By Christa Protano
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With two highly anticipated book adaptations hitting the big screen this year—Wuthering Heights & The Odyssey—in 2026 we are answering the age-old question: Is the book always better than the movie?
Let’s find out with our 2026 Books-on-Screen Reading Challenge!
January/February: Wuthering Heights
With Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi set to play star-crossed lovers Catherine and Heathcliff on the big screen this Valentine’s Day, we thought what better classic to kick things off.
And since we are starting our challenge a little late, you’ll have the rest of January and all of February to read Emily Brontë’s tumultuous love story that takes place on the wild Yorkshire moors of England.
March: The Count of Monte Cristo
The latest adaptation of the literary revenge classic The Count of Monte Cristo is coming to PBS Masterpiece later this month. With the star power of Sam Caflin and Jeremy Irons, the series will be comprised of eight episodes and is promised to stay true to Alexandre Dumas’ 1,000-plus page French tale.
If you need further convincing to give the book a try, consider this: Monte Cristo is based on a true story and Dumas touches on plenty of themes that appeal to a wide audience, including justice, betrayal, power, hope, redemption, and lots more.
April: Hamlet
In honor of The Bard’s birthday month, Hamlet is our pick for our April reading challenge. It has been on our TBR list for some time now, ever since the 2025 film Hamnet started receiving critical acclaim late last year.
If you’re not familiar, the film Hamnet (also adapted from a contemporary novel of the same name) reimagines Shakespeare’s family life and the years leading up to his work on the tragic play about the Prince of Denmark.
After reading Hamlet, if you prefer to watch a direct adaption of the classic, we suggest Laurence Olivier’s 1948 portrayal, which earned Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Picture.
May: The Wizard of Oz
While you may have recently read Gregory Macguire’s Wicked, have you read the original classic that inspired it all? L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz is our next challenge.
Celebrating its 126th publishing anniversary this month, The Wizard of Oz was adapted into a most memorable film in 1939 that starred a young Judy Garland and pioneered the use of Technicolor in film.
June/July: Odyssey
As we head into summer blockbuster season, Homer’s Odyssey is a must-read. With Christopher Nolan’s take on Odysseus’ epic voyage home hitting theaters mid-July, you’ll have some time to decipher this ancient Greek poem prior to seeing it play out on screen.
And coming this spring, our new Word Cloud Classic edition of Odyssey will feature a bright teal cover, foil-stamping, illustrated end papers and a dramatic painted edge worthy of this post-Trojan War classic.
August: Sense and Sensibility
Another adaptation of a Jane Austen novel? Yes, please! Rumor has it that Caitriona Balfe and Daisy Edgar-Jones are attached to the most recent film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, coming this September.
While we wait to see if it stands up to the 1995 version, we’ll take any excuse to re-read one of our favorite literary classics, especially one with a pretty painted edge like the one featured on our new Sense and Sensibility Word Cloud Classic — out this Spring.
September: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
September is as good a time as any to fall down the rabbit hole. That’s why we are reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! Released this month, our new leather-bound edition of Lewis Carrol’s trippy tale is a delightful romp through Wonderland.
Once you finished these pages, take your pick from the movie versions created by Tim Burton or Walt Disney.
October: Frankenstein
At the time of our challenge’s conception, Jacob Elordi’s performance in Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein is garnering lots of awards attention. To that end, we are proclaiming Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece as our October read.
A blend of horror, romance, and science, this classic novel about life and death is the perfect read for the spooky season.
November: Little Women
Whether you prefer Winona Ryder’s portrayal of Jo or Greta Gerwig’s take on the March sisters, enjoying Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age tale is always a good idea.
With the author’s birthday celebrated later this month, and the holiday season almost upon us, Little Women is our November reading pick. With this leather-bound collection, you’ll also get to enjoy Alcott’s other two classic novels, Little Men and Jo’s Boys.
December: Pride and Prejudice
We know there are plenty of other classic-novel adaptions that did not make it into our challenge this year, but we couldn’t say goodbye to 2026 without our annual read of Pride and Prejudice.
After all, Janeites love to debate which adaptation is best: the 1995 BBC miniseries starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, or the 2005 film starring Keira Knightly as Lizzie Bennet. Have a preference? Before you decide, do read Jane Austen’s enemies-to-lovers story first!