Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book based on a popular movie

Ooohh! Oooohhh! I cannot remember the title... Oh, yes! The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro! I loved the movie and loved the book! How about you?

Listopia is HERE

There are lots of novelizations and tie-ins out there to recommend. The very first Star Trek book I read was Star Trek III: The Search for Spock by Vonda N. McIntyre. It stands on its own very well (I had not seen any Trek movies when I read the book), and it adds a lot of material to what was actually on screen.

It can also be found in the omnibus Duty, Honor, Redemption if that is cheaper or easier to locate.

Gosh, I haven't read a novelization since high school. This one will be interesting, I'm sure. Maybe I'll bend the rule and read Fable: the Balverine Order - based on a popular video game.

What about As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride? Is that cheating? I really don't want to read a novelization (but will if I have to).

I am going to cheat slightly with this one and read a Star Trek novel I already own. It's a compilation by the Deep Space Nine writers of stories that happened during the Dominion War but didn't appear in the series. I have looked through list after list of books based on movies/films and can't find anything I think I could bear to read.

Milena wrote: "What about As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride? Is that cheating? I really don't want to read a novelization (but will if I have to)."

I loved this book! I have no vote but I still vote "yes!"

A making-of or "Art of" book related to a popular movie would also work. Star Wars definitely has some incredible art books. They are also short reads if you are not as enthusiastic about this prompt.

Milena wrote: "What about As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride? Is that cheating? I really don't want to read a novelization (but will if I have to)."

Oooh I like this idea, Milena! If we follow this vein, Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather is another option!

Looking at my shelves, I may go with Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-earth

Dixie wrote: "Milena wrote: "What about As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride? Is that cheating? I really don't want to read a novelization (but will if I have to..."

Why do you not have a vote? There is no official Popsugar representative in this group. I guess Nadine or Lynn are the closest to officials we have. But your vote counts to me, so thank you.

I have the novelization to Pacific Rim: The Official Movie Novelization (which was quite popular at its time) so I think I will reread that!

Arrow and Superhero Television: Essays on Themes and Characters of the Series

I think this could work. Writers wrote essays based off the show Arrow.

Some other examples just came to me.

Ian Doescher has written some amazing movie adaptations in the style of Shakespeare. Back to the Future, Mean Girls, and all of the Skywalker Saga movies have been done this way.

There are also plenty of philosophy and essay books based on movies. The Matrix is a fun source for them. There was also Star Wars on Trial, which playfully but thoughtfully looked at the movie series from a moral sense within the universe and in our world.

Think I might go with Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, which I've wanted to read for awhile. Although, I do also have As You Wish, mentioned upthread. If I don't use that for Hollywood, maybe here!

I feel like I have a million things to say in this thread, as tie-in books are my main wheelhouse.

Joanna, both of the From a Certain Point of View books are great, and there is likely a Return of the Jedi one coming for 2023 if they could pull it together with the current publishing realities. Anthologies like that are also cool in letting you discover other authors you may like with a smaller time investment. In the Legends continuity, the Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina, From Jabba's Palace, and of the Bounty Hunters are worth a look.

Comics can count, too, and I would recommend Star Wars: Crimson Empire as an outstanding example.

I would be willing to read a comic or graphic novel based on a movie. Will look for recs in this thread.

Brandon wrote: "Joanna, both of the From a Certain Point of View books are great, and there is likely a Return of..."

Oh nice, I didn't know there were two. Even better!

Milena wrote: "I would be willing to read a comic or graphic novel based on a movie. Will look for recs in this thread."

Some links to help you out:
Graphic Novels Based on Movies and TV Shows: https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/list/sh...

Wikipedia's "List of Comics Based on Films" page, quite exhaustive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

They made a novelization of The Goonies, if anyone wants some 80s nostalgia. There's extra scenes that weren't in the movie, including the octopus Andi mentions on the beach at the end of the movie. :)

I’m thinking of cheating on this one and expanding it to be “movies or TV shows.” I can’t think of anything in Mount TBR based on a movie, but have endless options for TV shows: Monk, Psych, Charmed, Downton Abbey, Castle.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Milena wrote: "I would be willing to read a comic or graphic novel based on a movie. Will look for recs in this thread."

Some links to help you out:
Graphic Novels Based on Movies and TV Shows: h..."

Thank you!

Melissa wrote: "They made a novelization of The Goonies, if anyone wants some 80s nostalgia. There's extra scenes that weren't in the movie, including the octopus Andi mentions on the beach at the en..."

The octopus was a deleted scene in The Goonies, I have the DVD and it's on there.

I'll probably go the route of nonfiction about the making of a movie. In addition to the above-mentioned As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, I've also read and liked Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman and The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made. Anybody have any more recs on those lines? I love a good behind-the-scenes book.

Ooh, I hadn't considered nonfiction based on a movie!

I literally have The Ghosts of Medgar Evers: A Tale of Race, Murder, Mississippi, and Hollywood on my night stand right now!

I also have We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Legend and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Film on my TBR.

The Rise of Skywalker

There are a TON of Star Wars books. Either the original movies or a ton of side stories that authors have written. I have half a shelf of them and I'll read one of these.

Jackie wrote: "I'll probably go the route of nonfiction about the making of a movie. In addition to the above-mentioned As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, I've..."

Oh nice- I was having trouble with ideas for this one. I think I'll read Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman!

Another similar choice might be The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries: Bringing Jane Austen's Novel to Film. Haven't read it myself though

Melissa wrote: "They made a novelization of The Goonies, if anyone wants some 80s nostalgia. There's extra scenes that weren't in the movie, including the octopus Andi mentions on the beach at the en..."

I wasn't the first, but I also suggested the novelization category because of the 80s and 90s novelization books. I've been collecting them, including Goonies. I apologize to all those who aren't so thrilled with the category. ;) A few other novelizations I've picked up:

, which has the original intended ending of the film.







A great source for movie novelizations is https://movienovelizations.com

Milena wrote: "What about As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride? Is that cheating? I really don't want to read a novelization (but will if I have to)."

I am going to read this book for this prompt as well. And I don't think it's cheating because it's based on The Princess Bride.

The Disney Twisted Tales would be an option for anyone who likes Disney movies. They take the classic films and turn them on their head, and best of all, there's 13 of them so far. I do own Conceal, Don't Feel from Christmases long ago, so I will definitely have to give this one a read.

Dedra ~ A Book Wanderer wrote: "Melissa wrote: "They made a novelization of The Goonies, if anyone wants some 80s nostalgia. There's extra scenes that weren't in the movie, including the octopus Andi mentions on the..."

Thanks for the link to the movie novelisations site, it's really useful!

Ron wrote: "Arrow and Superhero Television: Essays on Themes and Characters of the Series

I think this could work. Writers wrote essays based off the show Arrow."

Thanks for this suggestion, Arrow is my favourite TV show and I didn't know this book existed!!

Sandra wrote: Thanks for this suggestion, Arrow is my favourite TV show and I didn't know this book existed!!

I'll tell you what, I didn't know it existed either. I was searching for some other book on amazon and that one came up so being a fan too it was a must. I've read a few essays so far and I love it!

Would Heir to the Empire work?

Megan wrote: "Would Heir to the Empire work?"

I would say any Star Wars book would count for this prompt.

M wrote: "The Disney Twisted Tales would be an option for anyone who likes Disney movies. They take the classic films and turn them on their head, and best of all, there's 13 of them so far. I do own [book:C..."

THANK YOU for this idea/suggestion! I was not looking forward to this prompt but a book in this series is something I could look forward to reading - even tho I never knew this existed.

Jen wrote: "Megan wrote: "Would Heir to the Empire work?"

I would say any Star Wars book would count for this prompt."

Awesome, thank you!

I may continue in reading the Buffy Season 9 comics or the omnibuses (no idea how to pluralize that word). Glad I read these as the prompt isn’t one of my favourites… Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Omnibus, Vol. 1

Brandon wrote: "I feel like I have a million things to say in this thread, as tie-in books are my main wheelhouse.

Joanna, both of the From a Certain Point of View books are great, and there is likely a Return of..."




Please keep making recommendations!! I can see this category will be my biggest struggle. The only novelizations I really read are Buffy, which is a TV show, not a movie. I COULD bend this category and read a Buffy comic book, but I'm trying to stay true to the category and find a book based on a movie.

I've thought about a memoir (but we already have celebrity memoir) or non-fiction about the making of or the impact of, etc etc ... but tbh I really don't care about most of it. Destroy All Movies!!!: The Complete Guide to Punks on Film looked good, but my library doesn't have it, it's $290 on Amazon, and thriftbooks doesn't even have it, so that's not happening.

So far everything I've found has been so niche that my library doesn't have it. The idea that appeals most right now is a comic book based on a movie that was based on a comic book, and I might just go buy Constantine from thriftbooks if I can't find anything else. It's only $6 including shipping.

But before I do that ... What are the five BEST Star Wars or Star Trek or anything else novels you've read? What would you recommend to a reader like me who is keen on SFF but lukewarm on the idea of a novelization? Maybe I can find something at my library.

For Star Trek, assuming you want it to at least relate to a movie, here are a few to consider:

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan by Vonda N. McIntyre (it's a novelization, but like The Search for Spock, it expands a lot on the source material, and the movie itself is amazing)
Sarek by A.C. Crispin (a book about Spock and his parents that I love, and it is informed partially by Sarek's appearances in two of the movies)
Taking Wing by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels (Riker and Troi's first mission on the Titan in the aftermath of Star Trek: Nemesis)
Cast No Shadow by James Swallow (a thriller featuring Valeris from Star Trek VI)

Star Wars:

Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Woodring Stover (a novelization, but so well-written that it is in the pantheon of great books, not just tie-ins or sci-fi)
Bloodline by Claudia Gray (Gray writes Leia and her original characters very well, and this helps set up The Force Awakens nicely)
Canto Bight by various (four stories about essentially space Las Vegas from The Last Jedi)
Skywalker: A Family at War by Kristin Baver (outstanding retelling of the whole saga from a more personal and emotional point of view)
Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual History by various (what happened each year in Star Wars and the real world and their influences on each other)

Other:

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda (the filmed version of the play is available to watch, and it is quite popular; this story of its creation is fascinating)
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (it was written concurrently with the movie's production, so this is on the edge of acceptability; it is well worth reading if you have not already)

If there are characters that especially appeal to you from a movie
or franchise, then please share them in the thread, and the group can offer more tailored recommendations.

Nadine, did you watch the TV show Firefly? (also a Joss Whedon creation) There was the follow up movie Serenity, and there's lots of comic books based on the show/movie. I can't vouch for them, but they exist....

Nadine in NY wrote: "Brandon wrote: "I feel like I have a million things to say in this thread, as tie-in books are my main wheelhouse.

Joanna, both of the From a Certain Point of View books are great, and there is li..."

Technically, Buffy the show is based on Buffy the movie, so if you look at the entire stack it would indeed be correct that Buffy novelizations are based on a movie. :D

I realize there are also the books from 'The 4400'. Those were continuation novels of the USA Network show.

Welcome to Promise City
Promises Broken
The Vesuvius Prophecy
Wet Work

Though I think some of these are hard to find since they're no longer in print. Same could be said for the Roswell High novels.

Jennifer W wrote: "Nadine, did you watch the TV show Firefly? (also a Joss Whedon creation) There was the follow up movie Serenity, and there's lots of comic books based on the show/movie. I can't vouch for them, but..."



Yes! And I've read a few of them!! And I thought my library didn't have any that I haven't read, but I just tried a different search and I did find a few I haven't read. So now I've got some more options.

I know Buffy the show came after Buffy the movie, and TECHNICALLY it's a continuation of that plot, but it's really quite different, and all the books are based on the TV show characters, the art in the comics looks just like the TV show actors (which I love) so it just doesn't feel like "based on a movie" to me.

I know I'm splitting hairs here since I feel like the Serenity follow-ups count but the Buffy follow-ups don't count. Human brains are silly.

Brandon wrote: "For Star Trek, assuming you want it to at least relate to a movie, here are a few to consider:

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan by Vonda N. McIntyre (it's a novelization..."


Thank you!! My library has failed me in the Star Trek realm and has none of those, but they do have all the Star Wars books you're recommending. I'm adding them all to my list.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Nadine, did you watch the TV show Firefly? (also a Joss Whedon creation) There was the follow up movie Serenity, and there's lots of comic books based on the show/movie. I can't ..."

Lol, This human brain had forgotten that Buffy was a movie first- and I think I watched it (eons ago....)!
I think part of why Firefly works is that the show ended so suddenly and then the movie picked it up, so everything else that has been written since comes from there. My thought anyway.

But that brings me to tie-in question. Do we think the Firefly comics count as Fanfiction??? Cause that's where I need help!

Jennifer W wrote: "But that brings me to tie-in question. Do we think the Firefly comics count as Fanfiction??? Cause that's where I need help!..."


LOL you won't like my answer. Because to me, "fanfiction" is by definition written by an amateur writer who is a fan. So if it's commissioned by a publishing house and written by a professional writer, it's not "fanfiction" to me. It can be picked up by a publishing house AFTER, thus turning that amateur writer into a professional, but in my mind it has to start with an amateur.

Those novelizations and graphic novel versions are written by people who are contracted to write them, those people may or may not be fans.

I know the dictionary definition does not include the "amateur" qualifier (but wikipedia does) so feel free to ignore me!!

I see the point. I think I agree that if the writer was contracted that isn't fan fiction, but I think the author could be a pro *and* a fan. I dunno... I'm gonna have to stalk that help thread for ideas.

For Star Wars, I'd also recommend Lost Stars - it happens in and around the original trilogy, featuring a group of friends, including two star-crossed young lovers, who wind up on opposite sides of the galactic war.

I've been meaning to read Resistance Reborn for a while, so this may be a good opportunity.

As an alternative, I know there are books where people look at certain movies (and other pop culture) from the lens of science such as The Physics of Star Wars: The Science Behind a Galaxy Far, Far Away, similar to books about philosophy in certain movies that was mentioned above.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood