Ok, so I didn't go with a specific author, instead I went with a theme.
Chances are you've seen the movie, but have you ever read the book? This month's theme is Books that have turned into popular movies. I tried to get a variety of genres so there there would be something for everyone, so here goes...
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place.
In the course of this dazzling adventure, she’ll meet Vizzini – the criminal philosopher who’ll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik – the gentle giant; Inigo – the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen – the evil mastermind behind it all.
Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup’s one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.
Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding
Written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single workingwoman living in London. She writes (often humorously) about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic relationships.
The main focus of plot is Bridget's love life. At the beginning of the year she is a single woman, or "Singleton," who is surrounded by "Smug Married" couples, and worries about dying alone. However, during the course of the year she becomes involved in two romantic relationships. The first is with her charming and handsome boss Daniel Cleaver, who eventually cheats on Bridget with a younger, more attractive woman. Bridget's second relationship is, surprisingly (at least to Bridget), with the stuffy human-rights barrister Mark Darcy. These two men are connected by more than their relationships with Bridget, as Fielding reveals near the end of the novel.
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Creatures once extinct now roam Jurassic Park, soon-to-be opened as a theme park. Until something goes wrong...and science proves a dangerous toy....
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
The protagonist is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with several bullet wounds, including a head wound which results in amnesia. The doctor treating him finds a message surgically embedded in his hip that contains details of a Swiss bank account, presumably held anonymously.
In Zürich, Switzerland, the protagonist learns that his name is Jason Bourne. While attempting to retrace his previous visit to the city he attracts the attention of several people who either fear him, warn him of danger, or try to kill him — but they all unhelpfully assume that he already knows why. He begins to suspect, on the basis of circumstantial evidence, that he may have been a professional assassin. In Zürich he meets a woman named Marie St Jacques and, on the spur of the moment, uses her as a disguise and shield to escape an attempt on his life in a crowded convention hotel.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Patrick Bateman, the son of a wealthy Wall Street financier, is pursuing his own lucrative career with his father's firm. Bateman is the prototypical yuppie, obsessed with success, fashion, and style. He is also a serial killer who murders, rapes, and mutilates both strangers and acquaintances without provocation or reason. Donald Kimble, a police detective, questions Bateman about the disappearance of Paul Allen, whom Patrick murdered several days earlier. As Kimble stays on Bateman's trail, Bateman's mask of studied, distant cool begins to fall apart.**This one’s full of major violence and sexual content, just to warn you.
The Bridges Of Madison County by Robert James Waller
The story begins as globetrotting National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid journeys to Madison County in 1965 to film its lovely covered bridges. Upon his arrival, he stops by an old farmhouse to ask directions. There he encounters housewife, Francesca Johnson, whose spouse and two children are out of town. Thus begins their four-day affair, a liaison that fundamentally changes them both.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
Harry Potter is the most miserable, lonely boy you can imagine. He’s shunned by his relatives, the Dursley’s, that have raised him since he was an infant. He’s forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs, forced to wear his cousin Dudley’s hand-me-down clothes, and forced to go to his neighbor’s house when the rest of the family is doing something fun. Yes, he’s just about as miserable as you can get.
Harry’s world gets turned upside down on his 11th birthday, however, when a giant, Hagrid, informs Harry that he’s really a wizard, and will soon be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry also learns that, in the wizarding world, he’s a hero.