My "One for the Money" Cast

“Never judge a book by its movie” – JW Eagan

I don’t think I’ve ever watched a movie that was better than the book. A couple of times the movie was almost as good as the book. More often than not the movie is a major disappointment.

I was introduced to Stephanie Plum in 2003. When I was told about her books Hard Eight had just come out in hardcover. I went to my local used bookstore and they didn’t have any in stock so I asked to be put on the “Want” list for the first seven paperbacks. I didn’t want to start reading them until I had all seven of them so when the bookstore got all seven of them they called me and my journey began!

When I read a book or especially a series, I immerse myself in it. I have my own little movie going on in my head. By the time I finished reading Seven Up, Trenton, NJ and “the Burg” were a favorite place to visit and Stephanie, Lula, and Grandma Mazur were good friends. And my cast was set (more or less). In my vision of the Burg and it's inhabitants, especially after reading 7 books about it, each place and character had qualities and characteristics that were unique to my imagination.

My cast:

Grandma Mazur: Cloris Leachman

Ranger: LL Cool J

Ellen Plum: Marion Ross

Frank Plum: harder for me to cast: maybe Ed Asner during his Lou Grant years

Connie: (age appropriate) Loni Anderson

Stephanie Plum: Megan Wheeler with longer, curlier hair

Lula: Mo'Nique

Joe Morelli: a cross between Matthew McConaughey and Dermot Mulroney or actually Anthony Sabata Jr

The actual cast:

Stephanie Plum: Katherine Heigl

Joe Morelli: Jason O’Mara

Ranger: Daniel Sunjata

Lula: Sherry Shepherd

Grandma Mazur: Debbie Reynolds

I am not sure that I will watch the movie. Personally, I can't see Stephanie Plum being played by Katherine Heigl although I think Sherry Shepherd could be Lula. There are a couple of other actresses besides Cloris Leachman that I would have thought of before Debbie Reynolds. And although I'm sure that Daniel Sunjata and Jason O'Mara are good actors I just don't see them as Ranger or Joe Morelli.

Let me know who heads up your cast for "One for the Money" . . . I'm sure there will be as many different actors for each part as there are people doing the casting!

Books that stay with you

You know you have read a good book when you are haunted by mental images of the story, long after you have finished reading. Some images stay with you forever; perhaps even influence your psyche. Some books brush away from your memory; never to return.

Some of the books I have read lately that stayed with me long after I finished reading them are:

-The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
-The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
-Three - Ted Dekker
-Boneman's Daughters - Ted Dekker
-Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
-House Rules - Jodi Picoult
-Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

What are some of the books you have read that stayed with you long after you finished reading them?