my favorite books on the big screen

Hey guys! In case you didn't get the memo, I'm hosting a giveaway this week to celebrate reaching 500 followers on Twitter! I'm giving away three awesome books that are coming out as movies in the next year!

In keeping with that theme, here are three of my favorite books on the big screen:

1. The Count of Monte Cristo

This one is very controversial, because the movie takes a lot of liberties with the original story. Characters that barely knew each other are best friends, Edmond's time in the Chateau d'If is shortened considerably, whole story-lines are completely ignored - and I love it. As I said yesterday, when I watch movies I try to forget there was a book at all and see the movie as its own story. This is one of those movies where if you get hung up on the changes, you will hate it. But if you let yourself enjoy it for what it is, it's absolutely phenomenal.

Can I say whether I like the book or the movie better? Not even if I tried. They're so different, but they're both amazing and beautiful because they're true to their own language.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, please do. It's one of my top three favorite movies of all time. And if you haven't read the book - be ready for an adventure!

2. The Hunger Games

I read this whole series in two days. I was late to the party, not reading them until a couple weeks before the premiere, but oh my gosh I couldn't get enough! From the characters to the world building to the writing itself, they were just phenomenal. I was immediately sucked in and couldn't leave until I read all there was to read.

When the movie came out, I was at the midnight premiere. I was excited, but also apprehensive. The Hunger Games is one of those books that relies so much on internal monologue (largely because Katniss is alone in the arena for the majority of the book) and I wasn't sure how it was going to translate onto film, but I LOVED IT. I loved every minute of that movie, and the little changes that were made didn't bother me in the slightest.

This is easily one of the best book-to-movie adaptations ever made, and it's so true to the book, more than any other I've seen. Also, it's just plain intense.

And last, but definitely not least...

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2


Harry Potter. What more can I saw about Harry Potter? Those books were my childhood. They changed my life in so many ways. They helped me become the person I am today, and helped me see what was possible. They've inspired me, uplifted me, given me hope. The affect they've had on my life - and the lives of countless others - cannot begin to be measured.

The movies. There were hits, there were misses. I personally enjoy them all, but there are definitely some parts that I don't think they should have changed and some parts that they cut out that I think were important to the story. However, they're all still great movies.

I almost died when I heard they were making the last book into two movies. Deathly Hallows, Part 1, exceeded my expectations. I was thrilled with it, and couldn't wait to see part 2.

Oh. My. Gosh.

What a magnificent end to an era. I know some people won't agree with me, but I loved everything about this movie - even the battle with Voldemort at the end. Yes, I loved the battle in the book too, but I felt that the way the movie portrayed it was very fitting. The whole movie was just phenomenal, and I cried when it ended almost as much as I cried when I finished the seventh book.

You can disagree with me all you want. It was a phenomenal movie, easily the best of the Harry Potter series, and if there had never been a book everyone would be in agreement.

So there you have it, my top three book-movies! Tomorrow I'll tell you what some of my least favorite book-to-movie adaptations have been (and why)!

What's your favorite movie adaptation of a book?

♥tg