Jasper Jones
Toni Collette and Hugo Weaving star in the screen adaptation of Perth author Craig Silvey’s award-winning 2009 coming-of-age novel about murder and racial tensions in small-town Western Australia in 1965.
Tulip Fever
Deborah Moggach (whose novel, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, was also made into a film) says her book Tulip Fever was inspired by her purchase of a 1660 Dutch painting: “It depicted a young woman getting ready to go out. She gazes at us with an enigmatic expression, and, as I gazed back I wondered: where is she going? Should she be going there? She hung in my living room, silent with her secrets.” Starring Alicia Vikander.
A Dog's Purpose
Dennis Quaid takes the lead in US columnist W. Bruce Cameron’s heart-warming tale about a dog that reincarnates several times and the life lessons he learns along the way—not just for puppy lovers.
The Dinner
Translated into 40 languages, this novel by Dutch author Herman Koch became an international sensation. Over the course of an evening meal, two sets of parents (the film stars Laura Linney and Richard Gere) come around to discussing an uncomfortable truth: the horrific act their sons have committed.
The Shack
After surviving childhood abuse, marriage struggles and bankruptcy, Canadian writer William P. Young self-published this book about spiritual healing as a gift for his six children. “To me, The Shack is a metaphor for the place we hold our pain,” said Young, whose story would go on to sell 20 million copies. The long-awaited film version sees Sam Worthington as a grieving father who finds unexpected peace.
The Zookeeper's Wife
Diane Ackerman’s non-fiction triumph shed light on the remarkable story of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, zookeepers at Warsaw Zoo during World War II. With the city crumbling, and most of her animals killed or stolen, Zabinksi began smuggling Jewish people into her empty cages. A remarkable true story of courage in wartime starring Jessica Chastain.