Shakespeare wrote another as yet undiscovered play, the plot of which hinted at secrets central to British history? That's the central question of this bestseller by English literary scholar Jennifer Lee Carrell. Check out this Shakespeare-inspired thriller. 'Eyes Like Stars' Tackles Shakespeare for Young Adults A Great Take on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream?' Search Related Topics:  interred with their bones  shakespeare  mystery novels Related Searches Play Shakespeare Free Books William Shakespeare Writing a Books Literature Featured Articles Twisted Lit's 'Tempestuous' Thus Play I in One Person Many People Best Shakespeare Collections Two Mother Loving Protagonists Shakespeare Quotes About Love Five Facts About Shakespeare   More from About.com 10 Easy Ways to Look Thinner Don't wait until you've lost those first pounds to make these simple, slimming changes. Read more...> Create a Shared Photo Stream Sharing your photo stream with friends and family is a great way to keep in touch. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2012 About.com   Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Earth Day and Environmentalism

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Books & Literature From Erik Wander, your About Books & Literature Editor April 22 is Earth Day, the annual worldwide demonstration of support for environmental protection and the event widely credited for launching the modern environmental movement more than 40 years ago. This week, we're looking at books, as well as some influential voices from the green movement, that celebrate nature, our natural environment and its conservation. Walden, by Henry David Thoreau Thoreau spent two years in the 1840s in a cabin he built on land owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson contemplating nature and immersing himself in his "life in the woods." There he wrote that he "wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." This is Thoreau's life near Walden Pond. Sierra Club Founder John Muir in a Wind-Storm Top 10 Books About Writing About Nature Search Related Topics:  walden  henry david thoreau  american literature Women and the Environment Rachel Carson, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall and Wangari Maathai are just some of the environmentalists you'll find on this list of books about women who have helped shape how we think about the natural world. Check out these biographies and autobiographies. Just for Starters: 10 Books About Ecofeminism If You Don't Know These Environmentalists You Don't Know Environmentalism Search Related Topics:  women scientists  women's history books  environmentalists Kids Books About Earth Day, The Environment Ranging from books for two- to six-year-old children to ages four through eight, this reading list might help younger kids make sense of what it means to protect the environment, featuring stories told through pictures and familiar characters. Earth Day books for the young ones. Dr. Seuss's The Lorax and Environmental Awareness Charlie and Lola 'Extremely Very Good Recyclers' Search Related Topics:  children's books about holiday and events  beginning reader books  picture books Interview With an Aldo Leopold Biographer Marybeth Lorbiecki is the author of Aldo Leopold: A Fierce Green Fire and several other environmental titles. In this interview, she says that most people learn about Leopold through his own written works like A Sand County Almanac. But she first became interested in him after reading another biography: Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work by Curt Meine. Learn about Leopold. Edward Abbey in The Great American Desert 1,000 Best Things for You and the Earth Search Related Topics:  forest history  biographies  aldo leopold Related Searches Free Books Earth Day April 22 Kids Reading Books Childrens Literature Photo Books Featured Articles John James Audubon and The Hurricane Tracts for Tree Huggers Naturalist to Philosopher: Frost's Nothing Gold Can Stay Top 10 Earth Friendly Cleaning Books Environmental Message in Astrov's Monologue Graphic Novel, Environmental Fable: 'Debris'   More from About.com 10 Easy Ways to Look Thinner Don't wait until you've lost those first pounds to make these simple, slimming changes. Read more...> Create a Shared Photo Stream Sharing your photo stream with friends and family is a great way to keep in touch. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2012 About.com   Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Autism Awareness

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Books & Literature From Erik Wander, your About Books & Literature Editor April is Autism Awareness Month, and most people have been touched in some way by this complex developmental disability. Whether or not that's the case for you, you'll have plenty of opportunity this month to show your support for families whose lives have been profoundly changed by autism. Harried Parent? Try These Books About Autism Reviewed by the Harried Parent's Book Club, the books on this list are sure to advise, educate and arm parents with at least a little more insight into autism spectrum disorders in children. From essays and poetry to books by doctors, advocates and parents of autistic children, these books just might help. Pediatrician Reviews Thinking Person's Guide to Autism A Spectrum of Light: Parents Speak For Themselves Search Related Topics:  autism  developmental issues  medication Ian's Walk: A Story About Autism This children's picture book includes plenty of useful information about autism, but it's told by the titular character's big sister. Julie's brother, Ian, is autistic, and this brings on a rash of often conflicting emotions for Julie. Our Children's Book guide calls Laurie Lears' work engaging reading for six- to 10-year-olds. Brothers and Sisters of Kids with Autism Temple Grandin Thinks in Pictures ... ... Translates for Animals Search Related Topics:  children's picture books  children's books that support character education  A Curious Incident, A Moving Story Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome, knows more about world capitals, prime numbers and animals than most people. He knows that he hates yellow and being touched. And readers get to see the world from Christopher's unique point of view - "I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything," he concludes - after he discovers something curious in the night-time. Grandin's 'Unwritten' Social Rules Could It Be Autism? Search Related Topics:  the curious incident of the dog in the night-time  mark haddon  autism Asperger's at Center of Picoult's 'House Rules' According to our Contemporary Literature reviewer, this book may well have been "the most painful, yet rewarding and educational novel" of 2010. "Jodi Picoult places us squarely in the life of a boy with Asperger's Syndrome so that we can see the painful effects this condition has on him, his family, and those around them," writes John M. Formy-Duval in this glowing review. Autism, Humane Tuna Fishing Converge in the Heart of the World Born On a Blue Day: Autobiography of Daniel Tammet Search Related Topics:  literary fiction  asperger's syndrome  Related Searches Asperger Autism Autism Children Child Autism Autism Awareness Autism and Families Featured Articles Freaks and Geeks Guide to Adolescence Vaccine Debate Continues New DSM-5 Could Change How Autism is Diagnosed, Treated True Story of Autistic Boy and his Cat Before You Look: Comprehensive Autism Information Take the Autism Screening Quiz   More from About.com 10 Easy Ways to Look Thinner Don't wait until you've lost those first pounds to make these simple, slimming changes. Read more...> Create a Shared Photo Stream Sharing your photo stream with friends and family is a great way to keep in touch. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2012 About.com   Advertisement