Hello folks, how’s your Tuesday going? I’m still recovering from the high of seeing my hero, Simon Russell Beale in King Lear last night. Review coming tomorrow! In the meantime, it’s my weekly link up with The Broke and the Bookish, with this weeks theme which is:
Top Ten Books If You Like X (tv show/movie/comic etc).
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood if you liked Broadchurch (TV series)
Alias Grace is a novel about a convicted murderer and the validity of her sentence and guilt. Atwood creates a wonderfully creepy atmosphere with the reader never quite sure whether to believe Grace’s tale. ITV’s Broadchurch created a similarly unsettling, creepy feeling as two police officers investigated the murder of a young boy, with all residents’ suspects and constantly growing tension.
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens if you liked… Persuasion by Jane Austen (book)
Little Dorrit is the tale of Amy Dorrit, the youngest daughter of a debtor, born in debtor’s prison where she has lived her whole life. Amy is quiet, sweet and secretly determined. The book is about much more than just her story, but like Persuasion, it involves standing up to family, unrequited love, love at a later age and most of all about retaining hope at all times.
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham if you liked… Felicity (TV series)
Not what you thought I was going to say was it? Much as I love the Gilmore Girls and though the show clearly has links with the lovely Lauren Graham’s book, it actually reminded me more of Felicity in tone. SSM is all about Frannie Banks, an aspiring actress trying to make it in New York, figuring out some guy stuff, with some dependably smart-talking friends to help her out, just like Felicity was. Plus, they both leave you with a warm, happy sense of contentment.
Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller if you liked… The Talented Mr Ripley (film or book)
Full disclosure: I don’t actually like The Talented Mr Ripley (sorry!). However, I did enjoy Heller’s Notes on a Scandal and there’s no denying they share certain DNA. Both feature cunning, manipulative and totally deluded protagonists, who become obsessed with someone they both love and hate simultaneously. The suspense builds beautifully through Notes… and you become so embroiled in Barbara’s narration, you almost feel like a co-conspirator.
The Outcast by Sadie Jones if you liked… Only Yesterday (film)
Both The Outcast and Only Yesterday reflect on how the traumas and trials of childhood affect us as adults and how confusing life can be if you don’t conform to an expected idea of who you should be as an adult. Lewis feels adrift and out of place in his small village, just as Taeko feels like a stranger in her own life in Only Yesterday.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel if you liked… House of Cards (TV series)
Both Wolf Hall and House of Cards are stories about politics and the drama, intrigue, betrayal and clever manipulation that come with being successful in that world. They feature charismatic protagonists who live in the moral grey areas as self-serving as they are public servants.
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion if you liked… Romeo & Juliet (play or films)
Warm Bodies is loosely based on Romeo & Juliet, so it follows that people who enjoy one should enjoy the other. Warm Bodies’ protagonists are ‘R’, a zombie and Julie, a human, who form a connection despite being on opposing sides of the battle of survival for humanity. Their attempt to maintain that connection, despite the overwhelming odds against them is every bit as tension filled as R&J.
MWF seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche if you liked… Bridesmaids (film)
MWF seeking BFF is about one woman’s quest to find friends in her new home of Chicago and an exploration of the way we make and form friendships as adults. While it doesn’t have any epic food poisoning scenes or cookie destruction, I feel that MWF… shares with Bridesmaids a sense of the importance of close friendships, how we feel when they are threatened, lost or altered and how hard it can be to find our feet without support.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens if you liked… Harry Potter (books or films)
Yes, not one but two, TWO, Charles Dickens recommendations. Great Expectations and Harry Potter both feature an orphaned protagonist who is raised by sometimes less than caring relatives. They are both fortuitously pushed towards money and success and sometime stray from their true path. Both are stories about growing up and knowing yourself and who you wish to be.
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok if you liked… Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (book)
Look, I know I reference E&P too much on this blog. I’ll try to stop, ok? In the meantime, why don’t you try the lovely Girl in Translation? Like Eleanor & Park, it looks at standing out amongst your classmates, child poverty and first loves. It’s well worth a read.
What would be your recommendations?
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