Classic Titles Narrated By Top Actors ~ Show July 18 and 19

FEATURED BOOKS PREVIEWED

“Go Set A Watchman” by Harper Lee: performed by Reese Witherspoon
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee: performed by Sissy Spacek
“The Member of the Wedding” by Carson McCullers: performed by Susan Sarandon
“Being There” by Jerzy Kosinski: performed by Dustin Hoffman
“The Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad: performed by Kenneth Branagh
“The Sheltering Sky” by Paul Bowles: performed by Jennifer Connelly
“The End of the Affair” by Graham Greene: performed by Colin Firth

INTERVIEW
Marja Mills, Author

TUNE INTO THE PROGRAM FOR
Elaine spotlights new performances of classic titles narrated by Hollywood’s top actors. Marja Mills shares her experiences as Harper Lee’s neighbor – timed to coincide with the Lee’s release of “Go Set a Watchman.”

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Reese Witherspoon To Perform New Harper Lee Title

REESE WITHERSPOON TO PERFORM NEW HARPER LEE TITLE

Actress Reese Witherspoon will narrate the audio version of the year’s hottest book, Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. The unabridged audio version will be released simultaneously with the book on July 14. Witherspoon is set to hit the recording studio this month.

Lee’s new novel, written in the 1950s but recently rediscovered, is a sequel to her classic To Kill a Mockingbird.

“As a Southerner, it is an honor and privilege to give voice to the Southern characters who inspired my childhood love of reading, Scout and Atticus Finch,” Witherspoon said. “I am eager for readers to be transported to a pivotal time in American history in the manner that only Harper Lee’s gorgeous prose can deliver.”

Witherspoon, 39, who was born in New Orleans, is a book lover who has brought some of her favorite recent titles to the big screen. She starred in and was a producer on Wild and a producer of Gone Girl. Along with Nicole Kidman, Witherspoon has optioned Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, in development for TV.

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“Big Little Lies” Coming To The Big Screen With Nicole Kidman And Reese Witherspoon

“BIG LITTLE LIES” COMING TO THE BIG SCREEN WITH NICOLE KIDMAN AND REESE WITHERSPOON

Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon have optioned screen rights to The New York Times bestseller Big Little Lies. The Oscar-winning actresses will shape the novel by Liane Moriarty as a star vehicle for themselves.

The novel tells the comic tale of three mothers of kindergartners whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder. Australian novelist Moriarty, who’ll serve in a producing capacity, wrote the bestsellers What Alice Forgot, Three Wishes, The Hypnotist’s Love Story and The Husband’s Secret, along with a line of children’s books.

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Page to Screen

A slew of sensational books are heading to the big screen this year. Here’s what to look for during the second half of 2014.

The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard Morais will delight culinary enthusiasts with its delicious French setting. Not only does it star Helen Mirren, but it’s produced by Oprah AND Steven Spielberg. Lois Lowry’s The Giver is finally screen bound, with Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep and Taylor Swift. Comedy lovers, Jonathan Tropper’s “This is Where I leave you” is the tale of a guy forced to sit shiva with his astoundingly dysfunctional family. With Jason Bateman and Tina Fey, we’re gonna love it. 2 Gillian Flynn titles are cineplex bound. Dark Places starring Charlize Theron, and Gone Girl with Ben Affleck. December will showcase …Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl? Hmmm….the jury’s out.

Know before you go. Get the literary 411 on my show The Book Report.

Gone Girl

If you’ve read Gone Girl, you know why it’s gone up the charts…and stayed there.

Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. The film version is set to be produced by Reese Witherspoon. I picked it up recently on a trip, and opted out of an excursion just to keep reading.

What really resonates with readers is that main characters Amy and husband Nick take turns narrating events, but not from the same point in time. As the pages fly by, you begin to doubt first one narrator, then the other. And the ending….wow…you just don’t see it coming. (If you’ve read it, you know what I mean. If not – pick it up.)

For more tantalizing titles, check my website, www.bookreportradio.com. And tune into my show, The Book Report.