Books That Could Be or Should Be Movies or Shows (Adult Titles version)

I read a lot of books that feel like they could (or should) be movies, here is the list of titles aimed at adults, feel free to also check out the titles for YA, they are also very good.

This is the link for the podcast in cases you'd like to listen to it:

Alchemy of Genres 

According to rumors, this is in production and being updated from the 90's era to more modern times; but rumors don't actually mean an actual show....so we shall see.

The series is basically the story of Dream (the Sandman) and his capture; imprisonment and recovery from (as well as recovery OF) what he lost during his captivity.  Every story is a piece of a puzzle because life is a puzzle and a game and a duty for the Endless (Dream, Death, Desire, Destiny, Despair and Delirium)

This series would be SO much better than Martin's books, ok there isn't as much bloodshed or sex; but still.....pssh...Game of Thrones, Pern has telepathic dragons that can travel across the world and across TIME, as well as a backstory of colonization and the traumas of starting over in a new world; and thread, which is a weird alien substance that rains down and eats up everything organic unless destroyed by fire.....so much to explore, so many stories...someone make this series, please!

Another book series that's been around forever and has so much to unpack you could make YEARS of shows; Valdemar explores many cultures, beliefs and magical beings as well as human behavior and prejudices.  Lackey does an amazing job and I wish some of these characters would be on a screen so I could more easily share my obsession......but in the meanwhile, read some of the books, they are awesome

Let's see, a funny but touching series of crime novels with a featured central character who is both gay AND disabled and has fought for a position onto an exclusive crime force in spite of prejudices against him.....hmmm.....really?  Just that sentence screams out to be made into a series.....The added overarching theme of a serial killer who tortured Finn adds even more options; but just the crimes and having a separate unit just for Vampires (that's why the series is called Vampire Related Crimes).  Yeah, seriously....humor and diversity and crime and growth......let's do that!  In the meantime, feel free to read the books (as long as you have Amazon or order them from Amazon). 

Again, diversity (cultural & ethnic as well as featuring LGBT characters); AND anti-heroes as they do their (illegal) jobs of hacker, thief and assassin but also explore the forming of their tribe/family, find love, fight danger and raise their children.  The first book where Ari meets Remi and adopts her is amazing even without the added love story......this would be so awesome to watch!  Again, in the meanwhile, read the books on Amazon Kindle or order them through Amazon.

Gods, Demons, Vampires, Were-creatures; love and hate/ magic and greed....so much to explore and unpack......I have talked endlessly about this series (because I love it); but I would love to see it happen on HBO or whatever....just....yeah.  And in the meanwhile, the newest book just came out, so check out the series and enjoy.

Ok so here's my idea:  Mix Jon's Mysteries with Mack's Marvelous Manifestations; turn it into one series alternating between the 2 couples, and you have an amazing combo of crimes and psychics solving them along with supernatural ghost stories and those who exorcise them.....sounds awesome right?  Add in some love stories, exploration of various themes and inclusion of multi-cultural characters & families.....so much to explore!  Again, you can read both series' by AJ Sherwood, on Amazon but it would be really cool to see it happen on screen.

In Tallowwood you have a murder mystery movie set in Australia, exploring a serial killer targeting the LGBT population, and a determined detective that no one believes.  Then add in a love story with an aboriginal detective who is also gay, but not afraid to call out prejudice and who believes in the detective......yeah, this would be an amazing movie to watch; and was an exciting book to read.  

R.Cooper has this really cool series called Being(s) in Love, that is all about not only falling in love but about different creatures and their individual stories.  I just think that this is a really cool concept for a series, like Orphan Black type thing, but with love stories; each one featuring different creatures falling in love and the obstacles they find.....it's like a Hallmark movie mixed with a fairy tale.....seriously....people would watch!

Off Balance is set in New Zealand and features Judah who has had to leave his ballet career due to an illness that has no cure, but can be managed.  He is devastated and frustrated to return home, but meets Morgan, a fisheries officer; who helps him start to see that there might be a way to make lemonade out of lemons.  There is excitement (illegal activities) and sadness (loss of career) and moments of growth; and this is a story featuring a person with a lifelong illness and his journey to learning how to continue to have a fulfilling life; not wallowing in his issues.  Yes there are sad moments, but also triumphant ones; as well as coming to terms with being LGBT, his family's acceptance of his career, his history & issues with bullying and the small town he's from.....so much to explore in an exciting and interesting love story.  

Picture this movie:  

Kuro:  former assassin, now owner of a Ramen Restaurant

Trey: former child star, struggling with sobriety and with a reputation as a spoiled actor & an addict who witnesses a murder but no one believes him (or if they do, they are sure it's his fault somehow)

The two are thrown together, and need to figure out what is happening before both are killed.....and of course, they fall in love.....yup.....that right there is a move that will get butts into seats.....sigh....in the meanwhile, find the book, it's awesome.

This short story/novel basically only needs a few tweaks to turn it into a series; you have doors to alternate universes, exploring how the doors open as well as all the possibilities of those alternate universes, multiple versions of people and reality, as well as who the heck wrote the manual and figured out how to fix the situation when people get sucked in accidentally?  Where did the device come from?  Just so much from such a small book.....

A living ghost (died 100 years ago but brought back, not as a zombie but a truly rare magical being) is thrown into a murder investigation when he witnesses a murder but from "the other side" where he can only see auras, not actual faces.  He is pulled back into the path of the man he dated 33 years ago, and loved desperately but they broke up and now he is the only one who can help solve this; but he has secrets of his own.  

Magic, romance, were-creatures, vampires, witches....so many things to explore and it would be a blast to watch.....at least you can read the trilogy if you want to, find it on Amazon.

Steampunk Victorian sensibilities + comedy + supernaturals + one "soulless" (meaning supernatural talents are null around her) = one fantastic adventure with a fearless heroine and a bit of a love story for flavor.  Would I binge this without sleeping for days?  Yes.  Yes I would.   Carriger even has set her "future" series in the same but different universe, so writers could have somewhere to go if they wanted to mix present and past......just spitting ideas here people......get going on filming please.

Since his mother's murder, Sage McKinley doesn't live; he exists.  His weak magic has made him an outcast, and combined with his father's emotional abuse; he has lived his whole life shadowed with doubt and convinced that he is worthless.  All that changes when he finds a fox familiar, shortly followed by the spirit of a gunslinger who announces that Sage needs to learn to use his powerful magic before he is killed like the others.  Powerful magic?  Sage?  He begins to question things, which in turn causes more changes as he starts to put a nefarious puzzle together.....now if he could just find a way to make the ghost he is falling in love with real.......or figure out this magic thing everyone is talking about....

This is a fun story with serious moments...love, ghosts and magic....pretty much a recipe for an amazing movie or show.

Another movie that should definitely already be happening....hello? The title says it all "Rafe, Buff Male Nanny".....the story, a pretty, young African American surgeon finds herself left in a crisis when her nanny deserts her unexpectedly.  She is referred to Rafe, an experienced nanny who was thinking of leaving the field because he is getting tired of raising other people's kids and wants to start thinking about a family of his own.....did I mention that he is a tall, tattooed, sexy god with long red hair?  No?  My bad.....of course they fall for each other; but what is amazing is that Weatherspoon keeps everyone honest, they both admit their feelings and are trying to figure it out while manuevering around the two young children they both care for and her terribly ex-husband.  This is a love story with no creepy vibes, just real life in all its messiness.   They need to make this movie.  Seriously.

Another Weatherspoon book, that is actually a series (so could be a Showtime series or whatever other "rated R" tv show streaming service).  This focuses on the owners of a fitness gym, who are falling in love; but also are into BDSM.  Weatherspoon explores the culture with multi-cultural relationships and without being creepy (seriously, 50 Shades of Grey was terrible, THIS was fun and hot and informative).   So much room for character growth, secret cultural info and lots of sex.....as long as the writers remember all the talk about consent (somehow that always gets lost, but it's kind of important).  Anyway, would be something different and fun for a network interested in something sexy but modern.

Sinister in Savannah is the name of a podcast the main characters do that explores cold cases; but it's also a story/series about love and redemption.  

There is a predecessor to this which is the story of 2 detectives who are often called in when the podcast leads to actual investigative work (because of course it does); so if someone wanted to make a series out of it, there are multiple story lines to delve into as well as all the cold cases they explore and what happens with them.  Yeah, ok, maybe the Hollywood elite aren't looking for a mystery/action/love story about men falling in love with other men; but they should be....it would be awesome.

This is a title you've seen/heard me talk about before, but I don't care.....wouldn't you want to watch a steampunk magical adventure set in New Orleans featuring gods and goddesses from the African Diaspora?  I know I would......this would be such a cool movie.   

I grabbed this pic of the newest title in the series, but make no mistake; this is a SERIES.  An exploration of an alternate universe where magical beings are here and also following the fascinating story of a witch caught up in many adventures (some of which shed more light on the history & tragedies of the world?).   The Private Investigator/Supernatural crime aspect alone offers infinite options.....and I am a sucker for a kickass heroine...so, yes please.

Working in a cubicle, as the administrative assistant to Lucifer....?  Demons and other supernatural creatures filing reports on activities and reports on activities (and defense of the spending), like it's any other business?  Ummm, yeah!

Add in the central story of that assistant who is a regular guy caught up in all this, and falling in love with a demon....oh, and perhaps not being entirely human.....danger, humor, romance AND fun?  Please.  I would love to watch this.

Ok, so you HAD to have seen this coming, it's one of the book series' I am obsessed with, so yeah; would love to see this as a show.  Another alternate universe but totally different (which kind of is the definition of my favorite sub-genre; urban fantasy).  This one features Anita, a vampire executioner and a necromancer (*cough* Animator, sorry).  It follows her as she finds murders and kills them (because monsters and executioner.....duh); but also on her journey to finding that sometimes the monsters are more human than the humans; and life is all about the grey (because nothing is black and white).  So many stories, such a cool journey; yeah it would have to be cleaned up a bit since the series started in the 90s but still; I would love to follow this series and see it brought to life.

Another series (and author), I am obsessed with has not one but two urban fantasy universes that would be amazing to see on screen.  The Kate Daniels series has magic & tech taking turns working as the world struggles to let go of the tech as the magic is taking over.  Kate is a merc, but the series follows her journey and again, what a journey it is.

This second series is called Hidden Legacy and has super powers leading to super powerful families, with crimes and secrets above the law.....plus a few love stories featuring an underdog family finding their footing as they struggle to survive and thrive and discover their own strength and make their own legacy.

Helen Hoang wrote a reverse Pretty Woman story featuring a multi-cultural romance AND a girl with autism (who is very successful btw, not homeless and a mess).  She is clueless about sex and love, so hires an escort for lessons....and you can follow along.  The author actually is autistic so writes from a good place.  I want to see this movie.  Please?

This series stars a badass druid, gods & goddesses galore, lots of magic, a little thievery, some humor and a telepathic dog.  Seriously.  C'mon....this should already be optioned.  

We'll end on this series all about a family, not always the family you are born into but the family you make....it's about falling in love, it's about being ok with who you love and proud of who you are, it's about making mistakes and finding help if you need it.  The book series follows Bear and Otter, then flips to a grown up Tyson and follows his life.  (Bear and Otter are nicknames, not really anything deeper than that).  

I would love to see this, I love this series.