By Gwen Rockwood, book-loving mama of 3
There are a few movies coming out soon that began as books. It’s kind of fun to see a book you love come to life on the big screen. Here are a few books-turned-movies to check out and read before you buy your movie tickets. Click on the book jacket of each book to read more about it (or order it) on Amazon.com. 
Twilight Saga: Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer
Love, love, love this book! For me, it was the most intense page-turner in the four-book Twilight series. The movie comes out next Wednesday, June 30th. Get your tickets early for this one! It’s going to be mega popular with the Twi-hards.
Ramona and Beezus, by Beverly Clearly
Read this one with your kids because it’s perfect for young readers ages 9 to 12. This story is especially good for big brothers or sisters who know what it’s like to have a little brother or sister to contend with, particularly one with an imagination as big as Ramona’s.
The movie comes out July 23rd and stars Selena Gomez and John Corbett (who played Aiden in Sex and the City!)
Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
Julia Roberts will star in this movie, which comes out this August. This book is about a woman in her early 30’s and the soul-searching and self-discovery she experiences after enduring a nasty divorce. The author has already written a follow-up to this wildly successful book. (That second book is called Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage.)
Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
This story is told in flashback form by the main character, Jacob, who tells about a period in his life when he joined the traveling circus and cared for the elephants. He also fell in love with one of the circus’ star performers, who happened to be married to the circus boss. On the Amazon website, this book had nearly 2,000 reviews and rated as four and a half stars.
This movie is in production now and will star Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. There is no specific release date yet, but it should be in theaters sometime in 2011.
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I read Water for Elephants in my bookclub, and everyone loved it. It’s a wonderfully told story with suspense, emotion, and a few laughs as well. The fact that Robert Pattinson is starring in the movie is pretty awesome too. 🙂