5 books to read before they’re made into TV shows this year

The five books you need to read before they venture to the small screen

Make use of the remainder of winter, and catch up on the books that are being adapted to the small screen. Television, the pillar of visual entertainment, has certainly taken inspiration from some great books recently. So, here are the top five you should be reading before their adaptations take to our screens.

About to be adapted to television (and by HBO no less) and with more stars than all the galaxies in the universe combined, including Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woody, take a look at the novel it is based on first. It tells the story of a group of mothers whose seemingly perfect lives take a sudden and rather dark turn. Read the book, and then enjoy the series as a nice bonding activity with your girlfriend.

Although the series will premiere on the American network Starz, cast in its leading roles are two very British actors, Gillian Anderson and Ian McShane. The novel centres on the life of ex-convict called Shadow, who falls into the employ of the mysterious Mr Wednesday, a man who seems to know more about Shadow’s life than he does. Exploring themes of drugs, the media and even mythology, American Gods sounds like a good trip, so read it first to make sense of it all before you watch.

Premiering on the BBC, and based on Rowling’s first whodunnit post-Potter novel penned under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, the series will be based upon the first of a trilogy of books starting with ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’. Indulge in a read before you tune in later this year.

Set to hit the digital shelves of Netflix later this year, the book by John Douglas is for fans of a psychological thriller. A literary version of the BBC’s Luther and Netflix’s Dexter, the plot centres around two FBI agents who try to solve cases by interviewing serial killers.

Brought to you by the author of the ‘True Blood’ book series that inspired its HBO counterpart, Harris now takes her attention to the supernatural goings on in a Texan town. The series won’t premier on NBC until later this year, so find out what all the fuss is about by catching it in its textual form first.

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