A couple of the books that I love and wholeheartedly recommend (to anyone who listens!):

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns both by Khaled Hosseini


Infinity, I can relate to what you are saying. I find that the movies are rarely as good as the books (there are a few notable exceptions). I will not see The Road, as I recently read the book. And I have decided not to see The Lovely Bones, because I want to read the book first.