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10 Books to Read Before You See The Movie


1) Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

  • Maddie is a teenage girl who is basically allergic to everything but despite not leaving her house for eighteen years, she falls in love with the boy next door. This book focuses on the human need for more and revolves around the risks we take for love and life. Read my book review here. Buy it for yourself here. Published: September 1, 2015

  • The movie version has already released but since I liked this book so much, I feel that it is worth waiting to see the movie until after you've read the book (even if that means waiting until it's out on DVD). Released: May 19, 2017. Watch the trailer here.

2) Wonder by R.J. Palacio

  • Despite being published as a children's book, this is a book for everyone. Auggie has a facial deformity which causes him to be ridiculed and ostracized by his peers. This is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story all in one, as we get to follow Auggie through his first year at a "real" school. The book is told from multiple perspectives which does WONDERS for the story. Buy it for yourself here. Published: February 14, 2012

  • The movie will star Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay. Watch the trailer here. Release: November 17, 2017

3) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

  • "In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as theOASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape." Sounds AMAZING. Buy it for yourself here.

  • The movie is set to release March 30, 2018 and will star T.J. Miller and Simon Pegg among others.

4) The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

  • Two airplane passengers survive a horrible accident and are stuck to figure out how to survive on their own. Not only do the two work through the daily struggles of staying alive in the wilderness, they learn more about themselves and about love- but not in the way you might think. Get your own copy here and watch the trailer here.

5) The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King

  • Originally a series of short stories, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger was published as a novel in 1982. It revolves around a gunslinger named Roland who is in search of a Dark Tower (any Robert Browning fans out there?). It's a mashup of fantasy, futuristic fiction and it takes place in a Western-style world but in a different universe. Sounds plenty interesting. Also, King apparently considers The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger his magnum opus.

  • Get your own copy here and watch the trailer here.

6) Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

  • Basically everyone knows and L O V E S dear ol' Peter Rabbit. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was Potter's first book that blossomed into a much larger series. The film is set to release on February 9, 2018 and will star Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley, and James Corden among others. Read about our beloved rabbit here and here.

7) The Miracle of Dunkirk by Walter Lord

  • "The true story of the British army's miraculous evacuation as the Nazis closed in..." Before reading this book of historical non-fiction, please note that the edition I've linked to above is available for preorder. It's set to release on July 18 so there's not much time left to wait. If you HAVE to HAVE IT NOW, you can get this version from 1998 right away. Walter Lord interviewed several soldiers about the battle of Dunkirk and this is the story he complied as a result.

  • The movie looks really super amazing. Check out the trailer here. The movie will be released in theaters on July 21, 2017.

8) The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

  • A scientist hypothesizes about how to become invisible. He is successful but what ensues is considered horror in science fiction. That should be enough to draw you in. Get it for yourself here.

  • The film is set to star Johnny Depp and will be based on the 1933 adaptation which starred Claude Rains. Check out this site from Universal to keep up with news about the film.

9) Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

  • Let it Snow is a collection of three wintertime romances by three of the best modern teen authors. John Green has had great success so it is no surprise that yet another thing he has touched is turning to (gold) a movie. Read it for yourself here.

  • The movie was originally set to release last December but has been moved to November 22, 2017.

10) Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

  • Murder on the Orient Express is a crime novel that tells the story of a detective searching for the killer of a millionaire on board a train in Croatia. The book was first published in 1934 and was made into a movie in 1974. Get your copy here.

  • The 2017 film is set to release on November 10, 2017 and will star Johnny Depp and Judi Dench among others. Watch the trailer here.

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