As much as we enjoy curling up under a blanket with a binge-worthy show (bonjour, Emily in Paris), there really is something to be said for the quiet company of a good book. Between the calming rustle of the pages and the chance to dive deep into the details of a story, a powerful page-turner is something truly transportive.

Incidentally, it would seem Hollywood agrees, considering how many of our favourite series and films began as bestselling books before scoring adaptations. It’s also a tradition that appears to be moving full steam ahead in 2022, with a number of the last few years’ top novels primed to make their way onto our favourite streaming services in a matter of mere months.

So, whether you’re in need of a new read or simply want to check out some seriously good source material before it hits our screens, scroll on to discover our edit of the 10 most exciting books becoming TV shows and movies this year.

10 Books Becoming Movies And TV Shows In 2022

1. Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

Published in 2019, Lisa Taddeo’s internationally bestselling Three Women is all set to get the TV series treatment, courtesy of Showtime. A captivating and cutting portrayal of female desire, the story explores the lives of three—you guessed it—women: Lina, whose marriage has lost its passion; Maggie, who allegedly engaged in a relationship with her married English teacher; and Sloane, who always craved admiration but feels she’s wound up a sexual object.

The cast features Shailene Woodley, Dewanda Wise and Betty Gilpin, and while no release date has been set at this stage, the project appears to be moving quickly, with filming kicking off in November 2021 for a straight-to-series order and a probable premiere in late 2022.

2. Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Following the whirlwind rise and fall of a fictional rock band in the 1970s, Daisy Jones & the Six was destined for the screen before it even debuted. Picked up by Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine six months before the book was released, the 13-part Amazon series stars Riley Keough (who also happens to be Elvis Presley’s granddaughter!) as Daisy, with Suki Waterhouse, Sam Claflin and Camilla Morrone also featuring in the Fleetwood Mac-inspired tale. Production kicked off in late 2021, so a late 2022 release is likely on the cards.

3. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

The long-awaited adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends is finally en route! Made by the award-winning team behind Normal People, the story is set in Dublin and follows college students and best friends Frances and Bobbi, who together become entangled in the lives of a slightly older and wealthier couple, Melissa and Nick. Dropping in May 2022, the 12-part series stars a few familiar faces, including Jemima Kirke (Girls), Sasha Lane (American Honey) and Joe Alwyn (Mary Queen of Scots), along with newcomer Alison Oliver. Check out the trailer here.

4. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Another Reese Witherspoon-backed book-to-screen treat? Sign us up. Enter: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Expected for theatrical release in July 2022, this number one New York Times bestseller tells the story of Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones), an outcast in a small fishing town who is rumoured to be “Marsh Girl'', a mysterious figure suspected of killing handsome local icon, Chase Andrews.

But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she’s learned to live alone for years in the marsh she calls home, and when she opens herself up to two young townsmen who take an interest in her—the unthinkable happens.

5. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

Optioned by Amazon prior to its June 2020 release, Naoise Dolan’s debut novel Exciting Times is perfect for fans of Sally Rooney. Described as “fiercely intelligent” and “brutally funny”, the story follows 22-year-old Ava, who left Ireland for Hong Kong in search of happiness and her own money, only to wind up a poorly paid English teacher to rich children. There, she also finds herself drifting into a love triangle with Julian, a witty British banker, and Edith, an ambitious Hong Kong-born lawyer.

Dolan is co-writing and directing the adaptation, with the project also having tapped Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor as star and executive producer. Exciting times, indeed.

6. Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

A romantic comedy that manages to encompass racial politics and family secrets with equal ease, Xochitl Gonzalez’s bestselling debut novel tells the tale of Olga Acevedo, a “status-driven wedding planner for New York’s elite” who is “grappling with her absent mother and and her Puerto Rican roots in the wake of Hurricane Maria”. Little has been revealed about the Hulu production, but the show has a few recognisable names attached, with Aubrey Plaza signed on as Olga and Jesse Williams to play her brother Pedro “Prieto".

7. Persuasion by Jane Austen

The next instalment in Netflix’s Jane Austen anthology is none other than Persuasion, and with Dakota Johnson, Henry Golding, and Suki Waterhouse as part of the cast—we’re certainly not complaining. Austen’s final completed novel centres around Anne Elliot, a timid 27-year-old woman who lives with her upper-crust family and still has not married (a scandal for 19th century England), after being persuaded by her aunt to reject the proposal of Captain Wentworth eight years earlier, only for him to reappear in her life—along with a second chance at love.   

8. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

A coming-of-age story inspired by her real life, journalist, author and podcaster Dolly Alderton’s memoir Everything I Know About Love is being developed into a seven-part BBC series. With the adaptation also written by Alderton, fans can expect to see her signature self-deprecation, warmth and wit translated onscreen as the show follows two childhood friends as they attempt to figure out life, love and friendship in their early twenties.

Although the release date has yet to be confirmed, it’s likely to drop some time in 2022 as filming for the series wrapped in December 2021.  

9. Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

While there’s certainly been many movies depicting the life of the legendary Marilyn Monroe over the years, the adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ Blonde promises to be one worthy of attention. Why? The cast, for starters. Starring the incredible Ana de Armas as the icon herself, it also features Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller and Bobby Cannavale as Joe DiMaggio.

Secondly, if the film is true to the book, it won’t be your usual Marilyn bopic, with Oates having been widely praised for her rich and raw reimagining of Marilyn’s inner world, fragility and ambition beyond her sex symbol status.   

10. Anatomy of a Scandal by by Sarah Vaughan

Slated for release on Netflix on April 22, Anatomy of a Scandal is a six-part psychological thriller about sex, power, and privilege that is sure to please fans of Big Little Lies and The Undoing. Set in London, this courtroom drama exposes the “personal and political scandals of Britain’s elite” as it follows a high-profile couple whose marriage lands under the harsh glare of the spotlight after the husband is accused of a terrible crime.

To top it off? It features a star-studded cast, including Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend, Michelle Dockery and Naomi Scott. 

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