Latest news with #RemarkablyBrightCreatures
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Find your next favorite local author at The BookSmiths Shoppe in Connecticut
Find your next favorite local author at The BookSmiths Shoppe in Connecticut Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities. Each week, we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations. This week we have Michelle Smith, owner of The BookSmiths Shoppe in Danbury, Connecticut. What's your store's story? In February 2023, we opened the first independent bookstore in Danbury, Connecticut. We are a woman-owned enterprise, and the core mission of our bookstore is to cater to local authors. We hear that they are often ignored by larger and more popular bookstores for author events and exposure and we give them a voice. We also won the James Patterson Holiday Bonus in 2023. As a hybrid bookstore, we are proud to sell new and used books in the same space, offering a more curated and elevated book stack. What makes your independent bookstore unique? We are located in a one-million-square-foot corporate park, so we're not your typical brick-and-mortar store. The building is home to corporations, apartments, retail and doctors' offices. We provide a respite for the employees who sit at their desks and need a break. What's your favorite section in your store? The local author section is my favorite and the first thing you see when you enter the bookstore. We are happy to display the books these authors have published for years. What book do you love to recommend to customers and why? "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt is not only wholesome, but creative and well written. It moved me, and appeals to all types of readers. The connection between humans and other life sources is celebrated in this book when humans fail to provide much-needed intimacy. What book do you think deserves more attention and why? "I Wasn't Supposed To Be Here" by Jonathan Conyers. In 2023, I had the pleasure of meeting Conyers at the Bookmarks Festival in North Carolina. His story depicts the epitome of survival when the odds are against you in life. From the moment he was conceived, he wasn't wanted, yet he thrived and survived through the storms, challenges and trials of being Black, the child of drug-addicted parents and living in poverty. I absolutely love his story – it reminds me to appreciate my life, shortcomings and practice immense gratitude. Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important? We support local authors, care about the environment, offer a curated selection of books, assist our local library and donate to non-profits. We also hold book signing events, networking and health seminars and cooking demonstrations, keeping literacy alive. The truth is, we rely on the support of our community to thrive. Every purchase, every visit, every word of mouth recommendation makes a difference. We'll continue to be here, serve our community and share our love of books as long as we have that support. It's a symbiotic relationship, and one that's essential for the vibrancy of our neighborhoods. What are some of your store's events, programs, or partnerships coming up that you would like to share? We co-host the "Hat City to Hollywood" series in collaboration with The Danbury Cultural Commission, the Danbury Library, the Danbury Railway Museum, Rosy Tomorrows and Lesser Evil Snacks. This series explores Danbury's real-life locations that have made it to the silver screen. June 13's event is "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2." We also have author signings in July with Shawniel Chamanlal and Chris Deflorio.
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
‘Grateful for my anxiety': Actor Lewis Pullman related to Thunderbolts* character's struggles
NEW YORK – Lewis Pullman is still not sure if he is playing a hero or a villain in the latest Marvel movie Thunderbolts*. 'He's very malleable and easily influenced because he hasn't had a real, strong, reliable source of love in his life,' the American actor said of his character, a dark Superman-like figure known as Sentry/The Void – although his civilian name, Bob, is how you might remember him best. Think what would happen if Superman were super-depressed. Also, Bob appears capable of vapourising people with a flick of his hand. 'There's a contrast between being this all-powerful being and then having your greatest weakness and your main Achilles' heel be your own self,' Pullman, 32, said in video call from his apartment in Los Angeles. He had just returned to the city, where he was born and raised, after a shoot in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures, based on American author Shelby Van Pelt's enormously popular 2022 novel. That was followed by a whirlwind press tour that had taken him from London and New York to Los Angeles and Miami to back to Los Angeles, just in time for his brother's wedding. Pullman – the son of 71-year-old American actor Bill Pullman (While You Were Sleeping, 1995; Independence Day, 1996) – is the breakout star of Thunderbolts*, which has attracted praise for its candid depiction of mental health. 'What I love about this film is that it is so adamantly trying to rid our society' of the stigma around mental health, Lewis Pullman said. Like his character, he has an introspective bent, turning over every question in his mind before answering. Although he had never read the comics featuring Sentry – also known as Robert Reynolds , shortened to Bob in Thunderbolts* – he was drawn to the profound sadness and isolation of the character, whose Mr Hyde-like alter ego is the Void, the darkness that lives inside Bob. Struck by bouts of melancholy, Bob forges an unlikely friendship with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, who was trained as a child to be a Black Widow assassin. 'She sees something of herself in him,' Pullman said. 'She sees that they are both at the end of their lines.' The role is a breakout turn for Pullman, who earned a supporting actor Emmy nomination in 2024 for his portrayal of a brilliant scientist in the Apple TV+ period series Lessons In Chemistry (2023). Before that, he played a pilot – also named Bob – in the 2022 hit Top Gun: Maverick. 'I should probably take a breather from playing Bobs,' he said with a laugh. Lewis Pullman at the Thunderbolts* screening on April 30 in New York. PHOTO: AFP How did you first get involved in Thunderbolts*? I got a phone call that was very vague and cryptic, and I was like: 'I should meet Jake (Schreier, the director) and see what this is all about.' He couldn't give me the script, so he told me the story old-fashioned style, word by word. It was great to have that experience. You don't get it very often. I had only three days to prepare for the screen test and audition, which wasn't as much time as I'd like. So, I tried to go as broad as possible, and then shrink it down and go as specific as possible in finding and discovering where it was that I, as Lewis, could relate to this character. What did you pull from for the role? What was so exciting and terrifying was how much I related to this character. In terms of the mental health parts of it, the anxiety and the depression, I have a dose of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) , self-doubt and the negative self-talk that can paralyse you. I'm lucky to have come from a great family that was very proactive and resourceful about helping me figure it all out. So, to try to inhabit somebody who didn't have that – I was close enough to those alleyways to be able to see what it would have looked like had I not had those. Have you had candid conversations with people in your own life about mental health? I was a social work major in college in North Carolina, so I have had many conversations about these topics. Coming into this project, it was obvious that it was a major theme. But it was never our goal to make this a PSA (public service announcement). This is still an incredibly fun, large-scale blockbuster film. But by shining a flashlight on it, it becomes more real. In many ways, my anxiety is something I'm grateful for. It's there as a protective mechanism. You don't just make a movie about it and then the conversation's over. I'll be talking about it until I circle the drain. And that's something I've come to be okay with and embrace. Do you have personal experience with depression? That's something that's less of a consistent force in my life. It comes in waves. But it's something that's deep in my marrow because, when you feel that, it's very hard to forget. I was able to tap into that in a way that was safe, with therapy, and then friends and support. I go about therapy in the same way that I go about acting. I assume that I never know anything, that there's always something to learn. I did a lot of cognitive behavioural therapy in high school and now I'm in talk therapy. I've realised that the times when you should stick with therapy the most is when you think you're doing the best without it. That's a mind game that I've fallen for a couple of times. What would you say to people who feel like Bob? It's okay to not smile, it's okay to cry, it's okay to let all those feelings out, and to not bottle them up. You'll find that, more often than not, there will be somebody there to catch you, if you're vulnerable enough to let them. NYTIMES Thunderbolts* is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Netflix Reveals New Details About its 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' Film
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Netflix has completed production on its adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures, the bestselling debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt that has captivated more than a million readers since its 2022 release. Directed by Olivia Newman, known for Where the Crawdads Sing, the film stars two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field alongside Lewis Pullman and a distinguished supporting cast. With production now wrapped, the project is poised to become one of Netflix's major literary adaptations. Why It Matters The film adaptation marks Netflix's continued investment in literary properties with established fanbases. As of December 2023, Remarkably Bright Creatures had sold 1.4 million copies and had enjoyed a prolonged run on the New York Times bestseller list. The story, centered around an elderly widow and a curmudgeonly octopus, has been lauded for its unusual charm and emotional depth. As described in 2023 by the New York Times, the debut novel is "one of those increasingly rare success stories: a quiet, quirky literary debut that has been buoyed by bookseller love and word-of-mouth recommendations." The film also reunites Sally Field with a leading dramatic role, which could further elevate the adaptation's profile ahead of its release. Netflix confirmed production wrapped in May. An octopus floats in the water. An octopus floats in the water. wrangel/Getty Images What to Know Remarkably Bright Creatures follows Tova Sullivan, a 70-year-old widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, where she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. The octopus, whose inner monologue appears throughout the novel, becomes key in unraveling the decades-old mystery of Tova's son's disappearance. According to Netflix's official synopsis, "Marcellus is on a mission to solve a mystery that will heal her heart and lead her to a life-changing discovery." The book's origin story is as unconventional as its plot. Van Pelt, a former financial consultant, created the character of Marcellus in a fiction writing workshop assignment and later expanded it into vignettes, according to The New York Times. "I wasn't thinking too hard about, is this salable?" she told The New York Times. "Because I never thought anybody would read it." The novel was eventually acquired by Ecco, which delayed the paperback edition due to sustained demand for the hardcover. In February, nearly three years after the book's original release, Van Pelt announced a tour to promote the forthcoming paperback. Her tour extends through the end of May where she plans to visit Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and California. The novel picked up traction when Jenna Busch selected it for her "Read with Jenna" book club, and, according to The New York Times, this lead to Van Pelt's appearance on The Today Show. As for the Netflix adaptation, a release date for the movie has not yet been announced. Who Is in the Cast of Netflix's 'Remarkably Bright Creatures'? Netflix has assembled a high-profile ensemble for the adaptation. Sally Field, whose credits include Lincoln and Forrest Gump, plays Tova. Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons in Chemistry) co-stars, with Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Joan Chen (The Wedding Banquet), Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands), Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men), and Sofia Black-D'Elia (Single Drunk Female) rounding out the cast. The screenplay is co-written by Olivia Newman and John Whittington (Sonic the Hedgehog 3). Bryan Unkeless and Peter Craig are producing for Night Owl Pictures, with executive producers including Anonymous Content's David Levine, Tony Lipp, Erika Hampson, and Alisa Tager, along with Van Pelt herself. What People Are Saying Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures, posted on Instagram on March 28: "I will never in my life be this cool again. It's been an amazing week on set and I cannot wait for this movie to come out." Beth Seufer Buss, sales associate at Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told The New York Times in 2023: "I don't think it's going to drop off, because everybody who reads it wants other people to read it. This is a universal recommendation. No matter what you're in the mood for or what you're going through, I can put this book in your hands." Jenna Bush Hager told in May 2022: "This novel is filled with love, humor, joy and healing. It demonstrates the power and beauty of unexpected friendships. I can't wait for this creative, feel-good story to surprise and delight the Read With Jenna book club this May." What's Next For now, readers and viewers alike await a visual interpretation of one of the most beloved literary debuts of recent years.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Most popular books borrowed from Michigan libraries via MeLCat online catalog
As National Reading Month ends, amid growing concerns about future federal funding for libraries, the Michigan eLibrary has tallied the state's most-requested books year-to-date. MeLCat is an online catalog service that lets library members borrow books and other items from over 400 libraries statewide. Most books on the list were recently published fiction, although one title was published over three decades ago. Published in 1993, late science fiction writer Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower" ranks 12th for this year's most-requested title. The novel predicts a dystopian future, set in 2024, where a young protagonist is forced to navigate conditions of scarcity, political unrest and climate change. More: Michigan libraries, museums brace Michigan libraries, museums brace for loss of federal funds after Trump executive order "The Frozen River," written by Ariel Lawhon, tops the state's library lending list so far this year. The book, inspired by the life and writings of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century Maine midwife, has been checked out more than 200 times between Jan 1 and March 18. A fictional story of a widow who forms a bond with an octopus at an aquarium where she works is the subject of the debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt. The book, "Remarkably Bright Creatures" published in 2022, ranks 4th on the statewide list this year and was the most requested book last year. "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus "The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride "The Women" by Kristin Hannah "West with Giraffes" by Lynda Rutledge Four of last year's top five requested books remain popular in the first quarter of 2025. In 2024, more than 980,000 items were loaned out using the MeLCat system, according to the state. Contact Kristi Tanner: ktanner@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Most popular books borrowed from Michigan libraries via MeLCat
