10 Fake Books in Movies That We Wish We Could Read

Like everyone else, we’ve been swooning over Wes Anderson’s newest film, Moonrise Kingdom, since well before it hit theaters. But now that it has, we’ve swooned even more — and not least because the movie stars a girl with a suitcase full of awesome-sounding (and totally made up) books. We’ve already explored wonderful fake books by TV characters, and imaginary books written about in real books, so we thought we’d round up a few fictional books on film that we wish really existed so we could sit down and read them. Click through to see the made up tomes we picked, and let us know if we missed the one you’ve been most itching to read in the comments.

Suzy Bishop’s books in Moonrise Kingdom

Suzy Bishop is a girl after our own hearts — when running away, she brought only the essentials: a suitcase packed to the brim with her favorite books. Though she reads from a few of them — YA novels with strong female leads all — we couldn’t get enough. At least we have these animated excerpts to tide us over until some intrepid young author fleshes them out for us.

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"Nine Lives" by Paul Varjack from "Breakfast at Tiffany's"! I don't read romance novels, but if I did I'd check out the "Misery" series from, er, "Misery" and the works of Kathleen Turner's character in "Romancing the Stone". Absolutely agree with "Arsonist's Daughter" and "The Love Parade" as well as the works of August Van Zorn (I can't remember if that character is mentioned in the film version of Chabon's book but he sounded like a great storyteller).

The Arsonist's Daughter from Wonderboys. Also The Love Parade from the same film.

"Bouncing Back" from Alan Partridge

"Howarts: A History". I think that one is pretty self-explanatory.

How bout The Neverending Story?!

You left out "The Girl Who Stole The Eiffel Tower" from the movie Paris When It Sizzles (the glorious Audrey Hepburn teams with William Holden).

Anonymous by Dan Humphrey!

What about "The Boat Rocker" by Terence Mann (from Field of Dreams) I don't think we ever see it, but it's mentioned several times or at least quoted from!

The Slayers Handbook. which is mentioned in Buffy when Kendra comes. Also Hogwarts: A History and all of the other books mentioned during the series.

I am so glad you put the book from Paper Man on here......“The Boat Rocker” by Terrence Mann from ''Feild of dreams''

I second the motion for Arsonist's Daughter.

What about any of Adam Shadowchild books from Paul? Jenny Starpepper and the Huge White Gibbon? Night of the Moths? Fluxing Uranus?

"The Boat Rocker" by Terrence Mann from "Field of Dreams"!

Arsonist's Daughter in Wonder Boys.

I am so glad you put the book from Paper Man on here. That movie was seriously so good and spoke a lot of truth into my life and unfortunately had no sort of critical acclaim whatsoever.... Bummer.

The Dreamer by George Rockham in the film Penelope. "A little novel, written by a little nobody that never amounted to anything."

Agreed on most counts, but leaving of Tobin's Spirit Guide from Ghostbusters is a grave oversight. If we're doing TV, I'd like to throw in To Serve Man, the cookbook from The Twilight Zone.

i third gentleman broncos (yeast lords / brutus and balzaak)

I can't believe you didn't include The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe... Unless that was included in previous lists of books in books.

The one from Stranger than Fiction!

I'll second "Yeast Lords" from Gentleman Broncos...

The book Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is reading at the beginning of The Labyrinth, which gives her the best comeback for the Goblin King, the line she can never remember, "You have no power over me." Clock strikes 13, done.

Don't be silly! Suzy Bishop's books are not YA novels - they are children's novels with strong female leads. Such an abominable, ugly term should not be mentioned in association with Moonrise Kingdom.

S. Morgenstern's The Princess bride (eiher movie or book version ... I'd cherish either one)

Speaking of Manhattan, I would rather read the tell-all book by Isaac's ex (meryls streep), especially the bit where he tried to run over his ex's and her new girldfied in his car!

One from TV that I'd love to read, "Charlotte Light and Dark" from Six Feet Under. @Anna: I SO want to read "God Hates Us All"

The book by the college professor of Stanford from Orange County

All of the books in Gentlemen Broncos. *drops mic, walks off stage to the sound of "in the year 2525"*

Sad to know that Suzy Bishop's don't exist. ... I thought for sure "The Carrucan's of Kurrajong" by Jasmine Yuen (from Kill Bill, Vol. 2) would be on here. Nevertheless, great post.

"God hates us all" from Californication