Books on T.V.

Because my love of books doesn't stop at merely reading and blogging about them, I have become addicted to several television series focused entirely on books and the people who read them.

The Book Group

I discovered this gem, which aired on the BBC, through Hulu.com. Each episode sees the book group reading a new title and dealing with everything else in their lives, as well. I found the show to be hilarious in every way and finished watching both series in just a few days. If you enjoy The Book Group also look for the writer/director Annie Griffin's Coming Soon, which I found equally enjoyable.
http://www.hulu.com/the-book-group

Invitation to World Literature

This show aired on PBS in the U.S. earlier this year. Each half-hour episode discusses one classic work in World Lit with university professors, actors/directors who may have been involved in stage productions of the work, and simple readers who enjoy it. Some of the works covered include The Odyssey, The Tale of Genji, Candide, Things Fall Apart, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and The Thousand and One Nights. The website for the show has each episode available to watch online as well as fun extras. I'm not sure whether or not there will be more episodes, but I hope PBS realizes what a great show this is.

http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/

The Librarians

 

Full disclosure - I have not seen this show. I have been trying in vain to find it online for a few years now. I first stumbled upon this Australian mockumentary about librarians when I was obsessed with The Office. This could very well be only a moderately amusing show (like Parks & Recreation) or even thoroughly bad. If anyone has seen it or knows where I can watch online, do tell.

Black Books

Black Books is absolutely one of my all-time favorite shows. How could it possibly be bad when it was created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan? The show follows the antics of a delightfully cynical Irishman and his friends working in a book shop. Selling books, however, is obviously not the ultimate goal. I shall leave you with a clip where Bernard and Manny write the best children's book on Earth.

 

If you know of any other shows similar to these or even films, please share as I'm always on the look out for something new to watch in between reading.

- Rose