If you’re like me and transition into semi-hibernation come autumn, you might be looking for activities to fill your time indoors. Enter book-to-screen adaptations. The fun doesn’t end after the last page of the book. Instead, turn on the TV or head to the local cinema to see how the characters have come to life in real time. (Although, try not to get too upset if the film or TV show doesn’t line up with the vision in your head. Hard, I know.)
Harlan Coben’s Shelter
For fans of dark teen mysteries like Riverdale and The Vampire Diaries, Harlan Coben’s Shelter is a thrilling new supernatural TV show based on Coben’s bestselling series of the same name. After the death of his father, protagonist Mickey Bolitar finds himself wrapped up in a web of lies and long-buried secrets in his new life in New Jersey. Now streaming on Prime Video.
Red, White & Royal Blue
This LGBTQ romance novel had such a cult following when it debuted in 2019 that it was released as a film this past August. Casey McQuiston’s novel follows First Son of the president of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz, as a rivalry between him and Britain’s Prince Henry turns into something much… steamier. Now streaming on Prime Video.
Lessons in Chemistry
Starring Brie Larson and Lewis Pullman, Lessons in Chemistry transports watchers back to the late 1950s and ’60s as chemist Elizabeth Zott, now a cooking show star, is teaching women much more than how to create a meal. Premiering on Apple TV October 13.
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr’s searing 2014 war novel hits Netflix as a limited series on November 2. It is best to start reading the story, which chronicles the lives of two teens during WWII now, as the book runs over 500 pages.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Following the trend of showing villains’s backstories to give them a sympathetic spotlight (i.e. 2019’s Joker, Maleficent, Cruella), this 2020 novel turned feature film takes place more than a century before Katniss Everdeen enters The Hunger Games and shows a teenage Coriolanus Snow as he prepares to be a mentor for the tenth annual competition. In theaters November 17.
Leave the World Behind
As COVID forced us to turn our thoughts inward in 2020, Rumaan Alam’s suspenseful Leave the World Behind debuted, making the thought of isolation all the scarier. Here, a family escapes to a remote, luxury vacation house in Long Island in hopes of a relaxing getaway. But when the owners show up after a blackout in the city, questions of trust, class, and race begin to emerge. Leave the World Behind stars Mahershala Ali, Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon and is set to start streaming on Netflix November 8.
The Changeling
Fairy tale meets horror story in this dark romance by Victor LaValle. In 2017 when the book debuted, a Goodreads reviewer wrote, “starts like love actually, then becomes rosemary’s baby, then becomes jurassic park.” The TV series is now streaming on Apple TV.
The Other Black Girl
In the vein of Get Out — Black horror making social commentary — when a New York City publishing firm gets a second Black employee, initially, editorial assistant Hazel is excited. But there’s a lot more to this other Black girl than meets the eye. The TV series is now streaming on Hulu.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Debuting in theaters October 20, Killers of the Flower Moon is a true story diving into the Osage tribe murders of the 1920s. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and was directed by Martin Scorsese. Pregame the movie showing with our Killers of the Flower Moon Cocktail.
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