“Oppenheimer” is based on the novel “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.” Good morning and welcome back to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter. For the next few editions of the newsletter, you’ll be hearing directly from L.A.-based authors. First up … I’m Jim Ruland, a novelist, punk historian and longtime contributor to The Los Angeles Times, and I’m very excited about tomorrow’s 96th Academy Awards. Why is that? Advertisement Because five of the 10 films nominated for best picture began their creative lives as books. These books range from the literary to the historical to...