Top Five Books That Became Movies in 2014
Post originally published on 12/19/14
In thinking over the top books that I have read (or re-read) this year, I’ve found that a decent amount of them have been turned into movies. The movies give an excellent opportunity for a book nerd, such as I, to get out of the house and to enjoy the fresh air once in a while. For those of you who normally spend your days outside, I commend you, and offer you this list of the top five books that have been turned into movies this year, in the hopes that you may come to appreciate a hermit style of life, too. Enjoy!
THE HOBBIT; OR, THERE AND BACK AGAIN:
J. R. R. Tolkien
This fantasy novel that is the first in a series of four is sure to be on most people’s shelves by now. The first time I read this book, it was actually read to me; I was five years old. This is one of those books where the more I re-read it, the better it gets. It’s an excellent entry into the world of fantasy for those who are skeptics, and as always, there’s so much more to the book than the movie can show — though breaking this into three parts is impressive.
THE MAZE RUNNER:
James Dashner
The Maze Runner is also the first novel in a series of four. It delves into a world racked by biological warfare and solar flares. You are given very little information in the start of the book as to the actual goings on, but as you continue to read, the characters begin to get their memories back, and you piece together the puzzle of what has happened with their world. All four books are available, which makes waiting for the following movies to come out almost unbearable.
MOCKINGJAY:
Suzanne Collins
The final book in The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay brings everything to completion. While this movie is only the first part of the end, it’s always better to read the books first. As the story begins, Katniss is underground in District Thirteen, an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, and she is without Peeta. You are taken through her psychological turmoil, her defiance, and her willingness to pull together through all of her experiences and to use them to take down what is corrupt, and begin again.
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS:
John Green
I was thoroughly impressed by how well this movie stayed true to the novel it represents. The Fault in Our Stars takes us through the lives of kids with cancer. No, no, no — before you start moaning about how depressing it’s going to be or how it’s another comeback story, it’s not. It’s an entirely different book, because it’s not about the cancer. It’s about teenagers just trying to make it through life, and how, even if it might be cut short, we can all find our own little infinities that get us through each day.
THE GIVER:
Lois Lowry
This has been my favorite book for as long as I can remember. To find out that it was finally being turned into a movie had me doing a happy dance to surpass all happy dances. The Giver takes you into a dystopian community where everyone is chosen for a specific job, and all unexpected happenstances have been removed from life. This world lives in a place devoid of choices, music, and even color. There is only one person in the community who is able to see and hear and remember all of these things, and that is the Receiver. When it comes time for twelve-year-old Jonas to be assigned his role in his community, he is chosen to be the new Receiver. I highly suggest giving this book a quick read before seeing the film, because the anticipation in Lois Lowry’s writing as you follow what Jonas does with this assignment is something no movie screen can beat.
