Read It, Watch It: Stellar Book Club Picks with Acclaimed Adaptations

Then watch: A Nearly Normal Family on Netflix

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell is a typical teenager from an upstanding family — until she’s accused of brutally murdering a much older man with some shady business entanglements. Stella’s parents, a pastor and a defense attorney, find themselves questioning their familial loyalties as they strive to defend their daughter and understand how she could be a suspect in such a crime. Hailed as a “compulsively readable tour de force” by The Wall Street Journal, M. T. Edvardsson’s acclaimed Scandinavian crime thriller A Nearly Normal Family hit the small screen in 2023 as a Netflix limited series. It’s an excellent addition to your list if your book club loves thrillers.

Then watch: The Undoing on HBO

It’s hard to see a reason not to check out Jean Hanff Korelitz’s bestselling You Should Have Known — first because it’s yet another compelling narrative by the author, and second because it inspired the acclaimed HBO miniseries The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. Grace, a marriage counselor and soon-to-be-published author, is comfortable in the life she shares with her husband, Jonathan, a pediatric oncologist, and their young son, Henry. But when the mother of one of Henry’s classmates is murdered, the neat seams of Grace’s life are picked apart by new and shocking revelations about the man she thought she knew. This delicious read will surely have your book club talking. For an extra dose of Korelitz’s exciting works, check out her literary thriller The Plot and its sequel, The Sequel.

Related: How to Start a Book Club

Then watch: Hidden Figures

A number-one New York Times bestseller, Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly is an outstanding work of narrative nonfiction that tells the true story of the extraordinary Black women mathematicians who played an instrumental role in NASA’s achievements in space. In the era of Jim Crow and segregation, these trailblazing women faced both racial and gender discrimination throughout their careers. In spite of this, they persevered, and proved integral to NASA’s victory in the Space Race. The Hidden Figures movie boasts an all-star cast of Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kirsten Dunst, and more. It will be a treat to watch post-read.

Then watch: Crazy Rich Asians 

New Yorker Rachel Chu is looking forward to spending a summer with her boyfriend Nick’s family in Singapore. She’s picturing a lovely little home and welcoming future in-laws, but when the couple land, she’s thrust into a far different story. Turns out, Nick’s family is rich. Like, crazy rich. And Nick is a very hot commodity. Rachel quickly realizes that it’s going to be a summer of navigating obscene wealth and social climbers who are more than happy to step on her on the way up the ladder. In 2018, Kevin Kwan’s bestselling Crazy Rich Asians became a blockbuster rom-com starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, and Michelle Yeoh.

Then watch: Annihilation

Jeff VanderMeer’s award-winning Southern Reach series follows an expedition into the otherworldly Area X. In the first installment, Annihilation, biologist Lena Double leads her team into the treacherous zone, where civilization has been smothered by nature. Previous expeditions have returned changed in disquieting ways. Area X will challenge them, but the secrets they each carry may prove to be their undoing. When you’ve finished reading VanderMeer’s celebrated series, get the club together to enjoy the gloriously trippy movie adaptation of Annihilation, starring Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 

Then watch: Call Me By Your Name

André Aciman’s Lambda Award–winning bestseller Call Me By Your Name is a modern classic of romantic fiction that was selected as “Future Canon” by New York magazine. It tells the story of adolescent Elio and graduate student Oliver, and the passion that blossoms between them over the course of a summer on the Italian Riviera. Aciman’s masterful prose is sure to sweep you and your book club away. Afterward, check out the sumptuous silver screen adaptation of Call Me By Your Name, directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Timothée Chalamet.

Then watch: Brooklyn

Colm Tóibín’s bestselling literary love story Brooklyn follows Eilis, a young woman in the 1950s who leaves her family and home in Ireland to move to America. Mid-century Brooklyn serves as the backdrop for Eilis’s coming-of-age journey as she finds herself and falls in love. But when tragic news arrives from Ireland, Eilis is beckoned back to her mother’s side, and ultimately she must choose between two homes and decide which future she wants to live. Saoirse Ronan received a Best Actress nomination for her leading role in the movie adaptation of Brooklyn. Both the book and the movie are sure to delight, especially if your book club enjoys historical fiction. 

Then watch: Mystic River

The murder of a teenage girl brings three former friends together in Dennis Lehane’s acclaimed crime novel Mystic River. Childhood friends Sean, Jimmy, and Dave have grown apart in the decades following a traumatizing event, but when Jimmy’s daughter is killed, they find themselves reunited under devastating circumstances. Even after reading the book and knowing the ending, the Mystic River movie is a captivating psychological thriller featuring an incredible cast that is definitely worth watching.

Then watch: If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk, by the great James Baldwin, tells a story of love, family, and injustice that continues to resonate 50 years after its publication. When a young man named Fonny is falsely convicted of a heinous crime, his fiancée Tish, with their baby on the way, sets out to prove his innocence and reclaim the future he deserves. Evocative and passionate, Baldwin’s timeless novel is brought to life by filmmaker Barry Jenkins in the celebrated 2018 film adaptation, making it an ideal book club movie selection. 

Then watch: Clueless

Jane Austen’s classic comedy of manners Emma is full of vivid characters, including the titular charming busybody Emma Woodhouse. A story that balances discussions of class and status with matchmaking and facing one’s flaws, Emma is a lasting favorite for book clubs around the world. While the novel has been adapted numerous times, Clueless is our personal favorite for a book club movie pick. The iconic ’90s rom-com starring Alicia Silverstone is a modern adaptation of Emma that swaps the English countryside for sunny California. It makes for delightful viewing after you’ve finished reading Austen’s influential novel.