13 books you should read before they're turned into movies and TV shows this year

Timothée Chalamet stars in "Dune." Warner Bros.

Any booklover knows that news of an adaptation can be complicated: Can we trust the directors, screenwriters, and actors to bring our favorite stories to life?

This year's movie slate is filled with books that are near and dear to thousands of readers, including classics that are decades (or centuries) old, like " Pride and Prejudice , "A Christmas Carol," and "Dune Messiah."

There are also some new classics set to be adapted this year, including "Klara and the Sun" and "Sunrise on the Reaping."

We've compiled a list of 13 must-read books that you should crack open before they're adapted this year.

'Whalefall'

"Whalefall." MTV Books

Release date: October 16 in theaters

Daniel Kraus published "Whalefall" in 2023. It's a pretty self-contained, if wild, story: What would happen if you got swallowed by a whale?…