(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Want to make your own list? Clicking the image will take you to this week’s post. Happy listing!)
Readers spend a lot of time imagining aspects of books: What does this character look like? What does this setting look like? How would this scene play out? And although the reality of book-to-film adaptations isn’t always rosy, I can always dream. Here’s my list of the books I’d most love to see made into films.
1. The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde) – I’d love to see Fforde’s crazy, ridiculous world brought to life. I haven’t been able to pin down what Bradshaw looks like, and for some reason I always imagine Emperor Zhark as looking like Zaphod Beeblebrox (Hitchiker’s Guide). I’d love to see a directors’ take on the characters.
2. The Host (Stephanie Meyer) – I find the themes in Meyer’s novel to be intensely interesting and relevant, and I’d love to see it on the big screen.
3. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg) – A classic from childhood that I must have read dozens of times. It’d be kind of tricky to do, because it’s just two characters most of the time, but it’d be worth a viewing.
4. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) – A sweeping epic that would be ludicrously expensive to film, and would possibly merit an NC-17 rating. But it’d make a great movie.
5. Good Omens (Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett) – I love British humor, and this book is one of those awesome ones that has some great themes masquerading beneath some absolutely ridiculous comedy.
6. The Masqueraders (Georgette Heyer) – You can never have too many Regency-era films, especially when they’re well-written, humorous, and have lots of swash and buckle.
7. The Giver (Lois Lowry) – I’m surprised this hasn’t been adapted into a film already. It’s been a long time since I’ve read it, but I think it would make a good family movie, with some social commentary thrown in.
Man, this list has gotten me all excited! Are you listening, filmmakers?
What book(s) would you like to see made into a movie?
I started The Host but didn’t finish it. The concept seemed like it would be a cool movie though. I’m surprised Mrs. Basil E. was never translated to film- that would be a good one. I still need to read Outlander -NC-17 huh? I’m surprised The Giver has not been made into a film yet.
You should definitely finish The Host, unless you absolutely hated it. It’s got a good ending. Basil wouldn’t even need to be a live-action film; it would make a fantastic cartoon film.
Yea, Outlander is very adult—lots of sex and gore. None of it is gratuitous, though, which I appreciate. All of the “adult” scenes, whether sexual or violent or both, fit in with the plot and make sense. I hate when authors try to cram stuff like that in where it does belong (…that’s what she said).
I only saw The Giver on one other person’s list, and I’m sad about that. I think that Lowry’s popularity kind of fell in the late 1990s. I read The Giver and Number the Stars over and over as a kid, but I don’t see anyone, even adult who love kids’ literature, reading them these days. It’s a shame.
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I was eyeing The Eyre Affair the other day and it sounded really interesting! I should pick it up next time. 🙂
I recommend Fforde’s books to everyone! It’s true that there are lots of puns and literary illusions, but if someone can’t enjoy it for the nerdyness, they can certainly like it for the kick-ass Thursday Next. 🙂
I really enjoyed The Host. So much of the novel takes place internally, between the alien and host, but I think a clever scriptwriter rework it for a film. I agree that the themes are intensely relevant.
I know what you mean, Amanda. It’s kind of the same issue a filmmaker would have with The Mixed up Files…: there’s a lot of talking going on between just two characters. Which is great in a book or a stageplay, but can be boring if it happens in a film. It requires a different flexing of one’s attention span. But I’d love to see how someone interprets it. It would take a really good actress, because she’d essentially be playing two separate characters.
I’d love to see the Giver as a film. It would adapt very easily.
It would adapt so easily, in fact, that I’m puzzled as to why no one has done so before.
Oh my, The Giver was such a powerful book, and it would definitely make an amazing movie. 🙂 I need to read both Outlander and Good Omens. So many books, so little time. Thank you for visiting and happy reading!
Two totally different books, but both are worth a read. I know what you mean about too many books: my wishlist gets longer almost every day, and I just don’t have enough free time! 🙁
Interesting choices! I too would like to see a few of those made into movies!
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Thanks for stopping by. I’ll go scope out your list right now!
Love Love Love Good Omens– another top tenner mentioned a movie is in the works! Hope so– It would make a great movie.
Outlander and Giver aren’t my fave books but I could see them being very good films. I’d watch for sure.
I need to finish the Fforde series– I did like the Eyre Affair.
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That’s totally exciting about Good Omens—I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
Yea, Outlander has its moments. It’s really well-researched, and the story is exciting. But there are so many characters, and so much sex and violence that it would be hard to watch.
Definitely finish the Fforde series—they only get better as they go!
By the way, I love the image on your blog of the notes in the front cover of that book. That’s a great way to share books and see how far they get before they come back!