Friday, March 26, 2010

Friday's at the Piedmont Grille

Quick and simple game today gentle readers...

What book would you like to see a movie made out of? Or a remake? (but the book had to come first)

My pick would have to be THE CHARM SCHOOL by Susan Wiggs. A coming of age story about an ugly fat spinster in Boston who forces her way onto a boat headed for Brazil. Set in 1851 it has all the swashbuckling adventure and angst of unrequited love, and new love I absolutely adore. (Almost as much as my dear Jane Austen -- but without quite so much swashbuckling.)

So what is your pick?

37 comments:

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Mine is Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. It would make a brilliant movie-- funny, quirky, romantic-- with Meryl Streep of course as the dead aunt. And The Charm School is now going on my to-read list.

Anne Gallagher said...

Karen -- I love Wiggs historical stuff, more so than her contemporary. She has a flair for writing scenery/settings.

Christi Goddard said...

Pretty much every book I've loved has been made into a book. Usually awful ones, but there's been exceptions. About the only thing that hasn't been movie-fied is the Odd Thomas series by Koontz, but the magic of those books are the first person perspective of an interesting person. That'd get butchered on film.

Summer Frey said...

I really want Ender's Game made into a movie, but I'd be so scared it would be bad. Also, I'd love to see any of my favorite paranormal romance books to be made into a movie or TV series ala True Blood, especially the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series.

Anne Gallagher said...

Christi -- Well we can't have butchery on film. And I know how you feel, all the books I've loved have already been done.

Summer -- I think Stephanie M. cut the mustard with the whole vamps thing so anything else would be copycat UNLESS there was a brilliant screenplay/director to go along with it. Which is sad. I'll be the vamps people would go crazy for more of those.

Lola Sharp said...

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series...

Sarah Ahiers said...

I'm still waiting for Ender's Game like Summer. I WANT IT NOW.

Tara said...

Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Kind of. I rarely enjoy the movies of books I've read. I get such a clear picture of people/places in my head that I spend the entire movie being pissed at the producer for getting it wrong.

Shelley Sly said...

Hmm... Ender's Game would be a good one (or I hope it would be good), and I'd also be curious to see The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, or any book by her.

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

The Uglies Trilogy. Really, I'd love to see what famous and attractive celebrities would be playing the Uglies.
I love Extras (which I consider a spin off the the trilogy), but it would be a bit too ironic for that to be a movie, I think.

Crystal Cook said...

I'd love to see anything by Sarah Dessen, but especially "The Truth About Forever."

Elana Johnson said...

The Magic Thief. I love children's books and they made such great movies.

Unknown said...

Hmmm. Great question! I didn't love The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, even though I really, really wanted to. (She is one of my favorite poets.) However, if The Bell Jar could have been made into a movie, and if a young Audrey Hepburn could have played Esther Greenwood, it would have made a fabulous film.

Have a great weekend!

B. Miller said...

I wish it was possible to make a movie of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I heard JJ Abrams, the director of Lost, picked it up, but then the option expired. That series has captured my imagination and made me fall in love with the characters over and over again. I'd love to see it on the big screen.

Julie Dao said...

I would love to see "Fortune's Rocks" by Anita Shreve made into a movie. It was the book that made me love her as an author... forbidden romance on the shores of turn-of-the-century New England = perfect movie!

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Captain Blood by Sabitini. Oh my goodness, that's the ULTIMATE pirate book and would be the ultimate pirate movie. :)

I'd like to see Ender's Game, as well, but he still owns the movie rights and doesn't seem to want to sell them to anyone unless he has full say over everything, apparently. I don't blame him. :)

Talli Roland said...

Wow, great question! I would love to see 'Something Borrowed' by Emily Giffin made into a film. I love that book! (But then again, I'm always disappointed by film version of books...)

Tahereh said...

fabbbb question! as of right now, i can't WAIT until hunger games is on the big screen. eee eeeeeeeee

Anne Gallagher said...

Wow Fantastic ideas everyone!!! Thanks for playing.

jdsanc said...

My vote, Remembrance of Things Past, that way I no longer have to feel guilty about not having made it through the thing. Okay, will still feel guilty but will have at least finally thrown the thing out!
PS Cute blog!

Anne Gallagher said...

Judith -- Thanks, thanks for stopping by.

Unknown said...

I thought my first idea, Ender's Game, might be original - seems I was wrong. Ender's Shadow is very strong - parallel is an interesting step away from the sequel/prequel.

Unknown said...

My choice would be a book by, Colleen McCullough. The Thorn Birds.

A beautiful story of love,triumph and anguish spanning three generations set in the outback of Australia. A must read.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Tara. I'd like an Outlander film, or BBC mini series.

Christi Goddard said...

The thing about Ender's Game is that the story is mostly in his head. Ender's Shadow lends itself more to the screen, I think. Any attempt to capture the magic of Ender's Game on celluloid would be catastrophic, I think.

DL Hammons said...

Anne, I have something waiting for you over at my blog. :)

Tess said...

Lizzy Bright and the Buckminster Boy. It's a newbery winner from a few years ago and a really fantastic read (don't be thrown off by the title). Anyway, it would make a fantastic movie.

Roni Loren said...

This is a tough one. I would have said City of Bones by Cassandra Clare but they actually are going to make a movie of that one. Hmm, maybe the Wake books by Lisa McMann. Great question.

Unspoken said...

Reading Good Omens. It may make a great movie! Hilarious.

Nighfala said...

Wait a minute, did I miss something? Jane Austen wrote swashbuckling? That would be just so cool!

Darcy brandished his rapier with the skill of one who trained feverishly in the sport of fencing while trying to forget his true love in the A&E version of his life story. He mentally thanked the producers for their foresight.

"Pardon me, my dear Wickham, while I run you through. For Lydia the widow might conceivably remarry, while Lydia Wickham would never be accepted in society again."

(Just kidding! I know what you meant, but I couldn't resist. Word verification: SWISH)

Nighfala said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nighfala said...

Wendy, The Thorn Birds was an oft-rerun miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain, first aired in 1983. You can get it from Netflix, I'm sure.

Nighfala said...

What book would I like to see as a movie? "Coming Home" by Rosamund Pilcher. They made "The Shell Seekers" into a TV movie starring Angela Lansbury, and I think it was one of her best roles ever. "Coming Home" is a coming-of-age story about a young woman on the homefront during WWII, who is stranded in Britain while the rest of her family is stranded in Sri Lanka or someplace like that. She eventually ends up in the Pacific as a WAC. But it's so beautifully written and has such moving characterizations. I'm not a big fan of sweeping dramas (because my life is one) but I really enjoyed "Coming Home."

Unknown said...

I'd like to see The Thirteenth Tale as a movie. I've heard that The Hunger Games has movie buzz... loved the book, not sure how they will deal with all of the murdering of children on film, though :/

On that note, I just got home from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Sigh. So disappointing when your favorite book keeps getting remade into bad movies. :(

Susan Fields said...

Tithe by Holly Black or Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr - gotta love those fairies!

Emily J said...

I am onboard the Enders Game train, but I hear there actually is a movie in the works. I have a feeling it would be terrible but I would be happy to be wrong.

Also, Outlander WAS made into a movie. A wonderfully horrible movie, you know the kind. Bad, but a fun kind of bad. And it had Jesus in it.

The movie I would like to see is Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising, and yes I know it was already a movie but that... thing was just a travesty that hardly had any likeness to the book. It was almost unwatchably bad, and it had the ninth doctor in it, and I still hated it! Cooper's series is one of my favorites since I was a wee thing and I would really like a film to do the book justice.

Emily J said...

Whoops.

About Outlander... after doing a modicrum of internet research the B movie I saw was NOT based upon the novel. In my defense they both involve time-traveling romances. Vikings, scots, same difference... okay my bad.
Maybe I will have to pick up that book one of these days.