This week we got an exciting new book-to-screen trailer featuring Julia Roberts, the National Book Award has named its finalists, and Natalie Portman posted a book selfie. This is the recent book news you may have missed this week.
Leave the World Behind Trailer
The 2021 psychological thriller by Rumaan Alam hit perhaps a little too close to home with it’s pre-apocalyptic tension, but we gobbled it up nonetheless. In this story, a family vacations at a short-term rental that will let them get out of the city and “leave the world behind.” Their peaceful stay is quickly interrupted when the owners of the home arrive at the door, with news that something is going wrong in the city. As they lose internet access and television, strange things start to happen and the family can’t tell if they are trapped there temporarily or for good as the outside world gets stranger and stranger.
Netflix released the trailer and it looks even more heart-pounding than the book. There certainly appears to be some fresh takes and a different approach to the plot. Check it out:
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Jessica Knoll’s Latest Book Getting TV Treatment
This year, the author of Luckiest Girl Alive released a new hit, Bright Young Women and it is already in the works for a TV show from Made Up Stories, Picturestart & Fifth Season. Knoll’s debut novel was adapted for Netflix starring Mila Kunis. Now, her newest thriller about a murderer whose violent acts brings two women together is headed for the screen as well.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Celebrity Shelfie
Natalie Portman was spotted sharing her most recent read on Instagram this week. The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut is a fictionalized story that “centers around John von Neumann, the mathematician behind game theory, the atomic bomb, and a pioneer of AI,” according to Portman. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the star’s book club here to keep an eye out for what this celebrity is reading next.
View this post on Instagram
Also, if you haven’t caught the trailer for Natalie Portman’s upcoming role in May December, make sure you do! Maybe there’s more to this book pick than meets the eye…
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
National Book Award Finalists
This week, the National Book Award finalists were announced. Some of our favorites of the year like Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice by Cristina Rivera Garza made the top spots. Winners will be announced in mid-November.
To see the full list of finalists, you can visit the site here.
The Alchemist Adaptation
Some movies just have a hard time getting made. For the classic novel, The Alchemist, it has been a long road of falling in and out of the hands of multiple production companies. From Warner Bros. to The Weinstein Co. a slew of opportunities have come and gone for this 1988 hit about a Spanish man’s journey to seek treasure in Egypt. Now, it seems, a new effort to bring the book to life has come about in the form of Legendary Entertainment. With Jack Thorne (whose work includes Enola Holmes and The Swimmers) writing the script adaptation, it seems we may finally get to see this daring novel on screen.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Passing of Michael Gambon
For all fans of Harry Potter, the passing of Michael Gambon is the end of an era. The actor was a true embodiment of the character Dumbledore and when the headmaster’s wisdom is delivered to a young Potter, it will be in his voice that we forever hear it.
John Grisham Pens Sequel to The Firm
It is impossible to think of 90s novels (and movies) without thinking of John Grisham. The legal thrillers had an absolute chokehold on late 20th century readers. His knack for page-turning, action-packed crime novels dominated the New York Times bestseller list and the screen adaptations of his books were huge hits as well. Now, he is back with a sequel to his original breakout novel, The Firm. In his latest book, The Exchange, readers catch back up with Mitch McDeere 15 years after the events in the first novel. He’s working in Manhattan at a top law firm and is quickly swept into a case with worldwide implications and perhaps the highest stakes yet.
Preorder the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Leave A Comment