The crossover between books and the screen seems closer than ever with the advent of non-stop viewing services such as Netflix.
Many books become movies. To give but one example, Jane Austen’s beloved 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice has no fewer than nine screen adaptations, according to Matilda Dixon-Smith.
Another mini-series version is on the way, expected to air in 2020, yet the print version remains cherished.
The crossover works both ways! I met a successful screenplay writer at the recent Heroines Women Writers’ Masterclass on the NSW South Coast, with Bernadette Foley of Broadcast Books, Australian author Pamela Hart and Dr Sarah Nicholson. She is now writing the book to accompany her film.
So, why books?
What is it about the written word that so attracts us? How do all those black squiggles catch our attention, then mesmerise us for hours?
If we read simply for entertainment, for information or enrichment, we could simply pick up a newspaper, or flick through social media or a news site or two.
We read to escape the chaotic and mundane.
A novel lures us deeply into another world. We crave insight into those believable characters and their complexities.
Through good books we re-experience the full range of human emotions – from the thrill of a challenge to the taste of triumph over adversity.
Good books broaden our minds, nourish our intellects and help us make sense of the world.
Books help us dream of new possibilities.
In this great rush of a busy life, do you ever seek a long slice of silence?
Pick up a book!
Happy reading.
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