By Vicky T. (VickyJo)

For the last few days, I’ve been sharing with you the titles of books that are going to be turned into movies in 2014.  This is the last of the 16 titles, and once again, they all sound very interesting.  Be sure and grab the book before the film comes out!

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand: This is the remarkable biography of Louis Zamperini, a budding juvenile delinquent turned Olympic runner who competes in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  When war breaks out, Louis joins the Army, manages to survive a plane crash only to be rescued by the Japanese and taken to a POW camp.  His story is incredible, to say the least, and one of my favorite books.  The movie stars Jack O’Connell as Louis; the film is written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and is directed by Angelina Jolie.  It opens in December.

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner:  Ever since The Hunger Games books hit the scene, readers have been searching for more novels like them.  The Divergent trilogy fits the bill, but so does The Maze Runner, again the first book in a trilogy set in a dystopian United States.  60 boys survive in a completely enclosed environment, with a new boy arriving every 30 days.  Thomas is the new arrival, and is soon involved in planning an escape from the glad through a maze that surrounds their living space.  The film will star Dylan O’Brien as Thomas, and will open in September.

The Hundred-Foot Journey, by Richard C. Morais:  This is a debut novel about a man named Hassan Haji and his rise to fame as a Parisian chef.  Haji’s grandfather owns a modest restaurant in Bombay and this is where Hassan’s story begins.  We follow him from India to England to Paris, and watch his culinary star rise to great heights.  The movie stars Manish Dayal and Helen Mirren and is being produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.  It opens in August.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry: First published in 1993, Ms. Lowery won the Newbery Award for excellence in children’s literature with this story of 12-year-old Jonas.  In a world with no poverty, no unemployment, no unhappiness, Jonas is chosen to be the community’s Receiver of Memories.  Once he begins his study, he starts to understand the truth about his world.  The Giver will star Meryl Streep and Taylor Swift.  It should hit theaters in August.

Serena, by Ron Rash: Newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel to North Carolina in 1929, where George plans on creating a timber empire.  They work hard to make this dream come true in very dark, even violent ways.  Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss in The Hunger Games movies) plays Serena, while Bradley Cooper plays George.  This pair made last year’s Silver Linings Playbook a winner; hopefully their on-screen chemistry continues.  I couldn’t find a definite release date for this film.

By Vicky T. (VickyJo)

Here are five more books that are going to be made into movies this year.  You should have plenty of time to read the novel before you see the film.  You know the book is usually better!

A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby:  Four very different people (a talk-show host, a single mom, a troubled teen and an aging musician) meet on the same roof top on New Year’s Eve and find that they have one thing in common: each one of them showed up on this roof to jump to his or her death.  Dark and yet humorous, you won’t soon forget this novel.  The movie stars Aaron Paul, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike and Sam Neill.  I couldn’t find a U.S. release date for this film.

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn: This is the story of Libby Day.  As a seven-year-old, Libby was the only survivor of her family’s horrific murder.  25 years later, Libby finds herself short on cash and comes up with a unique plan: she will sell artifacts relating to her family’s murder to The Kill Club, a group of true crime enthusiasts who debate famous murder cases.  Libby learns some shocking truths about the terrible event in her past.  The movie stars Charlize Theron as Libby, and is scheduled for release in September.

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn: Ms. Flynn has hit the Hollywood jackpot as another one of her novels gets turned into a movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.  This film should be released in October.  Gone Girl is the story of Nick Dunne, who becomes a prime suspect when his wife Amy disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary.

This is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper: This funny novel gives us the Foxman family: Judd, who has just lost both his wife (she was having an affair) and his job (she was having an affair with his boss.)  Judd is called home when his father dies to sit Shivah with his dysfunctional family.  Seven days with this group?  What could go wrong?  The movie stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Rose Byrne and Jane Fonda.  It will be released in September.

Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed: This memoir follows Cheryl as she tries to reclaim her life after the death of her mother and going through a divorce by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  She is inexperienced, but determined.  Is this a good plan, or just another one of her bad life decisions?  The movie stars Reese Witherspoon, Charles Baker and Laura Dern.  No release date has been set yet.

By Vicky T. (VickyJo)

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 few days, 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^st.

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^th.

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^th 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 over 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^th.

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 sixteen-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^st.

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.