The Movies Are Coming, So Read the Books Now

Everyone knows that the book is always better than the movie, right? (Of course there are exceptions: I could never get through The Shining, so finally saw the movie. But then I read that author Stephen King loathed the movie, so I still don’t know what’s in the book; maybe they were completely different.)

Okay, I made up the “everyone knows,” but I think that’s the prevailing opinion. Too much of the story has to be told in a different way, or left out entirely (like did you know that Scarlett O’Hara had other children? And that Jane and Michael Banks, from Mary Poppins, had other siblings??)

Here are some good books that are about to be made into movies, listed by release date:

• The Hobbit — Bilbo’s amazing journey with his companions across Middle Earth is a classic. It’s a good read, whether or not you read the Lord of the Rings trilogy or saw the Lord of the Rings movies. In fact, you might want to considering owning a copy of this book – it’s that good! In theaters December 2012 (Part I) and December 2013 (Part II).

• Ender’s Game – It’s impossible to describe the Battle School and how its chosen students learn military strategy, and why. This extraordinary book is on lots of people’s lists of “books that should never be made into movies.” I’d suggest you read this book even before you see any movie trailers. In theaters November 2013.
• Catching Fire – My question is, what can possibly be in this Hunger Games sequel when so much of it is based on stuff that was left out of the first movie? Quick, I’d suggest you read the whole trilogy (you can interlibrary loan them, too) before the movie comes out. In theaters November 2013.
• Ready Player One – For an interesting take on this book, you might want to read or view one of the many interviews with author Ernest Cline, like this one. The world is a broken-down, overpopulated mess, but if you have a computer, you can go to OASIS, a fantastic virtual existence. Now the genius billionaire who created OASIS is dead, and if you can solve the puzzles that he left, it can all be yours. This book is great fun, whether you’re a gamer or not. Release date indefinite; likely 2014.

Finally, I’ll mention the beautiful Never Let Me Go, by Kazuro Ishiguro. Even though this is already a movie, I’d advise that you read the book to join the innocent young people at their English boarding school. That way, you can slowly, gradually understand why they’re there. (If you don’t know anything about the story, you might ruin it by reading reviews.)

See you at the movies!