There are so many movies and television shows that are based on books. Several are upcoming and recently released too. You may want to read the book before watching the movie or television to see what the hype is all about or to know the original story before things change in the adaptation. But sometimes reading the book before watching the movie or TV show can be risky because you may notice differences more easily which may annoy you. Therefore read beforehand at your own risk if you plan on watching the movie or TV show immediately afterward. Oftentimes the book is better as it can provide more detail than a show limited to time. Books and videos are vastly different mediums making it impossible for movies and televisions to be as good as the source material where word count is unlimited versus the limited length of a film or an episode. Another good reason to read the book first is that when you do watch the adaptation, you can tell people you are with that you read the book and that it is better to list the reasons why. Here is a list of 15 books from various authors that I have read and suggest reading before watching the movie or television show because these are excellent books and the movie or television show will have difficulty doing it justice perfectly although they may come close. 

Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Moiraine Damodred arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesied to stand against The Dark One, a malicious entity sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the village seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light. “Eye of the World” is the first in the Wheel of Time book series that spans 14 books in addition to a prequel. The first season premiered on Prime Video on November 19, 2021, and I had recently finished Eye of the World. Therefore the book was fresh in my mind, leading to me feeling annoyed by changes such as one main character having a wife in the beginning of the show when he does not have a wife at the beginning of the first book in the series. Changes like this distracted me and I had a difficult time separating the two mediums. But other people I know do enjoy many aspects of the show, even people who enjoy the Wheel of Time books, perhaps looking at the show as a “different turn of the wheel.” And of course the book has so much more vivid detail as the text is very descriptive. I definitely recommend reading this book before watching the show and then perhaps waiting awhile to watch the series unless you can see differences and become less bothered than me, easily accepting the creative decisions of the show writers. 

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid–a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth. “All Systems Red” is a previous Books to New Worlds discussion selection picked by me that was well-liked by all attendees as many related to Murderbot and its desire to be left alone and just watch its favorite television series. It is the first in the Murderbot series although “All Systems Red” stands alone quite well without immediately reading the others. A television series was recently adapted from this book and Murderbot is scheduled to premiere on Apple TV+ on May 16, 2025, with its first two episodes. Though the protagonist (technically called “SecUnit,” though it wryly thinks of itself as “Murderbot”) has biologically human parts, it stridently resists gender labels and gendered descriptions. The books, narrated by Murderbot, never describe its body with gender or sexual indications of any kind. Because of that, I recommend reading the book before the television show to see what you imagine SecUnit aka Murderbot to look like, rather than being influenced by the actor playing the role as there have already been photos shared of the helmet on and off for the television series.  There are also many jokes SecUnit aka Murderbot makes to itself which may prove challenging to translate to television as the inner monologues of the main character are central to the books. I do look forward to the show and am interested in how it will be pulled off, but read the book first for your own idea of Murderbot. 

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie when his reality shatters. “Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible. Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined, one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe. “Dark Matter” is another Books to New Worlds discussion selection picked by me that was enjoyed by several library patrons. This mysterious science-fiction tale was adapted into a television series,  premiering on Apple TV+ on May 8, 2024. I have not seen this television series yet, so cannot critique it, as I do not subscribe to that particular streaming service but it is tempting with so many book adaptations on it that may be interesting to watch after reading the book first. I listened to the audiobook on a road trip, which was quite engaging, so I would especially recommend that format before checking out the show. 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Bardugo draws inspiration from Russian and Slavic myth and culture to kick off her Grisha trilogy. In the nation of Ravka, Alina Starkov is a junior cartographer’s assistant in the army, while her best friend Mal is an expert tracker. When a perilous mission into the magically created Shadow Fold goes wrong, Mal is gravely wounded and  Alina manifests the rare ability to summon light. Immediately recruited into the order of the magic-using Grisha, Alina is taken under the wing of its intimidating and powerful leader, the Darkling, and heralded as the potential destroyer of the Shadow Fold. As she navigates Grisha politics and uncovers well-hidden secrets, she realizes that the fate of the nation rests on her shoulders and she may be in grave danger. While this is a young adult trilogy, I enjoyed reading these books as an adult several years ago, and was excited when it became a television series. The first season, which adapts Bardugo’s novel Shadow and Bone, premiered on April 23, 2021 on Netflix, and also features an original storyline involving the Crows, a criminal gang from Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology. While the first season adapting the first book in the series was enjoyable, the TV show was unfortunately canceled after two seasons despite a lot of praise from fans. It may be a good idea to read “Shadow and Bone” before watching the TV series since reading the trilogy will allow you to find out how the story ends unlike the TV show that ended abruptly; the cancellation followed the end of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, which Netflix cited as the reason for ending the show. 

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. Geralt the Witcher holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures, the first chapter in Andrzej Sapkowski’s groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent, The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri. Long ago, I discovered the Witcher video games and fell in love with them. When I discovered they were based on a book series, I devoured them to spend more time with characters I have come to love. And recently it has been adapted into a television series on Netflix. The first season, consisting of eight episodes, was released on Netflix on December 20, 2019. It was based on The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, which are collections of short stories that precede the main The Witcher saga. The second season, also consisting of eight episodes and based on the novel Blood of Elves, the first volume of the Witcher series excluding the short stories, was released on December 17, 2021.  In April 2024, the series was renewed for its fifth and final season. An animated origin story film, Nightmare of the Wolf, was released on August 23, 2021. A prequel miniseries, Blood Origin, was released on December 25, 2022. A second film, Sirens of the Deep, was released on February 11, 2025. I have seen the first season of the television series and enjoyed the adaptation but because Netflix adapts a collection of short stories first which may be confusing, it may be beneficial to be familiar with the content beforehand. And by reading the Witcher books, you will also read translated works by a Polish author, assisting any goals to read widely and globally from authors in various countries. 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent. I first read this book when I was in high school, as well as the subsequent Lord of the Rings trilogy, around the time Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring movie was released in theaters. Years later, a trilogy was made for this one book, The Hobbit films starring Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. While I absolutely love The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King – I am not a fan of the movie adaptation of The Hobbit since it feels so dragged out as three movies based on one book versus three movies based on one book each. People may enjoy the films but I believe one concise movie would work best for it. If you decide to watch the Hobbit films, I recommend reading the book first, and perhaps the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well, since the Hobbit films may have references to characters in other books to stretch their run time. 

True Grit by Charles Portis

True Grit tells the story of Mattie Ross, who is just 14 when a coward going by the name of Tom Chaney shoots her father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robs him of his life, his horse, and $150 in cash. Mattie leaves home to avenge her father’s blood. With the one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, the meanest available U.S. Marshal, by her side, Mattie pursues the homicide into Indian Territory. The book is told from a first-person point of view in 14-year-old Mattie’s perspective with humor, stubbornness, and bravery. The reason I suggest reading this book before watching the movie is that True Grit is this year’s Salina Reads selection and there are multiple discussions to talk about it, as well as other related books, as well as a slate of programming options that you can read about on pages 25-27 of the Spring 2025 calendar.  True Grit is the basis for two movies, the 1969 classic starring John Wayne and the Academy Award winning 2010 version starring Jeff Bridges and written and directed by the Coen brothers. Then after reading the book, join us at the Salina Art Center Cinema on Thursday, April 24, with the movie starting at 6 p.m. for a film screening and discussion of the 2010 “True Grit” film. This adaptation of Charles Portis’s novel follows 14-year-old Mattie Ross as she enlists the help of tough U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn to track down the man who killed her father. With a gritty and realistic tone, the film explores themes of justice, revenge, and determination, all while delivering strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, and Matt Damon. This is a special Reel Film Fans event for Salina Reads screening a movie adaptation of the book “True Grit.”  This film is rated PG-13 and is 1 hour, 50 minutes long. Registration is encouraged here starting March 27 so library staff may know how many to expect. 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

In the early 1990s, when gay teenager Cameron Post rebels against her conservative Montana ranch town and her family decides she needs to change her ways, she is sent to a gay conversion therapy center. When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is. A film adaptation of this book was first shown on January 22, 2018, at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s highest honor. I read this novel as part of an online LGBTQ book discussion and watched the film when it was shown at the Salina Art Center Cinema downtown. While the movie was great, proving worthy of the award it won, the book is very long and there is so much descriptive detail that it would be impossible to include everything in the film. Read this book before watching the movie to experience your own voice narrative with details that will make you feel like you are with young Cameron as you turn the pages and experience the sounds, sights, and tastes that she does. Then watch the film to watch an excellent adaptation of it capturing the essence of the novel well. 

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, and autonomy and fate. In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then an avid hunter neighbor, who she nicknames Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. The language of the book is captivating and full of intrigue with twists and turns you may or may not see coming. I read this Polish translated novel with Branching Out Book Club online that aims to read broadly and diversely that I encourage people to check out and join. A movie adaptation of this book titled Spoor was released several years after the publication of the Polish novel. The Polish-language title, Pokot, is a hunting term that refers to the count of wild animals killed. The English title Spoor refers to the traces and tracks left behind by the hunted game. While both the movie and book are good, I recommend reading the book first as I think the book has more mystery as you get inside the main character’s head. Then the movie is neat to watch afterward on either Hoopla or Kanopy to see how it is adapted, which I believe it does well. 

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

An elderly artist and her six-year-old granddaughter spend a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. Gradually, the two learn to adjust to each other’s fears, whims and yearnings for independence, and a fierce yet understated love emerges—one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the island itself, with its mossy rocks, windswept firs and unpredictable seas. The Summer Book is a novel written by the Finland-Swedish author Tove Jansson in 1972. Over 50 years later, readers will still find it relevant to their own lives. The Summer Book is a novel I read with the former online book club titled Life’s Library, based on a term a character mentions in the book Looking for Alaska by John Green, hosted by this author as well as British writer Rosianna Halse Rojas. All profits from Life’s Library purchases were donated to Partners in Health Sierra Leone to help reduce maternal mortality. This movie adaptation is brand new, with no wide release yet, and was shown at various festivals late last year and this year, including two in the United States in March. The movie trailer looks like it will do a great job adapting the story with its beautiful picturesque setting. Read the book before watching the movie as you may discover you will also have a reason to anticipate a wide release of this film adaptation. 

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. I hosted a book discussion for this book for Salina Public Library several years ago, where people shared their many thoughts on the story and characters. The television series first premiered on the Hulu streaming service but it is available to check out as well on DVD to check out with your library card. Read this book first before checking out the adaptation, especially if reading a banned book is on a reading challenge list of yours for the year. Based on data collected by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, the book was the fourth-most banned, challenged, and/or removed book in the United States between 2010 and 2019. The book has been deemed unsuited for the age group because of its sexually explicit content, offensive language, and inclusion of drugs, alcohol, and smoking.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Reading this with an online book club, I discovered this was a book when I had thought it was an original movie but learned this award-winning movie, which you can find to check out in Salina Public Library’s Anime section, is based off of this novel. The movie is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is loosely based on the 1986 novel Howl’s Moving Castle by British author Diana Wynne Jones, and loosely is a key word here. I recommend reading the book first to know the source material of the movie but then when you watch the movie, you’ll see some similarities but more differences. The movie is good on its own, especially because it is animated by the iconic Studio Ghibli, but after reading the book, you may feel like you are watching an entirely different story that is still enjoyable. In addition, if you enjoy the book, there are sequels with recurring characters and the movie does not have any sequels. In addition, if you are interested in checking out various anime in the style of Howl’s Moving Castle, attend my monthly Anime Club, each first Wednesday of the month. 

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Critically acclaimed authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett team up for a hilarious apocalyptic novel. According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, the world is slated to end next Saturday. As Heaven and Hell prepare and the divide between good and evil becomes apparent on Earth, a meticulous angel and self-indulgent demon refuse to give into the imminent Rapture and team up with a prophetess, four young children, a part-time witch finder, and a dog to prevent its occurrence. Good Omens became a television series, starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant, premiering on Amazon Prime Video in 2019 and now on DVD to check out with your library card. Like the novel, the television series features various Christian themes and figures and follows various characters all trying to either encourage or prevent an imminent Armageddon, seen through the eyes of the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley. The television series is amazing and highly recommended because of the casting and humor. Read the novel first if you feel like laughing immediately, or better yet listen to the audiobook that is narrated by the two stars of the show, for the best of both worlds before watching the actors in the television series itself. The original audiobook is narrated well too and I have listened to it on multiple road trips. 

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Janie Crawford, an African-American woman in her 40s, returns to her old town, after an absence, and recounts her life story, along with the time she had been gone to her friend, Pheoby. Fair and long-legged, independent and articulate, Janie Crawford sets out to be her own person—no mean feat for a black woman in the ’30s. Janie’s quest for identity takes her through three marriages and into a journey back to her roots. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 1937 novel by American writer Zora Neale Hurston. It is considered a classic of the Harlem Renaissance, and Hurston’s best known work. Read this book first as it is an iconic work of literature exploring themes of gender; race; class; masculinity; femininity; and more. I recommend listening to the audiobook while following along in the text of the physical book because it helped me with the written dialect within the novel. Set in central and southern Florida in the early 20th century, the novel was initially poorly received. Since the late 20th century, however, it has been regarded as influential to both African-American literature and women’s literature. Time magazine included the novel in its 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923. Read the novel first to see why. Then watch the film starring Halle Berry as the main character, and produced by Oprah Winfrey. 

House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende, a Chilean-American novelist, weaves a tapestry of three generations of the Trueba family, revealing both triumphs and tragedies. Here is patriarch Esteban, whose wild desires and political machinations are tempered only by his love for his ethereal wife, Clara, a woman touched by an otherworldly hand. Their daughter, Blanca, whose forbidden love for a man Esteban has deemed unworthy infuriates her father, yet will produce his greatest joy: his granddaughter Alba, a beautiful, ambitious girl who will lead the family and their country into a revolutionary future. The House of the Spirits is an enthralling saga that spans decades and lives, twining the personal and the political into an epic novel of love, magic, and fate. Academy Award winners Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons and Vanessa Redgrave star with Academy Award nominees Glenn Close, Winona Ryder in director Bille August’s vision of Isabel Allende’s passionate, epic novel of love, family and romance. I watched the film soon after reading the book and you can watch the movie with your library card using Kanopy. Read this book first to checkmark a selection of the 2025 Salina Public Library Reading Challenge as it features magical realism. Each time you read a book that fits one of the categories, complete a book challenge form at the library or online for a chance to win a Salina Area Chamber of Commerce gift certificate. Allende, who writes in the “magic realism” tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. 

I hope you enjoyed this list of 15 books to read before watching the movie or TV show; happy reading and watching afterward!