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Summer Reading List: 50 Books to Read Before They're Movies

Books Becoming Movies in Summer 2014

Summer Reading List: 50 Books to Read Before They're Movies

Books Becoming Movies in Summer 2014

New books are constantly being turned into movies, with reader favorites like Insurgent and Wild coming to life. Hollywood is always mining the bookshelf for new ideas, and it usually picks well — even if we think the book is better. With that in mind, we have a new crop of books that will be adapted into movies, according to recent announcements, along with a few titles that are set to be released in theaters soon. Since Summer is winding down, it's high time you picked up a new book. Scroll through to see what you should read next!

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green
  • What it's about: The Fault in Our Stars author Green tells the story of Q and Margo, childhood friends united by a mystery.
  • Who's starring: Nat Wolff will play Q.
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You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers

You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers
  • What it's about: Two 20-something friends go on an international trip to find themselves after one of their best friends dies.
  • Who's starring: Daniel Radcliffe is attached to star.
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The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
  • What it's about: Two siblings from a family of performance artists have to learn to live in the real world.
  • Who's starring: Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman are playing the siblings, with Bateman directing.
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The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff

The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff
  • What it's about: The story of real-life artist Einar Wegener, who was one of the first people to have transgender surgery.
  • Who's starring: Eddie Redmayne will star, while Tom Hooper will direct.
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The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
  • What it's about: A lighthouse keeper and his wife discover a baby and a dead body near their home off the coast of Australia after WWI.
  • Who's starring: Michael Fassbender is in talks to star.
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The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacheri

The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacheri
  • What it's about: An MI-5 agent trying to solve a murder works for the FBI and uncovers a terrifying new truth.
  • Who's starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor will play the MI-5 agent opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.
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The BFG by Roald Dahl

The BFG by Roald Dahl
  • What it's about: In the children's classic, a young girl, Sophie, befriends the titular big friendly giant.
  • Who's starring: There's no casting yet, but Steven Spielberg will direct the live-action adaptation.
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The Driftless Area by Tom Drury

The Driftless Area by Tom Drury
  • What it's about: Pierre, a young bartender, experiences ups and downs in rural Iowa before falling for a mysterious woman named Stella.
  • Who's starring: Zooey Deschanel is playing Stella, and Anton Yelchin will play Pierre.
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The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
  • What it's about: A young foster girl, Gilly, idolizes her real mother and attempts to reunite with her.
  • Who's starring: The Book Thief's Sophie Nelisse will play Gilly, with Julia Stiles as her mom.
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The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke

The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke
  • What it's about: After a 19th century fur trapper gets mauled by a bear and then left for dead by thieves, he embarks on a journey for revenge.
  • Who's starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy will costar in the adaptation, which is being directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
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The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
  • What it's about: Two young soldiers are taken under the wing of an experienced sergeant in Iraq.
  • Who's starring: Benedict Cumberbatch is playing the sergeant, with Tye Sheridan and Will Poulter as the soldiers.
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The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman

The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman
  • What it's about: The biography of the iconic magician explores his life and career.
  • Who's starring: Johnny Depp will play Houdini.
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The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
  • What it's about: A young female department store clerk becomes obsessed with another woman in the store in this 1950s drama.
  • Who's starring: Renamed Carol, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara play the leads, with Carrie Brownstein in a supporting role.
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The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
  • What it's about: A young slave nicknamed "Onion" joins forces with an abolitionist who travels around the country for the cause.
  • Who's starring: Liev Schreiber is playing the abolitionist, with Jaden Smith as Onion.
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Junius and Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey by Peter Carlson

Junius and Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey by Peter Carlson
  • What it's about: Junius Henri Browne and Albert Deane Richardson, two journalists from the North, are imprisoned in several Confederate prisons over two years during the Civil War.
  • Who's starring: There's no cast yet, but Tobey Maguire is producing.
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Facing the Wind by Julie Salamon

Facing the Wind by Julie Salamon
  • What it's about: The tragic true story follows Robert Rowe, a man who killed his wife and family after suffering from delusion and hardship.
  • Who's starring: Alessandro Nivola, Vera Farmiga, and Evan Rachel Wood are starring.
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Men of Granite by William McGee

Men of Granite by William McGee
  • What it's about: A group of boys from immigrant families in 1940s Illinois rises above adversity to become basketball state champions.
  • Who's starring: Shirley MacLaine will play Sophia, the schoolteacher who watches over the boys.
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Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
  • What it's about: Oates imagines the inner monologue of Marilyn Monroe as she started out as Norma Jean Baker.
  • Who's starring: Jessica Chastain will play Marilyn.
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The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas by Anand Giridharadas

The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas by Anand Giridharadas
  • What it's about: This true account is the story of "American terrorist" Mark Stroman, who killed a foreign man in a Dallas store.
  • Who's starring: Tom Hardy is attached to star, with Kathryn Bigelow directing.
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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
  • What it's about: A young boy deals with bullying and his mother's illness by inventing a fantasy world filled with monsters and other creatures.
  • Who's starring: Felicity Jones will play Mum.
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Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss

Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss
  • What it's about: This historical account tells the true story of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the highest-ranking person of color to serve in a European army, and also the father of the Count of Monte Cristo's author.
  • Who's starring: It hasn't been cast yet, but True Detective's Cary Fukunaga is directing and John Legend is producing.
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Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  • What it's about: In Roth's follow-up to Divergent, Tris and Four leave the crumbling Dauntless and seek help to get to the bottom of what's going on in their dystopian society.
  • Who's starring: Shailene Woodley is playing Tris, and Theo James is playing Tobias. See the whole Insurgent cast here.
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Room by Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue
  • What it's about: A 5-year-old boy grows up in a small shed, which becomes the only world he knows because his mother hides the truth — they're being held captive.
  • Who's starring: Brie Larson is starring as Ma, the mother.
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Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
  • What it's about: A young girl from Ireland starts a new life in New York in the 1950s. She falls in love with an American but feels torn between him and her family back home.
  • Who's starring: Saoirse Ronan is set to play the lead opposite The Place Beyond the Pines' Emory Cohen.
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Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James
  • What it's about: In E L James's sexy bestseller, college student Anastasia meets Christian Grey, a handsome billionaire who turns her world upside down when he approaches her about a sexual relationship.
  • Who's starring: Dakota Johnson will play Anastasia, and Jamie Dornan is Christian; see who else is in the Fifty Shades of Grey cast.
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Silence by Shusaku Endo

Silence by Shusaku Endo
  • What it's about: Set in 17th-century Japan, the book follows the story of Jesuits who are trying to bring Christianity into Japan.
  • Who's starring: Andrew Garfield is playing Father Rodrigues in the film, which will be directed by Martin Scorsese. Adam Driver also has a supporting role.
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American Sniper by Chris Kyle

American Sniper by Chris Kyle
  • What it's about: Chris Kyle's autobiography follows his journey as the top record-holding sniper in US military history, detailing his combat tours from 1999 to 2009.
  • Who's starring: Clint Eastwood will direct the film adaptation, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller as his wife.
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Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
  • What it's about: Spanning decades, the book kicks off in 1962 on the Italian coast, following the ups and downs of a love affair that ends in Hollywood years later.
  • Who's starring: Imogen Poots will play Dee Moray, and Todd Field will direct the film adaptation.
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The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison
  • What it's about: The book changes perspective between a couple who has been together for 20 years while she takes care of him and he cheats on her.
  • Who's starring: Nicole Kidman will produce and star in the adaptation as the wife.
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The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
  • What it's about: A 100-year-old mental patient, Roseanne McNulty investigates her past and unearths some troubling memories.
  • Who's starring: Jessica Chastain and Vanessa Redgrave will play the younger and older versions of Roseanne, respectively.
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Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
  • What it's about: Emma Bovary marries to escape her father's farm, but she soon tries to leave that behind too via her affairs and the glitter of high society.
  • Who's starring: Mia Wasikowska is playing Emma, with Logan Marshall-Green as the Marquis.
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Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
  • What it's about: Two sisters live alone in a crumbling house and try to survive in the near future.
  • Who's starring: Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood will play the sisters.
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Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill

Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill
  • What it's about: The true crime novel follows the infamous mobster Whitey Bulger, the head of the Irish mob in the '70s, and his relationship with childhood friend John Connolly, who grew up to be in the FBI.
  • Who's starring: Johnny Depp will play Whitey Bulger.
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Serena by Ron Rash

Serena by Ron Rash
  • What it's about: Newlyweds George and Serena move from Boston to North Carolina in 1929 to start a timber business. The pair is ruthless in building their empire, and when Serena finds out that she can't have children, she sets out to kill George's illegitimate son.
  • Who's starring: Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper team up again, now as George and Serena Pemberton.
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A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
  • What it's about: Four people meet on New Year's Eve on the top of a building and form a surrogate family, helping one another overcome the difficulties of their lives.
  • Who's starring: Aaron Paul, Toni Collette, Pierce Brosnan, and Imogen Poots are all starring.
  • Watch the trailer for A Long Way Down.
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Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
  • What it's about: This is the true story of World War II hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini, an Olympic-runner-turned-Army-pilot and prisoner of war.
  • Who's starring: Angelina Jolie is directing the adaptation, starring Jack O'Connell as Louie.
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Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
  • What it's about: Cheryl Strayed details her physical and emotional journey along the Pacific Crest Trail in the wake of losing her mother.
  • Who's starring: Reese Witherspoon is playing the lead role, and Laura Dern is playing Cheryl's mother.
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Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  • What it's about: In the third Hunger Games book, Katniss fights against the corrupt Capitol from within District 13.
  • Who's starring: Jennifer Lawrence and other franchise cast members will reprise their roles in the first half of the adaptation. See the whole cast here.
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Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern

Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
  • What it's about: Childhood best friends Alex and Rosie are separated as teenagers when Alex's family moves from Dublin to America. Rosie feels lost and plans to join him in Boston, but a surprise pregnancy keeps her tied to Ireland, and they struggle to navigate true love.
  • Who's starring: Lily Collins and Sam Claflin will star in Love, Rosie, the film adaptation.
  • Watch the trailer for Love, Rosie.
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The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
  • What it's about: High school sweethearts Dawson and Amanda reunite years later, when they both return to their hometown.
  • Who's starring: Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden are Sparks's latest couple.
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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • What it's about: This tightly woven novel is told from two perspectives: that of a husband whose wife suddenly goes missing and from the missing wife herself.
  • Who's starring: Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are playing Nick and Amy — see who else is in the cast.
  • Watch the trailer for Gone Girl.
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The Switch by Elmore Leonard

The Switch by Elmore Leonard
  • What it's about: In this prequel to Jackie Brown, two convicts kidnap a woman married to a real estate developer. The plan hits a snag when he doesn't want his wife back and refuses to pay the ransom.
  • Who's starring: Tim Robbins and Jennifer Aniston are playing the husband and wife, with John Hawkes and Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) as the kidnappers. Isla Fisher also has a part in the adaptation, which is titled Life of Crime.
  • Watch the trailer for Life of Crime.
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Hector and the Search For Happiness by Francois Lelord

Hector and the Search For Happiness by Francois Lelord
  • What it's about: Traveling across the world, Hector takes notes on all the people he meets, hoping to find the secret to happiness.
  • Who's starring: Toni Collette, Jean Reno, Simon Pegg, and Christopher Plummer have been cast in the movie.
  • Watch the trailer for Hector and the Search For Happiness.
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The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
  • What it's about: The first in a young adult trilogy, the sci-fi book follows a young protagonist, Thomas, as he navigates a fantasy world called the Glade. With a group of other boys, they must solve the mystery of the maze they're in while dodging monsters and other danger.
  • Who's starring: Dylan O'Brien is playing Thomas.
  • Watch the trailer for The Maze Runner
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This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
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Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
  • What it's about: This thriller from the author of Gone Girl tells the story of Libby Day, whose mother and sisters were murdered at the family's farmhouse when she was only 7. Her testimony sent her older brother, Ben, to prison for life, and 25 years later, Libby decides to meet with the Kill Club, a group of crime enthusiasts who investigate the case and force her to rethink what really happened.
  • Who's starring: The Dark Places cast includes Charlize Theron — also a producer — as Libby Day, plus Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, and Chloë Moretz.
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If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
  • What it's about: This novel follows a young girl who's been in a terrible accident. After the trauma, 17-year-old Mia can't remember what happened, but she slowly tries to put all the pieces together in her mind.
  • Who's starring: Chloë Moretz will star as Mia in the film adaptation.
  • Watch the trailer for If I Stay.
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The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry
  • What it's about: A young boy named Jonas gets the task of being the new "receiver of memory," who keeps society's past memories, but meeting the previous receiver — "the giver" — makes him conflicted.
  • Who's starring: Brenton Thwaites is playing Jonas, Jeff Bridges is the giver, and Taylor Swift, Meryl Streep, and Alexander Skarsgard will also appear.
  • Watch the trailer for The Giver.
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The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
  • What it's about: When an Indian family moves to France and opens a restaurant across the street from a Michelin-starred French eatery, tension builds among families as they struggle with loyalty.
  • Who's starring: Helen Mirren will star as chef Madame Mallory opposite Manish Dayal and Om Puri, while Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Juliet Blake are producing.
  • Watch the trailer for The Hundred-Foot Journey.
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