1. I loved the Twilight series. The books I mean. Loved, loved, loved them! I know many people out there do not, and that only bothers me when they have to insult me because I do. There are books I don't like, but I don't insult the people who like them. I figure to each his own, and that is why there are so many different books out there to read! Which is a good thing!!! Okay, off my little soap box about this. The movies, especially the first one, were okay. Not great. The actors didn't match what I had pictured in my head really. But there are some good things. I could still enjoy the first one I think because I had read the book, and so the things left out, like why or how did Bella and Edward fall in love, so not shown in the movie, I already knew how it happened from reading the book. And the first movie got my sister to finally read and fall in love with them like I did. And I feel the movies have been getting better and better.
2. I was a late starter in the Harry Potter series. I started after the first four books were already out I believe. I am often not interested in joining into the latest bandwagon, often figuring I'll be disappointed, (case in point, 50 Shades, 'nuff said). But I had recently started working at the B.Dalton store in our local mall, and another employee gave me a stripped cover copy of the first one to try it out. And of course, I was hooked. I sped through the first 4, and then was eager for the 5th one to be released. I think the movies, especially the early ones, were really good. I know that I was disappointed though as they left sooooo much out of the Goblet of Fire, and then The Order of the Phoenix, I was so mad that they left out the parts about Ron and Hermione being prefects, and Ron playing Quidditch! I believe the movies then got better for the last 2 books (3 movies).
3. The Lightning Thief series by Rick Riordan also is a favorite book series. I started reading them the first year I went to my state librarians' association conference, and the author was one of the speakers. I LOVED them! And then I began reading them to my students, and they loved them! One of my favorite memories as a teacher is having the parent of one of those students come and say how thankful they were to me because now their son was loving the books, and at one point he got so into reading, that they bought him a Nook e-reader! I even took one of his copies of the books down to get autographed when I saw the author. Now, onto the movie. It was horrible! Percy was too old, he was supposed to be a middle schooler! So much was wrong! And I loved having my students that I had read the book with come back and complain to me about it! Students that hadn't read it loved it. If I had continued teaching that book, I would have shown the movie just to see the kids have the same reaction. And now I hear they're making the sequel? I want to know how? They ended the movie in a way that didn't leave it open for the sequel! Will I go see it? Maybe, in the hopes that maybe they can fix what they messed up and be able to make them all into movies.
4. The Hunger Games is another series I started because of the library association book awards. I read it a couple years ago when they were deciding whether to nominate it for that years possible award list. And of course, was immediately hooked. The movie, well, I have two differing opinions on it. When I went to the midnight show to see it, this was a book I had been teaching in my classroom for about 2 years, and I knew it inside and out from discussing characters and plots and settings, etc. So seeing it the first time I was a little disappointed. Some major things I didn't like about it, people and details I felt were important and shouldn't have been left out. But then, I went back and saw it again, without thinking about those things, and I thought they did a really good job. It was a great movie. Although again, I had students I'd read it with that were a little disappointed like me. (Is it wrong that secretly makes me happy? Or maybe not so secretly?)
5. Now, off of YA books, to one of the BEST movies made from a book EVER! The Green Mile by Stephen King. This was originally published in little mini-books, about a month apart for each of the 6 parts. I really liked this book/series, and I am a huge Stephen King fan, and I can name so many of his books they ruined in movies, such as Cujo. But this movie, at the beginning, when they're leading Michael Clarke Duncan's character down the "green mile", before the movie even tells what has happened, I was already in tears, because it totally made me remember the book, and what happens. They did an awesome job.
6. I am also a huge Dean Koontz fan, and one of my favorite of all his books is Watchers. And at the time, one of my favorite movie stars was Corey Haim, but he was not the right person for this movie. Especially since the Travis character was supposed to be a grown man. Changing the main characters to teens, and man, changing so much more of the story, the movie was horrible. I can only hope that one day someone will decide to do a remake and do it right.
7. I hadn't read the books when the True Blood series started. I decided to wait and read each book after each season. And that worked well, at first. The first couple seasons were pretty good, even with some of the changes. But then, I couldn't wait anymore and had to read on in the series, and so as seasons would start, so NOT where the next book was supposed to go, it made it harder to watch. And while I still watch the show, it is hard not to be irritated at a lot of the changes. I don't mind some of the outside stories that get added, what I hate is when they change things about the main characters and their stories. 
8. The Vampire Diaries. I was so excited to hear about this show! And then, I watched the very first episode and the things that were changed, well I was already OUT! The color of Elena's hair, wrong. Her aunt she lived with, was supposed to be an elderly woman from the way I read the book. So just, no. Also, I really loved the Secret Circle series by this same author, I used to read it over and over. So when I heard the CW was going to do a series on it, I knew there was no way I would even give it a chance.
9. Now this is a kind of backwards entry, Buffy the Vampire Series, the tv show with many novelizations. A lot of time novelizations are cheesy, don't really capture the essence of the show. But not in this case! There are some awesome books, ones that aren't just a written version of a specific episode. One of the authors that did this best was Nancy Holder, and I've recently reviewed her Teen Wolf series novel, and she's done it again!
10. Hmm, I'm debating between 2 books for this one, either Shopaholic, or 20 Times a Lady. I'll quickly brief both. Shopaholic, love the books, the movie, also good, but I think didn't quite do justice to what could have been done. 20 Times a Lady, or What's Your Number for the movie title, I haven't read in a while. But I loved the movie, thought it was funny, so guess it was okay! Plus it has Chris Evans, who, HOT!!!What about you? Are there any movies from books that you hated? Or ones that you thought were perfectly done? I'd love to hear about it!
