The Pulitzer & an Academy Award...

I picked up "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham outside my bank. There are always a few tables set up with used books, and I love to peruse the $1 paperback section. Even if a book is horrible, it was a dollar, you know!? I picked up "The Hours" remembering when Nicole Kidman won the Oscar for her performance in the film and thought I would read it, then maybe rent the movie.
After finishing the last Potter book, I embarked on a completely different journey. The story of three women-- how their lives connect, how they impact each other's lives without ever even meeting. The story is centered around Virginia Woolf's book, "Mrs. Dalloway;" Mrs. Woolf herself being a central character- one of the three women. It was beautifully constructed- incredibly tied together, reiterating that it doesn't matter the time period, the social constructs, the style or monetary accomplishments-- we're still just people; people dealing with the same thoughts, the same fears, the same questions.
I immediately went out and rented the film. Amazing. One of the most incredible casts including Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris... the list goes on and on of truly phenomenal actors that brought this Pulitzer Prize winning story to life. I recommend you read the book and see the movie-- though, I would say read first.
There is nothing more wonderful than finding a cheap book one day strolling through the city running errands and you find a gem; a story that changes your life forever.