Random links: An unexpected book-to-movie, the CIA’s upset and the Man Booker longlist

Anything can become a movie: Often, critics of authors such as John Grisham complain that they cater to Hollywood by writing thin novels that amount to nothing more than screenplays in disguise. Now, however, it seems that an author doesn’t even need to worry about having a plot to interest filmmakers.

Disney has bought the rights to Conn and Hal Igulden’s "The Dangerous Book for Boys," a surprise bestseller, that collects a miscellany of hobbies and pursuits for boys short on imagination and bored with videogames. The book offers a nostalgic, golden picture of boyhood the way I imagine Tom Sawyer might have experienced it. Various entries include tips on building paper airplanes, facts about pirates, the rules of stickball and the best methods for skipping stones.

What’s interesting is the way this plotless book has succeeded in landing a film deal--to the understandable frustration of all those writers out there trying to develop original stories to pitch to the studios.

An unexpected critique: New York Times reporter Tim Weiner’s history of the CIA, "Legacy of Ashes," is getting attacked by its subject: the CIA.

The agency has issued a statement complaining that the book unfairly emphasizes failures rather than offering a balanced history. Weiner’s book, the statement says, "paints far too dark a picture of the agency’s past. Backed by selective citations, sweeping assertions, and a fascination with the negative, Weiner overlooks, minimizes, or distorts agency achievements." Hmm, wonder whether the publisher can get a blurb out of that for the paperback edition.

Isn’t it better this way? The Tuesday announcement of the Man Booker longlist arrived with the reaction that few major authors are on it because few have published this year. And those who did, such as Doris Lessing and J.M. Coetzee, were passed over. Is that really a shame? Shouldn’t we be excited that there’s more room for a newcomer to come along and shake things up?

Nick Owchar