Read These Books Before They Hit the Small Screen

By Carrie McBride, Communications
February 28, 2022

Hollywood can't get enough of adapting books for the screen. And not just the big screen—these movies and series,  all based on novels, will soon be available to stream from your couch. There are several psychological thrillers in the bunch as well as a sci-fi classic, historical fiction set in Japan, romance in Regency London, and a time travel mystery.

two women raise champaign glasses to each other against a backdrop of a Croatian city

The Weekend Away (beginning March 3 on Netflix)

Cast includes Leighton Meester, Christina Wolfe, Luke Norris, Ziad Bakri, Amar Bukvic

Based on The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson

Two friends go on holiday. Only one comes back. Orla and Kate have been best friends forever. Whatever happens in their lives, they can always look forward to their annual weekend away. This year, they’re off to Lisbon and what better way to kick things off in style than with the perfect night out? But when Orla wakes up the next morning, Kate is gone. Brushed off by the police, Orla frantically retraces their steps and makes a series of shattering discoveries that threaten everything she holds dear. 

woman lying in a hospital bed staring blankly

Pieces of Her (beginning March 4 on Netflix)

Cast includes Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, Jessica Barden, Joe Dempsie, Omari Hardwick, and Jacob Scipio

Based on Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

The daughter of a woman who has wanted nothing more than a quiet life in her small beachside home embarks on a desperate search for answers when she discovers the explosive truth about her mother's true identity.

older man and younger woman hug in a dark parking lot

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (beginning March 11 on Apple TV+)

Cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, Damon Gupton

Based on The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosely

After a doctor touts an experimental drug that will shorten his life, but restore his failing memory and vigor, Ptolemy Grey is spurred to action after investigating his own past, his apartment, and the circumstances surrounding his grand-nephew's death in a drive-by shooting.

photo of a woman seated at a piano bench with a child on her lap and a man standing behind her

Deep Water (beginning March 18 on Hulu)

Cast includes Ana de Armas, Ben Affleck, Jacob Elordi, Rachel Blanchard, Lil Rel Howery

Based on Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith

Tired of an arrangement that allows his wife, Melinda, to take as many lovers as she wants in exchange for not deserting the family, Vic tries to win her back by asserting himself with a tall tale of murder, a lie that eventually comes true, in a chilling novel about the dark reality behind the idyllic facade of American suburban life.

photo of a man and woman looking at each other with faces close together and book cover of Pachinko

Pachinko (beginning March 25 on Apple TV+)

Cast includes Soji Arai, Jin Ha, Inji Jeong, and Minha Kim

Based on Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

In early 1900s Korea, prized daughter Sunja finds herself pregnant and alone, bringing shame on her family until a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and move with her to Japan, in the saga of one family bound together as their faith and identity are called into question.

photo of a door opening onto a grand ballroom lined with well-dressed attendees

Bridgerton, Season 2 (beginning March 25 on Netflix)

Cast includes Jonathan Baile, Simone Ashley, Charithra Chandran, Nicola Coughlan, Calam Lynch, Shelley Conn

Based on The Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn. (Season 2 focuses on Lord Anthony Bridgerton, the main protagonist of Quinn's second book in the series, The Viscount Who Loved Me.)

When notorious rake Anthony Bridgerton announces that he has chosen a prospective bride, he faces unexpected opposition when his intended's meddlesome sister Kate decides to protect her innocent sister from the wicked aristocrat.

Already read the whole Bridgerton series? 30+ Bridgerton Readalikes to Steam Up All Your Nights

a man and a woman move through a crowd or reporters

Anatomy of a Scandal (beginning April 15, Netflix)

Cast includes Michelle Dockery, Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend, Naomi Scott

Based on Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Desperate to clear the name of her loving and charismatic husband in the wake of scandalous accusations, Sophie clashes with a determined prosecution lawyer, Kate, who resolves to uncover the truth and bring Sophie's husband to justice.

a man and a woman in profile look up at the sky

The Man Who Fell to Earth (beginning April 24, Showtime)

Cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Bill Nighy, Rob Delaney

Based on The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis

An alien disguised as a human comes to Earth on a mission to save his people. Devastated by nuclear war, his home planet, Anthea, is no longer habitable. He lands in Kentucky and starts patenting Anthean technology—amassing the fortune he needs to build a spaceship that will bring the last three hundred Anthean survivors to Earth. But instead of the help he seeks, he finds only self-destruction, sinking into alcoholism and abandoning his spaceship, in this poignant story about the human condition. 

a man and a woman sit in a booth at a restaurant at night

Shining Girls (beginning April 29, Apple TV+)

Cast includes Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura, Phillipa Soo, Jamie Bell, Amy Brenneman

Based on Shining Girlsby Lauren Beukes

The sole survivor of a time-traveling serial killer who began his murder spree in Depression-era Chicago tries to hunt him down in 1989 along with help from an ex-homicide reporter.

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.