This quarantine has allowed us the time to read all the new books and watch all the streaming services! A common trend in 2020 has been turning books into movies, full-blown TV shows, and most commonly into mini-series. I’ve personally loved this since I’m always interested in what characters would look like in real life. Some of the best books have become award-winning TV shows, like The Handmaid’s Tale, or fan-favorite movies such as the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy.
Today I’m sharing four books you should absolutely read before binging them online! Everyone knows books are always better than movies so you may as well cuddle up with your favorite beverage and enjoy flipping the pages before watching.
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Just imagine: two 17-year-olds forever changed by friendship, love and exploration. You can’t help but fall in love with both Finch, a strange gangly senior, and Violet, a quiet girl who’s a part of the popular crowd. What could possibly make these two utterly different teenagers cross paths? The bell tower. (Or in Netflix’s version: the bridge.)
Violet Markey is preparing for college, counting down the days until she gets to walk across the stage and graduate. She is ready to leave their small town in Indiana, and even more ready to get away from the constant grief over her sister’s death nine months ago. One day, while once again blaming herself for the death, she has had enough. She picks the bell tower lock, and climbs over the edge to look down. Frozen in fear at how close to death she is, she sees a boy in her peripheral vision, also over the edge of the tower.
That boy is Theodore Finch aka the class clown, the “weirdo,” the boy who’s always disappearing from school weeks at a time. This isn’t the first time Finch has been up on the bell tower’s ledge, but it is the first that he has had a companion. Finch has grown up with a moody father and a less-than-present mother. Fascinated by death, he seems to know all the suicide statistics, what methods work, what methods are favored in different countries and what famous poets and artists have killed themselves. Much of his dialogue in this book is him thinking of ways he may end his life. Pills, jumping, drowning? What will be his decision? No matter what he chooses, something always stops him from going all the way. On this particular day, it’s Violet.
After safely removing themselves from the ledge, Finch wants to know why she was on the bell tower. With luck on his side, they have class together. When their teacher announces their final project, one that requires them to discover the “natural wonders” of the state of Indiana, Finch claims Violet as his partner in an effort to get to know her better. Violet and Finch soon realize they have more in common than they think. They travel through the state creating a friendship along the way.
The story will take you and your emotions on quite the rollercoaster ride, emotionally and literally. Jennifer Niven’s book is heavy with loss and deals with mental illness and suicide. While reading, you will explore the broken lives of Theodore Finch and Violet Markey and effortlessly fall in love with these two characters. After you’ve finished, you can watch the movie rendition on Netflix – which is a bit different than the book but does share the same plot twist! Have tissues nearby for both, you’ve been warned.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
People are reacting to the new Hulu mini-series Little Fires Everywhere all over social media! It is truly the quarantine obsession of 2020! But before the series was created, the book was winning awards left and right in 2017. If you couldn’t get enough of Kerry Washington playing the role of Mia and found yourself clicking “Play Next Episode” over and over, then you will absolutely fly through the book with the same intensity. The book and Hulu series were very similar, however there are a few noticeable differences which leads me to say “you absolutely need to read the book!”
Shaker Heights is a picture perfect town full of people striving to make their lives look as put together as their lawns. The story (and show) begins as the Richardson home burns to the ground and Izzy, the youngest Richardson daughter, has vanished. While everyone is pointing fingers at Izzy for starting the fire, the reader is taken back in time to get a full view of what led up to the dramatic disaster.
Before the alleged arson, Mia, a struggling artist, and her daughter Pearl move to Shaker to start the next chapter of their lives. They meet Elena Richardson, a working mother of four, journalist, and cookie cutter version of what the perfect resident should be. Elena is known for being a bit abrasive but mostly prim and proper liking to take on projects to benefit the community. When Mia lands in her lap looking for work and a place to stay, she instantly jumps at the opportunity to form a friendship and rent out one of their homes in the neighborhood to them. Elena’s son, Moody, takes a liking to Pearl and before long the families are immersed into each other’s lives. But they couldn’t be more different. Pearl and Mia live paycheck to paycheck. The Richardson’s are wealthy and things come easy to the kids seeing as they’ve never had to face true hardships.
Used to moving around frequently, Pearl feels as if she has finally found a place to call home. She has friends, she’s going to a normal high school, and her mom found a job at a Chinese restaurant to support them while she creates art. However, the more time they spend in the town, the more time Shaker has to shake up their lives. When a very public custody battle breaks out, Elena and Mia find themselves supporting opposing sides.
There are so many secondary characters that play a huge role in how the events unfold in this story. The two families are night and day and as their lives start to revolve around one another, it could be catastrophic. While there is so much that goes on in this short novel, you’ll be able to keep up with the different characters and their story development. This book will compel you to dive into topics like motherhood, race, ethics, and so much more. I promise you will enjoy both the slower-paced book and the electric mini-series! I was so impressed with how well the director followed the book and casted the series. Of the four, this one is a must to watch!
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
When Big Little Lies became an HBO mini-series in 2017, it took the world by storm! Everyone was obsessed with the leading ladies (which I promise will be the case while reading the book too!) and their dramatic social circle. Last year, HBO continued to develop more of the story and created a second season that is now available on Hulu, if you don’t have an HBO subscription. Before binge-watching the second season, make sure to refresh your memory by reading the original script – the book!
The book will grasp your attention from the very first page. Madeline, your typical PTA mom, is someone who everyone wants to stay on the good side of. She is quick, vengeful, and is dealing with her ex-husband moving back into town which has really ruined her mood. Since remarried, Madeline and her husband’s daughter is starting kindergarten and is assigned the same class as her ex-husband and new wife’s daughter. She is livid. Also in the same kindergarten class, Celeste’s twin boys. Celeste is drop dead gorgeous but is hiding a horrible secret, one that even makeup is having a hard time covering up.
Then there is Jane, a single mom, who is new to town and struggling to answer her son’s constant questioning of who his father is. Madeline and Celeste instantly take Jane under their wing to show her what this town is all about. The book follows the lives of the women as they form friendships, uncover the truth of secrets they are keeping, and find their lives may be more intertwined than they could possible imagine. Perhaps these little lies aren’t so little after all, but instead BIG little lies.
I have yet to meet someone who didn’t love this book! I would recommend reading the book before watching either HBO season. Let me know in the comments below if you preferred the book or season 1! I think they did a stellar job of following the storyline and couldn’t have chosen a better cast!
Looking for Alaska by John Green
I can’t even recall when I first read Looking for Alaska; I was probably in high school. However, the story has stuck with me for many years so when I saw it listed as a Hulu mini-series arriving at the end of 2019, I was instantly excited to watch. The book, written by the same author as A Fault in Our Stars, is a typical young adult book with likable characters.
Miles “Pudge” Halter is fascinated with people’s famous last words. Seeking his “Great Perhaps,” he leaves his modern high school to spend his junior year at boarding school. Upon arrival, he becomes fast friends with Chip, Alaska Young, and Takumi. Alaska and Pudge form a special bond and have heart-to-hearts about books, religion, and other difficult topics. Alaska wants to know what Simon Bolivar’s last words “How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?” could have possibly meant. She tells Pudge if he can help her find the answer, then she will find him a girlfriend. Every teenage boy’s dream! She sets him up with Lara, a Romanian student, but as he dates Lara and gets closer to her, he can’t help denying that he has feelings for Alaska. But Alaska is battling her own demons. Ones that are capable of destroying everything around her.
Alaska is a very complicated character who is clearly struggling with mental illness and bad coping mechanisms revolving around her mother’s death. You will find yourself rooting for each character in the book, especially when they perform different pranks around campus. The novel will take you right back to high school, making you laugh, cry, and feel a bit nostalgic. It is a very fast read and the chapters are organized in a countdown, but what event the chapters are counting down to is unknown. Once you do know, you will wish you could turn back time. I really feel as if I can’t say too much about this book without giving the ending away. You will be surprised, you will be confused, you may even be mad but I can guarantee if you like the book, you will love the show. Give them both a try, and let me know what you think!
While we continue to hope and pray that quarantine is ending sooner rather than later, I know these four books and their TV renditions will hold you over until that time comes! There are so many books turning into screenplays right now and it makes me giddy to think about what other classics will soon be streaming. Are you more of a TV fanatic or die-hard reader? Let me know which of the four you are most excited to watch or read! Stay healthy, stay safe, and I’ll see you next time!