1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Movie Release: June 6, 2014
– This “slice-of-life” novel follows the story of Hazel Grace, a stage IV cancer patient and self-titled “ticking time bomb,” and Augustus Waters, a bad boy with a cigarette between his teeth, as they attempt to live out the life Fate has dealt them. After meeting at a cancer patient support group, the two immediately fall into a relationship that celebrates the little, simple, and precious moments of life and love. From a shared love of the book An Imperial Affliction, to a shared infinity, Hazel and Augustus’s relationship reminds readers that it is never too late to experience a love that challenges the stars themselves. Keep the tissues close as you read this book on a day when you have no plans, because this page-turner will send you on a rollercoaster ride that is worth the time.
2. A Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
Movie Release: February 14, 2014
– With its recent cinematic release on Feb. 14th, this book is a great read for those with a love of fantasy and romance. A Winter’s Tale is about Peter Lake, a middle-aged robber who stumbles across the young Beverly Penn as he attempts to rob her family’s Manhattan home in the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. What follows is a love story that crosses time and lifetimes as Beverly suffers from a terminal illness while Lake fights to save her. Don’t let its chilly title fool you; this book is sure to bring warmth to any reader’s heart.
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Movie Release: March 21, 2014
-Calling all Hunger Games fans! This action-packed novel is a nail biter. Set in dystopian Chicago, Tris Prior strives to live a life below the radar of her government as a Divergent, a person who does not fit in the society’s five cultural categories. With her title, Tris has been labelled a threat, and has to fight for her ability to choose the life she wants to live. Does she follow the path of least resistance and live the life her family forged before her? Or does she take a stand to live out the destiny Fate has written for her? Another page-turner that can’t be put down, Divergent is sure to take you on a wild ride.
4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Movie Release: Later 2014
-What is a twenty-something woman supposed to do when she loses her mother to terminal cancer and her marriage in a matter of months with nothing left to lose? Well, if you are Cheryl Strayed, you hike 1,100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail to find a new meaning for life. An honest memoir that brings together a perfect blend of suspense and humor, Wild is a good read for the adventurer in all readers.
5. Serena by Ron Rash
Movie Release: Later 2014
– The life of a newlywed has never been so dramatic and intense. Set in the 1920’s, Serena follows the lives of George and Serena Pemberton as they strive to build a timber empire and new life together at the cost of those around them. But the road to success becomes rocky for the couple as skeletons start emerging from the couple’s past, including George’s illegitimate son out of wedlock. As Serena Pemberton knows, the life of a titan has no room for any dirty secrets, and she makes it her mission to get rid of George’s son. With plenty of blood, deception and greed, this novel can satisfy the history enthusiast in readers.
