5 books you absolutely have to read before they become TV series in 2018

Whether it’s the 5-time Emmy-award-winning show Big Little Lies, or the Netflix fan-favourite 13 Reasons Why, plenty of your most beloved series on TV right now are actually based on novels.

So what better way to plan out your current reading list, than by picking up one of the books set to become TV series in 2018.

Below are five intoxicating novels, which are bound to become some of your most binge-watched shows on television over the next year.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The adaptation of this 1959 horror novel is currently under production by Netflix, with the ten-episode series set to air later this year.

The book – and ‘modern’ re-imagining – follows four people living in an 80-year-old mansion, where supernatural occurrences are commonplace.

Game Of Thrones and Age Of Adaline hunk Michiel Huisman leads an all-star cast of Carla Gugino, Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, Mckenna Grace, Violet McGraw and Timothy Hutton. However, the streaming service is yet to confirm which actors are taking on the specific roles.

The novel was previously adapted for the 1990s film The Haunting, which starred Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson and Lili Taylor.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Produced by George Clooney, this Hulu miniseries is based on the 1953 satirical novel of the same name.

Per Hulu, the story follows John Yossarian (Christopher Abbott), a U.S. Air Force bombardier in WWII, whose real problem is with his own army, who keep increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service.

If John avoids the assignments, he’ll be in violation of ‘Catch-22,’ a rule that specifies that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that are real and immediate is the process of a rational mind; a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but a request to be removed from duty is evidence of sanity and therefore makes him ineligible to be relieved from duty.

Christopher (who leads as John Yossarian) is joined by Kyle Chandler (Colonel Cathcart), Hugh Laurie (Major de Coverley), George Clooney (Scheisskopf), Daniel David Stewart (Milo), Jon Rudnitsky (McWatt) and Rafi Gavron (Aarfy).

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The New York Times bestselling author of The Fault In Our Stars and Paper Towns, is back for another adaptation. This time, his 2005 novel Looking For Alaska is being adapted for a TV series by Paramount Television for Hulu.

Josh Schwartz (creator of Gossip Girl, The O.C.) has written the pilot for the eight-episode limited series, and will serve as executive producer and showrunner. The cast is yet to be confirmed by the team, and an air date is yet to be determined.

Looking For Alaska tells the story of Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter, a teenage boy who enrols in boarding school to gain broader life experiences than his currently safe existence. He falls in love with another student, named Alaska Young, who brings him in to her “labyrinth of suffering.” Then… After… his life is never the same.

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

This adapted series has already hit screens in Australia, airing its first episode on May 6th on streaming service Stan., but the novel is still certainly worth the read.

British actress Ella Purnell (Maleficent, The Legend of Tarzan) has stepped in to the leading role of 22-year-old Tess, an Ohio native who begins working as a backwaitress at an upscale New York City restaurant.

Tess develops a crush on one of the bartenders, Jake (Tom Sturridge), and develops a friendship with senior server, Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald), as she navigates the surprisingly twisted new world she has entered.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The second novel by Gone Girl’s bestselling author Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects, follows Camille Preaker, a newspaper journalist who reluctantly returns to her hometown to report on a series of brutal murders.

The limited series has been picked up by HBO, and stars Academy Award winner Amy Adams in the lead role as Camille. Think: unexpected twists, edge-of-your-seat suspense and one super eerie soundtrack.

The trailer for the series, which is due to air in July 2018, has already been shared online. Check it out below!

Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV by Brian Stelter

This non-fiction novel is the inspiration for Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston’s untitled new drama series, which has already been picked up for two seasons by Apple.

The show will be executive-produced by Jen and Reese who – fun fact – are reported to be earning $1.25 million per episode.

The original book centres on the intense world of morning television, with Stelter focusing on several daytime television shows, their hosts, and events that he oversaw while working as a media reporter for The New York Times.

As such, the fictional adaptation will revolve around a New York City morning show. We’re yet to see cast photos, but we’re excited to see the pair reunited on-screen.

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