#PINNED: We wouldn’t mind seeing these books turned into films

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There’s something about books that make them prime escapist material, especially for us nerds. For movies and other more visual forms of entertainment, you’d need certain emotional triggers to be able to connect with the story. For books, you’re the trigger yourself. The only limitation is, of course, your imagination.

The Harry Potter movies can never hold a Lumos to the wonderful Wizarding World that you had in your head when you first started reading the books. The same way that Middle Earth seemed more… just more, when you were reading the books. Or the rather lackluster attempt of the Norwegian Wood movie to capture the spellbinding allure of the book. Something already got lost in translation, true. Even more got lost in the adaptation.

That is also the reason why the book version will always be better than the movie. #Fact. Which is, however, not the essence of this article.

Whether we enjoy the film adaptation or not, we still get to experience the book all over again and we get to appreciate the book even more. This is why we’ve decided to come up with a list of books that we would love, grudgingly and with many, many reservations, to see on the big screen.

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

We vividly remember reading this and marveling over the book’s timeline. Taking place in the hours between midnight and dawn, After Dark is an invitation to the many possibilities that can take place after dark. Doesn’t that beg for a film adaptation? Also, known as a lover of music, Haruki Murakami references numerous classical and jazz music in the book. Instant soundtrack for the film, if you ask us.  Here's a playlist that you might be interested in listening to:

Favorite line in the book that we would love to hear in the film: “Someday you’ll find the right person, and you’ll learn to have a lot more confidence in yourself. That’s what I think. So don’t settle for anything less in this world, there are things you can only do alone, and things you can only do with somebody else. It’s important to combine the two in just the right amount.”

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. After reading its description, we were immediately hooked. More than a letter, it is also a coming-of-age story that explores race, class, and masculinity. We were moved by Ocean Vuong’s storytelling and we can already picture ourselves crying over its film adaptation. Be honest. Wouldn’t you watch a film with such a beautiful and interesting title?

Favorite line in the book that we would love to hear in the film: “What a terrible life, I think now, to have to move so fast just to stay in one place.”

The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

The Zahir is one of our favorite Paulo Coelho books so you can call us biased for including this, but we have a reason for that. The Zahir tells a story of best-selling novelist whose wife of ten years disappeared along with a friend of his. The novelist then embarks on a pilgrimage to look for his wife that ends up being a self-discovering experience for him. Films about self-discovery are really enlightening to watch, and we think The Zahir would be a great addition.

Favorite line in the book that we would love to hear in the film: “The most important thing in all human relationships is conversation. If we want to change the world, we have to go back to a time when warriors would gather around a fire and tell stories.”

The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry

One morning, a librarian finds a reader who was locked in the library overnight. The librarian then tells a soliloquy about her passion for books and her experience with unrequited love. Isn’t this the perfect setting for a love story? It would be interesting to see where the film will take these two characters.

Favorite line in the book that we would love to hear in the film: “Book and reader, if they meet up at the right moment in a person’s life, it can make sparks fly, set you alight, change your life.”

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

This book. Oh, this book. Out of all the books we’ve read so far, A Little Life is the book that really made us cry the most. It’s a book that tells us about the families we are born into and the families we create for ourselves. Hanya Yanagihara created four characters who resonate with you, who feel like family. This book deserves a film series. If you have read this book, then please let us know because we think we’ll be good friends.

Favorite line in the book that we would love to hear in the film: “I know my life’s meaningful because I’m a good friend. I love my friends, and I care about them, and I think I make them happy.”

Okay. We have to concede that hating on bad film adaptations has grown really stale, considering that everyone knows that the book is and will always be better. And yes, we can’t really expect the entire book to be in the movie. Movie directors have the decency and business acumen to cut long books into several movies or stretch thin material into three movies. We're looking at you, The Hobbit trilogy.

Should we stop comparing what was missing in the movie from the book? Of course not, we enjoy those discussions ourselves. Prime nomo material, if you ask us. Pair that with comparisons between the movie and the book, and you're definitely assured a raging hangover the next day plus a few thousand plot lines that you'll probably never remember.

What we should do, at the very least, is to just treat the book and film adaptation as separate entities. You should try that, doing that helps us sleep at night.

Do you have a book in mind that you’d love to see on the big screen? Share it with us!