7 Oscar Nominees You Never Knew Were Based on Books

Bet you didn't know that some of the biggest Oscar-winning movies and some of the most notorious Oscar snubs are based on books! Now that you've seen the movies, here are the books behind them from Off the Shelf, a daily blog that connects great books with great readers.

Some of the most beloved and respected films throughout history have found their stories in books. Just look at some of this year's nomineesHidden Figures, Lion, Arrival, to name just a few. In advance of the 2017 Academy Awards, here is a list of spectacular Oscar-nominated films — some winning, some overlooked (cough, Shawshank, cough) — that were adapted from equally spectacular books.

01
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
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Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Perhaps one of the most epic adaptations since Gone with the Wind, Charles Frazier’s first novel spent 61 weeks atop the bestseller lists and made a splash during the 2003 Oscar season. Inman, a Confederate soldier wounded in the fighting at Petersburg, makes his way through the disintegrating South to return home to Ada, the woman he loves.

02
The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
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The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

This cinematic classic was adapted from a novella titled “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” in Stephen King’s 1982 collection Different Seasons. When Andy Dufresne, a banker from Maine convicted of a double murder, is sent to the Shawshank State Penitentiary to serve a life sentence, he meets Red, a fellow prisoner who has learned to smuggle things into the jail from the outside. Morgan Freeman, who earned a best actor nomination for his portrayal of Red, considers Shawshank one of his favorite books.

03
Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
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Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

This is one of the most quotable and beloved films of all time, but it started as a stack of paper between a cover. Spanning three decades of American history, Winston Groom’s novel introduces us to the hero Forrest Gump, who sets out on an unbelievable path that transforms his life — and ours. And if you’re still longing for more Gump, you’re in luck! Unlike the film, this book has a sequel, Gump & Co., so take a page out of Forrest’s book and run to the bookstore.

04
Up in the Air by Walter Kirn
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Up in the Air by Walter Kirn

Ryan Bingham fires people for a living — a career that has kept him flying around the country for years. Though he hates his day job, he grows to love the community of frequent flyers and finds comfort in the familiarity and also the anonymity. His ultimate goal is one million miles, but things get a little bumpy.

05
Q & A by Vikas Swarup
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Q & A by Vikas Swarup

You may know this Oscar-winning adaptation by another name: Slumdog Millionaire. In this stunning debut novel, Ram Mohammad Thomas, a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper, is being questioned by police in a Mumbai jail cell. They find it suspicious that he was able to answer all 12 questions correctly on a game show. But through a series of stories, Ram explains how life in the streets gave him the answers he needed.

06
Kramer vs. Kramer by Avery Corman
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Kramer vs. Kramer by Avery Corman

Published in 1977, this bestselling novel — and later award-winning film — changed the national conversation about divorce and family in the modern age. Chronicling a custody battle between Joanna and Ted Kramer, it’s a layered, complicated, and emotional story of oppositions: mother versus father, freedom versus responsibility, petitioner versus respondent — but not in the way you would expect.

07
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

First published in Collier’s magazine in 1922 and adapted to film almost a century later, this short story follows the life of Benjamin Button, who is born with the physical appearance of a 70-year-old man and, as it is later discovered, ages backward. It’s a bittersweet, poignant exploration of life and time, and the length is perfect for a prescreening read.

Here are more great book recommendations from our friends at Off the Shelf: