Books are going to the movies

Have you read any of the recent movies playing in theaters? Several movies in theaters or coming to theaters are based on popular books: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, Push by Sapphire (which Precious is based on), Me and Orson Welles by Robert Kaplow, and Up in the Air by Walter Kirn.

To browse a list of movies we have on DVD that are based on books, you can do an easy catalog search. Enter the search phrase based on the novel and dvd and hit enter or click on the "words or phrase" button. Be prepared for a long list of DVDs (over 500 results). Movies based on short stories or plays won't turn up in the results, though.

If you're wondering what novel a particular movie is based on, first click the "Details" button for the item. Then, click on the "Catalog Record" tab. The phrase "Based on the novel by [Author Name]" will be in one of the general notes. In the catalog record for Slumdog Millionaire we see that this movie is based on Vikas Swarup's book Q & A:

A good source to find a list of books and short stories made into movies is provided by the Mid-Continent Public Library in Missouri, on their Based on the Book website.

Here are some fairly recent movies on DVD I have seen and enjoyed that were adapted from books. Watch them or read them in their original book forms!

• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) starring Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, based on the 1983 novel by Ron Hansen
• Atonement (2007) starring Keira Knightley and James McEvoy, based on the 2002 novel by Ian McEwan
• Children of Men (2006) starring Clive Owen, based on the 1993 novel by P.D. James
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006) starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger
• Gone Baby Gone (2007) starring Casey Affleck, based on the 1998 novel by Dennis Lehane
• Little Children (2006) starring Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson, based on the 2004 novel by Tom Perrotta
• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, based on the 2006 novel by Rachel Cohn
• No Country for Old Men (2007) starring Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones; based on the 2005 novel by Cormac McCarthy
• The Notebook (2004) starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, based on the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks
• The Prestige (2006) starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, based on the 1985 novel The Glamour by Christopher Priest
• Revolutionary Road (2008) starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, based on the 1961 novel by Richard Yates
• There Will Be Blood (2007) starring Daniel Day-Lewis, based on the 1927 novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair
• Watchmen (2009) starring Jackie Earle Haley and Billy Crudup, based on the 1987 graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons