Books, soon to be movies

In 2017, Hollywood will continue the trend of producing movies based on books.  Check out these books, both fiction and nonfiction, to expect on the big screen in the next year.  Is the book better?  Find out for yourself!

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman - When Germany invaded Poland, Warsaw was destroyed, including the city’s zoo.  Zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into the empty cages and their villa. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, hid ammunition and explosives. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its remaining animal inhabitants while living with the overwhelming fear of discovery.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio – Middle Grade students will be thrilled to see this popular novel play out on the big screen.  Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school.  Auggie tells the story of the taunting from and fear of his classmates as he just tries to live as another student.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann - After discovering a hidden trove of diaries, Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century": what happened to British explorer Percy Fawcett. In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization.  Thousands had died looking for the concealed El Dorado, leaving many convinced that the Amazon was too great a feat for humankind. Fawcett embarked with his son, determined to prove that this ancient civilization--which he dubbed "Z"--existed. Then he and his expedition vanished. Fawcett's fate became an obsession for those who followed him.

The Circle by Dave Eggers When Mae Holland is hired to work for the most powerful internet company in the world, she feels she's landed her dream job. The Circle links users' personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency.   Mae is thrilled with the company's modernity and activity. Mae can't believe her luck to work for the most influential company in the world--even as life beyond the campus grows distant and a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken.

The Dinner by Herman Koch - It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. The conversation remains a polite discourse.  But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said.  Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by a single horrific act that destroyed the comfortable worlds of their families.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier – Beautiful Rachel descends on the great Cornwall estate of Philip Ashley. Despite his suspicions, she soon charms him. In this tale of good and evil, Philip must uncover the motivations of the mysterious widow of his cousin. 

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin - On a stormy winter night, two strangers wait for a flight at the Salt Lake City airport.  When the last outgoing flight is cancelled, Ben finds a charter plane that can drop him in Denver to catch a connection.  Ben offers the extra seat to Ashley knowing that she needs to get back just as urgently.  The unthinkable happens leaving them stranded on one of the largest stretches of harsh and remote land in the United States.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - When sober, Jeannette's father captured his children's imagination, teaching them how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who didn't want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo - After the first snowfall of the year, a boy wakes up to discover that his mother has disappeared. Only one trace of her remains: a pink scarf now worn by the snowman that inexplicably appeared in their yard earlier that day. Inspector Harry Hole suspects a link between the missing woman and a suspicious letter he's received.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. Previous expeditions all ended in tragedy with the exception of the first.  This is the twelfth expedition. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimen, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another.  Above all, they must to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

--Heather Steltenpohl, Development Director