by Charlie Fabre
For better or worse the Oscars are upon us, and the best films of 2023 are about to be celebrated! Despite some controversy, the 10 Best Picture nominees are all excellent, and in the lead up to finding out who will come home victorious, why not do some reading?
Here are some book recommendations based on your favourite Best Picture nominee…
The Holdovers
Surprisingly tender and sweet, with notes of comedy, The Holdovers is a drama filled with heart that most viewers will instantly fall in love with. Surrounding the unconventional kinship between a handful of students, their professor, and the school’s head cook, lovers of this film will likely enjoy these books:
The Pigman by Paul Zindel (1968)
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (1951)
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (2005)
Oppenheimer
One of 2023’s most talked about films, it’s no surprise that Oppenheimer has been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and has been sweeping at every other major award. A war drama which focuses more on the morality of Oppemheimer, infamous creator of the atomic bomb, lovers of this will likely enjoy these books:
Atom and Void: Essays on Science and Community by J. Robert Oppenheimer (1989)
The Passenger and Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy (2022)
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut (2020)
Barbie
The other half of 2023’s most talked about films, Barbie was of-course a bright, bubbly, and very pink smash hit which took the box-office, and the world, by storm! With its discussions of womanhood and girlhood, the patriarchy, and of course gut-wrenching original songs such as What Was I Made For? and I’m Just Ken, lovers of this will enjoy these books:
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (2018)
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (1949)
The Edible Woman by Magaret Atwood (1969)
Past Lives
A personal favorite of 2023, Past Lives is simple in its approach, and much like 2022’s Aftersun it’ll hit you right in the gut when you least expect it. A beautiful exploration of relationships, love, and ‘what ifs’ Past Lives fans will love these books:
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (2013)
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (1994)
Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871)
American Fiction
Monk, an author finding little success, is tasked with writing a ‘black book’ and takes on the offensive stereotypes of his race. He writes an outlandish book which propels him into a story about hypocrisy and representation. Hard hitting themes, but wrapped in comedy and levity, American Fiction fans will enjoy these books:
Erasure by Percival Everett (2001) – the film is based off this book
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (2023)
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Delila Harris (2021)
Killers of the Flower Moon
Betrayal, love, and the atrocious treatment of Native Americans, Killers of the Flower Moon is one of the most impactful movies of 2023 (and one of the longest), and it has garnered much respect for the story it tells and the voices it gives way to. You may enjoy these books:
A Pipe for February by Charles H. Red Corn (2002)
Yellow Bird by Sierra Crane (2020)
The Deaths of Sybil Bolton by Dennis McAuliffe Jr. (1994)
Poor Things
A visual treat and a gothic story about a woman given a second chance at life and falling in love with it, Poor Things is perhaps one of the funniest, most shocking, and most extravagant movies of 2023. I’m a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos, personally, and Poor Things was easily a favorite of mine last year! Here are some recommendations you may love:
Poor Things by Alasdair Gray (1992) – the film is based off this book
Wide Eyed by Trinie Dalton (2005)
Our Hideous Progeny by C. E. McGill (2023)
Anatomy of a Fall
One of two foreign films on the Best Picture list, Anatomy of a Fall is an enthralling thriller in which a woman is accused of her husband’s death, with her blind son as sole witness. This film has revived the courtroom drama genre and infuses it with themes of family, loss, and betrayal. If you loved this film you should read these books:
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (2009)
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (2015)
At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich (2023)
The Zone of Interest
A historical drama about Nazi Germany and a Nazi family hoping to set up an idyllic life next to a concentration camp, The Zone of Interest is fueled with the same anger and sadness we’ve come to expect from WWII dramas, and is a chilling portrait of complicity. You may enjoy these books:
Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis (1991) – also Amis’ novel The Zone of Interest is what the movie is based off of
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2017)
A Meal in Winter by Hubert Mingarelli (2018)
Maestro
Last but not least, Maestro is a biopic of Leonard Bernstein, legendary conductor and composer (who composed the music for West Side Story if you didn’t know) and how a man must make difficult choices as his success and fame start to grow. Fans of Maestro may enjoy these books:
Famous Father Girl by Jamie Bernstein (2018) – this memoir helped inspire the movie
The Joy of Music by Leonard Bernstein (1959)
Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro (2010)
swim press 