There are at least 16 books that are going to be made into movies in 2014, and since it’s only January, you have plenty of time to read the book before you see the film. For the next couple of weeks, I’ll share the titles and give you a brief synopsis of each plot. You may have read some of these, but it never hurts to brush up on the book first.
Labor Day, by Joyce Maynard: Labor Day weekend for 13-year-old Henry Wheeler will change his life forever when his mother, emotionally fragile at best, takes in a stranger with a dark secret, and law enforcement on his trail. The film stars Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, and opens January 31.
The Monuments Men, by Robert Edsel and Bret Witter: The true story of an American platoon during WWII which is assigned the incredible task of going into Nazi Germany to rescue art masterpieces and return them to their rightful owners. The film will star George Clooney, Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett and will be released on February 7.
Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead: This is actually a series, with the first novel titled Vampire Academy. I’m not sure how much the movie will cover, but the first novel introduces us to Rose, half human and half vampire, and Lissa, a vampire princess; both girls attend St. Vladimir’s Academy and must deal with the usual teen angst and problems, plus a few issues unique to vampires. The movie will be released February 14 and stars Zoey Deutch as Rose and Lucy Fry as Lissa.
Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin: Peter Lake, an orphan and a master mechanic, attempts to rob a mansion in New York’s Upper West Side. He believes the house to be empty, but to his surprise, it is occupied by Beverly Penn, the daughter of the owner, and a woman who is terminally ill. The novel is more than 700 pages long, so it will be interesting to see it distilled into a few hours of film. It stars Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay and opens on February 14.
Divergent, by Veronica Roth: This first book in Roth’s trilogy introduces us to Beatrice Prior, who lives in a futuristic Chicago, where society is divided into five factions. All 16-year-olds must select the faction to which they will belong – and as you can imagine, nothing ever goes smoothly. If you liked Hunger Games, you should check out Divergent. The movie stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet. It will hit theaters on March 21.
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green: A moving, intense story of two teens, both with cancer, who fall in love with one another and search for answers to the big questions: How will I be remembered? Does my life, and will my death, have any meaning? Shailene Woodley also starts in this film, along with Ansel Elgort and Willem Dafoe. The film will be released in June.
