Books are my addiction.

The beautiful thing about books is that you are never reading the same novel. In each one, there is the opportunity to have an experience you’ve never had before, get lost in the pages or just find a new friend. Even re-reading books feels like catching up with a long lost friend and deepening the relationship as you learn something you might have missed the first time. One of my favorite quotes is “a reader lives a thousand lives” by George R. R. Martin. I love it because it’s true. Between all of the genres and even genre bending books, there are millions of worlds and lives to discover. 

Sometimes some of those characters, stories or worlds really resonate and stick with us. Those are the books that I find myself returning to when I’m in a reading slump or want to have the comfort of familiarity. One of those classic favorites from childhood was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Although the quintessential battle between good and evil is a main theme of the novel, what really resonated with me was watching Meg grow up and learn that she could do things for herself and that challenging the status quo can be necessary. Meg taught me that everyone experiences both 

joy and pain, but it’s the sum of all of our experiences that truly make us who we are. A more recent release that immediately became an all time favorite is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It was such a fun loving and big novel with tons of throw back 80s facts and trivia. It has adventure, romance, social commentary, and nostalgia all wrapped up into one great package. It is one I heartily recommend time and time again.

Both of these novels are being adapted into movies which are strangely both being released this month. I usually start out excited about adaptations as the books are getting more publicity, awareness and hopefully new readers. Then the fear sets in: what if they don’t do it justice? What if what I imagined isn’t what plays out across the screen? I end up recalling a Stephen King quote that states, “Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They both are fruit, but taste completely different.” It reminds me that the comparison can be pointless and misleading. To honor the fact that March is the month for book to movie adaptations to be released, here is a list (I’m sure there are more but these are the ones I could find with specific release dates) of books which are set to hit either the small or the big screen this year.

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews, released March 2nd

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, released March 9th

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, being released as Love, Simon on March 16th

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, released March 29th

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni, released April 20th

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, released May 18th

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, released August 17th

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, released August 31st

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, released September 14th

Boy Erased: A Memoir by Garrard Conley, released September 28th 

First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, released October 12th

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, released October 19th

The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz, released November 9th

My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots by John Guy, released November 2nd

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, released December 14th

A few books are also being adapted for the small screen in 2018, although most don’t have specific release dates yet. 

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden (March 30th on Amazon Prime)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (HBO)

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (HBO)

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (Starz)

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (Netflix)

Dietland by Sarai Walker (AMC)

I encourage you to read the book before seeing the movie or watching the show.

Happy Reading!