Listen Up, Hollywood: 11 Books That Would Make Great Movies

Today is a Top Ten Tuesday rewind, where bloggers can go back and choose from one of the zillion past topics and select one we missed or one we'd like to do again. I chose 10 books that I'd like to see made into movies, from April 12, 2011.

This was harder than I expected! Looking back through my reads from the past couple years, I realized that a LOT of books I've read have already been turned into movies, and many more have movies or TV shows in the works, like "A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, "The Girl With All the Gifts" by M.R. Carey, and "Ready Player One" by Earnest Cline, and some of the books below may be headed for screen as well and I just don't know about it (which would be great!).

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

I know the movie rights for "Red Rising" have been purchased, but as far as I know there's no imminent filming. I soooo very much hope the movie(s) end up happening because this trilogy was absolutely amazing -- a fantastic and creative blend of genres that would appeal to a wide variety of people -- and I know it would translate wonderfully to the screen.
(book review)

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You by Caroline Kepnes

This would make a great creepy thriller movie! The conversational tone of the writing belies the terrifying plot, about a sociopathic stalker who works at a New York City bookstore, and I can easily see it as a film. I wonder which actor would make a perfect Joe Goldberg? It'd have to be someone handsome and charismatic who could also play a crazy person.
(book review)

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Post-apocalyptic thrillers are all the rage right now, and "The Passage," with it's scary vampire/zombie hybrids, would make an intense and action-packed film. Since there are three loooong books, maybe a TV show would be the better way to go with this series.

(book review)

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The Fireman by Joe Hill

It's an apocalyptic thriller like "The Passage," but with a very different terror: a fungus that causes the infected to spontaneously burst into flame and burn to death. It's also got a utopia/dystopia/"Lord of the Flies" element going on and some awesome characters (including a charming, nerdy British guy -- can't go wrong there)! The only problem is that seeing so many people catch fire might be hard to watch, but I'm sure the movie geniuses can find a way imply what's happening without showing it constantly.

(book review)

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Dual narratives can be hard to translate to the screen, but I've seen a few that worked (like "The Longest Ride" by Nicolas Sparks) and I think this WWI and modern-day historical fiction/drama/romance novel centered on a special work of art would make a lovely movie. And I imagine it would do well at the theater after the success of "Me Before You," because, though the story is very different, it shares the same lovably flawed characters and sense of being fairly lighthearted while at the same time deftly dealing with some more serious issues. And WWI occupied France would be a rich atmosphere to bring to life on screen.

(book review)

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What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

The book is about a woman who gets temporary amnesia and loses 10 years of her memory -- forgetting all her marital problems, adult stresses, and the fact that at 39 she is a very different person than she was at 29 -- and not in a good way. It's a story of reminisces, family, friends, love and second chances, and it would make a great chick-flick.
(No review, but I liked it!)

The Dogs of Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron

This is the absolute perfect book to turn into a Hallmark Christmas movie. It's got puppies, it's set in the Colorado mountains and it features a sweet holiday romance!

(book review)

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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The third apocalypse novel on my list, "Station Eleven" has the potential to be a gorgeous film to match the beautiful writing and fantastic, haunting plot of the novel. It's set both during the apocalypse -- a disease plague -- and 20 years after, as our main protagonist treks across the ruined country with a traveling symphony/acting troupe.

(book review)

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

Apparently I've got a thing for end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it books! "The Wolf Road," like three others above, is a post-apocalypse story, but it takes place long after the world has been changed and the stark, inhospitable setting is the perfect background for a story about a 17-year-old girl who learns that the man who raised her is a wanted serial killer. She goes on the run, allowing us to see a very changed planet through her eyes, and at the same time slowly reveals her disturbing backstory. I think the success of the movie would depend on the perfect casting of the main character, Elka.

(book review)

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The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

Is there such a thing as too many Sherlock Holmes adaptations?! King's long-running series about a semi-retired, aging Sherlock Holmes (who spends much of his time in the Sussex countryside tending his bees) and his protégé and partner Mary Russell would make a wonderful TV miniseries! I see it as a book an episode with gorgeous globe-trotting settings (not to mention Mary Russell's Oxford University and the English countryside!) and an evolving historical backdrop as the years pass, a la "Downton Abbey."

(book review)

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

This is a departure from King's usual horror/supernatural stuff and it would make an awesome police thriller! It pits veteran detective Bill Hodges against a very deranged serial killer and is told from both their perspectives. Great casting would be key here to really bring the story to life and set it apart from other race-against-time detective movies.

(book review)