Many Oscar favourites started out as books; and some books were based on films

Film buffs were anxiously waiting for the announcements about the nominees for the Academy Awards – better known as the Oscars – this week. As is often the case with award-winning films, many started out as books, which are available at the library.

Hamnet, for example, was nominated in a number of categories including original score, production design, and casting. It started out as a well-loved historical fiction novel by Maggie O’Farrell. Interestingly, when I checked out catalogue to see how often the book has been read (almost 100 times!) I was reminded that in Canada, the book was released as Hamnet and Judith. No matter what you call it, it’s an imagined retelling of the real-life death of William Shakespeare’s son Hamnet. In addition to the book, we’ve also ordered copies of the film on DVD so you can enjoy the book, the film, or both.

Frankenstein, the genre-defining novel by Mary Shelley, has been adapted countless time. The most recent film adaptation by Guillermo del Toro, has received several nominations for this year’s Oscars. You can check out the 1994 Kenneth Branagh adaptation from the library and compare the different ways of telling the story. In addition to the original book, we also have a 2012 adaptation in graphic novel format, illustrated by Meritzell Ribas.

If you’re wanting a more comedic version of the story, the children’s picture book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex is sure to leave the young readers in your life giggling.

Come See Me in the Good Light is a documentary with a literary basis. It’s the story of spoken word poet Andrea Gibson as they face a terminal diagnosis. Alongside their partner Meg, they shared their story openly and thoughtfully. If you leave the film wanting to read more, Andrea Gibson committed many of their poems to writing and there a number of poetry collections you can explore.

Looking at the nominated animated films, we have adaptations in the opposite way – not films based on books, but books based on the films! We’ll soon have new books telling the story of K Pop Demon Hunters, Zootopia, and Elio.

If you are interested in exploring more films, with your library card you can access your choice of countless films through a service called “Kanopy”. They’re currently featuring previous Academy Award winners and nominees – films, documentaries and even short films. Each month you receive a number of “tickets” which you can use to borrow movies and television programs. You can stream, or download, them at home on your own devices. If you are interested in giving it a try, find the link for Kanopy at peclibrary.org. You can also make a one-on-one appointment with the library’s tech help staff to learn how.