Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen: 35 Great Stories That Have Inspired Great Films

(#22 in the 2005 Book Challenge)

This was great, and an impulse buy at the bookstore. I don't read enough short stories, I like short stories and all, but there's something about them that makes me think of school. It's a nagging feeling that immediately after finishing a short story, some random person is going to turn to me on the subway and give me a quiz, where I will be asked to identify a theme, and possibly some symbolism. Some of these I had read before, but a lot of them were new to me. It's a great collection, lots of different genres represented -- everything from "Bringing Up Baby" to "Las babas del diablo" (which became Blow Up, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni who is NOT FRENCH). I was also pleased to find Faulkner's show more "Tomorrow," which I hadn't read previously. A little creeped out by "The Spurs," the basis for the cult classic Freaks -- this story seemed so familiar, I think I might have read it in junior high. Did I have any teachers that twisted?

Grade: A
Recommended: Excellent way to collect a bunch of short stories, and a nice thick book so it's good reading that one could pick up and put down at will. This would be especially nice for vacation or other times where you are reading in small chunks of time and not all at once. show less