Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Should Be A Movie/Show

“Even a perfect machine wasn’t built to go this fast.”

First line in Proxy by Alex London

The Top Ten Tuesday topic of today is one that is always fun to discuss: books that should be a movie/show. There’s just something very exciting about being able to watch your favorite book instead of just reading it, but as we have seen several (!) times, it doesn’t always work. There can be multiple reasons why but sometimes, we as readers just need to accept that not every book is adaptable.

Today, however, I’m sharing the books I think would definitely work as either a movie or a show and how that is. A lot of books are in the process of being adapted but I believe I’ve found 10 books that so far aren’t in the works.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl so head over there to check out the future topics.

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Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

🎬 Movie

With Silver in the Wood you have the advantage of adapting a novella so you would probably not have to cut anything from the story at all. It might even give the writers the creative freedom to add some scenes that you don’t see in the book due to its single POV narrative and thereby expand the story. The movie doesn’t just become a copy of the book but actually adds to it without damaging the storyline.

The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith

🎬 Movie / 📺 Show

I’m undecided whether this is best as a movie or a show, but leaning towards movie. It’s a quite character-driven book so there aren’t that many ‘big events’ to fit into a 2-hour movie. I would just really love to see this library and how characters would pop out of books.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

📺 Show

It’s a series of 4 books (although still waiting for the fourth), but I think too much happen in each book to successfully adapt them into movies. There wouldn’t be time to develop the characters and make the audience care about them. It takes place in a very rich world so it would be a shame not to take advantage of that and use it to flesh out the characters a bit more. I’m also convinced this whole Roman inspired world would mean some very beautiful and aesthetically pleasing shots that I just need to see.

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

🎬 Movie

This just needs to be a thing. It’s the only book on my list that isn’t SFF so in comparison to the rest, this is easily adapted. Just go do it. The world needs more rom-coms that aren’t about straight people.

The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards

📺 Show

In the future when this series has had some more books published, it would be the PERFECT show! There is so much of this world to explore. So many possibilities for the writers to create new content. It’s also a world that gives the creators immense opportunities to play around with sets and costumes in colorful variations. And it’s also incredibly diverse. I need this!

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

🎬 Movie

We need another YA dystopian (or utopian?), right? I think these books have some incredibly important messages about life, and therefore they need a bigger audience than just those of us who read. I also really want to see how creators would imagine this futuristic world where (almost) all of our problems are solved.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

🎬 Movie

For me this could be an example of how a movie can make a book better because the writing style isn’t the thing being adapted. I’ve seen a few people have issues with Lynch’s style, myself included, but I think the story itself is strong and eventful enough to be a movie. So much action in this book. Fight scenes, deaths, heists. Then add in its very… colorful characters and a beautiful setting and you have a great action/adventure movie.

We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

🎬 Movie

A contemporary with a sci-fi twist should be easy to adapt. I really want to see it as a movie because it deals with some very heavy and important mental health topics. It also asks the question of whether you would want to save the world in its current state? Is it worthy of being saved? I think that is an interesting moral dilemma.

Sorcery of Thorns Margaret Rogerson

🎬 Movie

Please, I need this! I need to see the libraries. I need to see interactions between Elisabeth, Nathaniel and Silas.
Will it work as a movie? Yes, I believe so, but the hardest thing will be to capture the atmosphere that comes from Rogerson’s beautiful writing.

(Sorry that one was more me fangirling than an actual argument as to why it should be a thing)

Proxy by Alex London

🎬 Movie

Not gonna lie, it’s been a while since I read this one. It’s a YA dystopian which we have seen the market willing to adapt before. This one is especially relevant now as its main character is black and gay. And those aspects of his character aren’t even the focus of the story as far as I remember. That’s just who he is. That kind of character isn’t represented a whole lot, especially not in SFF, so I really want this to become a movie.

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Those were 10 books I really wish would be adapted. I think some of them might have a shot in the future so crossing my fingers. Both that it will happen and that they will be good!
What are some books you really want to see adapted?