Crib Notes-Dear Hollywood...

Dear Hollywood,

Please make better choices when greenlighting movies.  One’s that challenge our intellect as well as give us all the feels.  Did we really need a remake of Overboard?  Did we really?  Must we reinvent superhero stories time and again?  How many iterations of Batman and Spiderman is it necessary to have in the world? And don’t get me started on sequels!! Why, when we have clearly milked dry the creative genius of the past, are we not scooping up the rights to the endless bounty to be found in the pages of books?

To help you out I would like to suggest you start with these, I have even proposed some actors that are well suited.

With minimal patience and restrained love,

Donna

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY – MATT HAIG

When Nora, estranged from family and friends, finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. But things are looking up. The books in this library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of a librarian, she can now undo her past as she reads through the opportunity these books reveal that can lead to her to a more perfect world. But in fiction, as in life, things aren’t always as uncomplicated as they appear to be.

Starring…Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, The Fall), Glenn Close (The Wife, The Girls With All The Gifts)

CITY WE BECAME – N.K. JEMISIN

This book takes place in New York where, alongside the mundanity of daily life there also happens to be a supernatural contest between five boroughs, each represented by an avatar, and The Enemy which represents exactly what you think it might. The world Jemisin creates is full of hope and resistance, while the battles are excruciating, forces of good keep faith and diversity alive. Exceptional world building and characterizations!

Starring…Stephan James (Homecoming, If Beale Street Could Talk), Lakeith Stanfield (Knives Out, BoJack Horseman) Sonoya Mizuno (Ex-Machina, Crazy Rich Asians), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place, Girl On The Train)

NEW WAVES – KEVIN NGUYEN

Lucas is a customer service rep at a tech company who becomes friends with Margo, an engineer. As these two cynical twenty somethings brave the oppressive whiteness of startup culture together, they become best friends, or something close to it. When one suddenly dies, the other is left to navigate being a minority in the workplace on their own. Despite the degree of satire, this novel is full of warmth and humor.

Starring…Ross Butler (13 Reasons Why, Riverdale), Lee Rodriguez (Never Have I Ever, Grownish)

PIZZA GIRL – KYOUNG FRAZIER

In this excellent debut novel, our nameless narrator is eighteen, pregnant and feeling adrift as she stumbles through her days as an LA pizza delivery driver. All the while grieving the death of her father and avoiding the smothering of her loving mother and boyfriend. Then one day she delivers to a suburban housewife and things take an unusual turn.

Starring…Lyrica Okano (Runaways, Press Play), Ian Nelson (The Boy Next Door, The Deleted), Caroline Dhavernas (Mary Kills People, Hannibal)