The Best Books that Made the Big Screen

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by the amount of books there are to read. We get it. Sometimes we watch first, then read. Check out some of these great books that were made into movies.

For when your dog runs the house...

You've got a problem. “The Wife” by Meg Wolitzer is about an even trickier power dynamic. In this read by one of our fave authors, a talented writer lets her career aspirations slide in favor of her less-talented-but-more-successful husband. He gets all the glory, cash money, and has multiple affairs. Welcome to the 1960s. It’s now a movie starring Glenn Close. Consider our hairs raised. 

For when you’re at the ‘romantic dinner date’ stage in a new relationship...

Things are heating up. They are if you’re reading “Sweetbitter” by Stephanie Danler. This is the one with the millennial pink cover you saw on beaches everywhere a few years ago. It’s all about the restaurant scene in NYC and a waitress who bites off more Big Apple than she can chew. Read it, or watch the series on STARZ.

For when someone opens your phone and it’s full of pics of your niece…

Obsessed, much? Not as obsessed as the narrator in “YOU” by Caroline Kepnes. The story is told from the POV of a psycho stalker, who finds his way into the heart, phone, and emails of a writer who walks into his East Village bookstore. This one just became an addictive series on Lifetime, starring Penn Badgley.

For when you emerge from a long workout class…

What year is it? Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series will take you out of this world, too. It’s about a former British Army nurse who finds herself transported to 1743...in the middle of war-torn Scotland. Love story with a Scottish warrior included. PS: we’re on Book 4, “Drums of Autumn.” In this one, everyone trades tartan for stars and stripes. Hint: takes place in the US. Tune into the Season 4 premiere on STARZ this Sunday, and catch up on the first three seasons on the STARZ App.

For when your MIL makes a passive aggressive comment...

That is rich. Get yourself caught up in an even crazier scene in “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan. This one’s like a “Gossip Girl"...plus extra wit and a few extra billion. The movie came out in theaters earlier this year, with the first all-Asian cast set in modern times in over two decades. FYI, a sequel is already in the works.

For when you want to be inspired…

Meet “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas. After a high school student’s friend gets shot and killed by a police officer, she learns to find her voice...and use it to fight for something bigger than herself. Think: class, race, and police brutality in America. Watch it in theaters now, starring Issa Rae, Amandla Stenberg, Common, and more.

For when you stumble upon your sister’s old diary...

I thought it was a very sad, handwritten book. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han is a read we picked up *after* we watched slash fell in love with the movie on Netflix. Indulge your inner Tiger Beat reader and get ahead on the next two of the three-book series: “P.S. I Still Love You" and "Always and Forever, Lara Jean."

For when you’re looking for a TBT…

Throw it wayyy back. “The Alienist” by Caleb Carr follows a series of gory crimes happening in NYC at the turn of the century. TNT picked up “The Alienist,” and it’s currently producing the book’s sequel, “The Angel of Darkness,” with the same team: Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans, and Dakota Fanning.

For when you want to feel empowered…

Say hi to “Dietland” by Sarai Walker. In it, a woman struggling with her weight gets recruited to an underground community that’s sort of like a feminist Fight Club. You can watch it all go down on AMC.

For when you’ve run out of true crime podcasts…

Detective hat, back on. If you loved “Gone Girl,” you’ll like “Sharp Objects,” also by Gillian Flynn. This book has a plot twist that doesn’t reveal itself until the verrryyyyy end. And you can see Amy Adams like you’ve never seen her before (hint: in all black everything) in the TV adaptation on HBO.

PS: These are partner products, which means if you purchase, theSkimm may get something in return.