Reading Challenge Cheat Sheet

After the last two years (Thanks, Covid!), things are finally getting back to normal & that includes a smörgåsbord of Hollywood blockbusters!

But...

Where "normal" used to mean blockbusters that were "only available in theaters," the new normal includes the small screen, too! That means, not only are we treated to big, beautiful stars on the big screen, we are treated to big, beautiful stars on the small screen, as well (Thanks, Covid!).

And those screen adaptations are what August's Reading Challenge is all about. (Click here if you're not sure what Reading Challenge I am talking about.)

August's Reading Challenge is to read two books:

  • one made into a movie in 2022
  • one adapted to the screen in any year.

If you are taking the Reading Challenge with me this year (or even if you are not, but enjoy reading the book before watching it on screen), I am sharing my August Reading Challenge Cheat Sheet with you.

 

A Book Made into a Movie in 2022

1. Killing Floor by Lee Child

This first in the Jack Reacher novel series was finally adapted to the (small) screen thanks to Amazon Prime. Movie released: February 2022

2. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

This beloved classic-turned-movie is the long-awaited sort-of-sequel to Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot from the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express film. Movie released: February 2022

3. The Unbreakable Boy by Scott Lerette

The cast for this novel-to-movie is super promising and literally everyone is suggesting Kleenex, so consider yourself forewarned whether you're reading it or watching it. Movie released: March 2022

4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Potterheads, this one is for you! The 3rd in the Fantastic Beasts series is a prequel and the film is only loosely based on Rowling's novel, so if you inadvertently watched it before reading the book, there should still be no deterrent to enjoying the book. Movie released: April 2022

5. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico

This 1958 classic is totally new to me and sounds super intriguing, not to mention that it also seems like it could have been written yesterday! (Probably why they decided to cinematize it.) Cleaning lady becomes obsessed with fashion and travels in pursuit of it. Movie released: May 2022

6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This is a contemporary novel that made the rounds inside our Monthly Book Box membership because of the emotional beginning, puzzling middle, and "wrap it up with a bow" ending. Movie released: July 2022

7. Persuasion by Jane Austen

If you have not yet read Austen's last novel, consider this is the sign you've been waiting for. Movie released: July 2022

8. Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka

This action-packed thriller is about assassins on a train & it is sure to be a summer blockbuster with the star-studded cast it features. Movie released: July 2022

9. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

If you enjoy the King of Horror's tales, the latest version of this vampire thriller may hit you in just the right spot. Movie release: September 2022 

10. Operation Mincemeat by Ben MacIntyre

This nonfiction, WW2 will feature big names (think Colin Firth & Matthew MacFadyen in the same movie!) and an unforgettable true tale. Movie release: on Netflix sometime in 2022

11. White Noise by Don Delillo

The 1985 novel follows a Hitler studies professor and his family in the aftermath of a train accident near their hometown that covers the area with chemical waste. Sounds like an interesting semi-post-apocalyptic novel. Movie release: Sometime in 2022

12. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Two French sisters during WW2 navigate life, their relationship, and a world war. Movie release: December 2022

13. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I loved A Man Called Ove and I could not be more psyched to see the screen adaptation A Man Called Otto later this year. Movie release: December 2022

(See how very much I loved A Man Called Ove here.

A Book Adapted to the Screen (Any Year)

1. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

It is hard to believe that anyone has not read/enjoyed/lived the Little House series (book series as well as the 1970s television show), but I don't want to assume anything. If you've not experienced the prairie through this heartwarming story of the Ingalls Family, just do it. 

2. The Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Likewise, it's hard to imagine anyone that has NOT sleuthed their way alongside Sherlock & Watson both in Doyle's novels and through all of the various screen adaptations throughout the years (In fact, Guinness World Records awarded Sherlock as the most portrayed literary human character in film & tv!) One of the most beloved is Benedict Cumberbatch's version of The World's Greatest Detective in the BBC's most recent Sherlock series (for which the actor was nominated for 5 Emmys!). Not sure where to start? Click here.

3. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

If you're searching for happy-go-lucky, scroll on because this Atwood plot is as bleak as The Handmaid's Tale. Alias Grace is about an Irish maid accused of murder and is almost guaranteed to be a worthwhile read + watch with a 99% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

4. Poldark by Winston Graham

Following the American Revolution, Ross Poldark returns home to find that home is not how he left it. First of all, his family (and fiancé) thought him dead. If that's not the set-up for an awesome novel and tv series, I don't know what is. Plus, the last PBS season took a turn away from Graham's novel series so reading v. watching will vary enough to keep you guessing. Enjoy! 

5. Call the Midwife series by Jennifer Worth

If you've already fallen for the BBC television series set in London in the 1950s that follows the post-war baby boom, you'll love this collection of stories by author Jennifer Worth that the series is based upon - credited with being very close to the real-life people and places Ms. Worth wrote about in her memoir.

6. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

If you're a fan of the Starz hit, you've got to read the novels upon which they are based. Time travel. War. Complicated family relationships. Love. Danger. This book series has it all with the added bonus of Scotsmen in kilts and clever banter.

7. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

In addition to the original movies directed by Peter Jackson, I know some of you will be as surprised as I was to learn that Middle Earth is coming to the small screen in an 8-episode prequel that has ALREADY been green-lighted for a second season on Amazon Prime!

What about you?

Which book(s)-turned-movie(s) in 2022 would you recommend?

Which book adaptations have you enjoyed?

Add your titles in the comments for an evergreen list of our favorites.

4 comments

  • I’ve not read Where the Crawdads Sing, but want to as well as watch the movie. Also, A Man Called Ove book was fantastic and a real tear jerker so I may have to watch the movie if it comes out up here in Montana. I’m currently reading the most recent Outlander book so I’ve got my 2 books picked out for the month. I also loved LHotP, the Outlander series, and the LotR series. Thanks for the recommendations!

    Amgie
  • A lot of those are exciting to me. I maybe haven’t read the books but I’ve seen the movies- that’s usually because I learn it’s a book as the beginning credits are rolling.
    I recommend Where the Crawdads Sing, the book and the movie.
    Of course I recommend Outlander and Little House on the Prairie (books and small screen).
    Here’s where it gets to me recommending the movies and shows and me needing to add more books to my TBRP!
    Death on the Nile, Fantastic Beasts, & Calltge Midwife!

    Heather
  • I am super excited to see Bullet Train!

    Simon the IT Guy
  • I don’t have any recommendations for books made into movies this year because I haven’t seen any of them yet! I am reading The Nightingale as that part of the challenge. For the second part of the challenge I will be reading book 2 in the Last Kingdom series; my son has suggested streaming The Last Kingdom several times and I fully intend to take that suggestion. I have already read so many books into movies or series over time but I feel like I need to read a new one for the challenge or I’d be cheating! Of some of the suggestions you mention above, I would recommend Poldark, LOTR, Outlander, and Sherlock Holmes.

    Lynda A.

Leave a comment