Wednesday BookCrave: Oscar Roundup

The 2008 Academy Awards featured many more novellic reproductions in film than in recent history. Where Hollywood is taken to the trend of making films solely based on video games and comic books, this year’s awards were a breath of fresh air. Three classic, must-read books were reborn in film in 2007– here’s why we at GearCrave feel that you owe it to yourself to get to know the stories behind the films.  Continue reading for much more…

Oil by Upton Sinclair

Originally published in 1927, Upton Sinclair’s masterful novel Oil told the story of a father and son in the business of black gold. 80 years later, Sinclair’s novel remains strikingly relevant in today’s world of big business greed and the struggles of the working man. Fast, rich, and exciting, Oil earned itself a place in film history with Paul Thomas Anderson’s film adaptation There Will Be Blood. If you’ve seen the movie or hold an interest in this fascinating subject, its time to read the book.

Buy for $9.00.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakeaur

Into the Wild tells the true story of Chris McCandless, a gifted student and athlete who left everything behind, including his life savings, to journey into the wild in search of a life that civilization forgot. A story in the vein of Thoreau, Kerouac and Emerson, McCandless’s amazing experiences are told with an excitement and clarity that only writer/adventurer Jon Krakeaur could accurately author. After the book caught the attention of Sean Penn, the rest is film history. See the film, read the book.

Buy for $8.37.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

We’re rabid Cohen brothers fans here at GearCrave. From Blood Simple on, we’ve followed the Cohen repertoire without missing a single beat. The latest Cohen film, No Country for Old Men, takes its inspiration not from Homer, not from our favorite lazy bowler, but from the classic novel of the same name. McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men is GearCrave’s third and final Oscar roundup must-read. While the Cohen’s have always done a brilliant job of capturing the raw humanity behind a story, this is one tale that must be experienced in its original nature as printed on paper.

Buy for $7.70.