Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well in this pandemic and quarantine time. I think we could all agree this is the strangest thing a lot of us have lived through. We’re living out a part of history right now. It feels bizarre. Scary. Wild.

And I know looking back, our kids, grandkids, are probably all going to be envious of all the time we had indoors, doing what we wanted, missing work. But being part of it right now, it’s definitely not a relaxing time. Even if we spend all day reading books, watching films and playing games – our minds are always on overdrive.

As an introvert, I thought I’d love this lockdown. But turns out, I like the freedom of being an introvert the best. It allows me to choose between time with myself and time with my friends & family. We’ve suddenly lost our freedom, and it sucks.

But I wanted to make a list of something you can do to occupy yourself until this is over, and that’s a list of my favourite book to movie adaptations! So you can spend time reading, and then rewarding yourself with the film/tv version of the book.

1. Harry Potter

Of course, first up is the Harry Potter series. I know, original. But there’s no better time to reread the series and rewatch all the gorgeous films (and the bonus features). Because they’re really great, too.

I love how different each Harry Potter film is, and how they’re really true to the books (apart from Goblet of Fire, let’s not talk about Goblet of Fire, ok?).

The cinematography and special effects are beautiful. And the on-screen chemistry between Daniel, Rupert and Emma is flawless.

2. The Hunger Games

If you haven’t read The Hunger Games (which I’m sure you have), then now is the time. These books were what shaped my whole adolescence and the movies are brilliant.

Just wait until you get to Catching Fire. It’s one of my favourite films of all time, even disassociating it from the book. The emotional drive behind this film is so strong. 

3. The Fault In Our Stars

If you need a medium to get your pent up tears out, this is the book to movie adaptation to go for. The book itself is beautiful and can be easily devoured in one sitting. Then we have the film, which is just beautiful. I enjoy it every time I watch it. The only way I can describe the cinematography is neat. Everything is so clean and organised and it’s an aesthetically pleasing experience. Plus, it’s very true to the book! Some scenes are even word for word dialogue.

4. Gone Girl

Gone Girl is one of my favourite books of all time. It’s full of twists and turns you can’t see coming, and it keeps you gripped the entire way through. Although I don’t feel the movie captures the entire essence of the book, it does a pretty good job and is an enjoyable watch. If you watch it with people who haven’t read the book, it’s even more entertaining.

5. The Book Thief

When I read The Book Thief, I wasn’t fully convinced until the end. The writing was beautiful but I never really enjoy war plots. Historical fiction isn’t really my thing. But when I got to the end, I really loved it.

However, I prefer the movie! It’s much better paced than the film, in my opinion. Yet it still captures the poetic feel of the book.

6. Little Women

I feel in love with the Little Women books this Christmas. Oh my goodness – they are so gorgeous! Perfect for our current situation because they will give you hope and comfort for being indoors a lot.

The new film is beautiful. Definitely one of my favourite films of all time, too. I’m going to watch the other film during this quarantine phase, too, because I’ve heard it’s amazing as well.

7. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

I really loved this book. Personally, I think it’s better than the film, but it’s so cool seeing the characters come alive on the screen!

This book is soft and slow and poetic and sad, and the film is similar in all these things. But this book is full of magical quotes that will spark something in you, no matter who you are.

8. The Host

The Host is a LOOOONG book, so now is the time to work your way through it. Even if you’re not a Twilight fan, I think you’ll like Stephanie Meyer’s science fiction story. It’s so well written and full of amazing ideas and imagination. In terms of the film, it’s hard to pack in hundreds of pages into a couple of hours but it’s done pretty well. It’s an entertaining film and I really enjoyed my watch. Although, not as much as the book.

9. A Walk To Remember

I watched the film before I read the book, so I have a soft spot for the movie. In fact, I like it 10x more than the book. But again, if you want something emotional and romantic, then this is a great one to go for. In fact, I would actually just say to skip the book and watch the movie haha.

10. Matilda

The book and the movie here are so different. There’s a lot more magic in the film, but the book has a special charm. It’s Roald Dahl after all. In fact, when quarantine is over, you can even go see this in the theatre! I think the theatre performance is actually my favourite out of all three mediums.

11. The Last Song

Oh my gosh, I love this story. Both the book and the movie are so lovely. I could watch the film 100 times. It’s just so good. Miley Cyrus is just brilliant in it. I read the book after the movie, and can’t remember much about it, but I did enjoy reading it. I’m not sure Nicholas Sparks is for me, though.

12. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

This franchise irks me a lot, but there’s something… cute about it. The films are easy to watch and while they can be super frustrating, they’re still so watchable. Plus, they’re very true to the books. You can read these books quickly. In fact, the audio version is on YouTube. I read them in the background of cooking and driving and walking a few years ago.

13. A Series Of Unfortunate Events

Ok. My childhood. Seriously – this series is amazing. There are 13 books in this series so it takes a while to get through, but it’s worth it for this quirky sad story. This has been made into a Netflix series which is okay. I can only do one episode at a time because it’s a bit overwhelming, but the original film? Flawless. It steers away from the books quite a bit, but the aesthetic, costumes and casting is perfect.

14. Wonder

I really believe everyone should read this book, about bullying and love and friendship and diversity. It’s so beautiful and I cried reading it. I also cried during the film – it’s so great and the casting is wonderful. It’s such an important story and perfect for getting a good book to movie adaptation in during this time.

That’s all I’ll share with you for now. I have lots more I could recommend but I’ll save them for another post 🙂 Stay safe, guys. Xo