Spring Reading List: 40 Books to Read Before They're Movies

Updated on 4/8/2017 at 12:30 PM

Say hello to Spring! It's the season of longer days, blooming flowers, and Spring break. Maybe the sunny weather is propelling you to book a trip, and if you are, you're going to need a fresh list of books to read. Even if you're staying put, there's always a good excuse to pick up some new pages, so we're narrowing down this particular category: books that are becoming movies. We have a fresh stack of future adaptations that are either going to land on the big screen very soon or which recently got picked up to become movies. Either way, check these out so you can read them before they're immortalized on film.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

What it's about: A secret haunts the residents of a black community in a Southern California town.
Who's starring: Kerry Washington will produce, with no word on whether she will also star.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

What it's about: In the May 2017 novel from the writer of The Girl on the Train, the body of a woman and that of a teenage girl are found at the bottom of the same river in a small town.
Who's starring: The novel was optioned in February by Dreamworks, but no one has been cast yet.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

What it's about: A glamorous 20-something New Yorker hides a dark secret in her past.
Who's starring: No one has been cast yet, but Reese Witherspoon is producing the movie.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

What it's about: In this YA drama, two teens — one of whom suffers from a rare disease that makes her allergic to nearly everything — fall in love.
Who's starring: Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson are costarring.
Watch the trailer for Everything, Everything.

The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook

What it's about: In a war-torn post-WWII Germany, a British colonel moves into Hamburg to rebuild the city with his wife. They move into the home of a German man and his daughter, which has deep consequences for all of them.
Who's starring: Jason Clarke is playing the colonel, Keira Knightley is starring as his wife, and Alexander Skarsgard is playing their German host.

The Circle by Dave Eggers

What it's about: A young woman, Mae Holland, takes a job at a Google-like tech company where she quickly climbs the corporate ladder.
Who's starring: Emma Watson is starring as Mae, alongside Tom Hanks and John Boyega. James Ponsoldt is directing.
Watch the trailer for The Circle.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

What it's about: Writer Nora attends the bachelorette party of a friend she hasn't seen in 10 years, and on the weekend away, things go from drinks and fun to heart-pounding mystery.
Who's starring: No one has been cast yet, but Reese Witherspoon is producing, and screenwriter Natalie Krinsky is adapting the screenplay.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

What it's about: Wonder tells the story of Auggie Pullman, a boy who is born with a facial deformity, and his struggle to fit in at a new school.
Who's starring: Room's Jacob Tremblay is playing Auggie, and Julia Roberts will play his mother.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

What it's about: Fourteen-year-old Meg Murry's father goes missing after working on a government project, setting off Meg's fantastical journey through space and time.
Who's starring: Ava DuVernay will direct the adaptation, and the three Mrs. have been cast: Reese Witherspoon will play Mrs. Whatsit, Mindy Kaling will play Mrs. Who, and Oprah Winfrey will play Mrs. Which. See the whole cast here.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

What it's about: Teenager Wade Watts gets sucked into a virtual universe in a dystopian future society in 2044.
Who's starring: Tye Sheridan will play Wade, Olivia Cooke will play his love interest, and Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, and Simon Pegg will costar in the sci-fi flick, which is being directed by Steven Spielberg.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

What it's about: After her mom, Bernadette, disappears, 15-year-old Bee dives into emails, documents, and secret correspondence to find her.
Who's starring: Richard Linklater is set to direct the film, and Cate Blanchett has been cast as Bernadette. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber — the writers behind (500) Days of Summer — are set to write the screenplay.

It by Stephen King

What it's about: An ancient evil takes the form of Pennywise the Clown and terrifies a group of children, then later comes back for them as adults.
Who's starring: Bill Skarsgard is playing Pennywise the Clown, and Andrés Muschietti, who directed the horror movie Mama, is at the helm.

Fifty Shades Freed

What it's about: The final book in the Fifty Shades saga, Christian and Ana navigate their most dangerous, treacherous relationship yet: marriage.
Who's starring: Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson fill the shoes of Christian and Ana again, while newcomers like Arielle Kebbel will join the franchise. Here is the Fifty Shades Freed cast so far and all the details we have.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

What it's about: The book changes perspectives 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.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

What it's about: In this young adult romance, a girl named Violet falls for Finch, a boy who is intent on ending his life.
Who's starring: Elle Fanning is starring, and Miguel Arteta is directing.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

What it's about: Roxane, an American soprano, travels to South America to perform a private concert, which is then crashed by guerrilla forces.
Who's starring: Julianne Moore will star as Roxane, alongside Ken Watanabe and Demian Bichir. Paul Weitz will direct.

Witness For the Prosecution by Agatha Christie

What it's about: The short story follows a courtroom drama of a murder case with lots of twists, turns, and marital intrigue.
Who's starring: Ben Affleck will direct and star in the movie.

Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household

What it's about: The classic British novel follows a man who attempts to assassinate a dictator but is hunted by authorities himself after he fails.
Who's starring: Benedict Cumberbatch will produce and star.

The Son by Jo Nesbo

What it's about: A young man is in prison because he has confessed to the crimes of others, but he breaks out to avenge his murdered father.
Who's starring: Jake Gyllenhaal will star with his Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve at the helm.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

What it's about: Two sisters in France end up in different positions during WWII; one fights with the resistance and one becomes a prisoner.
Who's starring: No one has been cast yet, but screenwriter Ann Peacock will write the screenplay and Michelle MacLaren will direct.

The Game

What it's about: Former self-described AFC (average frustrated chump) Neil Strauss got fed up with being a mediocre dater and infiltrated an underground society of pick-up gurus. The book is part memoir, part how-to guide.
Who's starring: James Franco will both produce and star in the film as pick-up artist Mystery.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

What it's about: The classic novel tells the story of Philip and his mysterious cousin Rachel, who may or may not be guilty of murdering another of their family members.
Who's starring: Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin will star as Rachel and Philip.

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

What it's about: This true story follows the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, who helped to save hundreds of people from the Nazis in World War II by smuggling them into empty cages.
Who's starring: Jessica Chastain stars with Daniel Brühl in the movie.
Watch the trailer for The Zookeeper's Wife.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

What it's about: In this true tale, Grann tells the story of how British explorer Percy Fawcett got lost searching for an ancient, fabled civilization in the Amazon in 1925.
Who's starring: Charlie Hunnam will play Fawcett, and Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller will costar in the film, which will be directed by James Gray. Here's all the info about the adaptation.
Watch the trailer for The Lost City of Z.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King

What it's about: Stephen King's magnum opus is a series that follows "gunslinger" Roland Deschain as he moves through a magical society, looking for the titular Dark Tower.
Who's starring: Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey have both joined the adaptation. See who else has been cast.

The Black Hand by Stephan Talty

What it's about: Set in the the Summer of 1903, a detective investigates a crime outbreak that has ties the beginnings of the mafia in America.
Who's starring: Leonardo DiCaprio will star in and produce the adaptation.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

What it's about: The first in a fantasy series, the book follows a young magician who can travel through parallel universes.
Who's starring: Gerard Butler is among the producers of the adaptation, which has not been cast yet.

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

What it's about: Two strangers on a charter plane crash in the wilderness and have to depend on each other to survive.
Who's starring: Idris Elba is playing the male lead opposite Kate Winslet; here they are, kissing on the set.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

What it's about: In the first novel of the Chaos Walking series, Todd Hewitt and Viola Eade, two teens living on an Earth-like planet, are affected by a plague called "The Noise" but discover a way to control it.
Who's starring: Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland will star.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

What it's about: The classic mystery follows fictional detective Hercule Poirot as he pursues a murder on a famous train.
Who's starring: Kenneth Branagh is directing and will play Poirot, alongside Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr.

Dune by Frank Herbert

What it's about: The cult-classic novel weaves an interstellar epic in a not-too-distant future.
Who's starring: Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve will direct the adaptation, which hasn't been cast yet.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

What it's about: In this thriller, a biologist sets out on an expedition to a mysterious area to find out what killed her husband there.
Who's starring: Natalie Portman, Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez, and Tessa Thompson will costar. Oscar Isaac also joined the cast of the film, which will be directed by Ex Machina's Alex Garland.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

What it's about: The memoir of Jeannette Walls chronicles her unconventional and sometimes bizarre upbringing and relationship with her parents.
Who's starring: Brie Larson will head up the movie cast as Jeannette, with Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson as her parents.

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 Sam Mendes will produce and potentially direct the film adaptation.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

What it's about: This coming-of-age tale tells the story of a boy and his fascination with a tiny but special painting.
Who's starring: John Crowley will direct, and though the adaptation has not been cast yet, we have many ideas about who should star.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

What it's about: After WWII has come to an end, while London writer Juliet Ashton is looking for inspiration for her next book, she becomes acquainted with a wild crew on Guernsey Island after receiving a letter. She becomes drawn into the world of the man who wrote to her and his friends under Nazi occupation.
Who's starring: Michiel Huisman and Lily James will costar in the adaptation.

The Darkest Minds

What it's about: In the futuristic YA novel, the government tries to intern and suppress young people with special abilities, including 16-year-old Ruby.
Who's starring: Amandla Stenberg will play Ruby, and Mandy Moore will play a doctor.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

What it's about: An awkward genetics professor falls for a woman who does not fit into his ascribed criteria, the titular Rosie.
Who's starring: Ryan Reynolds is attached to potentially star.

The Death Cure by James Dashner

What it's about: In the final book in the Maze Runner series, Thomas finally attempts to take down the organization WICKED.
Who's starring: Dylan O'Brien is reprising his role as Thomas.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

What it's about: A suburban couple attend a disastrous barbecue in this mystery.
Who's starring: Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon (who both star in another Moriarty adaptation, Big Little Lies) will produce the adaptation, though there is no news yet on whether either actress will star.