If you loved this show...

[jo]

You may love this book!

We've had a few discussions concerning various aspects of book-to-screen adaptations. However, an article from The Guardian puts a different twist on that: books to read if you loved a certain show. Or as the blurb says: 

Want to watch less and read more this summer? Let your favourite series be a guide to clever, funny, moving titles you won’t be able to put down

Are any of your fave shows on this list? Does the recommended book appeal to you?

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

I question some of these matchups. At first I was thinking of books that series were drawn from (as it seems so many TV shows and films these days are based on books). But the matchup for Derry Girls, for example, doesn't sound much like the series (which was seriously funny). I think it might be difficult for any book to capture that show well, since there was a certain immediacy and physicality in the televised version that wouldn't come across the same in text.

I can kind of see the connection for Halt and Catch Fire, but you'd think they'd recommend some good nonfiction about those years, given they do make nonfiction recommendations for some other shows.

Also regarding Mrs. Maisel, Funny Girl is also a TV series (just called Funny Woman)!

I can kind of see House of Usher and Mrs. Westaway, but it seems to me the tone is different.

[jo]

I don't think the book recs are meant to be "like the series", but maybe offer an alternative side/different perspective of themes or aspects of the shows. I only watched a few eps of Derry Girls, so I don't know if they ever really dealt with the horribleness of The Troubles, so maybe by recommending a book that more accurately reflects that reality, the aim is to provide the viewer/watcher with a better sense of Northern Ireland's complex history. Or something.

[author_by_night]

That would make more sense.

The thing with Derry Girls is that it deals with The Troubles in a very specific way, which is where I think we have a disconnect. It stares at The Troubles right in the face and goes, "but what if we had a bit of a laugh, too? What if we just try to live our lives, even with all of the violence going on around us?" Whereas the recommended book very much does not do that, from the sounds of it.

I will say that Derry Girls does get serious at times. It's not all a joke. But there'll be instances where they have to change their plans because there was a bomb on a bridge, and they'll complain about the inconvenience.

I do think if you're interested in learning more about The Troubles, that book sounds like a good start. There's actually a few books I want to read, which take much more serious looks at The Troubles. So it's not the worst pair at all, IMHO, it's just a little off-kilter.

[feurioo]

Also regarding Mrs. Maisel, Funny Girl is also a TV series (just called Funny Woman)!

The same goes for Naomi Alderman's The Power. The show came out last year.