Books to read | Photo by Jessica Fugett | The Wright State Guardian
Many books have turned into TV shows over the years, but sometimes the plot of two separate pieces of media can remind you of the other, even if they are not the same. Below is a list of books that are similar to a TV show, and if you like the one you will likely enjoy the other.
If you like the TV show “Dark”, try “If, Then” by Kate Hope Day
This German sci-fi show follows the lives of several people in a small town after two boys go missing. We have more questions than answers as we jump back-and-forth between timelines, and learn more about the interesting characters and their dark pasts.
Similarly, time gets a little wonky in Day’s debut novel, where we follow several characters in a small Oregonian town as their lives become entangled when it is predicted a volcano is set to erupt soon. The settings in both the show and the book are just as much as the main character, and you will quickly feel immersed in the two worlds.
If you like the TV show “Grand Army,” try “I’m Not Dying with You Tonight” by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal
At the core of both of these stories are teenagers that are trying to live their lives while outside forces push them to go through very emotional, high-tension events. The Netflix show follows a large cast of characters from all different backgrounds who go to a public school in New York City, and when a bomb goes off close to the premises, several little bombs erupt in their own lives.
In the YA novel by Jones and Segal, we follow what happens after a race riot breaks out during a high school football game and a black girl and a white girl have to stick together to make it out alive. Both novels deal with issues that affect today’s teens and touch on the important issues of race, class and privilege. Jones also made headlines this summer when a video of her detailing why the Black Lives Matter protests were so necessary and justified blew up on social media.
If you like the TV show “Russian Doll,” try “Neverworld Wake” by Marisha Pessl
The Netflix series follows a woman who keeps dying on her birthday before waking up to relive the day and its terrible circumstances over and over.
Similarly, Pessl’s novel is about a group of teens who used to be friends, and after a fatal accident that leaves them in a world between life and death, they have to relive the same 11 hours until they unanimously decide which among them will live again. Both the show and the book will push you to the edge of your seat as you wait to see what will happen next.
If you like “Gravity Falls,” try “The Hollow Places” by T. Kingfisher
“Gravity Falls” is a children’s cartoon show that follows a summer in two sibling’s lives working at their wacky Grunkle Stan’s Mystery Shack and if you like the wacky characters and memorable setting, Kingfisher’s novel will fit the bill.
The novel follows a recently divorced woman who, while looking after her uncle’s taxidermy museum, finds a hole in the wall that leads to an alternate dimension. It is easy to see how it is similar to the shenanigans that also go on in “Gravity Falls.”
Due to its adult themes and language, Kingfisher’s horror novel is not something recommended for children, but if you have grown up searching for something similar in setting and tone, then it will be perfect for fans of the Disney show.
