Although red carpet interviewers never ask the question we really want answered (Who are you reading?), the Academy Awards do remind us of the important role books play in the film business. This year, five of the eight best picture Oscar nominees were based on books or were book-related. Birdman turned out to be the big winner, but several bookish films garnered a share of the golden statue spoils. Movies (and books) honored included: 
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), which centers on a Broadway stage adaptation of Raymond Carver's story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love": best picture, director (Alejandro G. Iñárritu), original screenplay (Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo), cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Still Alice, adapted from the novel by Lisa Genova: actress (Julianne Moore)
The Theory of Everything, based on Jane Hawking's memoir, Traveling to Infinity: actor (Eddie Redmayne)
The Imitation Game, based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges: adapted screenplay (Graham Moore)
The Grand Budapest Hotel, inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig: original score (Alexandre Desplat), production design, costume design, makeup & hairstyling
American Sniper, based on American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle & Scott McEwen: sound editing
And don't forget the movies that were, as the saying goes, just glad to be nominated: Foxcatcher, inspired by events depicted in Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness & the Quest for Olympic Gold by Mark Schultz & David Thomas; Gone Girl, adapted from Gillian Flynn's novel; Wild, based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed; Unbroken, adapted from Laura Hillenbrand's book; and Inherent Vice, based on Thomas Pynchon's novel.
Since lame jokes are also part of Oscar's tradition, let's just say the 2015 Academy Awards ceremony was definitely one for the books. --Robert Gray, contributing editor
