David Copperfield and How to Build a Girl Movies, Wodehouse Prize Withheld in 2018, Worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin, How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger, Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler, The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin and This Is Me by Chrissy Metz

I am so excited for these movies to debut! They have great books and fascinating authors behind them, so I imagine they will be big hits!

Movies: The Personal History of David Copperfield

Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop, The Death of Stalin) "is bulking up

the cast" for his upcoming film, The Personal History of David

Copperfield http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz36970986,

with the addition of Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick of It), the

Hollywood Reporter wrote.

Capaldi, who joins a cast that includes Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh

Laurie and Ben Wishaw, will play Mr. Micawber "in the fresh take on

Charles Dickens' autobiographical masterpiece," THR noted. Written by

Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, the project begins production in June in

the U.K.

Movies: How to Build a Girl

Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising) will star in

the film adaptation of Caitlin Moran's novel How to Build a Girl

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37042307,

which was recently chosen for Emma Watson's feminist book club, Our

Shared Shelf. Deadline reported that the "comedic coming-of-age story

from U.K. producer Monumental Pictures will start shooting on location

in the U.K. from July. Director Coky Giedroyc, whose TV credits include

episodes of The Killing and BBC drama The Hour, will helm the feature

from the screenplay by U.K. broadcaster and author Moran." The producers

describe the lead character as "one of the great female literary icons

on a par with Elizabeth Bennet and Bridget Jones."

"We could not be more excited for Johanna Morrigan to burst onto the big

screen," said Alison Owen (Suffragette), who is producing with Debra

Hayward (Les Miserables). "We searched high and low for a girl who could

match the boundless wit, sparkle and big heart of Caitlin's

super-heroine and feel incredibly lucky to have found her in the

effervescent Beanie Feldstein."

"How to Build a Girl will be outrageously funny and utterly affecting,

even heart-breaking," added Hayward. "With Coky Giedroyc at the helm of

Caitlin's swashbuckling script, we are blessed to have a director who

can deliver all this in spades."

 

I was surprised that this Prize wasn't given out this year, but I am gladto know that tehre will be an even bigger bottle of bubbly and a bigger pig that will go to the lucky author, LOL.

No Laughing Matter: 2018 Wodehouse Prize Withheld 

For the first time in its history, the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse

Prize for Comic Fiction http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37045764,

which has been awarded annually since 2000 to a novel "deemed to best

capture the comic spirit of the late P.G. Wodehouse," will not name a

winner. The Guardian reported that the prize judges had "not found a

book they felt worthy 'to join the heady comedic ranks of P.G.

Wodehouse' or of previous winners such as Marina Lewycka or Alexander

McCall Smith."

"My fellow judges and I have decided to withhold the prize this year to

maintain the extremely high standards of comic fiction that the... prize

represents," according to judge David Campbell, publisher of Everyman's

Library. "Despite the submitted books producing many a wry smile amongst

the panel during the judging process, we did not feel than any of the

books we read this year incited the level of unanimous laughter we have

come to expect. We look forward to awarding a larger rollover prize next

year to a hilariously funny book."

The winner usually receives a case of champagne and a rare breed pig

named after the winning novel at the annual Hay literary festival. "Next

year's bumper prize will include a Methuselah of bubbly and a

particularly large pig," the Guardian wrote.

Campbell conceded that writing a genuinely funny novel is a difficult

task: "Wodehouse is so incredibly great, he really does make you laugh

out loud. But that's not an easy thing to do at all. There were lots of

very good novels, but nothing outstandingly funny.... There were a lot

of witty submissions, bloody good novels, but they weren't comic novels.

The alchemy was not there."

I am looknig forward to this documentary, as well

Movies: Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin

A trailer has been released for Arwen Curry's documentary, Worlds of

Ursula K. Le Guin http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37069103.

Curry kickstarted the film in 2016 "and has been working on the project

ever since. Earlier this week, she released a trailer for the

documentary, which will use archival footage and recent interviews with

Le Guin to examine her life and the impact of her career," The Verge

reported. Le Guin died in January.

Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin also features interviews with other writers,

including Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman, as well as Theodora Goss,

author of a forthcoming critical volume on Le Guin, who says in the

trailer: "She's being recognized not just as one of our great science

fiction and fantasy writers, but as one of our great American writers."

Science fiction podcast Imaginary Worlds

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37069105 recently

interviewed Curry about her work on the documentary, which will appear

at film festivals later this fall and debut on PBS American Masters in

2019.

How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger is a "claw and courtship novella" that will hook you in from the first page and keep you reading right to the end. Delicious steampunk paranormal fantasy/romance hybrid that it is, this book has something for nearly everyone, including Carriger's trademark wit and strong female protagonist, in this case, an American sent by her horrible family to seek alliance with a werewolf of London. Here's the blurb:

WEREWOLVES: The monsters left Faith ruined in the eyes of society, so now they’re her only option. Rejected by her family, Faith crosses the Atlantic, looking for a marriage of convenience and revenge.
But things are done differently in London. Werewolves are civilized. At least they pretend to be.
AMERICANS: Backward heathens with no culture, Major Channing has never had time for any of them. But there’s something special about Faith. Channing finds himself fighting to prove himself and defend his species. But this werewolf has good reason not to trust human women.
Even if they learn to love, can either of them forgive?
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Parasol Protectorate series comes a stand alone romance set in the same universe. Look out for appearances from favorite characters and the serious consequences of unwarranted geology.
A Note On Chronology
The Claw & Courtship novellas can be read in any order. This book can be enjoyed without having read any of Gail’s other works.
Set in the spring of 1895 this story occurs after events chronicled in Romancing the Werewolf and Competence. Channing is first introduced to readers in Changeless. He appears throughout the Parasol Protectorate series and briefly in Romancing the Inventor.

While they note that you don't have to read any of Carriger's other works to read this saucy novella, I've read 98 percent of her books, and I can honestly say that it makes reading this particular installment that much richer an experience if you read the Parasol Protectorate series and her other books, which are excellent, BTW. "How To Marry.." was written in Carriger's strong and beautifully British prose, which glides along the stalwart plot like couples at a waltz. Faith and Channing were both well written characters and I was glad to see Channing finally being vulnerable and giving in to his softer side. A resounding A for this charming novella, with a recommendation to anyone who enjoys Victorian-era steampunk romance.

Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler is the second book in this paranormal mystery/romance series. Normally this kind of book, female protagonist who is a "halfling" or part magical creature dates a vampire and has to solve a mystery with the help of other magical creatures, would be right up my alley. Seanan McGuire's Toby Daye books are similar in scope, but her protagonist has the opposite problem of Peeler's Jane True, in that Toby is constantly sacrificing her own life in battling for others, (none of whom seem to be able to help her or protect her, as they all claim to want to do) while Jane can't seem to do anything right and has to be rescued from the bad guys in every other chapter. Her weakness and general idiocy is my main problem with this series, because I find main female characters who are obsessed with sex, but can' t really function well as anything but a bed mate terribly cliched and frustrating,not to mention a sexist stereotype.  Oh, and of course she's a caretaker for her bewildered elderly father, because isn't that the second thing women are good for? (that was said with a great deal of eye rolling and sarcasm). Here's the blurb:

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and Ryu - Jane's bloodsucking boyfriend - can't let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane's life is thrown off course.
Ryu's well-intentioned plans create mayhem, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings. All the evidence points towards another Halfling, much to Jane's surprise...Publisher's Weekly: Snarky selkie halfling Jane True, introduced in 2009's Tempest Rising, plays hooky from learning how to control her paranormal abilities and heads to Boston for a scorching Valentine's weekend with her lover, Ryu, a vampire-like baobhan sith who spends most of his time solving supernatural mysteries. Before their sensual action can heat past simmer, they're attacked by another powerful halfling, this one an ifrit. Soon Jane's dodging fireballs and summoning sea power with her lover and friends. New to the supernatural scene, flighty Jane must grow into her powers to save them all. Peeler's chick lit tone adds sparkle to the most spine-tingling scenes with a style that never strikes a false note, and the seamless plot weaves together Jane's paranormal and personal growth while linking both to the swelling suspense.

Publisher's Weekly neglects to mention how many times Jane has to be rescued by the guys in her life because she can't seem to control her powers long enough to save anyone, least of all herself. She's weak, and a big crybaby, and her boyfriend is a controlling asshat who really only seems to want to use her as a ready source of blood and sex. Then there's the "dog" Anyan, who has helped raise Jane and who should see her as one does an adoptive daughter, not the least of which because he's centuries older than she is. Now, however, he somehow sees her as a potential bedmate/girl friend, which is just incestuous and nasty. Jane eventually starts seeing him the same way, and at that point I got way too grossed out to want to ever read another of Peelers books. I can't tolerate pedophiles, no matter how they're couched in fantasy as otherworldly creatures, and if I didn't know better, I would think that Nicole Peeler is actually a male author trying to normalize creepy illegal sexual relations between children and their parent-figures. Blech. I'd give this novel a D, and I can't actually recommend something I find so repugnant. 

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin is a very popular novel that I'd heard was a good read, so I got a copy from the library and set to. Initially this book reminded me of The Nest, another bestseller that everyone was talking about, and one that we tackled in my library book group. Unfortunately, most of my fellow book groupers really hated the NY siblings who were the focus of the book, because they were all greedy and stupid and weak, and there was no one to really root for or take an interest in, while the most evil sibling gets away with stealing the family fortune. This book wasn't quite so awful, fortunately, but the NY born siblings were still a fairly weak-minded lot who took the words of a "gypsy" Rom woman, as to the date of their deaths, to heart and dropped like flies exactly when they were supposed to. Though they're Jewish by birth, all the siblings seem to be very superstitious, and their points of view make their religion little more than a restrictive collection of old world folklore. Here's the blurb:

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?
It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children--four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness--sneak out to hear their fortunes.
The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality. A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds. 

Only one of the four Golds doesn't die young, and of course, is the only sibling wracked by survivor's guilt. Though the prose is clean and strong, and the plot moves swiftly along, I found each sibling's story to be depressing and pathetic. None of them seemed to be able to move on from their prophecy, and really live, and their weaknesses seemed to keep them from enjoying their time on earth or connecting with their family in any significant way. I'd give this book a C, and only recommend it to people who don't let books depress them, and who find NY stories set in the 60s through today, to be exciting and fulfilling. 

This is Me: Loving The Person You Are Today by Chrissy Metz is a kind of hybrid mix of autobiography and self help book with a little tell-all celebrity behind the scenes stuff thrown in for good measure. I must note right away that I am a HUGE fan of the television show "This Is Us" which has won several Emmys and is a big hit for the old school broadcast stations that have been losing audience numbers to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu for the past few years. The show is about a family, the Pearsons, and their three children, siblings Kate, Kevin and Randall, who is black, and was adopted as a baby when one of the triplets died at birth. Extremely well written, the show's actors manage to nail every emotional up and down of being part of a close-knit family who lose their beloved Patriarch before his time. Metz plays Kate Pearson, who is a very large woman, with sensitivity and wit and beauty, making her that rarest of character actors, a female going against type (blonde and skinny and flawless) in Hollywood. Here's the blurb:

An inspirational book about life and its lessons from the Golden Globe and Emmy nominated star of NBC’s This Is Us.
When This Is Us debuted in fall 2016, a divided America embraced a show that celebrates human connection. The critically acclaimed series became America’s most watched—and most talked about—network show, even building on its fan base in the drama’s second season. As Kate Pearson, Chrissy Metz presents a character that has never been seen on television, yet viewers see themselves in her, no matter what they look like or where they come from. Considered a role model just for being her authentic self, Chrissy found herself on magazine covers and talk shows, walking red carpets, and as the subject of endless conversations on social media “I don’t know what you’ve been through to play her,” she is often told by fans, “but it was something.”
In This is Me, Chrissy Metz shares her story with a raw honesty that will leave readers both surprised but also inspired. Infused with the same authenticity she brings to her starring role, Chrissy’s This is Me is so much more than your standard Hollywood memoir or collection of personal essays. She embraces the spirit of Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes, and shares how she has applied the lessons she learned from both setbacks and successes. A born entertainer, Chrissy finds light in even her darkest moments, and leaves the reader feeling they are spending time with a friend who gets it.
Chrissy Metz grew up in a large family, one that always seemed to be moving, and growing. Her father disappeared one day, leaving her mother to work a series of menial jobs and his children to learn to live with the threat of hunger and the electricity being cut off. When her mother remarried, Chrissy hoped for “normal” but instead experienced a form of mental pain that seemed crafted just for her. The boys who showed her attention did so with strings attached as well, and Chrissy accepted it, because for her, love always came with conditions.
When she set out for Los Angeles, it was the first time she had been away from her family and from Florida. And for years, she got barely an audition. So how does a woman with the deck stacked against her radiate such love, beauty and joy? This too is at the heart of This is Me.  

With chapters that alternate from autobiographical to instructional, Chrissy offers practical applications of her hard-won insights in a series of “Bee Mindful” interstitials. There she invites you to embrace gratitude in “Say Thank You” or to be honest with your partner and yourself in “The Shrouded Supreme.” Blending love and experience, Chrissy encourages us all to claim our rightful place in a world that may be trying to knock us down, find our own unique gifts, and pursue our dreams. 

Much of the advice in the book seems to have been cribbed from the "think positive" books of the 70s and the "gratitude" admonitions of Oprah Winfrey from the 90s until today (which I've always found a bit irritating, to be honest. I think it is easy for someone as extremely wealthy and successful as Oprah to be grateful that she's worked her way out of poverty, but it comes off as more than a bit "survivors guilt" to ask those of us who will never reach those heights of wealth or success or health to be grateful for being one step away from homelessness. Seriously, it's just not going to happen for most of us, no matter how many times we say we are 'grateful.') So if you've not been living under a rock for the past 30-40 years, you will have heard all of this 'think positive' stuff before, ad nausea um. However, when Metz talks about her horrible childhood and her terrible parents (I don't know how she can forgive her abusive horses ass of a stepfather, Trigger, for all that he did to her, let alone her weak and worthless mother who enables Trigger to abuse her and then throws Chrissy under the bus for the sake of having a home for her other children) she gets real, and shows by example how important it is for fat girls and women to learn to love themselves and be persistent,despite the prejudice, when it comes to your career.

Metz makes many good points about living on next to nothing when you're just starting out, and on learning from your mistakes. She also has a wonderful sense of humor and she really does make you laugh several times in the book.

The prose is light and clean, with the occaisional stumble when Metz adds hip hop slang that makes it sound like she's trying too hard to be hip. But otherwise the book moves along at a brisk pace, and makes the reader feel as if you're getting to know Metz as a person and an artist. While I love that she fights cruelty and trolls and harassment and prejudice with kindness, I know from my own life as a fat girl that kindness rarely works with bullies and trolls who are generally misogynists bent on your destruction. Most aren't sensitive enough to listen to reason. And while I realize that, as Metz says, "hurt people hurt others," that is no excuse for wounding or even killing other people whose size or skin color offends you.

Still, I'd give this non fiction book an A,and recommend it to all my fellow larger women and girls, because if you dig deeper and overlook the self help cliches, there really is some good advice here, and some great behind the scenes stories from the set of the hit TV show, This Is Us, long may it reign. 

-->