One of the types of books I love to read are books that end up getting adapted to movies. I enjoy seeing the differences between my interpretation of a characters physical description and the actors that are casted for roles. What is also an intriguing but can be frustrating is what is left out of movies, changed, or added to make the movie more profitable. Below are a few of the books that I’ve read that have been adapted into movies. I hope you enjoy it and get an idea for your next book to read and movie to watch.

 The Five People You Meet in Heaven is written by my favorite author Mitch Albom. This was the first book by Mitch Albom that I was introduced to it. At the time, when I first read the book, I was in grade school. The book was released in 2003, the movie premiered as a TV movie the following year.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is a sweet, warm-hearted story of finding love in unexpected places. Louisa Clark lives a basic life, has a job, close to her family, in a steady relationship. Once she receives notice that the coffee shop she works at is closing, Louisa is in desperate need of a new job, any job. She interviews to be the companion/ care-giver for wheelchair-bound Will Traynor. Louisa tries her best to improve Will’s happiness given the circumstances. Through they’re time together they both find happiness and love but they can’t live happily ever after. A decision Will made even before he met Louisa prevents this. A movie was adapted from the book with Emilia Clarke as Louisa and Sam Claflin as Will, released last February.

How to Be Single by Liz Tuccillo was the perfect book to read at the timing of a recent breakup. This book was not at all what I was expecting, given the title but as a book I complete enjoyed it. The story follows the main character as she travels to various countries to learn what it means to be single in those cultures in contrast to what it means to be a single woman in the USA. The book originally published in 2008 was not adapted to a film until February of last year. I saw the movie right after reading the book and was completely disappointed. This is a perfect example of how different a book and movie adaptation can be.

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks  by Rebecca Skloot follows two stories. The first is the story of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman as she undergoes cancer treatment in the 1950s. The second story follows the author as she journeys to Boston to find the full story of Henrietta Lacks. Intrigued by the only information she found in a medical text book, that a woman named Henrietta Lacks had cancer cells that continue to grow even after her death. Rebecca meets with Henrietta’s daughter Deborah Lacks who helps her on her quest to write the book to tell the full story of Henrietta, not just about the HeLa cells. I started reading this book a couple years ago but when I saw in the newspaper that it would be adapted to an HBO TV movie, I had to finish it. The movie is scheduled to air on April 22 with Rose Byrne playing the role of Rebecca Skloot and Oprah Winfrey as Deborah Lacks.

In William Paul Young’s The Shack, Mack returns to the Shack. This old abandoned building was the last location that Mack’s youngest daughter was thought to have been when she was abducted from a nearby camping grounds in Oregon during a family vacation. Mack was intrigued by a note he received in the mail to return to the shack, addressed by God. In this visit, Mack meets all three forms of God, gets understanding of life’s mysteries and finds peace. If you have ever wanted to have a deep meaningful conversation with God, this is the book for you as it was for me. I read this book last year for the department’s monthly book discussion but did not find out it would be adapted to film until last week. I am extremely excited for the release this weekend staring Sam Worthington as Mack and Octavia Spencer as Papa.

I hope you enjoy reading and watching!

-Gina