40 of the Greatest Books Made Into Movies (Reader's Digest)

"If you've ever watched a book-to-movie adaptation with an avid reader, you've likely heard the book lover's common refrain: 'The book was better.' That's not universally true, but in the case of the best books made into movies, rarely does the film compare to its original source material. Books are difficult to transition to the screen because the screenplay must make choices to advance the story visually and whittle it down to fit the traditional 90- to 120-minute running time. Often these changes cheapen the experience or take away the power of the words on the page. We've rounded up 40 of the greatest books made into movies; the books are all stellar—we chose those that are best sellers, highly acclaimed, or otherwise influential to modern literature and pop culture. And the movies? Well, some stand on their own as fine works of art. Others were easily forgotten, though the books that inspired them endure in readers' minds forever." - rd.com