Read with MLC: Read a Book Adapted for the Screen and Watch the Adaptation

Welcome to December, and the last month of the 2024 Read with MLC reading challenge! This month's prompt is to read a book that has been adapted for television or the movies and then watch the adaptation. Finding a book you truly love can be a magical experience. It's always exciting when a TV or movie adaptation is announced, but there's always the niggling worry that the lead won't look how you imagine... Or that they'll leave out your favorite scene from the book... Or --worst yet-- plot will be drastically changed. Hollywood depends heavily upon the already published written word: Forbes reported a while back that movies based on books draw in 53% of that almighty cash than those written without the benefit of a previously published work. TV and streaming networks also have a field day each year (field year?) with adaptations; there were dozens and dozens in 2023 and 2024, and that's just the past few years. What do librarians think of the trend? Those here at the Mississippi Library Commission have quite a few favorites, which you can check out below!

Recreating What You Read and Watch

Kristina Kelly

Administrative Services Administrative Assistant

For everyone who is feeling down because the Con circuit has been shut down this summer, this post is for you to plan for next year.

You may not realize it, but all of us have probably dressed as a someone from pop culture at some point in our lives, specifically on Halloween. We dressed up as our favorite cartoon character or our favorite horror movie monster or even our favorite rock star. I remember dressing as the Pink Panther, Boy George from Culture Club, and Lestat, from Interview with a Vampire. I guess a lot of us outgrow "playing dress up." Alas, I have not.

Cosplay, which is short for costume roleplaying, is a brilliant way to show how much you love a topic and an outlet for creative talent. Cosplay has become so popular that people are now making a living at it.

Cosplaying has many levels to it. You can take it as far you want or keep it simple. One of my favorite types of Cosplay was created so adults could "dress up" without breaking Disney’s rule of no costumes for guests over the age of 14. Adults dressed as characters could cause confusion for children. These rules are relaxed only during select special events, like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but even these select events have specific costume guidelines. So, one creative person created DisneyBounding. “Bounding” is creating a set of regular, everyday clothes inspired by your favorite character. It is not wearing a costume and can be done on a very limited budget.

I participated in a Quarantine-Oween celebrating Halloween, and we had to post different costumes. This was my subtle Bounding outfit for Wonder Woman.

I thoroughly enjoy taking a book I love and creating a costume to wear based on it. There are times when a young person (or young at heart) sees you and instantly makes a connection with you because they too love the same thing.

Cosplay is also something that can be done at your local library. There are several topics on integrating it into your programming! Here are some links:

• http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2017/03/new-workshop-programming-cosplay-embracing-costume-play-your-library
• https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=plan-cosplay-workshop-teens
• https://www.slideshare.net/ellyssa/cosplay-in-libraries
• https://clermontlibrary.org/cosplay-101/

Many of our own Mississippi libraries host events where people can cosplay. The one in my area is the Central Con, hosted by the Central Mississippi Regional Library System.

My Top Cosplays from Books and Movies

Dr. Jones and Jr. – The first time I was able to get my husband into a cosplay event, he and my son were mobbed in the parking lot. My son wore his scout uniform and, if you look closely, carried the Cross of Coronado. My husband carried his briefcase, the journal of the grail, and an umbrella.

Sanderson Sisters – cult classic/fan favorite. I had the best time putting this look together. With Disney+ hiring a director for a sequel, this costume set may make a comeback.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novels – Some of the best parts of these is looking at the paintings in the background for easter eggs of previous LXG members. My family did this as a cosplay at a Con not too long ago.

Aquaman and Mera – For my daughter and her friend, I made feudal Japanese clothing based on these characters.

My Top Book Cosplay Ideas

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – Elf or hobbit? Ranger or Rider of Rohan? The costume possibilities are wide and there is much to love. If I were to make something from this book, it would be Aragorn & Arwen (or Beren & Luthien).

The Old Guard – Recently made into a movie pilot by Netflix, I foresee many a female cosplayer with a Scythian Axe. The clothing would also be very easy to upcycle from finds at thrift stores and flea markets.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman – I am dying to make a Medusa headdress out of data cords.

The Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson) – These are currently being turned into a series by Amazon. I admit to having a bit of excitement to see how this plays out on screen. I am also looking forward to seeing the Aiel on screen. Who is your favorite character?

Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind – Wizards galore, and who doesn’t want a Mord-Sith costume?

Any book on Greek mythology – by 5th grade I had read all the books in my school's library on mythology, with my favorite being the Greek/Roman myths. This borders on another hobby of mine – historical reenactment. Thinking about all the mythos of the world, I went downstairs to look at MLCs collection and this is one of the shelves I discovered.

Dune by Frank Herbert – “Soon to be made into another motion picture”. I love Dune, I love the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood (the litany against fear is a go to for hand washing chant for me), and I love the possibility of making a still suit.

Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman – yeah, yeah. Gaiman is on here twice, but this is awesome! I attended a medieval superhero ball a couple years ago. Participants combined their love of medieval history and their love for superheroes. It was an inspiring night of creativity!

Now you know that your love for a book can be expressed through cosplay, we want to hear from you about what fandom you are recreating, whether movie, book, or comic!

A Literary Father's Day Tribute

In light of Father’s Day rolling around again this weekend, I have been thinking lately about what being a good father means. There’s no right answer, per se, but there are many characteristics that a good father embodies. As a book lover, I look to stories for examples of great dads, and there’s one literary dad who immediately comes to mind. He’s not a traditional father, in that he and his co-guardian are a brother and sister team instead of a partnered couple, but his love for his adopted daughter shines very brightly all the same. Matthew Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables is fatherhood personified, in my humble opinion. Indeed, Anne feels the same love for Matthew as he does for her. She tells Marilla: “I think he’s lovely... He is so very sympathetic... I felt that he was a kindred spirit as soon as ever I saw him.” Elsewhere, the book says about their relationship that they were the best of friends.

 

How exactly does Matthew embody the characteristics of a good father? One would think that Anne and his relationship would have gotten off to a rocky start considering Matthew and Marilla had thought to adopt a boy but ended up with Anne instead. However, from the very beginning, Matthew and Anne have a special relationship. Matthew has an intense fear of interacting with women and girls, but on the drive home after he picks Anne up from the train station:

Matthew, much to his own surprise, was enjoying himself. Like most quiet folks he liked talkative people when they were willing to do the talking themselves and did not expect him to keep up his end of it.

When he arrives home with Anne instead of the boy they were expecting, Marilla is understandably annoyed. Matthew wants to keep Anne and tells Marilla, “Well now, she’s a real interesting little thing... You should have heard her talk coming from the station."

After Marilla and Matthew finally decide to keep Anne, they discuss her upbringing. Marilla comes to love Anne in her own way, but Matthew has already recognized how special she is. Marilla tries to keep the upper hand:

Matthew, you're not to go interfering with my methods. Perhaps an old maid doesn't know much about bringing up a child, but I guess she knows more than an old bachelor. So you just leave me to manage her. When I fail it'll be time enough to put your oar in.

Compassionate Matthew understands how much Anne needs them and replies:

There, there, Marilla, you can have your own way... Only be as good and kind to her as you can be without spoiling her. I kind of think she's one of the sort you can do anything with if you only get her to love you.

As Anne stays with them longer and longer, Matthew comes to understand how little good Anne has had in her lonely life. Even though he said they were not going to, he goes ahead and spoils her a little himself. He is thankful he has nothing to do with her upbringing and thinks to himself:

Surely it would do no harm to let the child have one pretty dress--something like Diana Barry always wore. Matthew decided he would give her one; that surely could not be objected to as an unwarranted putting in of his oar.

Matthew is so shy that he has trouble pulling off his plan to get Anne a pretty dress, but he is determined to do this nice and generous thing for her. He asks the only other woman in his life he feels comfortable with to help him follow through: his neighbor Mrs. Lynde. When he gives Anne the dress, Matthew sees his efforts have paid off when she takes the dress and looks at it “in reverent silence.”

Matthew is a good father not only because he likes listening to Anne and is generous with her, but also because he is supportive of her and believes in her. When Anne’s school decides to put on a concert, Matthew invites Anne to practice her recitation piece for him. He also tells Anne, smiling down at her, “Well now, I reckon it’s going to be a pretty good concert. And I expect you’ll do your part fine.” Most of all, Matthew is proud of Anne, and he tells her so. After Anne wins a scholarship at school, he tells her:

Well now, I'd rather have you than a dozen boys, Anne... Just mind you that — rather than a dozen boys. Well now, I guess it wasn't a boy that took the Avery scholarship,was it? It was a girl — my girl — my girl that I'm proud of.

Matthew is a good father to Anne for many different reasons, but some that stand out from these examples are: how her happiness is important to him, how he listens to her, how he supports her, how he is proud of her, and, most of all, how much he loves her. Anne’s time with Matthew is limited, but she never takes him for granted.

Matthew Cuthbert wins my vote for all-time favorite literary dad. Who is yours? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.

This Father’s Day, don’t forget to tell your dad or whomever how much you appreciate them!

D-Day: Books about the Beginning of the End of WWII

June 6 was forever seared into America's memory as D-Day in 1944. On that day seventy years ago, over 150,000 Allied troops landed on Normandy's beach to battle the Axis powers. The attack, known officially as Operation Overlord (referring to the land battle) and Operation Neptune (the naval part of the attack), led to an eventual Allied victory in Europe less than a year later. D-Day's cost was high; over 9,000 men were injured or killed that day. Putting an end to tyranny, though, was worth the price.

D-Day was immortalized in the highly acclaimed miniseries Band of Brothers and popular movies such as The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan. Some great books have been written about D-Day as well. For instance, did you know that the miniseries Band of Brothers is based on Stephen Ambrose's book of the same name? The Mississippi Library Commission has copies in both regular and large print of this book about E Company, a group of men who, like many others, trained and bonded together, and fought together, and even died together. It's an absorbing read and adds even more detail that the miniseries missed.

D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor is another fascinating book about this epic part of Word War II. This book is filled with maps, which we absolutely love, and gives more details of the battle from perspectives other than just America's side. Drop by MLC and pick this one up in large print for an in-depth look at June 6, 1944.

Looking for less action and more intrigue? Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day by Stephen Talty is the book for you. It tells the story of Juan Pujol, a farmer, who became a double agent working for the Allies and deceiving the Germans. His deception was supreme: he convinced the Germans that an attack was aimed at Calais, hundreds of miles away from the Allies' landing point in Normandy. Stop by MLC to check this book out in regular print.

Mull this over on your way to check out your books: the D in D-Day may actually stand for Day. During World War I, the U.S. Army used the designations H-Hour and D-Day to indicate upcoming classified operations. Whatever the name of the day, we suggest commemorating those who fell in battle with one of these books or the many others we have to offer on World War II and D-Day.

http://www.army.mil/d-day/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/05/opinion/opinion-d-day-myth-reality/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dday/sfeature/sf_info.html

RIP, Elizabeth Taylor

You may have heard by now that film legend Elizabeth Taylor died this morning at the age of 79. She appeared in 70 films and TV movies in a career that spanned over sixty years. We'll miss her greatly.

I've commented before about how I enjoy seeing Hollywood's take on novels when they turn them into feature films. It turns out that over twenty of Ms. Taylor's Films started life as good old page turners. Here they are:

• The Mirror Crack’d 1980 The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side Agatha Christie
• The Driver’s Seat 1974 The Driver’s Seat Muriel Spark
• Secret Ceremony 1968 Ceremonia Secreta Marco Denevi
• The Comedians 1967 The Comedians Graham Greene
• Reflections in a Golden Eye 1967 Reflections in a Golden Eye Carson McCullers
• Cleopatra 1963 The Life and Times of Cleopatra C.M. Franzero
  Histories Plutarch
  Histories Suetonius
  Histories Appian
• BUtterfield 8 1960 BUtterfield 8 John O’Hara
• Raintree County 1957 Raintree County Ross Lockridge, Jr.
• Giant 1956 Giant Edna Ferber
• The Last Time I Saw Paris 1954 Babylon Revisited F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Elephant Walk 1954 Elephant Walk Robert Standish
• Rhapsody 1954 Maurice Guest Henry H. Richardson
• The Girl Who Had Everything 1953 A Free Soul Adela Rogers St. Johns
• Ivanhoe 1952 Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott
• A Place in the Sun 1951 An American Tragedy Theodore Dreiser
• Father of the Bride 1950 Father of the Bride Edward Streeter
• Conspirator 1949 The Conspirator Humphrey Slater
• Little Women 1949 Little Women Louisa May Alcott
• Julia Misbehaves 1948 The Nutmeg Tree Margery Sharp
• Life with Father 1947 Life with Father Clarence Day
• National Velvet 1944 National Velvet Enid Bagnold
• Lassie Come Home 1943 Lassie Come Home Eric Knight

(This list does not include TV roles or uncredited roles.)

I received immense enjoyment scrolling through Elizabeth's list of film credits. I had forgotten how many truly great movies there are in which she starred. I think I need to get cracking on some of these books, though. Why don't you join me at your local public library?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000072/#Actress

Golden Globes

The Golden Globe nominees were announced Thursday. Being a huge movie fanatic, in addition to a book lover, I was intrigued by the fact that all but one of the nominees for Best Drama were based on a book.

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• The Reader is based on the book by Bernhard Schlink.
• Richard Yates wrote Revolutionary Road.
• Slumdog Millionaire is based on the book by Vikas Swarup.

I decided to do a little more research. Are there more great books out there that I may have missed?
In 2008, three out of the seven nominations for Best Drama were originally novels.

• Ian McEwan wrote Atonement.
• Cormac Carty wrote No Country for Old Men.
• Upton Sinclair wrote Oil!, the basis for the movie There will be Blood.

The only 2007 nomination that was based on a book was Tom Perrotta's Little Children.
Have you seen these movies or read the books? (Or both?) Why don't you share your thoughts! Also, if you're like me and haven't read some of these, be sure to make a trip to your local library and check them out!

www.goldenglobes.org
www.imdb.com