Film Adaptations

We've all heard the arguments.  The book was better!  The movie was better!  Or even, I liked them both!

I just finished an interesting article entitled "Ten Things Hollywood Wants in Source Material and Screenplays" by John Robert Marlow of the Huffington Post.  You can check out the article at this link.  Most of the content is what you would expect.  Movie makers evaluate screenplays, and books, by attempting to figure out how appealing they would be on the big screen.  Does the source material contain relatable characters?  Is it of average length and without unnecesary details?  Would it be visually appealing?  All of this factors in when a filmmaker decides to turn your favorite books into films.

This got me thinking of books I've read recently that I feel would make a good transition to the big screen.  Allow me to add a bit of a disclaimer here.  I rarely, rarely say that the film was better, so I'm thinking these books would simply be good choices for the transition to film.  The first one that immediately came to mind is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  Just imagining how visually appealing this would be is making me giddy.  And guess what?  A film is indeed in the early stages of development.  The Light Between Oceans could make for a fantastic dramatic film.  I'm seeing Hollywood being all over this one and I wouldn't be surprised if it's already in the works.  And, after running a quick search, it looks like I'm two for two!

I'm not really into the crime/sheriff who doesn't play by the rules kind of films, but I'm thinking the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo would make a pretty strong transition to film.  I don't necessarily believe the entire series should be included but the first one, Sworn to Silence, could make for a good flick.

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan could be a solid psychological thriller.  If you haven't picked this one up, the story is told by Grace, who was with her husband when their ocean liner suffers a mysterious explosion.  Grace is separated from her husband, who secured her on a lifeboat which is unfortunately over capacity.  We naturally get to watch as the survivors of the explosion start fighting for power of the lifeboat.

Which books are you hoping are turned into films?