Books That Inspired Great TV
December 7th, 2011
When I read a book, I dont really see much. Characters are just vague outlines in my imagination, like people seen at a distance without my glasses. Their words are spoken in my voice, making some scenarios a little awkward. Descriptions of beautiful vistas? Consider them instantly forgotten. Perish the thought of having to imagine what a fantastical creature looks like, even with a long string of adjectives to guide me.
This problem makes Fantasy an untouchable genre. Science Fiction is a considerable struggle as well. Remove the setting descriptions in Westerns and its just a bunch of faceless cowboys with nondescript guns and war cries that sound a lot like my ack! a spider! shriek.
I dont like being confined to a few genres, particularly because I help people find their next favorite book. So I cheat a little. Watching movies and TV shows based on books helps me see the scenery, hear the characters, and experience the story more fully before I read the book. This ruins things for people with a rich visual mindscape. (You can easily pick them out of a crowd because they say things like, I cant believe they casted so-in-so in that movie. He doesnt look at ALL how hes supposed to look.) To them, I tip my hat.
Check out this list of TV shows based on books and make your own comparisons!
Bones (FOX): Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs
Christy (CBS): Christy by Catherine Marshall
Dexter (Showtime): Dexter Morgan series by Jeffry Lindsay
The Dresden Files (Syfy): The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
Flashforward (ABC): Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
Game of Thrones (HBO): A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin
Friday Night Lights (NBC): Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger
Gossip Girl (The CW): Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (BBC): Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT): Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series by Tess Gerritsen
Kitchen Confidential (FOX): Kitchen Confidential Anthony Bourdain
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family): Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
True Blood (HBO): Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries by Charlaine Harris
The Vampire Diaries (The CW): Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith
The Walking Dead (AMC): The Walking Dead graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman
For a list of books that inspired movies, click here.
When you read, do you see anything? Whats your favorite book/film/TV show adaptation?
Tags: adults, author, best of, bones tv show, Book Mate, books that inspired movies, Cecil County, cecil county public library, circulation, collection, dexter, dresden files, friday night lights, game of thrones, genre fiction, gossip girl, information, inspector lynley mysteries, kitchen confidential, library, pretty little liars, reading, Recommendations, rizzoli & isles, teens, television, temperance brennan, tv shows based on books, vampire diaries, walking dead