"The movie was good, but the audiobook was better." Whenever Hollywood decides to film an adaptation of a popular audiobook, you can count on a section of the viewing populace popping up to staunchly defend the source material. 

In some cases, they're spot on with their criticism - sometimes, the original audiobook is more immersive, enthralling, and richly detailed than its filmed counterpart. Occasionally, however, a truly fantastic adaptation comes along. 

In this post, let's take a short trip down memory lane, recounting the best films adapted from audiobooks this past decade. Counting down from the most recent to the oldest movie, this list represents a solid - albeit incomplete - look at the finest in headphone-to-silver screen adaptations the past 10 years had to offer. 

Little Women (2019)

Still basking in the glow and success of their fantastic coming-of-age film, Lady Bird, Saoirse Ronan and director Greta Gerwig joined forces again in 2019 to adapt Louisa May Alcott's classic, Little Women. 

Jumbling the linear narrative, Gerwig breathed new life into the 150-year-old story, emphasizing the continued challenges main character Jo March faces as a woman in 1860s America. It was a bold, beautiful adaptation packed with great performances from Ronan, Florence Pugh, Meryl Streep, and Laura Dern.

For a side-by-side comparison, listen to the original Little Women at Audible, narrated by Laura Dern herself!

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

There was not a dry eye in the theatre when Michael Stuhlbarg delivered that monologue near the end of the Call Me by Your Name film adaptation. It was a gorgeous, empathetic, and tender moment, and the feather in the cap of a fine film.

Credit also goes to director Luca Guadagnino, whose sumptuous camera work does a fantastic job placing you in the Northern Italian countryside. And, of course, you can't praise the film without also mentioning its two leads - Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet - who both give restrained, emotionally complex performances. 

If you're interested in the original novel, Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman, you can hear it performed by Armie Hammer on Audible. 

Gone Girl (2014)

Gillian Flynn's nail-biting psychological novel got the David Fincher treatment in 2014, resulting in one of the best films of that year. 

Starring a rarely-better Ben Affleck, and featuring a menacing performance from Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl was a masterclass in building tension, leveraging the unreliability of its two main characters for maximum effect. 

The Hunger Games (2012) 

The Hunger Games audiobook had already reached YA super-status by the time it was adapted in 2012. So there was some justifiable trepidation around the film's release. Will the movie stay true to the story? Will relative-unknown Jennifer Lawrence do justice to the Katniss Everdeen character? 

All fears were put to rest when Gary Ross' adaptation hit theatres. The film clipped along at a brisk pace without sacrificing world-building, and Jennifer Lawrence gave a star-making performance in the lead role. The first film may have been a tribute offered to fans of the series - but it emerged victorious. 

The last decade produced some genuinely fantastic film adaptations, and we're excited to see what the future offers. Will the best audiobooks of 2020 become the best films of 2021? Only time will tell!