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If you're anything like us, you probably like to read the book before seeing the movie. This year, as usual, Hollywood is adapting a slew of books—fiction and nonfiction—into films. If you want to prepare yourself for these literary movies, look no further: We've compiled a handy reading guide for your convenience.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Coming to theaters: January 6, 2017
What it's about: Hidden Figures is the true story of the female African-American mathematicians employed at NASA who helped launch the program's first successful space missions. In the film version, we see three talented and determined women cross their profession's gender and race lines, proving that anyone can be a hero even if they're not in the spotlight.
Who'll be in the film: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Costner, Janelle Monáe
If you liked this, try: Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt, The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel
Live By Night by Dennis Lehane
Coming to theaters: January 13, 2017
What it's about: During the Prohibition era, a Boston man rises from petty thief to become the Gulf Coast's most successful rum runner. Live by Night gives us full "gangster tale," dealing with whether someone can be involved in the world of crime and still be a good person at heart.
Who it stars: Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldana, Sienna Miller
If you liked this, try: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
Coming to theaters: February 10, 2017
What it's about: This Fifty Shades of Grey sequel continues the sexy story of rich playboy Christian Grey and his lover Anastasia Steele. Darker deals with Christian's past lovers and continues the pair's will they/won't they relationship. Fifty Shades Freed completes the trilogy, and will also be made into a film.
Who'll be in the film: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger
If you liked this, try: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, One with You by Sylvia Day
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Coming to theaters: March 3, 2017
What it's about: This young adult novel follows Samantha, a teenager who relives the last day of her life over and over for a week. She is forced to untangle the mystery of her death and begins to question how perfect her former life actually was.
Who'll be in the film: Zoey Deutch, Jennifer Beals, Halston Sage
If you liked this, try: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Go Ask Alice
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Coming to theaters: March 10, 2017
What it's about: In this short, philosophical novel, which won the Man Booker Prize, Tony Webster comes face to face with his past and is forced to rethink his life. The Sense of an Ending is about the human condition and how we reflect on our experiences as time passes.
Who'll be in the film: Michelle Dockery, Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling
If you liked this, try: Levels of Life by Julian Barnes, The Sea by John Banville
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
Coming to theaters: March 31, 2017
What it's about: The keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, help to save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion during World War II. The Zookeeper's Wife draws on the unpublished diaries of Antonina and will shed light on what was a mostly unknown story before the book came out in 2007.
Who'll be in the film: Jessica Chastain, Daniel Bruhl
If you liked this, try: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Coming to theaters: April 14, 2017
What it's about: Grann's book introduces us to the true story of British explorer Colonel Percival Fawcett, who vanished in 1925 while searching for an ancient city in the Amazon. The Lost City of Z follows the paths of Fawcett's adventures, leading up to his disappearance in the jungle.
Who'll be in the film: Charlie Hunnam, Tom Holland, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson
If you liked this, try: Endurance by Alfred Lansing and Nathaniel Philbrick, The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Coming to theaters: April 28, 2017
What it's about: A woman gets a job at a powerful tech company called The Circle but begins to uncover its secrets. The Circle deals with how we use technology, and the boundaries between private and public, using the lead character's experience to explore whether tech companies ever get too close for comfort.
Who'll be in the film: Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, Karen Gillan
If you liked this, try: 10:04 by Ben Lerner, The Bug by Ellen Ullman
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Coming to theaters: May 5, 2017
What it's about: Two couples meet for dinner in Amsterdam. The mealtime conversation eventually leads to their sons, both of whom were involved in a horrific act that shattered their families. A surprising, dark thriller, The Dinner ultimately deals with the lengths parents will go to in order to protect their children.
Who'll be in the film: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall
If you liked this, try: Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch, You by Caroline Kepnes
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Coming to theaters: May 19, 2017
What it's about: In Everything, Everything, we meet Maddy, who is allergic to the world. She lives sealed inside her home, seeing only her mother and her nurse—and she accepts that's how it has to be. But when Olly moves in next door, the teenager wonders what it might be like to venture beyond her walls, and whether it might be worth the risk.
Who'll be in the film: Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Anika Noni Rose
If you liked this, try: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Berlin Syndrome by Melanie Joosten
Coming to theaters: May 26, 2017
What it's about: While on holiday in Berlin, a young woman falls swiftly in love with a local. When she tries to leave his apartment, however, she finds she can't leave. Published in 2012, Berlin Syndrome is a psychological thriller with a terrifyingly realistic setting.
Who'll be in the film: Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt
If you liked this, try: The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney, Room by Emma Donoghue
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
Coming to theaters: July 14, 2017
What it's about: In My Cousin Rachel, orphan Philip Ashley becomes his guardian Ambrose's heir after he dies suddenly in Florence. Philip plots against Ambrose's widow, Rachel, whom he believes was responsible for the death, but his feelings for her become complicated.
Who'll be in the film: Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin, Holliday Grainger
If you liked this, try: Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Coming to theaters: July 28, 2017
What it's about: Based on a series of eight books that crosses the horror, Western, and sci-fi genres, The Dark Tower is meant to be a new take on the series, rather than a direct adaptation of the story. The narrative centers on a young man who is transported to a realm called Mid-World, where he joins a quest to save the land.
Who'll be in the film: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey
If you liked this, try: Dune by Frank Herbert, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Coming to theaters: August 25, 2017
What it's about: Once upon a time—during the 1630s, to be exact—the humble tulip was considered a thrillingly beautiful and new flower. Set against this background, Tulip Fever describes a love affair between the young wife of a wealthy merchant and the artist hired to paint her portrait.
Who'll be in the film: Alicia Vikander, Cara Delevingne, Dane DeHaan
If you liked this, try: Paris Red by Maureen Gibbon, The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
It by Stephen King
Coming to theaters: September 8, 2017
What it's about: An evil entity hunts children, usually appearing as a killer clown to exploit their fears. It threatens to be totally terrifying, so sleep with the lights on if you plan to tackle either the book or the film.
Who'll be in the film: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher
If you liked this, try: Carrie by Stephen King, The Shining by Stephen King
The Snowman by Jo Nesbø
Coming to theaters: October 13, 2017
What it's about: A thriller about Detective Harry Hole, who investigates a woman's disappearance. The only clue as to what happened to her is a pink scarf wrapped around an ominous snowman, which seems to confirm a serial killer. It's one of several Harry Hole novels Nesbø has penned, so you can swing through the whole series if you like it.
Who'll be in the film: Michael Fassbender, Val Kilmer, Rebecca Ferguson
If you liked this, try: The Leopard by Jo Nesbø, Phantom by Jo Nesbø
The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
Coming to theaters: October 20, 2017
What it's about: Two people survive a plane crash, but are badly injured. Stranded, they are forced to trust each other in order to find safety in the deserted wilderness. The Mountain Between Us is a story about survival, but it also becomes a love story—between Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, no less.
Who'll be in the film: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba
If you liked this, try: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, Where the River Ends by Charles Martin
Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel
Coming to theaters: October 27, 2017
What it's about: Written by a MacArthur Fellow, Thank You for Your Service looks at what happens to soldiers once they return to the U.S. after their deployments end. The book is an intimate, rare look at the challenge of returning to civilian life and the lasting effects of combat.
Who'll be in the film: Amy Schumer, Miles Teller, Haley Bennett
If you liked this, try: For the Good Soldiers by David Finkel, Redeployment by Phil Klay
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Coming to theaters: November 17, 2017
What it's about: Auggie has a facial deformity that cause his schoolmates to shun him. In Wonder, which is told from several different viewpoints, we learn how Auggie sees himself and how others see him. Heartbreaking yet inspiring, this is one for both kids and adults.
Who'll be in the film: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay
If you liked this, try: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Coming to theaters: November 22, 2017
What it's about: Beloved Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of a wealthy American traveling on the famed Orient Express. Murder on the Orient Express has been adapted into a film before, but this new interpretation, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is highly anticipated. It's worth reading Christie's original work to see how this new version will stack up—unless you want to avoid spoilers.
Who'll be in the film: Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz
If you liked this, try: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Death On the Nile by Agatha Christie
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