Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted
by The Broke and The Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some
of our favorite (and not-so favorite) things. This week we’ll be highlighting
the top ten books that we'd like to see made into movies! I'm a little late getting to the meme this week (for me it's more like Top Ten Wednesday!!!) but I can honestly say that it's because all of the sudden I got sick Tuesday - with it slowly getting worse as the day went on. I still don't feel so great, but I love this question and have to answer it! So here goes, we'll try to get ten books that I'd like to see as movies. Then I'll be crashing for the night. Happy late Tuesday everyone and I look forward to seeing your lists! :)
Top Ten Books That Should Be M0vies (In No Certain Order)
1. Being Henry David by Cal Armistead: Probably not the first book to cross the mind of any of the other TTT posters this week. There is just a very translatable quality to this book though. For much of it the main character has amnesia and doesn't even know who he is. It would make a really great coming of age story AND mystery. It would have to be cast just right to work out though.
2. The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong: If movie people could actually learn from the stupid effing mistakes they've made lately, like completely butchering the Beautiful Creatures series' chance at becoming a film franchise, I might trust them with these books. They have kick-ass non-stop action, supernatural elements, family drama and major romantic tension. Perfect for a film series! :)
3. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder: I did enjoy The Fault In Our Stars the first time I read it. But on repeat the teens were a little too precocious to be realistic to me. I got annoyed with them. This book however, only improves on repeat readings. The town of miracles (literally named Promise), the struggle with cancer, the family reactions, the letting go and the romance were all perfectly carried out. The main character Cam is kind of a disaster and not very approachable. But her list of things to do before she dies is what she wants to complete. It might sound like a teen version of The Bucket List - don't insult it like that. This book would make a really sad, but phenomenal movie. And it would give Hollywood an opportunity not to whitewash - Cam is half Samoan, her sister is half Norse, their Mom has Italian heritage and the Mom's boyfriend is Japanese.
4. Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst: This could be the teen movie of the next generation -especially since it kind of makes fun of the beyond tired obsession with vampires. This book is beyond hilarious and if the director and screenwriter kept to the original novel for the story, I'm sure people would love it! :)
5. Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury: Set during a time when Jane Austen is still Anonymous and ladies are expected to be prim and proper, our heroine Agnes is going on adventures, studying Egyptian hieroglyphics and trying to solve a mystery regarding Napoleon's spies/tactics. And it does all this while managing to stay truly amusing. The romance is also very sweet, if a bit volatile. The perfect historical romp, that would maybe interest more in historical fiction. Plus, the Austen fans would be a built in audience.
6. Stolen by Lucy Christopher: This is the kind of movie that would win Academy Awards - or at least be nominated for them. Everyone wonders what it would be like to be kidnapped - Gemma finds out in a terrifying moment at the airport with her parents. But while she's with the kidnapper, Gemma's feelings definitely start to get blurred between hate, understanding and dependence. A truly fascinating look at the development of Stockholm Syndrome.
7. The Trouble With Flirting by Claire LaZebnik: There are so many modernized versions of Pride and Prejudice - not that it's without reason. But I think there might be a little more appreciation for her other novels if they were reworked modern on the movie screen as well. As a retelling of Mansfield Park (which seems to be one of Austen's least favored books), this is a good way to bridge to gap between today's kids and the original book. Very well written and with a surprise twist at the end, this could definitely be part of the new wave of well-made teen movies.
8. The Face On The Milk Carton and Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney: Ideally the entire series would be made, but with 5 books (and not being dystopian or fantasy) it's highly unlikely. First published in 1990, it's the story of a girl who sees her own face on her milk carton at school one day - and realizes that she is someone else's kidnapped child. She has to decide whether or not to tell anyone, or stay quiet with the family she loves. It was made into a TV movie in the late 90s with Kellie Martin. Update it a little bit for the times and it would be a hit. The story is the universal what-if. We all wonder about being someone else, but what if you actually were?
9. Sorcery and Cecilia: Or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer: This book is told almost entirely in correspondence between the two main characters Cecilia and Kate (who are cousins), plus all their friends and family. The setting is a bit of an alternate history, where magic exists in Regency England. Investigating strange goings on and possibly even foiling a plot to harm the Queen, both girls have an eventful and interesting summer. This would make a phenomenal miniseries if produced by the BBC. It would be very entertaining.
10. Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph by R.L. LaFevers: With the overwhelming popularity of the Game of Thrones, Tudors, White Queen, and The Borgias television series, this series would make a great addition to the crowd. They'd be okay as movies (most likely subpar because of the sheer amount going on in them though). But they would shine as a TV series, full of court intrigue, romance, magic, spies, Death (as in actually the god/patron saint of Death), and historical context. I'm sure they would be immensely popular if done true to the books and well produced/casted/acted/scripted. This is one that could go very wrong otherwise.
