10. Freeks by Amanda Hocking

In the spring of 1987, the carnival comes to small-town Caudry, Louisiana. For Mara Beznik, the carnival is home. It’s also a place of secrets, hidden powers and a buried past – making it hard to connect with outsiders, until she meets local boy Gabe Alvarado and sparks begin to fly. Then events take a dangerous turn: the word ‘freeks’ is found sprayed on trailers as carnival employees start disappearing. Then workers wind up dead, killed in disturbing ways by someone or something. Mara is determined to solve the mystery and save her family, with Gabe’s help. But Gabe has secrets of his own, including a family legacy that could destroy Mara’s world. Together, can they halt this campaign of hate and fear? Reads like a glorious 1980s teen horror movie that I’d love to see made.

9. Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

Once a year, a road appears in the woods at midnight and the ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons, inviting those who are brave enough to play her game. Win, and you escape with your life. Lose, and you’re trapped there forever. It’s been almost a year since Sara’s sister Becca went missing looking for Lucy Gallows and everyone else has given up searching for her. But Sara is determined to find her and so, along with her closest friends, enters the woods. But things far more sinister than ghosts lurk along the road, and not everyone will make it alive or unchanged. Described as “Stranger Things meets The Blair Witch Project”, which isn’t a bad thumbnail description, Rules For Vanishing is genuinely unnerving as, by messing with the characters’ heads, it starts to mess with the reader’s as well.

8. Melmoth by Sarah Perry

Inspired by Irish playwright, novelist and clergyman Charles Maturin’s 1820 Gothic novel Melmoth the Wanderer, Perry’s Melmoth is a brilliant modern Gothic novel: short but dense as a rich, boozy fruitcake, with a melancholy eeriness that sinks into your bones like a winter chill. After her friend disappears, translator Helen comes into possession of a strange manuscript, filled with personal testimonies from times and places as varied as 17^th century England, wartime Czechoslovakia, and 1920s Turkey, but all with one thing in common: all tell of being followed by a tall, silent woman in black. Helen reads its contents with intrigue at first, until she begins to notice signs of a familiar black-clad presence. Not only is it a delightfully eerie ghost story but it will also make you examine your own morality, which may be even scarier.

7. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Perhaps the quintessential Halloween novel. It’s the week before Halloween in Green Town, Illinois, and in the dead of night, a strange carnival arrives: Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show, the siren song of the calliope enticing all with promises of youth regained and dreams fulfilled. And as best friends Will Holloway and Jim Nightshade set out to explore its dark corners and alleyways, its mazes of smoke and mirrors, they’ll discover that the granting of innermost wishes comes with a devastating cost. A Ray Bradbury classic, where you can practically feel the chill and smell the woodsmoke in the air.

6. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Moreno-Garcia takes the tropes of western European gothic literature and transplants them into 1950s Mexico, where they thrive, creating a genuinely creepy tale that examines subjects such as colonialism, eugenics, and women’s changing place in society. Like Noemi, you may find High place difficult to leave.

5. The Quick by Lauren Owen

Siblings Charlotte and James are no strangers to tragedy, but when James leaves their home in the wilds of Yorkshire for the smog of London, he’ll discover more than just romance and adventure; he’ll also discover the mysterious Aegolius Club, a society of the richest, most powerful men in England, and the secrets and horrors contained therein. A beautifully dark and gothic romp through Victorian England, perfect for fans of classic Victorian literature and for those who prefer horror of the old-school variety.

4. Night Film by Marisha Pessl

On a damp October night, the body of Ashley Cordova, daughter of the celebrated but reclusive cult-horror director Stanislas Cordova, is discovered in a Manhattan warehouse. Her death is ruled a suicide, but investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. The last time McGrath got too close to the Cordova dynasty, it cost him his marriage and his career. This time it could cost him his sanity. An immersive, occasionally mind-bending, deep dive into a world of mystery, conspiracy, and a film ovure you’ll wish was real.

3. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

In the summer of 1977, the Blyton Summer Detective Summer Detective Club solved their last case. By 1990, they’ve grown up and apart, haunted by disturbing memories of that night that don’t quite match up with the established narrative. Andy, the group’s intrepid tomboy, is fed-up of running from her demons. She needs answers, and to find them she will need the others: Kerri, now drinking her ghosts away in New York with Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the club’s original canine member; Nate, who’s currently residing in an asylum in Arkham, Massachusetts, and the only one still in contact with Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star who was their leader… who’s also been dead for years. The time has come to find out what actually happened all those years ago at Sleepy Lake, and, in the process, they may also end up saving the world.

2. Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

When famous Horror auteur Nolan Nox is attacked in his New York apartment, his daughter Lola is forced to go and stay with her grandmother in the small Indiana town of Harrow Lake, the setting for one of his most acclaimed films, ‘Nightjar’. An expert on her father’s films – and horror films in general – Lola doesn’t think she’ll be phased by anything, not even by the town’s creepy local legend cum bogeyman: Mr Jitters. But this legend may be more real than Lola thinks. Is it madness or is she genuinely being stalked by a mysterious presence? Steeped in horror tropes and film iconography, with more references than you can shake a rusty implement at, Ellis’s brilliant novel creates the horror film inside your head you didn’t know you wanted to see.

1. Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Baker Rae “Sunshine” Seddon knows that you never hear vampires coming, yet still decides to visit her parents’ old lake cabin anyway. After all, there hasn’t been any vampire activity around there since the wars. Next thing she knows, she’s been kidnapped, and chained… with another vampire chained to the wall opposite. In order to escape with her life, Sunshine will have to embrace the magical heritage she’s tried to forget, and contemplate the unthinkable: work together with a vampire. Her life is never going to be the same again. One of the best things about McKinley’s writing is that her worlds feel lived in. They’re not shown off in all the perfect nuts and bolts of their construction; they’re messy, there’re ambiguities, not every little thing is explained (why would it be?), and yet you can imagine everything perfectly. Add a wry-yet warm, slightly cantankerous, relatable first person voice and Sunshine is not only my favourite vampire book, but one of my favourite books, period.

What are your favourite spooky reads? Tell us in the comments below!

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If you ever wonder how millennials feel about classics, a quick internet peruse will reveal that many of us love the feel of them in our hands and the sight of them on our shelves, but absolutely dread the idea of having them in our brains. A lot of millennials don’t delve into classics at all, and while I find the reasons behind that quite justifiable, I still feel that we are missing out on a great deal of literature, which is why I started a classics reading challenge last year, and now here I am recommending some of my favourites!

Those With Great Adaptations

The first classic I remember reading is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. I had no interest in that book at first, but seeing 21-year-old Leonardo Di Caprio in the film intrigued me enough to pick up the book. Now, I am not a big fan of this particular story, but I think a good adaptation can help ease anyone into a book, such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and its 2005 adaptation, as well as Macbeth by Shakespeare and its 2015 adaptation.

Those That Read Like Telenovelas

If you are a fan of scandalous tales of romance and ambition, absolutely pick up The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough and Bel Ami by Guy De Maupassant. These two might intimidate some because of their sheer number of pages (more than 400 each),  but they are page turners and read like the most ludicrous romance drama you have ever seen.

Those Key To The Mystery Genre

The these two books have shaped the genre and became an integral part of our mystery DNA. I am of course talking about And Then, There Were None by Agatha Christie and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am afraid I can’t say much about these books that haven’t been said before, apart from the fact that they read as masterpieces for the twenty-something I was when I picked them up.

Those Relevant To Today

Sometimes, we just need a book that reflects the current conjectures we live in. A book, that, while still being a fiction, helps us mull over our thoughts and fears for the future. Animal Farm by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury did just that to me, plus both are fairly short but still pack a punch to the gut.

Those You Won’t Be Able To Get Enough Of

These next recommendations will leave you with a smile on your face and a whole lot of thoughts in your brain. My favourite in this list is On ne badine pas avec l’amour, or in English, Don’t Trifle With Love by Alfred De Musset, probably because I find it introspective in the most charming way. But I also love the cunning violence Shakespeare writes in Richard III, or the smart comedy Molière delivers in L’avare.

What was the first classic you ever read? Tell us in the comments below!

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If you’re the typical Stranger Things fan and already binged season 3, but needing to fill the demogorgon-sized hole until the next season, OverDrive has your solution! They have an excellent collection of books for fans who can’t get enough of the supernatural, ’80s-themed series. Readers can access all books for free through their local library via the Libby App!

What’s the Libby App you ask? You can borrow thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from local libraries, instantly, for free, using just the device in your hand!

Read on to discover some books that you Stranger Things nerds will love!

Notes from the Upside Down by Guy Adams
OverDrive | Goodreads

Entertaining, informative, and perfect for fans of eighties pop culture, Notes from the Upside Down is the Big Mac of unofficial guides to Stranger Things—super-sized and special sauce included.

Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond
OverDrive | Goodreads

If you think you know the truth behind Eleven’s mother, prepare to have your mind turned Upside Down in the first official Stranger Things novel.

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
OverDrive | Goodreads

A mad scientist’s concoction of H. P. Lovecraft, teen detectives, and a love of Americana, Edgar Cantero’s Meddling Kids is a story filled with rich horror, thrilling twists, outright hilarity, and surprising poignancy.

The Boys of Summer by Richard Cox
OverDrive | Goodreads

Both a haunting coming-of-age story set in North Texas against the backdrop of a deadly tornado, and a character-driven, deeply-affecting supernatural thriller.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
OverDrive | Goodreads

An unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist that blends teen angst, adolescent drama, unspeakable horrors, and a mix of ’80s pop songs into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
OverDrive | Goodreads

A darkly irresistible new fantasy set in the infamous Gomorrah Festival, a travelling carnival of debauchery that caters to the strangest of dreams and desires.

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
OverDrive | Goodreads

The Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts adds an inventive twist to the home invasion horror story in a heart-palpitating novel of psychological suspense that recalls Stephen King’s Misery, Ruth Ware’s In a Dark, Dark Wood, and Jack Ketchum’s cult hit The Girl Next Door.

Chills by Mary SanGiovanni
OverDrive | Goodreads

True Detective meets H.P. Lovecraft in this chilling novel of murder, mystery, and slow-mounting dread from acclaimed author Mary SanGiovanni….

The Door to December by Dean Koontz
OverDrive | Goodreads

The #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers a truly suspenseful novel of a mother who must save her daughter from a threat she can hardly understand. What happened to nine-year-old Melanie during the six years she was subjected to terrifying experiments? And what is the unstoppable power that she can unleash from behind the “Door to December”?

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
OverDrive | Goodreads

Few novels have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury’s unparalleled literary masterpiece Something Wicked This Way Comes. Scary and suspenseful, it is a timeless classic in the American canon.

The Good House by Tananarive Due
OverDrive | Goodreads

A thrilling exploration of secrets, lies, and divine inspiration, The Good House will haunt readers long after its chilling conclusion.

House of Furies by Madeleine Roux
OverDrive | Goodreads

Featuring stunning interior illustrations from artist Iris Compiet, plus photo-collages that bring the story to chilling life, House of Furies invites readers to a world where the line between monsters and men is ghostly thin.

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
OverDrive | Goodreads

A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore that will have readers holding their breath as they fly through its pages.

The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker
OverDrive | Goodreads

This powerful post-apocalyptic thriller pits reluctant father Edgar Hill in a race against time to get back to his wife and children. When the sky begins to fall and he finds himself alone, his best hope is to run – or risk losing what he loves forever.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
OverDrive | Goodreads

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

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When it comes to writing well, reading is key. Read widely, read closely, and read often. Read the greats, and the not-so-greats. Read the books you love. Then read them again. Study them, dissect them, and learn from them. Find out what makes them work. Books are key tools in any writer’s journey.

Of course, reading in the genre of which you want to write is always helpful. But there are also many great books about the act of writing itself that all aspiring writers, from poets to novelists to screenwriters, and everything in between, should read. That’s why we have compiled a list of essential books on the craft of writing that every writer should have in their own collection.

Read on to discover seven must-read books for writers and tell us in the comments below if you will be picking one of them up!

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club spent more than a year at the top of the New York Times list. She followed with two other smash bestsellers: Cherry and Lit, which were critical hits as well. In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and “black belt sinner,” providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre. Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers’ experience, The Art of Memoir lays bare Karr’s own process. As she breaks down the key elements of great literary memoir, she breaks open our concepts of memory and identity, and illuminates the cathartic power of reflecting on the past; anybody with an inner life or complicated history, whether writer or reader, will relate.

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose

In her entertaining and edifying New York Times bestseller, acclaimed author Francine Prose invites you to sit by her side and take a guided tour of the tools and the tricks of the masters to discover why their work has endured. Written with passion, humor, and wisdom, Reading Like a Writer will inspire readers to return to literature with a fresh eye and an eager heart – to take pleasure in the long and magnificent sentences of Philip Roth and the breathtaking paragraphs of Isaac Babel; she is deeply moved by the brilliant characterization in George Eliot’s Middlemarch. She looks to John Le Carré for a lesson in how to advance plot through dialogue and to Flannery O’Connor for the cunning use of the telling detail. And, most important, Prose cautions readers to slow down and pay attention to words, the raw material out of which all literature is crafted.

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Part memoir, part philosophical guide, the essays in this book teach the joy of writing. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of putting words on paper, Bradbury’s zen is found in the celebration of storytelling that drove him to write every day. Imparting lessons he has learned over the course of his exuberant career, Bradbury inspires with his infectious enthusiasm.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a writer, what it means to be a writer, what the contents of your school lunches said about what your parents were really like, this book is for you. From faith, love, and grace to pain, jealousy, and fear, Lamott insists that you keep your eyes open, and then shows you how to survive. And always, from the life of the artist she turns to the art of life.

Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish by James Scott Bell

How does plot influence story structure? What’s the difference between plotting for commercial and literary fiction? How do you revise a plot or structure that’s gone off course? With Plot & Structure, you’ll discover the answers to these questions and more. Award-winning author James Scott Bell offers clear, concise information that will help you create a believable and memorable plot, including techniques for crafting strong beginnings, middles, and ends, brainstorming techniques for original plot ideas, thought-provoking exercises at the end of each chapter, and story structure models and methods for all genres

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Rarely has a book on writing been so clear, so useful, and so revealing. On Writing begins with a mesmerizing account of King’s childhood and his uncannily early focus on writing to tell a story. A series of vivid memories from adolescence, college, and the struggling years that led up to his first novel, Carrie, will afford readers a fresh and often very funny perspective on the formation of a writer. King next turns to the basic tools of his trade — how to sharpen and multiply them through use, and how the writer must always have them close at hand. He takes the reader through crucial aspects of the writer’s art and life, offering practical and inspiring advice on everything from plot and character development to work habits and rejection. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower — and entertain — everyone who reads it.

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living by Manjula Martin

A collection of essays from today’s most acclaimed authors—from Cheryl Strayed to Roxane Gay to Jennifer Weiner, Alexander Chee, Nick Hornby, and Jonathan Franzen—on the realities of making a living in the writing world. In the literary world, the debate around writing and commerce often begs us to take sides: either writers should be paid for everything they do or writers should just pay their dues and count themselves lucky to be published. You should never quit your day job, but your ultimate goal should be to quit your day job. It’s an endless, confusing, and often controversial conversation that, despite our bare-it-all culture, still remains taboo. In Scratch, Manjula Martin has gathered interviews and essays from established and rising authors to confront the age-old question: how do creative people make money? Scratch honestly addresses the tensions between writing and money, work and life, literature and commerce. The result is an entertaining and inspiring book that helps readers and writers understand what it’s really like to make art in a world that runs on money—and why it matters.

What books have helped you on your writing journey? Let us know in the comments below!

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From best-selling YA novels such as Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and Dumplin’, to Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer and the adaptation of the Alita graphic novels. Plus then you have classics such as A Wrinkle In Time and Fahrenheit 451.

This is by no means a definitive list as there are many adaptations scheduled for release in 2018, however, there are quite a few that have received no updates so perhaps they may be bumped to 2019. But, we have compiled a list of books that are being adapted into movies and TV this year for you to check out on Goodreads.

Read on to discover what’s coming book adaptations are hitting the theatres in 2018 and tell us in the comments below which ones you are most excited for!

Maze Runner: The Death Cure

The Death Cure by James Dashner / January 26 / TRAILER
Thomas leads some escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Starring Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito and Ki Hong Lee.

12 Strong

Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton / January 26 / TRAILER
In the wake of Sept. 11, Capt. Mitch Nelson leads a U.S. Special Forces team into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. Once there, the soldiers develop an uneasy partnership with the Northern Alliance to take down the Taliban and its al-Qaida allies. Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire), and Taylor Sheridan (Sons of Anarchy).

Annihilation

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer / February 22
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply. Starring Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Oscar Isaac (The Last Jedi), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Atypical), Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok), and Gina Rodriguez (Jane The Virgin).

Every Day

Every Day by David Levithan / February 23 / TRAILER
Rhiannon falls in love with A, a mysterious spirit who inhabits a different body every day, but loving someone who is a different person every 24 hours isn’t easy. Starring Angourie Rice (Spider-Man Homecoming), Debby Ryan, Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man Homecoming), and Justice Smith (The Get Down).

Red Sparrow

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews / March 2 / TRAILER
Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to ‘Sparrow School’ a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. But her first mission, targeting a CIA agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations. Starring Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games), Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), Joel Edgerton (Bright) and Jeremy Irons (Batman v Superman).

Love, Simon

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli / March 16
Everyone deserves a great love story, but for Simon, it’s a little more complicated. Starring Katherine Langford and Miles Heizer (13 Reasons Why), Jennifer Garner (Dallas Buyers Club), Josh Duhamel (Safe Haven), Colton Haynes (Arrow), and Nick Robinson (Jurassic World).

A Wrinkle In Time

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle / March 23 / TRAILER
The film begins after disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him. Starring Rowan Blanchard (Girl Meets World), Chris Pine (Wonder Woman), Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies), Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project), Oprah Winfrey and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover).

Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline / March 29 / TRAILER
The creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies and he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune. Wade Watts finds the first clue and starts a race for the Egg. Starring Tye Sheridan (X-Men: Apocalypse), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), Mark Rylance (Dunkirk), Simon Pegg (Star Trek), T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley),and Hannah John-Kamen (Killjoys).

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple / May 11
After her anxiety-ridden mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down, discovering her troubled past in the process. Starring Cate Blanchett (Thor Ragnarok), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), and Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars).

Alita: Battle Angel

Alita by Yukito Kishiro / July 20
An action-packed story of one young woman’s journey to discover the truth of who she is and her fight to change the world starring Rosa Salazar (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials).

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan / August 17
Three aristocratic Chinese families’ love of gossip and backstabbing runs rampant when the heir to a huge fortune returns to marry his Chinese-American girlfriend. Starring Constance Wu (Fresh Off The Boat), Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek Discovery), Gemma Chan (Transformers The Last Knight), Awkwafina, Ken Jeong (Dr Ken) and Harry Shum Jr (Shadowhunters).

The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken / September 14
After a disease kills 98% of America’s children, the surviving 2% develop superpowers and are placed in internment camps. A 16-year-old girl escapes her camp and joins a group of other teens on the run from the government. Starring Amandla Stenberg (Everything, Everything), Mandy Moore (This Is Us) and Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones).

Boy Erased

Boy Erased by Garrard Conley / September 23
The son of a baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program. Starring Troye Sivan, Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies), Joel Edgerton (Bright) and Russel Crowe.

First Man

First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen / October 12
A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Starring Ryan Gosling (La La Land) and Claire Foy (The Crown).

The Girl In The Spider’s Web

The Girl In The Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz / October 19
Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials, which stars Claire Foy (The Crown).

Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve / December 14
Many years after the “Sixty Minute War,” cities survive a now desolate Earth by moving around on giant wheels attacking and devouring smaller towns to replenish their resources. Starring Hera Hilmar (Da Vinci’s Demons), Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings), and Robert Sheehan (Misfits). 

Dumplin’

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy / TBD
A girl with the nickname “Dumplin'” enters a beauty pageant in order to win over the boy she likes and stick it to the other girls at school. Starring Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$), Odeya Rush (Goosebumps), Dove Cameron (Descendants), Bex Taylor-Klaus (Scream 2015), Maddie Baillio (Hairspray Live), and Jennifer Aniston (Friends).

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury / TBD
In a terrifying care-free future, a young man, Guy Montag, whose job as a fireman is to burn all books, questions his actions after meeting a young girl…and begins to rebel against society. Starring Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) and Sofia Boutella (Kingsman).

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han / TBD
A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life. Starring Lana Condor (X-Men: Apocalypse), Noah Centineo (The Fosters) and Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars).

Bel Canto

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett / TBD
A world-renown opera singer becomes trapped in a hostage situation when she’s invited to perform for a wealthy industrialist in South America. Starring Julianne Moore (Still Alice) and Ken Watanabe (Godzilla).

Ashes In The Snow

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys / TBD
In 1941, an aspiring artist and her family are deported to Siberia amidst Stalin’s brutal dismantling of the Baltic region. In a seemingly hopeless place, love is the only means of survival. Starring Bel Powley (A Royal Night Out), John Hauer-King (Little Women) and Martin Wallström (Mr Robot).

Black Hand

Black Hand by Will Thomas / TBD
Police officer, Joe Petrosino, seeks justice against a ruthless Italian-American gang in New York. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Which one are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

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The Book Cook Look Club is a small Australian based book club combining three much-loved activities: reading, cooking and films. Declan, a member of the club, will be recapping his experience each month right here on The Nerd Daily!

BOOK | One person selects a book for everyone to read over the next month.
COOK | The book selector hosts a dinner party with a themed meal related to the book.
LOOK | We compare the film adaptation to its source material.

1984, Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 – many consider these the trilogy of prophetic political dystopian novels for the twentieth century. Each author (Orwell, Huxley and Bradbury) takes a different angle of the future, and each of their works are gradually becoming increasingly relevant to modern society.

ENTREE
The time came for me to host the book club for the month, and when it came to my cooking I aimed to impress. I ran with the theme of fire and smoke, so as the guests arrived I served smoked oysters on crackers for hors d’oeuvres and tomato soup for entrée.

I began the discussion explaining that the reason I chose the book stemmed from my love for Orwell’s 1984. My recent delving into Huxley’s Brave New World also renewed my interest in the political dystopian novels of the twentieth century. While science fiction is often the recognised genre for making technological predictions about the future, these novels are prophetic on a more social and cultural level.

Rather than purely looking at the impact of human technology in the future (although this is certainly an aspect of their novels), these writers examine historical patterns to make educated predictions on three main topics:

1. How people will interact within social contexts
2. The role of education and intellectualism in society
3. The distinction between superficial and profound happiness

DINNER
After getting my spiel out of the way, I brought dinner into the dining room: smoked salmon pasta, served on a bain-marie with live flames beneath to keep it warm.

We also started to delve into the imagery of Fahrenheit 451. Sarah brought up the Salamander as an interesting point of contention, finding the symbolism a little heavy-handed. Within mythology, salamanders typically have an affinity with fire, and so giving their name to the fire engine is a natural connection to make. This isn’t the only animal symbolism to be found – the mechanical hound is reminiscent of the mythological hellhound, once again bringing fire imagery to mind.

Despite Sarah’s point about the metaphors being a little forced, I wanted to give Bradbury credit where it’s due as he certainly worked in some subtle imagery into the book as well. For example, Montag’s submersion in the river towards the end signals a significant new step in his life – one that moves away from the pure, destructive energy of fire and towards the cool, calming presence of water and knowledge.

I was, however, a little confused about Mildred’s attempted suicide, which was brushed over so quickly it was barely noticeable. Sarah reasoned that this is a reflection of the setting itself – take a pill, and no more troubles. Happiness and satisfaction is overvalued to the point of self-deterioration, and death seems to be the easy way out for those struggling with vaguely upsetting issues.

This is a common theme in political dystopian fiction. If faced with an unfamiliar or uncomfortable problem, block it out with drugs, meaningless platitudes, and anything that will distract you from thinking. But more so than this, it reflects a scary precedent in modern society where blissful escapism is given infinitely more value than confronting reality.

DESSERT
I stepped out of the dining room for a little while to prepare dessert – a caramelised, rum-infused banana flambé. When I returned, the group was discussing Bradbury’s historical context. Enter Alec with his controversial opinion of the month, which apparently has now become such a frequent occurrence it is heralded by its very own theme song.

Alec noted that Bradbury is strongly against modern forms of media that aren’t books, with this perhaps being one of the novel’s biggest weaknesses. At times it does come across as a little didactic and narrow-minded with Bradbury’s completely pessimistic attitude towards television and film.

Sarah countered this, stating that Bradbury was simply a man of his time. The world of multimedia was a new and frightening thing, especially with the threat of televisions in every household seemingly removing the need for books. Historical context is truly integral to grasping the author’s full intentions.

Dystopian texts today tend to be aimed more towards young adult audiences, with their social commentary revolving around more contemporary issues such as prejudice or climate change. On a more general level, the genre is intended to reflect the very real concerns held by the people of the era by imagining a future where the worst possible scenario has taken place.

Fahrenheit 451 achieves this by criticising the rising wave of anti-intellectualism brought about by McCarthyism of the 1950’s, and yet at the same time it holds an important message that resonates within many other contexts too. It is an area of fiction not intended for fun, whimsical reading, but one definitely worth dipping into if you are up for serious contemplation and staying up at night stressing about the state of the world.

What are your thoughts on Fahrenheit 451? Let us know in the comments below!

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