As we reach the final month and a half of summer many of you may be looking for some good reads to take to the beach or for unwinding after a long day of work. I love reading novels and one of my favorite ways to decide which ones to read is by looking at the movies that are about to come out. This list includes all my favorite books that have been adapted into movies along with a little summary of each.
"Room"
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Recently hitting the big screen this past fall, "Room" is the story of a girl who was kidnapped as a teenager and help captive for several years. During this time she has a son named Jack. The book is written from 5-year-old Jack's point of view. He doesn't know that there is a world outside of Room, that is until his Ma slowly begins to tell him knowing that Jack is the only chance they have of escaping.
What makes this book and movie one of my favorites is the constant portrayal of a mother's unconditional love for her child. Both the novel and movie will keep you on the edge of your seat and likely bring tears to your eyes. I started this at the beginning of Thanksgiving break and was finished with it four days later and then two days after that I headed to the city to watch the movie. I loved the book so much I actually did the unthinkable and went to the movie by myself. Now that I've done so, it is an experience I would highly recommend. There's no one to laugh at you for crying or judge how much popcorn you eat!
"My Sister's Keeper"
This one has been out for a while so, chances are, you have probably seen this movie. If you have seen this movie, pretty please do not let this stop you from reading the book. To say that the book is better than the movie is a great understatement. I don't think I've ever left a movie as angry as I did this one, but I'm including it here because the book is so incredible! The novel has several other characters and is so much more in depth.
Similar to parts of the movie, the chapters switch between different characters' point of view, all surrounding the lives of sisters Kate and Anna. Kate has cancer and her sister Anna was essentially born to be a blood/marrow/organ donor in hope of saving Kate from her leukemia. At age 13, Anna declares that she wants medical emancipation from her parents and no longer wants to give of her body for the benefit of her big sister. The novels goes on from here detailing the process of this court case along with the toll it takes on their family as Kate's health declines. Again, this is another work which showcases the love of a family through the hardest of times.
"Still Alice"
One of my biggest weaknesses in life is airport bookstores. Even if its the middle of a semester and I know I have no time for fun reading, I will still wander the bookstore for at least 45 minutes. One lovely time where I flew home during a semester and didn't have a ton of homework, I stumbled upon this novel.
"Still Alice" tells the story of Alice Howland, a 50-year-old psychology professor at Harvard, as she goes through the stages of early onset Alzheimer's. Written from her point of view, readers are brought into the mind of someone who is slowly forgetting anything and everything about her life. Yes, it is a very sad read, but it gave me a perspective of this disease that I am very thankful for. It is very well written and the directors did a great job of keeping the movie true to the book.
"The Help"
This is the only novel where I watched the movie first and then read the book, but I think it was for the better otherwise I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the movie as much, even though this is an incredibly well made film. A much better portrayal of the novel than "My Sister's Keeper," but the book is simply too long and in depth to put it all in a movie. "The Help" takes place in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. Skeeter takes an interest in the lives of the African American maids in her community. An aspiring writer, Skeeter decides she wants to interview all of the help in her town and compile it together into a book. This novel provides, what I believe is, a great insight into the life of African Americans during a time where they were still very much treated like slaves. Both the novel and film contain parts that are sad along with many other moments that will make you laugh as well as inspire you.
"A Passion for the Impossible"
This biography of the life of Lilias Trotter was recently made into a documentary entitled "Many Beautiful Things." Both tell of the life of Lilias, an English upper-class woman who gave up her successful career as a painter to answer God's call to missions. With no missions agency willing to accept her due to a heart condition, Lilias and two friends decide to journey on their own to Algeria where she spends the rest of her life loving and ministering to the Muslim population.
The writings of Lilias contain so many profound statements that I found myself resisting the urge to take my phone out and copy them down multiple times during the movie. Thankful all of these, and more, were included in the biography. I recently included one of these gems in a past Odyssey article. Of all the book/movie combos listed here, this is the one on which I would place the greatest recommendation to both watch and read. Since the movie is a documentary, it also includes a behind the scenes look into the writing of the biography.
"The Shack"
This last one has yet to come out in theaters, but is scheduled to do so next spring. I read "The Shack" last year during vacation and had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew it was a mystery as well as a Christian work, but never would I have imagined that a fictional novel could teach me so much about my faith.
Young tries to tackle the question of "Where is God in pain and suffering?" with this heartbreaking story. The main character Mack was on a camping trip with his family when his youngest daughter was kidnapped and believed to be murdered. Years later, he receives a note in his mailbox telling him to return to the shack where some of Missy's things were found. When he arrives at the shack, Mack discovers that the letter was written by God. As the days pass, Mack is able to process his daughter's death as well as experience a revival of his faith. I know that was a really poor and confusing summary, sorry! I promise it's worth the read! The story will rope you in and leave you with a deeper understanding of Christianity.
So, there it is -- six more books for you to consider reading! I realize now that a solid half of them appear to be terribly sad, but I promise they are so worth any tears that might be shed. I also promise that I am not some person obsessed with reading sad, depressing things! I just really love novels that are filled with lots of emotion! If you want to know more about any of these books feel free to leave a comment or contact me in some way, and I would be more than happy to tell you more. Also, if you have any novel suggestions (whether they're being made into a movie or not), please let me know! I'm always looking for a good read!
