There are so many brilliant books to screen adaptations on the way, like a new Pride and Prejudice movie, and the My Brilliant Career television series. But which books are worth reading ahead of watching their on-screen counterparts?
We’ve compiled a list of all the books we think are worth reading first. From literary classics to thrillers and romances, now is your chance to get ahead of the screen release and read the book first!
Read these books before you see the screen adaptation:
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
Jane Austen’s books have inspired so many creators for film and television. The Emma Thompson-penned screenplay for Ang Lee’s film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility is one of our favourites. But we’re looking forward to seeing this book get another film offering, with a new screenplay written by Australia’s own Diana Reid.
Revenge Wears Prada
Lauren Weisberger
Almost 20 years after the hit film The Devil Wears Prada first appeared on our screens, we are getting a sequel! In the original novel, The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger based the plot on her own experience working for Anna Wintour at Vogue. The second book picks up a decade later, though we don’t know yet how closely the film will stick to the book’s storyline.
Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci will be reprising their roles. Additionally, Australian actor Patrick Brammall joins the cast as a new love interest for Anne Hathaway’s character.
An Offer from a Gentleman
Julia Quinn
The lavish television period drama Bridgerton captured audiences when the first season aired in 2020. Each season is based on a different novel from Julia Quinn’s London-set Regency romance series about the Bridgerton family. The upcoming fourth season gives us Benedict’s story, and playing opposite him in the role of Sophie is Australian actress Yerin Ha.
My Brilliant Career
Miles Franklin
Penned by Miles Franklin, the Australian classic My Brilliant Career was previously made into a film starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill, and directed by Gillian Armstrong. That was in 1979. Now, almost 50 years later, production is underway for a television series, with Australian actors Philippa Northeast and Christopher Chung in the lead roles.
Practical Magic
Alice Hoffman
Okay, yes, the Practical Magic movie came out in 1998. However, a sequel is officially on the cards, with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman set to reprise their roles. Therefore, now is the perfect time to dive into Alice Hoffman’s book series. There are four books to read. In release order, they are: Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic, Magic Lessons, and The Book of Magic.
If you want to read them in chronological order, then that is: Magic Lessons, The Rules of Magic, Practical Magic, The Book of Magic.
You can stream Practical Magic now on Prime Video and/or Stan.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
From Bollywood to zombies, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has many book-to-screen adaptations already, but we’re always up for another! The new screen offering is a television series with some big-name actors on board, including Olivia Coleman, Emma Corin and Jack Lowden. The best-selling author Dolly Alderton is writing the screenplay, and BAFTA winner Euros Lyn will direct the film.
The Walsh Family series
Marian Keyes
Irish novelist Marian Keyes is an internationally bestselling author with more than 20 books to her name. But some of her most popular are her books about the Walsh sisters – Claire, Maggie, Anna, Rachel and Helen. You can read any of the Walsh books as standalones, or devour the entire collection, which currently includes eight books.
The first book to introduce the Walsh family, Watermelon, was Marian’s first novel. The others in the series are: Rachel’s Holiday; Angels; Anybody Out There; The Mystery of Mercy Close; Mammy Walsh’s A-Z of the Walsh Family; Again, Rachel; My Favourite Mistake.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Gregory Maguire
The book that spawned a stage musical, and now a two-part movie series directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey. The first film in the duology, Wicked, came out in 2024. Part two, Wicked: For Good, will be out in cinemas in November 2025. So, if you want to find out what happens after the dramatic finale of the first film, read the book!
Gregory’s Wicked Years series also includes the books Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men and Out of Oz. He’s also written a prequel book, Elphie: A Wicked Childhood.
All Her Fault
Andrea Mara
After her award-winning performance in Succession, Australia’s Sarah Snook will be tackling another television series – All Her Fault. Based on a book of the same name, the psychological thriller begins with Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook) discovering her son Milo is missing after she goes to pick him up from a playdate. The show is filming in Melbourne, Australia, and also stars Dakota Fanning, Jake Lacy, Abby Elliott, Sophie Lillis and Michael Pena.
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is another novel that has seen many book-to-screen adaptations already. Emerald Fennel directs the 2026 film version of Wuthering Heights, and it stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. There’s no information yet on how closely the film will match the book, but the trailer delivered wind-swept, sensual, gothic decadence.
Scarpetta
Patricia Cornwell
Nicole Kidman is no stranger to a book-to-screen adaptation, having starred in the aforementioned Practical Magic, as well as many adaptations based on Liane Moriarty’s novels. In 2025, Nicole will star in Scarpetta, a show based on Patricia Cornwell’s crime thriller series, as the titular character, forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta. Additionally, in the cast are Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana DeBose and Simon Baker.
Verity
Colleen Hoover
Another author who can claim multiple book-to-screen adaptations is Colleen Hoover. The production of It Ends With Us was marred with controversy, so here’s hoping the Verity film is less fraught. The movie cast includes Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. A film version of another of Colleen’s novels, Regretting You, is slated for release in 2025.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Rufi Thorpe
Apple TV+ is turning Margo’s Got Money Troubles, a book about a 20-year-old single mother struggling to make ends meet, into a television series. There’s no official release date, but it will likely be 2026, leaving you plenty of time to read the book first!
The cast is stacked with stars, including actors Elle Fanning as Margo and Michelle Pfeiffer as her mother, as well as Nicole Kidman, Nick Offerman and Thaddea Graham.
Down Cemetery Road
Mick Herron
Mick Herron’s gripping thriller, Down Cemetery Road, is about to become a television series starring Emma Thompson. She’ll be playing private investigator Zoë Boehm, who teams up with Sarah, the neighbour of a girl whose disappearance they investigate together.
Though Down Cemetery Road was Mick’s first published novel, it’s not the first of his books to be adapted for television. The Emmy Award-winning series Slow Horses is based on his book series Slough House.
People We Meet on Vacation/You and Me on Vacation
Emily Henry
Bestselling author Emily Henry has had most of her romance books optioned for screen, including People We Meet on Vacation, a story of two friends who reunite for a holiday and attempt to repair their fractured relationship. The movie stars Tom Blythe and Emily Bader, with the screenplay penned by screenwriter and fellow romance novelist Yulin Kuang.
Emily Henry’s other books to be optioned for the screen are Beach Read, with Yulin Kuang as writer and director, Book Lovers and Funny Story, for which Emily will write the screenplay. The book Happy Place was picked up by Jennifer Lopez‘s production company and will be a television series.
The Love Hypothesis
Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood is another popular romance author whose book was optioned for a movie adaptation. Production is underway on The Love Hypothesis. It was Ali’s debut novel, and is about Olive and Adam, a PhD student and a professor, who agree to fake date in order to test their theories about love. Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman will play the leads.
The Bodyguard
Katherine Center
Casting for the lead roles in the movie of Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard has been announced! Jared Padalecki will play the famous actor, Jack, and Leighton Meester will play his bodyguard, Hannah. When Jack’s mother falls ill, they go to his family ranch, but Jack asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend so his mother won’t discover he needs a bodyguard because he’s being stalked.
Katherine is no stranger to having her books adapted for the screen. Her books Happiness for Beginners (starring Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes) and The Lost Husband (starring Leslie Bibb and Josh Duhamel) have also been turned into films.
You can stream Happiness for Beginners on Netflix. Stream The Lost Husband on Amazon Prime.
