Books That Deserve Movie or TV Adaptations

Books have been a part of my life since I was a young girl. I’ve loved reading all my life. There are times when I tend to be on a reader’s block and I can’t get myself to read anything (like these past few months/years, I blame the pandemic), but I still enjoy the magic of reading and having all these people and places come to life in my imagination. It’s such a welcome concept for me to have a book adapted for the screen (both big and small), but I think that it is an idea that is not always a win for book lovers like me. 

In an episode of the Fandesals Podcast, Judith and I discussed some of the books that were adapted as movies or as series. We talked about which ones worked and which ones did not and what the factors were that made us like or dislike these adaptations (the episode is embedded at the end of this post). 

Since the podcast episode already discussed what I liked and did not enjoy, I thought it would be great to share some of the books that I wish would be turned into a movie or series. Here is a list of books that I hope I would see on screen one day:

Interim Goddess of Love Series, Mina Esguerra 

This was one of the first book series I have read from a Filipino author and I loved every single bit of it. To incorporate Filipino gods and goddesses and having this world/universe where they are living in our present time (incognito) was very interesting and it put my imagination on overtime because I kept picturing what everything and everyone looked like. I fell in love with the characters and not only would I love to see this on screen but I am still wishing that there would be more books featuring these characters in the future if Mina ever decides to write them one day. 

Paper Planes Back Home, Tara Frejas

I mentioned this book in another podcast episode where we talked about our favorite books. I think that I also mentioned in that episode that I had wanted this to be adapted into a movie. I thought that there was so much magic in this story but also a lot of emotions involved and I would love to see how this would play out on screen. Out of all the books that I mention in this post I think this is the one that I want to see adapted the most. 

The Selection Series, Kierra Cass

From what I have heard, there have been several attempts to make this series of books into a series but they never pan out. I think that a pilot has even been made at one point but it never got past that. Recently, there was news that Netflix has optioned the books, but they eventually said that they were not going to push through with the project. It is sad because considering how many times it has been optioned that means that there is a lot of potential to adapt these books. I can’t help but wonder what the problem is and why the adaptations never seem to pan out. I have always pictured Toby Regbo as the male lead in this series but with the adaptations never working out I think he is slowly becoming too old for my dream to see him in a show or movie adaptation of this one.

If You Could See Me Now, Cecelia Ahern

I also mentioned this in our favorite books podcast episode for the Fandesals. I enjoyed reading this book and I thought that it was a fresh idea that I would love to see on either TV or in the cinema. Having that somewhat perfect, imaginary friend becomes a real person that you can see and hear and touch (and fall for) is something I have never read before this book. The way it was presented in the book really made me picture the scenes as they happened. I think that it would be a heartwarming story to see on screen if they could make this happen. 

I am sure that there are a lot of books that have so much potential to be adapted on screen but for me, these are at the top of my wish list. Unfortunately, there are so many things to consider when it comes to adaptations, which is why many books even when optioned (as with The Selection) do not work out. It is the process of these adaptations and the many aspects that have to be considered that is also the reason why some adaptations end up disappointing fans of the books in the end. 

Are you a book lover like me? Are there books that you would love to see adapted as a series or a movie? Leave me a message and share what you think! I'll end this post with the podcast episode on Books to Screen adaptations from the Fandesals Podcast. Enjoy!