Book buying group recommendations: Good book becomes good TV?
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With the start of September, and the evenings beginning to draw in, it wouldn’t be surprising if our thoughts turn to cosy evenings on the sofa with a good book or TV series. But why choose when you can have both? Whist far from comprehensive, the suggestions below try to cover a range of book/TV adaptations, hopefully including something for every taste.
Released by Netflix on August 28th, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ is the star-studded adaptation of Richard Osman’s book of the same name, itself the first in a series about four residents of a retirement village who find themselves involved in solving crimes. Hopes are high for this series!
Very popular at present amongst young adults, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is currently airing its 3rd season on Prime Video. The TV show is based on a trilogy of YA romance novels by Jenny Han, who is also highly involved in the making of the TV series, making for reported consistency between the different versions of the teen romance/coming of age story.
Also on Prime Video, ‘Reacher’ is the TV version of Lee Child’s highly successful book series following the exploits of Jack Reacher, an ex-military cop whose rootless lifestyle allows him to help those in distress, meting out his own form of street justice and moving on. Season 3 aired earlier this year, and Season 4 is eagerly awaited.
There are only 3 seasons of ‘The Wheel of Time’ fantasy TV series on Prime Video, which is in contrast to the 14 book-long series of the same name. The first 11 books were written by Robert Jordan, with the last three completed by Brandon Sanderson from detailed notes by Jordan, who died before he could complete the series. The cancellation of the TV series after 3 seasons leaves the story incomplete, but could prove a very good introduction for those who might be daunted by committing to the length of the book series.
‘Ripley’, released by Netflix in 2024,is the latest critically acclaimed and award-winning version of 'The Talented Mr Ripley’ by Patricia Highsmith. Beautifully filmed in black and white, and compellingly acted, this should not be missed by fans of slow burning psychological drama.
Apple TV is currently the only way to watch ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ in the UK. However, this story of feminism and empowerment in the 1950s is one to consider. Based on the novel of the same name by Bonnie Garmus, there has been criticism of some key differences between the two versions. However, although the TV version has been out for a couple of years already, it is worth considering as an option, especially if you might enjoy analysing the reasons behind the differences.
‘One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a highly complex and influential multi-generational novel, originally written in Spanish. The magical realism fundamental to the novel has been considered very challenging to represent visually, but the 2024 authorised TV series, executive-produced by one of Garcia Marquez’s sons, seems to have achieved this successfully. The TV version is available on Netflix.
Recommended by Helena from the Book Buying Group