Book and Movie Pairings

I am here once again offering up suggestions on what to read and watch while we are all practicing social distancing. I thought it might be fun to pair some books and movies together. Some will be direct adaptations and others will just be loose inspirations or similar in feel/tone.

1. There's Someone Inside Your House and Scream

This may be an obvious choice because Stephanie Perkins was inspired by Scream to write her first young adult horror. Both are incredibly fun, scary, and smart.

2. In Cold Blood and Capote

I am currently reading this book (and it is amazing so far) and decided to put on Capote one night because I had never seen it before. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives one of the best performances I have ever seen. A tough, but mesmerizing, binge.

3. Overdrive and Gone In 60 Seconds

Both involve car heists and are incredibly fun. I know that these two pair very well because I totally watched the movie after reading this when it came out.

4. Stripped and Magic Mike

Both take place in the world of male strippers so the comparison is easily done. They both also boast really sweet friendships between the dancers that are really the heart of the stories being told.

5. Gone Girl and Gone Girl

This is one of my favourite books and one of my absolute favourite film adaptations. I have yet to read a thriller that surpasses Gone Girl for me. It is, for me, basically perfect. The movie adaptation is so well done (and perfectly cast) that it is one of the rare ones that stands up to the source material.

6. Tiger Lily and Peter Pan

Another of my most favourite books and pretty much my favourite Peter Pan adaptation. If you have not seen the 2003 Peter Pan I urge you to watch it. Jason Isaacs' version of Hook is one of the best I have ever seen.

7. Seduction and The Aviator 

Karina Longworth's book about Howard Hughes actually tells Howard Hughes' story through the various women in his life. It's a written, and meticulously researched read. The Aviator had Leonardo DiCaprio portraying Hughes and is worth the watch. You may not like Hughes much, but his life certainly was fascinating.

8. Catch and Kill and The Assistant

These two both deal with workplace sexual harassment while dealing with the subject matter quite differently. One is a fast paced and reads like a spy thriller, the other is a sort of meticulously done slow burn story. It wouldn't be an easy binge, but certainly they pair perfectly together.

9. Becoming Bonnie and Bonnie and Clyde

These each handle the myth of Bonnie and Clyde quite differently from other but I think both showcase why exactly their story still holds our attention today.

10. Stand By Me and Stranger Things

So technically I am cheating with this one, but I could not end this post without recommending two of my most favourite pieces of entertainment. The movie Stand By Me is my favourite movie of all time. It heavily influenced the Duffer brothers when they were creating Stranger Things. If you have some how not watched both of these bump them both up your to watch list.

Are there any other movie and book pairings that you would recommend? Let me know in the comments because we can all use more recommendations right now.