Hello, Books on Screen lovers! We all know it’s officially spring because Hollywood is already hyping its summer movies. But before all the boom and bluster of the hot-weather blockbusters hit theaters, we can sit back, relax and enjoy April’s simpler offerings. Oh yeah, and “Game of Thrones.”

Our movies this month may not be many, but they have enough variety between them to satisfy moviegoers. The Longest Ride is now in theaters, and I can’t help but think of the classic Paul McCartney lyric. "You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs." I look around me, and I see that Nicholas Sparks believes it isn’t so. The movie itself looks like typical Sparks fare; newcomers Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson do their best to sell a story that feels a little…familiar. And if Scott’s leading-man looks also seem familiar, it’s because he inherited them --- cheekbone for cheekbone --- from his famous dad, Clint.

If your teeth are still aching from last year’s The Best of Me, check out Tom Hardy’s Russian accent in the stylish thriller, Child 44. Based on Tom Rob Smith's debut novel of the same name, this movie boasts a stellar cast and some dark, hard-hitting themes. And lastly, Jonah Hill and James Franco get serious in True Story, based on --- you guessed it! --- the true story of disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel, who goes to dangerous lengths to catch the man who has stolen his identity.

If you’re saving up this month for margaritas and sandals, then you’re in luck: It seems like there are more books on TV in April than in a Terry Pratchett series! The big news is, of course, the return of “Game of Thrones” mid-month, with the lovely, determined “Outlander” coming back at a close second. Both shows are based on beloved, genre-bending series, and both have devoted fan bases who have been waiting patiently (some more patiently than others…ahem, George R. R. Martin) to find out what happens next. You can also catch the mid-season premieres of “Arrow” and “The Flash” on the CW. And comic book nerds fans can also look forward to another spinoff in late 2015/early 2016, starring Brandon Routh as the Atom. Naysayers may have their doubts about all these masked men crowding their small screens, but I’m just happy the spandex industry will get the work.

March may have come in like a lion and out like Scott Rudin, but April promises some mild --- but no less exciting --- entertainment in theaters and at home. Forget May flowers; April showers mean I’ll be inside watching Books on Screen!
 

--- Written and compiled by Emily Hoenig

In Theaters:

The Longest Ride
Cast: Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda, Oona Chaplin, Jack Huston
Director: George Tillman, Jr.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG–13
Release Date: April 10th
Based On: THE LONGEST RIDE by Nicholas Sparks

Based on the bestselling novel by master storyteller Nicholas Sparks, The Longest Ride centers on the star-crossed love affair between Luke, a former champion bull rider looking to make a comeback, and Sophia, a college student who is about to embark upon her dream job in New York City’s art world. As conflicting paths and ideals test their relationship, Sophia and Luke make an unexpected connection with Ira, whose memories of his own decades-long romance with his beloved wife deeply inspire the young couple. Spanning generations and two intertwining love stories, The Longest Ride explores the challenges and infinite rewards of enduring love.

Child 44
Cast: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: April 17th
Based On: CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith

A politically-charged serial killer thriller set in 1953 Soviet Russia, Child 44 chronicles the crisis of conscience for secret police agent Leo Demidov, who loses status, power and home when he refuses to denounce his own wife, Raisa, as a traitor. Exiled from Moscow to a grim provincial outpost, Leo and Raisa join forces with General Mikhail Nesterov to track down a serial killer who preys on young boys. Their quest for justice threatens a system-wide cover-up enforced by Leo’s psychopathic rival Vasili, who insists “There is no crime in Paradise.”

True Story
Cast: Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones
Director: Rupert Goold
Distributor: 20th Century Fox Film
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: April 17th
Based On: TRUE STORY by Michael Finkel

When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo --- who has taken on Finkel’s identity --- his investigation morphs into an unforgettable game of cat-and-mouse. Based on actual events, Finkel’s relentless pursuit of Longo’s true story encompasses murder, love, deceit and redemption.
 

On TV:

“Wolf Hall”
Cast: Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Claire Foy
Network: PBS
Air Date: April 5th – May 10th; Sundays at 10pm ET (miniseries)
Based On: WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel

Told from Cromwell’s perspective, “Wolf Hall” follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of this accomplished power broker who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn, and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation.

If There be Thorns
Cast: Heather Graham, Jason Lewis, Rachael Carpani, Mason Cook
Network: Lifetime
Air Date: April 5th at 8pm ET (TV movie)
Based On: IF THERE BE THORNS by V.C. Andrews

The third installment in V.C. Andrews’ bestselling series that began with Flowers in the Attic, If There Be Thorns follows Christopher and Cathy Dollanganger as they live together as man and wife with Cathy’s two sons who are unaware of the incestuous nature of their parents’ relationship. But when a mysterious woman moves in next door and befriends the younger boy, Bart, he begins a strange transformation and displays accusatory behavior towards Cathy and Christopher. When Christopher discovers their mysterious neighbor is, in fact, his mother Corrine Dollanganger, all of the family’s long-hidden secrets are revealed in a tragic climax.

“Outlander”
Cast: Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Tobias Menzies
Network: Starz
Air Date: Premieres April 4th at 9pm ET; Saturdays at 9pm ET
Based On: The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

“Outlander” follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

“Daredevil”
Cast: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Vincent D'Onofrio
Network: Netflix
Air Date: April 10th
Based On: The Daredevil comics

Marvel's “Daredevil" is a live-action series that follows the journey of attorney Matt Murdock, who in a tragic accident was blinded as a boy but imbued with extraordinary senses. Murdock sets up practice in his old neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, New York where he now fights against injustice as a respected lawyer by day and masked vigilante at night.

“Game of Thrones”
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke
Network: HBO
Air Date: Premieres Sunday, April 12th at 9pm ET; Sundays at 9pm ET
Based On: A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne rages on. It stretches from the south, where the heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men…all play the “Game of Thrones.”

“Turn”
Cast: Jamie Bell, Seth Numrich, Heather Lind, Kevin McNally
Network: AMC
Series Premiere: Monday, April 13th at 9pm ET; Mondays at 9pm ET
Based On: WASHINGTON'S SPIES: The Story of America's First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose

Based on Alexander Rose’s book WASHINGTON’S SPIES, AMC’s “Turn” tells the untold story of America’s first spy ring. A historical thriller set during the Revolutionary War, “Turn” centers on Abe Woodhull, a farmer living in British-occupied Long Island who bands together with his childhood friends to form the Culper Ring --- an unlikely team of secret agents who not only went on to help George Washington turn the tide of the war but also gave birth to modern spycraft.

“The Flash”
Cast: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jessie L. Martin
Network: The CW
Air Dates: Mid-season premiere April 14th at 8pm ET; Tuesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: The Flash: DC Comics character created by Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Carmine Infantino

“The Flash” follows the adventures of scientist Barry Allen, who is a superhero with incredible speed.

“Arrow”
Cast: Stephen Amell, Colin Donnell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Susanna Thompson, Paul Blackthorne
Network: The CW
Air Dates: MId-season premiere April 15th at 8pm ET; Wednesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: DC Comics character Green Arrow created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow --- a vigilante --- to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society and restore Starling City to its former glory.

“The Casual Vacancy”
Cast: Silas Carson, Joe Hurst, Michael Gambon
Network: HBO
Air Date: April 29th – April 30th at 8pm ET (miniseries)
Based On: THE CASUAL VACANCY by J.K. Rowling

When Parish Councilman Barry Fairbrother unexpectedly dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. An English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, Pagford is not what it first seems. What lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war - rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest battle the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Ken Burns Presents: Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies
Network: PBS
Air Dates: March 30th – April 1st at 9pm ET (three-part documentary)
Based On: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies is a three-part, six-hour major television event presented by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, in partnership with WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in Washington, D.C. Based on the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning book THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, the series is the most comprehensive documentary on a single disease ever made. This “biography” of cancer covers its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the 20th century to cure, control and conquer it, to a radical new understanding of its essence. The series also features the current status of cancer knowledge and treatment --- the dawn of an era in which cancer may become a chronic or curable illness rather than its historic death sentence in some forms.

“The Dovekeepers”
Cast: Rachel Brosnahan, Cote de Pablo, Diego Boneta, Sam Neill
Network: CBS
Air Dates: March 31st – April 1st at 9pm ET (miniseries)
Based On: THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman

Set in ancient Israel, “The Dovekeepers” is based on the true events at Masada in 70 C.E. After being forced out of their home in Jerusalem by the Romans, 900 Jews were ensconced in a fortress at Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. Besieged at Masada, the Jews held out for months against the vast Roman armies. The project will recount the events from the perspective of a few extraordinary women who arrive at Masada with unique backstories, but a common bond for survival. Additionally, these women, who work together daily as dovekeepers, are all concealing substantial secrets.

"Younger"
Cast: Sutton Foster, Miriam Shor, Debi Mazar, Hilary Duff, Nico Tortorella
Network: TV Land
Air Dates: Tuesdays at 10pm ET
Based On: YOUNGER by Pamela Redmond Satran

“Younger” follows 40-year-old Liza, a suddenly single mother who tries to get back into the working world, only to find it’s nearly impossible to start at the bottom at her age. When a chance encounter with the sexy Josh, a young tattoo artist, convinces her she looks younger than she is, Liza tries to pass herself off as 26 --- with the help of a makeover, courtesy of her best friend Maggie. Armed with new confidence, she lands a job as an assistant to the temperamental Diana and teams up with her new co-worker and 20something Kelsey to make it in the career of her dreams. Now she just has to make sure no one discovers her secret. 

“The Slap”
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman, Zachary Quinto, Brian Cox, Makenzie Leigh
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Thursdays at 8pm ET
Based On: THE SLAP by Christos Tsiolkas

Meet Hector, a public servant, husband, father and valued friend on the cusp of his 40th birthday. Meet Aisha, Hector's beautiful and intelligent wife who is planning his party filled with friends and his very boisterous Greek family. Sounds like the makings of a great day, right? Wrong. 

As Hector tries to navigate family politics, awkward friendships and the young woman he is dangerously captivated by, the built-up tension explodes when Hector's hotheaded cousin slaps another couple's misbehaving child. Everyone is understandably stunned, and the party abruptly ends with the child's parents vowing legal action. What the hosts and guests don't know, however, is that this moment will ignite a chain of events that will uncover long-buried secrets within this group of friends and family... and vigorously challenge the core values of everyone involved. 

On DVD:

Paddington
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi.
Director:  Paul King
Distributor: Studicanal
MPAA Rating:  PG
DVD Release Date:  April 28th
Based On: The Paddington series by Michael Bond

Beloved bear Paddington gets the big-screen treatment in this family film adapted from Michael Bond's enduring children's book series. As the story opens, Peruvian bear Paddington makes his way to the big city, where he quickly gets lost until being taken in by the benevolent Brown family. Meanwhile, as the curious cub settles into his new life of domestic bliss, a scheming museum taxidermist embarks on a personal mission to get him stuffed and mounted.

Kidnapping Mr. Heineken
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Sam Worthington, Jim Sturgess, Yolanthe Cabau
Director: Daniel Alfredson
Distributor: Alchemy
MPAA Rating: R
DVD Release Date: April 14th
Based On: KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN by Peter R. de Vries

In 1983, a group of childhood friends pulled off the crime of the century: kidnapping one of the richest men in the world, the heir of the Heineken beer empire The shocking capture--by gunpoint in broad daylight on the streets of Amsterdam--resulted in the largest ransom ever paid for a kidnapped individual. It was truly the perfect crime…until they got away with it.

You’re Not You
Cast: Ali Larter, Hilary Swank, Emmy Rossum
Director: George C. Wolfe
Distributor: Entertainment One Films
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: April 14th
Based On: YOU’RE NOT YOU by Michelle Wildgen

A drama centered on a classical pianist who has been diagnosed with ALS and the brash college student who becomes her caregiver.