Books to Film: 2014 Edition, by Rion

Yes, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie, but somehow we cannot stop ourselves from getting excited when producers borrow from the library for the big screen.  Here’s a short list of books Hollywood will bring us in the coming year.

“Divergent”by Veronica Roth opens March 21 and stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. In the book, citizens of a dystopian Chicago are divided into five factions— Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, Erudite.  Beatrice Prior discovers she’s a divergent because she is well suited for three factions.

“The Giver” by Lois Lowry opens Aug. 15 with Jeff Bridges in the title role surrounded by Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgard, and Taylor Swift. The Newbery Medal winning book follows Jonas who is chosen to inherit the position of “Receiver of Memory,” a keeper of all past memories before “Sameness,” an idea which eradicated emotional depth.

”The Maze Runner” by James Dashner opens Sept. 19 and stars Dylan O’Brien of MTV’s series “Teen Wolf.” O’Brien plays Thomas who wakes up in a lift and is only able to remember his name. He is not alone but none of the other kids can say for sure why they’ve been brought to the Glade, a stone walled maze open during the day and inaccessible at night.

“Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn opens Oct. 3 and stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. The book follows Nick and Amy Dunne and their relocation to Missouri after Nick loses his job, and Amy’s disappearance the day of their fifth anniversary.  A second Flynn novel, “Dark Places,” opens Sept. 5.

Other notable book adaptations this year include "Vampire Academy" by Richelle Mead which released on Feb. 7,

 "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green releasing June 6;

“This is Where I Leave you” by Jonathan Tropper on Sept. 12;

 "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst on Oct. 10;

 and “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand on Dec. 25.

Don’t forget to come and watch the library’s screenings of books made into films when we watch “Fahrenheit 451” on March 13 at 6:30 p.m. and “Hunger Games” on March 16 at 1:30 p.m.