A version of the following article appeared in the Aug. 17, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Need to subscribe — or upgrade your Ledger e-newsletter subscription? Details here.
📚 The book is always better — just ask the waitlists at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Netflix’s adaptation of “Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder premiered on July 9. All eight episodes are available for streaming now. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
by Lindsey Banks
If you want to read the book before watching the movie, you might have to wait.
The Ledger checked in on several books with high-profile movie and TV adaptations, and, according to library data pulled Aug. 10, some are drawing dozens — if not hundreds — of holds at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
The biggest standout is Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary.” The sci-fi novel has 278 holds for 87 print copies and another 593 holds for 132 digital copies. The Ryan Gosling-led movie adaptation hit theaters in March and is now streaming on Prime Video.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which opened in theaters July 17, also appears to be sending readers back to Homer. The library has 114 holds for just 30 print copies of “The Odyssey,” compared with 22 holds for 179 digital copies.
Other adaptations haven't hit screens yet, but readers are already lining up. Colleen Hoover’s thriller “Verity,” which is headed to theaters Oct. 2 starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, has 72 holds for 20 print copies, and 42 holds for 28 digital copies. “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood, coming to Prime Video Sept. 23, has 49 holds for 12 print copies and 114 holds for 15 digital copies.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s new “Little House on the Prairie” series, which premiered in July and has already been renewed for a second season, may be introducing another generation to Laura Ingalls Wilder. “Little House in the Big Woods” has 18 holds for 16 print copies and 12 holds for four digital copies.
One notable exception: Suzanne Collins’ most recent Hunger Games installment, “Sunrise on the Reaping.” Despite the movie arriving in theaters Nov. 20, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library reported no holds on its 142 print copies or 190 digital copies as of Aug. 10. (I’m hoping that means everyone has already read it. If you haven’t yet, get on that list, pronto!)
A library spokesperson said it's hard to predict how long you might have to wait for a book, but each title can be borrowed for up to three weeks (21 days).