Book2Screen – The Pre-Blog Files (Part 1) 

Back when I was a little, newly formed, neophyte reader (AKA MANY years ago) I actually struggled with what I should read next. Very early on I had one great obsession which was all things Science-Fiction but, I pondered, what else should I read? One thing that did present itself was reading the Classics. Part of this was the idea of things I SHOULD read in an effort to improve my deeply Working-Class brain. The other thing was that even I, largely uneducated in the world of books as I was, generally knew a Classic when I found one. The other idea I had was to follow what I liked in the world of TV and movies, so I looked for books that had been adapted either for the large or small screen. The idea was to be on safe, or at the least ‘safer’, ground that way.  Generally speaking, the project was a success and it introduced me to new authors, new genres and new opportunities to read out of my rather narrow comfort zone at the time. So, here’s what I read, pre-Blog, pre-Internet... 

Marathon Man by William Goldman 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg 

Serpico by Peter Maas 

Capricorn One by Bernard L Ross 

I, Claudius by Robert Graves 

Dr No by Ian Fleming 

From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming 

Thunderball by Ian Fleming 

The Spy who Loved me by Ian Fleming 

You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming 

Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming 

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming 

For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming 

Alien by Alan Dean Foster 

The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth

Nothing TOO radical as you can see, but in those days I was still finding my way and still wondering what I wanted to read – in those days just about everything that was put in front of me but even back then I thought I needed at least *some* focus! In my early teens I had, as you can see, developed a keen interest in all things James Bond and I was lucky enough to pick up the whole original collection for a song. So, more Bond, James Bond, to come next time!