Breaking Dawn Part 2, the last installment of The Twilight Saga film franchise, has been released this week.

We’ve collected links to five free digital books that inspired Stephenie Meyer while she wrote the novels behind the movies. In an interview, Meyer (pictured, via) talked about her favorite authors. She explained:

I’ve been reading books for adults my entire life. Growing up I was an avid reader—the thicker the book, the better.  Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind, The Sword of Shannara, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, etc.  I’m a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, and Jane Austen– I can’t go through a year without re-reading her stuff again.

Read more

Writers Veronica Roth, Marie Lu and Erin Morgenstern all landed movie deals for their debut novels.

Roth released Divergent in May; Morgenstern’s book The Night Circus is due out in September and Lu’s title Legend will hit bookstores in late November. Lu sold her book’s movie rights to CBS Films. Summit Entertainment snatched up the rights to Roth and Morgenstern’s novels.

According to Variety, Harry Potter film producer David Heyman is interested in The Night Circus film. Deadline reported that Twilight film producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are looking at Legend. All three authors made an appearance at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Read more

Author Stephen Chbosky will direct a film adaptation of his 1999 novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. According to New York Magazine, Chbosky will write the screenplay as well.

Two book-based-movie stars have signed up for this project. Percy Jackson actor Logan Lerman will play the lead character, Charlie. Harry Potter actress Emma Watson will play one of his two best friends, Sam.

In 2009, Chbosky’s book hit the #3 spot on the American Library Association’s top ten most frequently challenged books of 2009. The association listed these reasons for the challenges: “anti-family, drugs, homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited to age group.” (Via the Huffington Post)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post has been updated to correct an inaccuracy about casting.