books being adapted for television

If you love seeing your favorite books come to life on the big or small screen, 2023 is shaping up to be a great year. And if you’re a read-it-before-you-see-it person, you’ll want to take note of the screen adaptations slated for release this year, and add the following books to your reading list! (Release dates are given when known, though they are subject to change).

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (on Apple TV+ Feb. 3)

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (in theaters Feb. 5)

The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black (in theaters Feb. 15)

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (on Amazon Prime Mar. 3)

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume(in theaters Apr. 28)

Text for You (movie title: Love Again)by Sofie Cramer (in theaters May 12)

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (in theaters May 2023)

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (in theaters June 30)

American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (in theaters July 21)

Hallowe’en Party (movie title: A Haunting in Venice) by Agatha Christie (in theaters Sept. 15)

Dune (Part Two) by Frank Herbert (in theaters Nov. 3)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (in theaters Nov. 17)

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (movie title: Wonka) by Roald Dahl (in theaters Dec. 15)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (in theaters Dec. 20)

Expected to premier in 2023, but no release dates available yet for:

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (on Amazon Prime)

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (on Amazon Prime)

The Power by Naomi Alderman (on Amazon Prime)

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (on Apple TV+)

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (on Disney+)

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (on Netflix)

The Three-Body Problem Series by Cixin Liu (on Netflix)

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo (on Showtime)

Adapting a novel for the big screen can be a tricky business, but novels adapted for small screen are expanding in popularity. Game of Thrones has been wildly successful at it. So has Outlander. No longer confined to a two-hour movie-length, popular books can be adapted more faithfully as a television series, without the best bits getting cut for time.

2017 is seeing a boom in book-to-television adaptations, and we can’t wait to see some of our favorites brought to life on the small screen. If you’re a read-it-before-you-watch-it person, add these to your TBR list:

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (Netflix)

After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that a distant relative is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Netflix)

When Clay Jenkins receives a box containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends the night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah’s voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (Netflix)

Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (Hulu)

In a dystopian future, women are no longer allowed to read and are valued only as long as they are viable for reproduction.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Starz)

Just released from prison, Shadow encounters Mr. Wednesday, an enigmatic stranger who seems to know a lot about him, and when Mr. Wednesday offers him a job as his bodyguard, Shadow accepts and is plunged into a dark and perilous world.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (HBO)

An annual school Trivia Night ends in a disastrous riot leaving one parent dead in what appears to be a tragic accident, but evidence shows it might have been premeditated.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (HBO)

Returning to her hometown after a long absence to investigate the murders of two girls, reporter Camille Preaker is reunited with her neurotic mother and enigmatic, thirteen-year-old half-sister as she works to uncover the truth about the killings.

The Cormoran Strike series by J.K. Rowling, writing as Robert Galbraith (BBC/HBO)

This three part series follows Cormoran Strike, a wounded war veteran-turned-private detective struggling to get by in Central London.

The Midnight, Texas series by Charlaine Harris (NBC)

Midnight, Texas, a dried-up, one traffic light town, gets shook up when a mysterious new resident, Manfred Bernardo, moves in.

The Terror by Dan Simmons (AMC)

Captain Crozier must find a way for his crew to survive the deadly attacks of a sea monster, in this novel loosely based on the mid-nineteenth-century Arctic expedition led by Sir John Franklin.