8 Books To Read Before They Hit Theaters This Year

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
Over the course of a Labor Day weekend in the late ’80s, 13-year-old Henry and his depressed mother Adele’s lives change when they harbor fugitive Frank Chambers at home. Frank fills a fatherless void for Henry and brings out life in Adele, all while the police are on the hunt for the escaped murderer.

The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel
Based on a true WWII story, museum curators, art historians, and others, collectively called the Monuments Men, risked their lives to save pieces of art that the Nazis planned to destroy. This book is a fascinating story about a rare WWII topic and shows how important it is to cherish artwork.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
Orphan and mechanic Peter Lake attempts to rob a Manhattan mansion only to find Beverly Penn, the daughter who resides in the home Peter believed to be empty. Thus begins the love affair between a middle-aged Irishman and a fatally ill young woman in a magical New York City.



Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
St. Vladimir’s Academy is a school for dhampirs, vampire-human hybrids who serve as guardians, and Moroi, “good” vampires with an ability to use magic from one of the four elements (water, fire, air, and earth). Vampire princess Lissa Dragomir and dhampir Rose Hathaway are best friends, connected through a special bond that they can’t quite explain. After escaping school for two years, the girls are brought back to the academy and are faced with Lissa’s mystery element (or lack thereof?) and the danger it brings.

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Four people come together on New Year’s Eve on the roof of Topper’s House, a London destination known as the last stop for those who are ready to end their lives. The story is told from four distinct points of view, filled with second chances and regrets.





Divergent by Veronica Roth

In a dystopian Chicago, society is split into five factions based on personality type (Dauntless, Amity, Erudite, Abnegation, and Candor). When Tris Prior finds out she doesn’t quite fit into any one faction, she’s declared Divergent, a dangerous revelation she must keep secret in order to survive. Once the Choosing Ceremony begins, Tris must decide to either join her family or follow her own path.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
A tumor-shrinking medical miracle bought Hazel a few years of time, but she’s a terminal time bomb, suffering from stage IV cancer. At a support group for her illness, she meets fellow cancer survivor Augustus Waters, a boy who pretends to smoke cigarettes and has a prosthetic leg. With a shared obsession for the novel An Imperial Affliction and a similar sense of sarcasm, the two fall in love, despite their inevitable fate.

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

When tragedy pushes Hassan and his family out of India, they eat their way around the world, settling in Lumière, a small town in the French Alps. The family opens an Indian restaurant that becomes wildly popular among the residents, infuriating their French rival Madame Mallory. After she wages a culinary war with the family, Mallory finally agrees to mentor Hassan, leading him to Paris and the launch of his own restaurant.

(Original list seen here)