"The book was better," is a common saying that we have all said at one point in our lives. In fact, one of the librarians at QPL refuses to watch a book-to-screen adaptation until she has read the book. That's serious! Is the saying always true though? Grab one of these books before watching the adaptation and decide for yourself!
- Wicked: the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West - You might have already watched Part One of the John Chu-directed film last year. But that was only half the story, so you still have time to read the book before Part Two comes out in November! Follow the story of Elphaba and Galinda before Dorothy dropped in to Oz. You will meet characters new and familiar as the young witches test the boundaries of friendship through love and loss.
- The Housemaid - Freida McFadden's breakout hit will hit screens in December, starring Sydney Sweeney as the titular housemaid. When she goes to work for a couple, she discovers there might be some things that money can't buy. If you like this first book, you're in luck because there are two sequels and a novella in the Housemaid series.
- Project Hail Mary - Ring in Spring with this Science-Fiction offering based on the book by Andy Weir. If you liked The Martian, starring Matt Damon, then this might be for you. This story features another lonely astronaut, except this time, he has no memory of who he is or what he's doing on a space station. As Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) recovers his memories, he learns he might be responsible for saving all life on Earth.
- The Odyssey - You can never go wrong with a classic! And nothing says classic, like ancient Greece. Matt Damon (yes, the Martian) will star in an adaptation of Homer's epic poem. As Odysseus, Damon will play the most lost Greek hero in history, taking 10 years to make his way home. The movie is star-studded, which means everyone will be talking about this, so you definitely want to read this before July 2026.
- Verity - In addition to the adaptation of her book Regretting You coming out this month, Colleen Hoover is getting another movie for her book Verity next year. The story follows Lowen Ashleigh as she begins work as a ghostwriter for Verity Crawford, an already established author. The mysterious circumstances of her job unravel as the narrative unfolds. The movie will star Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett.
Check out any of these titles or something else from our "Page to Screen" display so that next time you say, "The book was better," you can really mean it.