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Catching fire, by Suzanne Collins book to movie review

Catching Fire is  the second book in The Hunger Games series. As the sequel to the 2008 bestseller The Hunger Games, it continues the story of Katniss Everdeen and the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem. Following the events of the previous novel, a rebellion against the oppressive Capitol has begun, and Katniss and fellow tribute Peeta Mellark are forced to return to the arena in a special edition of the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, book to movie review

The Hunger Games is the first book in the series.

The Hunger Games follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in place of her younger sister Primrose Everdeen. Also selected from District 12 is Peeta Mellark. They are mentored by their district's only living victor, Haymitch Abernathy, who won 24 years earlier and has since led a solitary life of alcoholism.

Peeta confesses his longtime secret love for Katniss in a televised interview prior to the Games. This revelation stuns Katniss, who harbors feelings for Gale Hawthorne, her friend and hunting partner. Haymitch advises her to feign feelings for Peeta in order to gain wealthy sponsors who can provide crucial supplies to the "star-crossed lovers" during the Games.

In the arena, Katniss allies with Rue, a young tribute from District 11 who reminds Katniss of her kid sister. When Rue is killed, Katniss places flowers around her body as an act of defiance toward the Capitol. Then the remaining tributes are alerted to a rule change that allows tributes from the same district to win as a team. Katniss finds a seriously wounded Peeta and nurses him back to health. When all of the other tributes are dead, the rule change is abruptly revoked. With neither willing to kill the other, Katniss comes up with a solution: a double suicide by eating poisonous berries. This forces the authorities to concede just in time to save their lives. During and after the Games, Katniss develops genuine feelings for Peeta and struggles to reconcile them with what she feels for Gale.
Haymitch warns her that the danger is far from over.

The authorities are furious at being made fools of, and the only way to try to allay their anger is to pretend that her actions were because of her love for Peeta. On the journey home, Peeta is dismayed to learn of the deception.

The Outsider by Stephen King, book to mini series review

In Flint City, Oklahoma, police detective Ralph Anderson arrests popular teacher and Little League coach Terry Maitland in front of a crowd of baseball spectators, charging him with raping, mutilating and killing an eleven-year-old boy. Maitland hires his friend and lawyer, Howie Gold, to assist him but Anderson has eyewitnesses and clear forensic evidence pointing to his guilt. In the meantime, eager reporters harass Maitland's wife, Marcy and his two daughters, Sarah and Grace.

District Attorney Bill Samuels tells Anderson to break Maitland's alibi in order to make this an open-and-shut case. Anderson discovers, however, that multiple eyewitnesses confirm Maitland was out of town when the murder occurred, at a writer's conference in a neighboring town. Conference site security footage also provides confirmation of Maitland's alibi. Anderson finds a book at the conference center gift shop that Maitland (or his doppelgänger) touched and the fingerprints on the book are confirmed to be Maitland's. Samuels encourages Anderson to destroy this new evidence but he does not. Despite evidence that Maitland was in two places at once, Anderson still believes Maitland killed the boy. Maitland is shot to death outside of the courthouse by the older brother of the victim, who is subsequently shot and killed by Anderson. Anderson is placed on administrative leave and the district attorney decides not to seek reelection.

With the help of private investigator Holly Gibney, Anderson follows a trail of clues that takes the duo to Marysville, Texas. Jack Hoskins, Anderson's rival in local law enforcement, is coerced by the Outsider (the real killer) into killing Anderson. The Outsider promises Hoskins that if he kills Anderson he will be cured of his cancer. With the help of a number of characters, Anderson and Gibney discover that they have an actual monster on their hands. They set out to destroy him in a large cave in Marysville, where two children died years earlier. Holly hits the Outsider with the happy slapper (a sock filled with ball bearings, similar to what she used to stop Brady Hartsfield in Mr. Mercedes). He appears destroyed. The district attorney holds a press conference clearing Maitland, alleging defective DNA samples and confirming the video proof supporting Maitland's alibi.

Emma, by Jane Austen, review of the book to movie adaptation

Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and romantic misunderstandings. It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and the surrounding estates of Hartfield, Randalls, and Donwell Abbey and involves the relationships among people from a small number of families. The novel was first published in December 1815, with its title page listing a publication date of 1816. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian–Regency England. Emma is a comedy of manners, and depicts issues of marriage, sex, age, and social status.

Call of the Wild, by Jack London and the review of the 1935,1772, 1976, 1997 and 2020 movie adaptations

The Call of the Wild is one of Jack London's most famous novels.

The story follows a dog named Buck, a 140 pound Saint Bernard, and Scotch Shepherd mix. Buck is abducted from a comfortable life as a pet and tossed into the chaos of the Klondike Gold Rush and the brutal realities of frontier life. Buck changes hands several times before landing in the kindly hands of John Thornton. For teachers and students, we offer our The Call of the Wild Study Guide.
Thornton takes ownership of Buck from a trio of ignorant stampeders, intent upon making a dangerous river crossing. Buck refuses to cross, despite a vicious beating. Thornton recognizes the dog's intelligence and strength. He steps in to claim the dog and nurses Buck back to health. But Buck is forever changed by the treatment he has received at the hands of other men.

 

The Rhythm Section Book by Mark Burnell, review of the book to movie

The Rhythm Section begins with the crash of flight NEO027. The crash destroys Stephanie Patrick's life: her family was on board and there were no survivors. Devastated, she drops out of college and her life spins out of control as she enters a world of drugs and prostitution--until a journalist discovers that the crash wasn't an accident. There was a bomb planted on the plane. Filled with rage, and with nothing left to loose, she focuses on one goal: revenge. The opportunity to obtain it arrives quickly when Stephanie is approached and recruited by an extremely covert intelligence organization. She is young, smart, and beautiful--and has no family, making her the perfect candidate. The organization offers her a deal. She must undergo rigorous training; learn how to control her heart rate and breathing; and learn how to efficiently use weapons. Then, she will assume a new identity and commit acts of terrorism on behalf of the organization. When she completes these assignments successfully--and proves her loyalty--she will be offered the opportunity to take out the terrorists who brought down flight NEO027.

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley, review of book to movie

Set in 1948, the story begins in the Watts area of Los Angeles, with Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins. Easy is a Houstonian, from that city's Fifth Ward, who lost his job at a Los Angeles aviation defense plant, and is unable to pay the mortgage on his LA home. Easy is sitting in a bar run by Joppy, a friend who is also from Houston, when a man named DeWitt Albright walks into the bar and offers him a job finding a young woman named Daphne Monet. Monet, a young white woman, is rumored to be hanging out in bars frequented mostly by African Americans, although white women are allowed inside.

At the bar Easy meets two old friends, Coretta and Dupree, among many other people that he knew from his former life in Houston. Coretta says that she knows Daphne, but gives an incorrect address to Easy. He goes home with them and has sex with Coretta, with Dupree asleep in the next room. Easy then leaves her early the next morning, only to be arrested by the LAPD. Shortly thereafter following police interrogation, he is told that Coretta is dead, and that he is a suspect in Coretta's murder.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot and review of the movie

Henrietta Lacks was born in 1920 in Roanoke, Virginia. Henrietta was a 30-year-old, African-American tobacco farmer. On January 29, 1951, she went to John Hopkins Hospital complaining of vaginal bleeding. Upon examination, it was found that she was suffering from an adenocarcinoma in her cervix. A malignant tumor was metastasizing and ravaging her body. Lacks died of cervical cancer in 1951. Her cells were taken from her body without her knowledge and were used to form the HeLa cell line.  The HeLa cell lines were the first immortalized human cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line reproduces indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day. All while her children suffered and received no help or compensation for her contributions to science. 

Push, by Shapphire, and the review of the movie adaptation "Precious"

Claireece Precious Jones is an obese, illiterate 16-year-old girl who lives in Harlem with her abusive mother Mary. Precious is a few months pregnant with her second child, the result of being raped by her father, also the father of her first child. When her school discovers the pregnancy, it is decided that she should attend an alternative school. Precious is furious, but the counselor later visits her home and convinces her to enter an alternative school, located in the Hotel Theresa, called Higher Education Alternative Each One Teach One. Despite her mother's insistence that she apply for welfare, Precious enrolls in the school. She meets her teacher, Ms. Blu Rain, and fellow students Rhonda, Jermaine, Rita, Jo Ann, and Consuelo. All of the girls come from troubled backgrounds. Ms. Rain's class is a pre-GED class for young women who are below an eighth-grade level in reading and writing and therefore are unprepared for high school-level courses. They start off by learning the basics of phonics and vocabulary building. Despite their academic deficits, Ms. Rain ignites a passion in her students for literature and writing. She believes that the only way to learn to write is to write every day. Each girl is required to keep a journal. Ms. Rain reads their entries and provides feedback and advice. By the time the novel ends, the women have created an anthology of autobiographical stories called "LIFE STORIES – Our Class Book" appended to the book. The works of classic African-American writers such as Audre Lorde, Alice Walker and Langston Hughes are inspirational for the students. Precious is particularly moved by The Color Purple.

A Xmas Peek inside Read, Watch & Wine Podcast Studio

Take a peek inside RWW's Christmas Podcast episode where we reviewed all 3 versions of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". Hear our thoughts about it and what we rated the movies. Do you have any thoughts about any these movies?