As tedious as the past couple of years have been, with lockdowns and restrictions, it has been a time for binge-watching our favourite TV shows! But did you know that many of your favourite shows started out as books? Read on for eight books that have inspired hit small screen adaptations. Why not give one of these reads a go while you’re waiting for that next season to air?
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
Blood of Elves is the first novel in the bestselling Witcher series that inspired the most-watched Netflix show of 2019! Filled with magic, monsters and a touch of destiny, this is one gripping read you won’t want to miss.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Read the bestselling series that inspired the hit TV show! Outlander is an epic story of love, war and time travel that follows Claire Randall, a combat nurse from 1946, who walks through a circle of standing stones and is transported to the 18th century Scottish Highlands.
The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
Now a major Golden Globe-winning Netflix series, Walter Tevis’ New York Times bestselling novel is a gripping coming-of-age story about a troubled chess prodigy and her battle to survive addiction.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Now a critically acclaimed TV series, Sally Rooney’s award-winning bestseller is a girl-meets-boy story with a difference, interrogating the difficulties of sincere communication in a complicated, post-ironic world.
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The first book in The Wheel of Time series, one of the most influential and popular fantasy epics ever published, is now a major TV series on Amazon Prime! Readers of high fantasy will devour this.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Discover the bestselling dystopian classic that became a cultural phenomenon and inspired the award-winning TV series. Set in The Republic of Gilead, formerly the US, The Handmaid’s Tale follows Offred, a woman who is forced into sexual servitude by the state and given one sole purpose: to breed.
You by Caroline Kepnes
In this gripping thriller which inspired the popular Netflix series, bestselling author Caroline Kepnes gives readers a chilling account of unrelenting, terrifying deceit. You is a thriller more perversely clever and dangerously twisted than any YOU have ever read.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
This list wouldn’t be complete without George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series, A Song of Fire and Ice, which inspired the hugely successful TV show. With a new HBO spin-off series slated for 2022, there’s never been a better time to dive into the world of Westeros and begin reading these ground-breaking novels.
These great reading recommendations were brought to you by https://www.betterreading.com.au/ Another place to go for brilliant book recommendations, podcasts, stellar author interviews, book reviews and more.
Or Find more great reading recommendations on our Books and Reading page!