Cedar Falls Public Library discussion

I really like going to the movies but now that I have to stay home I've noticed there are a lot of tv shows that are based on books out now. A lot of them have big stars in them. “Little fires everywhere” has Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Stephen King’s “The Outsider” has Jason Bateman, Ben Mendolsohn and Cythia Erivo. Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) are in William Landay’s “Defending Jacob”. I don’t have Apple+ but I am really tempted to get it long enough to see “Defending Jacob”. I also want to see Sally Rooney’s “Normal People”, but I have not read the book so I want to do that first. Have you recently watched any of these shows or any other tv shows that were based on books?

Yes, I just finished bingeing Longmire, all 6 seasons. It is available on Netflix, and based on the Craig Johnson western/mystery series. Present day, Wyoming, interactions with the nearby reservations. Not my normal type of series, but I really enjoyed it. It had been canceled, and then Netflix resurrected it and did the last 3 seasons (an improvement). I miss the characters, and was sorry to see it end.

I also watched Pale Horse on Amazon Prime, based on the Agatha Christie novel. it's 2 episodes. I liked that a lot, but am a little confused about what happened when, so would like to watch it again.

Have you read the Longmire series or Pale Horse? I also watched Pale Horse and I agree. I need to watch it again. It's not your typical Agatha Christie detective story.
I watched The Witcher on Netflix and that was fantastic. A coworker of mine recommended Locke and Key after watching The Witcher. That is also on Netflix and the books are by Joe Hill.
My copy of Normal People is coming on Sunday. After reading it I will have to decide if I want to watch the show.

I probably read Pale Horse many years ago, but don't recall it. I am reading the first Longmire, but it's told in the first person, and that voice is not matching up with my perception of the TV Longmire. But I am going to finish it, because overall I am enjoying it.

I do plan to watch The Outsider, I really enjoyed the book.

It's always hard when the character in the book doesn't match up with the tv show or movie. I hope you enjoy The Outsider as much as the book.

I liked the tv show The Outsider but not as well as the book. I thought the casting of Holly did not match the book. Holly Gibney was also a major character in the Mister Mercedes series (also a tv series) and the continuity wasn't there for me!
Two of my recent favorite tv series adaptations from the book were
GAME OF THRONES and OUTLANDER which I did not read nor will I because of lack of time...huge books!

I loved Game of Thrones, Cindy! I like Outlander, too, but still watching. I agree with you on the books. Too many pages for me. I am curious what I'll think of Holly, I have a very precise sense of her in my imagination.
I just discovered another show that I am watching is based on a series of books. Heartland, based on the series of the same name by Lauren Brooke. Set in Alberta, Canada, story of a horse ranch family. Very tame, "feel good" kind of show with nice scenery and horses. Wholesome.

I read the second and third Games of Thrones. I didn't start with one because I already saw the first season. When I finished the second book I was in the staff room and I said out loud "I finished!" I tried to listen to the fourth book and the narrator made Brienne so shrill I had to stop. I started to read the first Outlander but couldn't finish it. I love time travel too and the bad guy is really bad so I may have to watch it instead!

I recommended Outlander to my sister-in-law, who has lots of time on her hands right now..staying at home. She is bingeing it and really loving it!

Good to know! It's on my list. I'm going to start Little Fires Everywhere tonight.

I have watched the first episode of LOCKE AND KEYS (Netflix) and it was kind of good. Book or series of books written by Joe Hill who also wrote NOS4A2 which I liked and will have it's 2nd second season on Tv soon. If you like creepy..which comes by easily since Stephen King is his dad.

I'm not sure if I can handle creepy. Maybe a little creepy. It has been recommended to me before so I might give it a shot. I've always wondered what it would be like being the son of Stephen King.
I watched the first episode of Little Fires Everywhere. It was really good.

Just thought of another one I have been watching that's really good is on HBO...The Plot Against America based on the alternative historical novel by Philip Roth. It's a what if Charles Lindbergh had run for President and won (he had reportedly been friendly with Hitler, etc....in real life nothing became of that but the premise of this miniseries is pretty good!

That does sound good! I like alternative history. I also watched all the seasons of The man in the high castle based on a Philip K Dick book. That is another alternative history. The plot of this one is that the axis powers won WWII and the Germans control the eastern part of the United States and the Japanese control the west. The first two seasons were pretty good. Third season was ok.
Another alternative history that is really good and has some time travel is 11/22/63 based off of Stephen King's book.

Cindy wrote: "Just thought of another one I have been watching that's really good is on HBO...The Plot Against America based on the alternative historical novel by Philip Roth. It's a what if Charles Lindbergh h..."

My husband and I watched this last week, he had read the book first, I had not This was excellent.

Unorthodox on Netflix is very good

I will definitely have to get HBO long enough to watch The Plot against America.

Thanks for the info about Unorthodox Dave. The book is very popular on Overdrive right now.

Cindy wrote: "I liked the tv show The Outsider but not as well as the book. I thought the casting of Holly did not match the book. Holly Gibney was also a major character in the Mister Mercedes series (also a tv..."

Cindy, I felt the same way about the series--I liked the book better. For some reason, when I was reading about the paranormal elements of the book, it was easier to suspend disbelief as I imagined what those things would look like than it was seeing someone else's vision of what it would look like. I also agree that Holly was miscast. Although the actress was wonderful, the portrayal of her character in the series was less believable to me than the way she was described in the book.

I just finished Ozark about a week ago and loved it, but I'm bummed we have to wait a whole year for the next season to see how the shocking ending plays out. It had me often wanting to yell at the characters, "That is a VERY BAD idea!"

I also finished Little Fires Everywhere and loved it, but I hadn't read the book first. Now I'm watching American Woman and The Wire, which I'd never seen before.

Are there other books that you read and then watched the show where the character was either miscast or the show was way different than the book?
I read the Orange is the new black and then watched the first season of the show. Piper is definitely not as crazy in the book (which is based on Piper's real life experiences) I figured since Piper wrote for the show she was ok with the changes but it got too crazy for me.

I absolutely loved both the book and the first season of Big Little Lies, based on the book by Liane Moriarty, but I hated the second season, which was just written for the screen. I thought the characters were well-cast...I just thought continuing the story as it was in the second season seemed forced and wasn't at all what I imagined the characters would have done after the first season (and the book) ended.

I did, however, like how Handmaid's Tale was extended, and I did read the sequel. The sequencing of the books and the TV show was an interesting way to handle that.

I never saw Big little lies. I wondered how they made it into two seasons.

I really need to get Hulu...because I just loved the book NORMAL PEOPLE and would like to see it. Also LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE is on my to read list. I also don't like it when they extend miniseries beyond the book, just because they are hits. Happened with BIG LITTLE LIES, and MR. MERCEDES. I gave up on that one, but I did like Holly Gibney in MR MERCEDES...it matched the way Holly was written. With Big Little Lies they just wrote more material and it was ok I guess but I wonder if they will continue that?

I broke down and got Hulu. I am in the middle of watching Little Fires Everywhere. They did a good job with it. I am almost done reading Normal People. I will have to decide if I want to watch it or not then.
I guess it's like Game of Thrones. I wonder if he'll ever finish the last book now?