I’m sure you’ve already heard a lot about “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly. It’s the true story of the female African-American mathematicians who worked for NASA to help get John Glenn into space, among many other achievements. The movie starring Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer and Dorothy Vaughan just won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast, and it’s been nominated for three Oscars and two Golden Globes. I read the book before I saw the movie, and I loved it. I have to admit that this is one of the few
movies that I love just as much as the book, if not more! I hope it wins every award.
Also coming out soon is “The Zookeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman, with an expected release date of March 31. It’s the true story of how the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from the Nazis by smuggling them in empty cages. The movie will star Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl. It looks like it’s going to be incredible, and if we hurry, we just might have enough time to read it before the movie comes out.
The film adaptation of “The Circle” by Dave Eggers is set to be released on April 28. It can’t be anything but incredible with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson leading the cast lineup. The Circle is the world’s most powerful internet company, and it links users’ social media, personal emails, banking and shopping information to create one all-inclusive online identity. Mae Holland (Emma Watson) is thrilled to go to work for them, but she soon gets pulled deeper and deeper into the company campus. A strange encounter with a colleague leads to the uncovering of information that shakes the foundation of the concepts of privacy, history, memory and democracy. It promises to be heart-racing!
There are a couple of older literary works that will be coming to the screen this year as well. Daphne du Maurier’s “My Cousin Rachel” is due for release on July 14, starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Clafin. And a remake of “Murder on the Orient Express” with Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot will be coming on November 22. Supporting cast includes Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, William Defoe, and Judi Dench. I’m sure it will be marvelous!
There will be many more great books to movies coming this year, but this is a good start. Enjoy reading and watching!
Photo credit: hashi photo, Toyogeki Movie via Wikimedia Commons (license)
