Books You Should Read Before Seeing the Movie

While some movies are so amazing that you may have forgotten that they were a novel first, that is not always the case. In the same way that you want a great artist to sing his song the exact same way you heard it the first time in concert, you may feel this way about a favorite novel. While there are so many ways to get a point across, when you read

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was Stephen Chbosky’s debut novel was published in 1999. Then came the 2012 film version starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller in 2012. The Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the sad, endearing, and totally relatable coming-of-age story. For those that know what is like to be a socially awkward high school freshman you can totally relate. It has been said to be our generations Breakfast Club. However, there are so many moments in the book that didn’t translate on the big screen. While it may not be a feel-good love story, it is very real and telling. There is a reason it made the New York Times Best Seller List.

Endless Love

They say America fell in love with Brooke Shields when she starred in the movie Endless Love. However, Scott Spencer’s tragic love story of endless longing and emptiness when the man doesn’t get the girl is timeless. It is a coming-of-age story. For some, it will take you back to that pivotal moment in your life that you wish you could change. Most of us have that moment whether it is based on love or not. While the book was published in 1979 I read the book long before I ever saw the movie. I didn’t see the movie until 2016 when it just happened to come on HBO or some channel I pay to stream. I don’t know if all movies based on novels missed the mark in the eighties but this one certainly does. If you haven’t read the book because you didn’t like the movie, don’t let that deter you. In my opinion there are two different stories that were told.

Time Travelers Wife

Who doesn’t love a book about Time Travel right? The book was written by Audrey Niffenegger in 2003. Six years later in 2009 it became a movie starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Again, the movie seemed to tell a completely different story than the novel. The movie version is not only missing characters and subplots, but important incidents that matter to the overall story. The Time Travelers wife is a read that is worth reading. But don’t take my word for it. If you read it, let me know what you think.

Forrest Gump

While I love to read and can spend hours reading, it isn’t that easy to keep me still that long with anything else. That is why I am surprised I could sit still and watch Forrest Gump from beginning to end. There was so much in the movie that I can’t imagine they had enough time to cover it all. Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to read Winston Groom’s novel. True it is an oldie, but it is still a goodie. Originally published in 1986, Forrest becomes an astronaut and goes to outer space, where he meets an ape named Sue. Fast friends, the two crash in the jungle and are taken hostage by cannibals. I can only imagine what else is in store. It is definitely on my list.

Did you come here for something in particular or just general Riker-bashing? And blowing into maximum warp speed, you appeared for an instant to be in two places at once. We have a saboteur aboard. We know you’re dealing in stolen ore. But I wanna talk about the assassination attempt on Lieutenant Worf. Could someone survive inside a transporter buffer for 75 years? Fate. It protects fools, little children, and ships named “Enterprise.”

There is a way out of every box, a solution to every puzzle; it’s just a matter of finding it.

JEAN-LUC PICARD

And blowing into maximum warp speed, you appeared for an instant to be in two places at once. We have a saboteur aboard. We know you’re dealing in stolen ore. But I wanna talk about the assassination attempt on Lieutenant Worf.

Could someone survive inside a transporter buffer for 75 years? Fate. It protects fools, little children, and ships named “Enterprise.”