I’ve heard of these books for a while now, either because I semi-keep up with new releases, because a friend has recommended them, or because I see that Hollywood is making it into a movie. Either way, here are 8 books that are on my winter to-read list that I have to read before Hollywood ruins them.
Oh, and BTW authors/publishers: Why don’t you try to pick a different color than black to put on the covers of your books? This is getting a little depressing.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman: I saw this at Barnes and Noble a long while ago and almost bought it. It’s about a girl in a coma and she sees everything happening around her and she has to decide if she wants to stay and live or die. I mean, does that already not pull you in or what? I heard it’s going to be a movie (pre pre pre production) so now I’ll just have to read it before Hollywood butchers it.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I saw this on a friend’s Instagram account of what she was reading, and then was immediately intrigued by the title. It’s about a circus and follows two magicians and their relationship. I hope it’s not as bad as Water for Elephants, which was also made into a movie (better than the book, I thought), but it’s a different author so I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt.
The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp: Okay, okay, I’ll admit to seeing the trailer while looking for movies playing, and was so captured by the music, colors, and actors. Then I saw it was a book! So now I can’t decide if I’m going to go out and read it superfast to try to catch the movie while it’s still in theaters. I’ll probably wait until I can RedBox it though. It’s about these two teenagers that fall in love, totally cliche, but it seems to have the poignancy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (haven’t seen the movie yet) and the maturity of 500 Days of Summer, the director of which is directing this movie.
Divergent by Veronica Roth: First off, I hear this book is the “next Hunger Games.” Do you not understand that you can’t have a “next” while the first is already happening??? So that’s an immediate turn off to me. And according to the blurb on Amazon, it seems almost a rip off of the Hunger Games series so that makes me even more wary about reading it. However, I know I’ll end up seeing the movie. And if they butcher this book like they did The Hunger Games, I’ll have to read it first so that I’ll understand what’s going on.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: Again, I saw the trailer for this before I knew it was a movie. And then I almost bought the book for $5 at TJMaxx. It’s about witches and stuff and the protagonist has to decide if she wants to be a good witch or a bad witch. Something like that. It seems like it’s got all the depth and substance missing from Twilight and it’s set in Louisiana, which intrigues me a lot. I really hope these witches eat crawfish and go duck huntin’.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: This is the first in the Mortal Instruments Series, and it’s about a girl who can see supernatural beings. I’m usually morally opposed to books like this, but it is YA Literature, so it’s probably not that bad. And it seems like a mix of Buffy and Twilight with a little Charmed thrown in, all of which isn’t bad. My 14 year old cousin also recommended this book to me, and since she was also reading Lorna Doone at the time, I figured she has taste enough to take her recommendations seriously. The movie is already out, and I don’t expect to see it while in theaters, since this one is probably last on my list. I’ll wait to see how the book goes before watching the movie.
Austenland by Shannon Hale: How cute does this movie/book look! As a fellow Austen-lover, I can’t help but squeal with girly delight at this plot. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to a place to act out all our secret Austen-esque fantasies. And yeah, I’ve got my own husband, but I still envy the protagonist a little.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: This must be the blogger book of the year, because I cannot tell you how many blogs I’ve seen this pop up on. So I did a little digging, and apparently this is like a murder mystery with a twist. So, of course, I’m all in. I love a good mystery. I also love unpredictable books, which this one has said to exude unpredictableness. The movie is starring Gwenyth Paltrow as the protagonist, and there is some uproar in the blogger community on this pick, so I figured I need to read before I can weigh in.
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?
Caitlin M Frost 
I loved Divergent and thought it was not really like Hunger Games. There are numerous young adult books with post apocalyptic settings. That doesn’t make them all the same, though.
I meant more how Hollywood is hyping it up to be as big as “the next hunger games.” Not that the book is similar.
I already put it on hold at the library, so I’m waiting patiently to pass judgment. 🙂
Divergent is fine and plenty different from the Hunger Games. It’s pretty good. Spectacular Now is spectacular, but haven’t seen the movie. City of Bones was not bad, either. Gone Girl is brilliant in its soapiness and is flat out crazy. I read it in one sitting and couldn’t stop. Not the greatest book, but definitely twisty, psychotic fun. Not sure Affleck is well suited for the lead, though.