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Books have long served as inspiration for filmmaking. Nowadays, as some publications become blockbusters, many cinematic adaptations come with built-in audiences of readers eager to see the beloved source material brought to life on the screen. But for every Gone Girl or Wild, there are films like the upcoming Mordecai, which you probably didn’t know is also an adaptation (in this case, of an anthology: The Mordecai Trilogy by Kyril Bonfiglioli).

Here are eleven more examples of movies you may not know started out as books:

We all know that paying attention in class is important, but we also know that it's not always possible. Late night cram seshes can make you crash hard in the A.M. (We'll pretend you were studying, anyway. We'll keep your secret, you party animal, you.) 

But hey, maybe you studied really hard and even then, when the professor calls on you, you don't know the answer. Everyone's eyes are on you. Don't worry. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College will prepare you even when you're, well, not prepared. 

I really love it when advance copies of upcoming books arrive at the Quirk Books HQ. It's just so magical. They have the new book smell, you know? 

This week, copies of the two latest installments in our "Should Know" books arrived. Stuff Every Groom Should Know by Eric San Juan and Stuff Every Golfer Should Know by Brian Bertoldo. Eric's actually done another Stuff book for us, Stuff Every Husband Should Know, which came out back in 2011. 

Ah, yes. The noble Penguin. Today on Penguin Awareness Day, we honor the publisher that… 

Okay, okay. So Penguin Awareness Day isn't actually about the publishing house, but wouldn't that be fun? To celebrate the wrong (but oh so right) Penguin, I've rounded up a number of awesome Penguin Classics inspired projects you can create yourself. 

It’s icy out there, so this week we’ve put together a list of bookish events that will get you moving, clapping, amen-ing, and maybe even feeling a little hot under the collar. 

Photo via Harvard Gazette

I always loved the allure to writing letters. It’s a conversation that stretches over continents. There’s something incredibly romantic about that (at least to me). When I was younger, I had a penpal in New York. We wrote letters to each other often. I told her things I wouldn’t dream about telling anyone else because it felt like, even though what I put on paper lasts longer than any conversation, it felt safe.

Letters feel very safe.

So how about let’s exploit that a little?